Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-04-27
Lafayette
Farce Is
Amusing
Nv CHARLES GENTRY

lie last Iikill vi AiiS Stobt Va TIC
Lafayette Theater where Frank
Mccoy is offering this Kaufman
and Hart farce as his second at
traction OF this company.
It's not quite as funny as My
Sister Eileen and it's true that
il did doze on Broadway, but last
nights audience found IL very
entertaining and the customer Is
sometimes right.
The main trouble with the play
is that il is all dialogue. The char
acters all stand around and talk
to one another, cleverly enough,
we grant you, but a little action
wouldn't give any one the tremors,
particularly in that first act.
The play deals in kindly satire
of the longings of a city dweller
10 become a homesteader. In this
instance it's Caspar Milquetoast
OF chap who buys deserted old
stone house. where George Wash
.ington is supposed to have passed
the night. He did pass in the night,
because il turns out that the his
torical sleeper was none other than
Benedict Arnold.
A NATURE LOVER
But none OF these details can
dampen the ardor Of Newton
Fuller. who is intent upon going
hack TO the earth, before they be-
gin piling il on him.
His skeptical wife, really the
central and most amusing char
acter in the comedy, can do MOTH
ing 10 dissaude him. Although she
points out every disadvantage
from no plumbing to the japanese
beetle. she finally buckles down
and tries to help him convert this
Black Hole of Connecticut into the
rose-covered little haven, her hus-
band wants.
DOMESTIC TROUBLES
Then their troubles begin and
the domestic upsets continue in
terminably through five scenes.
Some are undoubtedly funny, but
you begin to wonder just how
much our household hero can take.
There is a final reprieve in the
mortgage department which gives
the finale a nice East Lynne touch,
but we think You'll have laughs.
Many of the members OF last
weeks show are in evidence here,
although Allen Kearns as poor
Newton Fuller, is new to this COM
pany. He does very good job OF
lii too. reminding us little OF
Ernest Truck, who created the
role.
A WISE ACTRESS
Ethel Britton. past mistress of
the venomed retort. takes over
the job of throwing cold water on
hubby's eighteenth century love
nest. She has a def and decisive
manner in handling herself on the
stage, and a technique ideally
suited to such a role as this, aside
from the excellent timing with
which she delivers her smart
cracks.
Arthur Jarrett, fills one OF the
most important character roles
splendidly. He is the death-and-I
taxes rustic, who is the hired man
10 end all hired men, while Bert
Wilcox steels several scenes with
his version of the bombastic Uncle
Stanley, who arrives at the same
time as the 17-year locusts.
SUPPORTING CAST
Pretty Mary Elliott and hand
some John Grogan lead the
younger members of the cast while
Dorothy Eaton and Dean Norton
are seen in the roles of the actor
and actress who further complicated
the Fuller's domestic bliss.
Little Jackie Spohr, who did
such an excellent job of it last
summer is again cast as the hor-
rible little demon nephew who isl
one of the greatest arguments for
birth control on the stage today.
1t was played a trifle too slowly
last night, but if its picked up al
bit more, we think you'll find Ill
enjolable. even though il is really
a one-act play in several scenes
instead of the three long acts over
which Mr.. Kaufman and Mr.. Hart
stretched themselves.