Evening star., 1940-03-19

Nutmeg Tree" which title could
not be used because it was sold to
the movies, has its uneven moments.
Unfortunately. it starts with one
OF the lower ones. prologuey (pun
intended, but not that unsuccess-
fully affair which the succeeding
hilarious bathtub scene retrieves
handsomely. Miss George comes on
there and remains present almost
continuously as a vaudeville per-
former who really wants only to be
a lady, but is constantly being di-
verted from it by an impulsive.
stormy nature which was nurtured
backstage
Her Julia Packet is person
to inspire an unfaltering sympathy
whether she is filling up a given
moment with out-trading a pawn
broker. trying to conceal her lack
of finesse from her priggish daugh-
ter, playing chiropractor to a gaudy
old female acrobat kicking an in
sufferably self-conscious fellow house
guest in the hustle. wrestling amor
ously with a handsome acrobat and
her conscience at one and the same
time. or trying to match wits with
debonalr, compassionate diplomat.
That obviously is quite gamut of
experience. more than enough to
break heart less brave than Julia s
but whatever terrible humilia ton
comes to her. she turns up with an
engaging spirit of living through it
toward something better.
X + X
1t is rather prize lot Of standard
but prepossessing comedy characters
with which Julia is surrounded in
Lady in Waiting" Covering such
a wide range, socially and vocation
ally, they bring to the evening humor
which is good whether it is nigh or
low and Miss Sharp's play has a
great deal of both forms
AS they were in the novel. the
subordinate characters are drawn
with clarity. Miss Sharp's flair for
this necessary part of her new busi-
ness OF drama writing manifests
itself most winninglv in the charac-
ter of the diplomat who is wise
enough to see in Julia the lady
which she wants to be. But very
good. too. are the bizarre mother
of the acrobatic troup the sleek and
sophisticated young fiance of the
stuf1y daughter of Julia, the kindly
doWager mother Law. the moralis-
NC, sell conscious acrobat, the sea-
SICK bartender on the Channel boat.
the gaunt, austere English servant
ana the rotund. emotional French
one. A beguiling lot which Antoin-
ette Peny's direction can work into
something soundlv comic when lines
come more easily and everyone
comes to the conclusion that LADY
IN Waiting" needs broad playing at
all times.
Most successful in facilitating Miss
georges effort to find all the
warmth and humanity in Julia were
Alan Napier as the diplomat, Ethel
Morrison AS Ma" Genocchio. the
mother of the acrobats: Leonard
Penn as the eldest acrobatic son
Anita Bolster as the servant ia
Julia who refused to be fired. or to
QUIT even though she had not been
PAID IN years. Also effective in the
olfncult daughter role is Carol Cur
llS-BroWn. young English actress
whose handling of the hilarious
hysterlcal scene in the third act
was especially neat piece of work.
X X
There is material in Lady in
Waiting" which might we'll be sac
rl1lced for the pace and conciseness
OF the play but Miss Perrv's direc-
tlon may overcome the periods of
lassltude such as that in the second
act when the servants EXCHANGE
compliments.
John Root has designed the set
tlngs Tor Lady in Waiting" the
most inspired of them that bathroom
IN the two-by-four space of which
he managed to put not merely
oathtub, but a grandfather's clock,
a mattress, large and awful paint
ing OF stag, and several items
equally unrelated to that particular
part OF a boarding house-or anv
other Kind of house for that matter.
Margaret Pemberton's clothes, espe-
clally those of Miss George, are
precisely right.