Evening star., 1936-05-31

as devoted and palnStaKlng a produc-'
ton as the year has seen.
There is, for the matter of that, no
reason why a Players production
should escape perfection by any great
measure. The Gramercy Park Clubs
roster is illustrated with the name of
almost every trouper of account
familiar to the American stage, and
it is lively and going concern, jeal-
Gus of its prestige, banded closely in
all fraternal and esthetic endeavor.
1t would be an exacting casting direc-
tor who could not assemble anything
from Hamlet" to EAST Lynne" from
the bar, billiard room or library any
noontime.
Some of the humors of THE County
Chairman" were just a thought dated.
Like the champagnes of those vintageS
of 1904 and '05, whose vitality some
times had leSSened, similarly, subStan-
tial traces of a real American drama
of 1905 were still distinctly discernible
in the play. The Mississippi Valley
township of Antioch fairly seethed
with 1880 characters. the village sta
ton master, the gabby veteran of the
recent wars, the braSh but amiable
local swains and the postmaster
storekeeper of familiar aspect from
Maine to New Mexico. Local politics
were all important, sundering family
allegianceS and the embrace of lovers;
the arrival of the Sis and the mail
engrossed the attention of all able
bodied citiZenry; the windmill sales
man represented a mechanical age
that probably wasn't here to stay, and
Chicago, achieved in one of George
Pullman's palace cars. was the plush
and ormolu Babylon of the New West.
It was all handsomely done. with
Charles Coburn, Alexander Kirkland,
Rose Hobart and Linda Watkins per-
forming the leading parts valiantly
and with gusto.
The audience at the National, as
ever at Players openings, was notable
for the absence of the braSh first
night exhibitionistS of other Broad
way premieres, substituting a gently
bred cultivation and slightly outmoded
tailcoats for the diamond tiaras and
photographers flashes Of Forty-fifth
street. The first string critics were
present for their last reviews of the
season, and every one said goodby to
Brooks Atkinson and John Mason
Brown until Fall. Visible in the de-
dams were Gretta Palmer, Mrs. Otis
Skinner, H. T. Webster of "Timid
Soul fame, Cyril Mast. the urbane
Whitney Bolton. John Haloran and
more than generous sprinkling Of
Players members cheering handsome
ly for the home team.
With the hot weather upon the
town and the general appetite turning
in the direction of chiffonade salad
and brook trout in aspic, one cannot
but feel glad that the stage at the
National is no longer the scene Of
Raymond Massey's prodigious con-
sumption Of beef stew in Ethan
Frome" The reporter fell into con-
verse with Mr.. Massey few weeks
since on the subject of the heroic
portions Of this Yankee arrangement
which he was then putting away with
Pauline Lord and Francis Pierlot, and
he said it was no such trial on his
temper and digestion as the cold sup
per (they called it tea) he was forced
to digest nightly in The Shining
Hour" He said he recalled the play
principally as an enormous ham, and, !
for once, he was perfectly certain it
was not himself.
At the moment there is little enough |
eating going on behind Manhattan |
foot lights. for which most troupers
give heartfelt thanks. There are those
ham hots which make their appear
ance fianked by a bottle of milk on
Joyce Arling's tray in boy Meets
Girl" Helen Hayes is slipping a glass |
of sherry nightly with Disraeli in !
Victoria Regina" and Harry Ellerbe
is sousing Oswald's lunacy with
fagons of champagne in Ghosts"
but the stage eating season Is over.