Evening star., 1938-02-17

it can duplicate that understand
ing had better see George and Mar
garet," or write sadly in its diary that
1t missed something better than Mr.
Savory wrote.
The play really was the thing only
If the thing" meant an opportunity
for F. Cowles Strickland to demon
strate, by Jupiter, that this acting
business is merely bit of delightful
skylarking for skilled director. If
Mr.. Strickland, who directs the Civic
Theater. had not stolen the show,
which tby Jupiter again) he did, the
audience would have given it to him.
Maybe the reason the darned thing
was sort of placid flop in New York
was the neglect of the producer to
hire Mr.. Strickland to play the role
of that droll philosophical father of
zany family who always had a
feeling things would turn out all right.
His Interpretation of the character
turned everyone affable and generated
a feeling of amusement which is not
exactly conspicuous in every minute
of Mr.. Savory's writing.
The spirit of Strickland's acting, as
we'll as his direction, hovered over the
entire production. Also adding largely
to the enjoyment of the evening was
one of the best performances Maud
Howell Smith has given as a Civic
Theater performer. One suspects that
she may have given the cast the
jitters on couple of occasions, but
her Interpretation of the fluttery
mamma of the nutty Garth Banders
pleased the audience every ~step OF
the way.
Having gone this far without men,
tioning the name of Harry Macarthur
the critic who got involved in the play
on kind of dare, let it be said he
gave an impressively courageous per-
formance as the worldly young
pianist who falls in love with the
Garth-Bander daughter. And, having
said that, let's get on to Margaret
johnson who also seemed bit con-
strained at moments in the part Of
the girl. (And, IN nice way, please
won't someone take up the hem of
her slip before tonight's perform
ance?)
OF the other members of the cast,
Selma Klein was terrific in the few
minutes she had as the family'S new
maid, Bunnie Skinner turned up q
neat bit as the old maid, and Donald
Sisler and Richard Walsh were more
than adequate as the bright and
boring, respectively, brothers.
AS play, George and Margaret"
really is not tremendously important
in spite of an Internationally merry
quality of writing about crazy family
AS downright fun. it seemed very i'm
portant last night.
THERE are lot of nice things about
being a one-woman theater, like
Cornelia Otis Skinner. For one thing
one can (as Miss Skinner is doing
here next week at the NationaD toss
in an extra matinee without having
to get permission of Equity So, on
Tuesday, Washington's birthday an
niversary, there will be an afternoon
performance of Edna His Wife" in
which Miss Skinner plays all eight
characters and does it so we'll critics
have turned in some of their pref
tiest speeches of the season.
But there is another side to the
story, as it seems quantity there al
ways is. 1t is kind of lonely world
for Miss Skinner in spite of the fact
that she can surround herself with a
couple of dozen fgurative characters
any time she wants to. She can talk
to these imaginary (but tremendously
-eaD characters only when she is on
the stage. At other times, between
performances, being the whole COM
pany is an appalling kind of alone
ness.
Imagine how it is" says Miss
Skinner, with company you have
some on to talk to, things to do, and
all the rest that goes to make the
theater life. have no one but my
self. You can see for yourself how
1t would be-"
1t is Miss SINNERS conviction that
the one-woman theater would not
have been Cornelia Otis Skinner if
it had not been that her father was
q famous actor. Although she wanted
them, not one would dare give her
small part on which to try her wings
as an actress, so she had to develop
her own unique type of production.
She did it first lust as a form of self
expression; took the idea into the
theater at the suggestion of a friend,
became an instant success and has not
stopped being success since.
X X
IF YOU'VE been worrying about
Annabella, the magnificent made
noiselle, in her first American pic
DANCING.