Evening star., 1938-03-25

those who interpret it to follow the
playwright into pretty rare atmosphere.
F Cowles Strickland's cast went tri-
umphantly along with MIR. Green vir-
tually every step of the way last
night. Washington playgoers in quest
of good theater will 60 triumphantly
along with Mr.. Green and Civic Thea
ter before the play leaves Wardman
Park Theater for its deserved place
In ones pleasant memories of the
local drama
AS everyone should know, Paul
Green is a playwright who is not
content to daWdle with little ideas. To
tell his alternately comic and tragic
tale of war as it affects the common
man (and vice versa, he created 80
characters, devised II scenes. and pro-
vided that large part of the drama
should be set to music. 1t is difficult
to imagine play more filled with
pitfalls for the non professional group.
But none of them tripped up anyone
In the production last night-at least
never seriously. No one need have
any worry over the merit Of the Civic
Theaters presentation of the play
that almost won the critics prize last
year and which is presented here for
the flrst time-even more pointedly-
as humanity edges closer to the brink
of war.
Johnny Johnson, subtitled "the
biography of common man." IS pow
erful, provocative. and humorous. The
playwright. looking at war through
the eyes of the natural man, finds it
a tragic affair, wantonly cruel, stupid
and futile thing. But it is not always
solemn. There is lot of laughter
In the drama, and don't get the idea
that all of it is bitter. 1t is nothing
of the kind. When Johnny turns
loose his common sense, even though
ne pays for 1t by spending 10 years
in an asylum for the insane, he makes
war lords, propagandists, psychiatrists
snd plain patriots look pretty silly
Conversely, Mr.. Green has seen to it
that Johnny, figure out of folklore,
Is character that you will remember
with admiration and amusement the
rest of your life.
X
IT is not in the mood of a pallid
pacifist. the kind which makes war
look almost attractive, that Mr.. Green
gives Johnny to those who want the
theater to be vibrant. vital institu-
ton. Johnny is militant pacifist,
as shown by the fact that he enters
the World War willingly enough when
he discovers that it is the war to end
wars Once in the Army. he is a
good soldier. even though he refuses
to kill Germans. He writes letters
to everyone, to Gen. Pershing, the
enemy: he crashes a meeting of the
allied high command and with judi
eious use of laughing gas gets a signed
order for the suspension of hostilities.
He becomes the most famous soldier
In the allied armies, but he Is rated
es a nut because he insists upon TAX
Ing common sense view of conflict
The character Of Johnny johnson
patiently is no easy one to portray.
To the credit of Harrison Libbey. he
missed little of the sincerity, the SIM
plicity. the bewilderment, the pathos
or the wisdom with which the play
wright endowed this remarkable figure.
He stalks through the play like some
thing out of mythology. but at the
same time so real that you could
60 up and pat him on the back for
routing what passes as intelligence
with what actually is wisdom
There are other good performances
In Johnny Johnson" and some that
are not so good
Among those in the former category
Milton Freedman as the demagogue
mayor, Lansing Hall as Johnnys de-
faulting finance, Norman Rose as the
half-mad psychiatrist. Harry Westcott
ss the Army doctor (although we did
not care so much for his other two
'mpersonations), Geoffrey Creyke, jr.,
as the singing soldier and Mimi Norton
as a French nurse who tried to teach