Evening star., 1944-04-23
Vaughan Creates a Portrait
By Laurence Perry.

the entire company, but because Of
a rich, human quality.
Otherwise, even the fact that care
Is taken to label the piece "a por-
trait" does not absolve it from its
defects, a major one of which Is the
portrayal of charming personality
in the grip of q mental disorder.
Some there will be who hold that
man who comes into a fortune
some $40,000-and decides to spend
lit as he thinks Jesus Christ would
have done need not necessarily be
a paranoiac. Whether or not Mr..
Vaughan held some such view In
mind I cannot say. At any rate,
Sheppey, a barber in a fashionable
London shop, takes literally the in
junction, Sell all thou hast and
give it to the poor" as well as other
of the Masters admonitions, after
he finds himself one of the lucky in
the Irish Sweepstakes.
Bitterness Is Undertone.
In the theme-not novel, by the
way, of setting up a character who
attempts to apply the precepts of
Christ in hard and practical
world-you catch notes of bitter
realism which characterize so many
i of Maugham's novels and stories.
Whether or not the author intended
ironically to convey the thought
that only crazy man would act
as Sheppey did, the fact remains.
discarding the confirmatory diagS
nosis of celebrated alienist, tha
any man who injects prostitutA
and a disreputable burglar into q
normally placid and serene home as
members of his family is open to
strong suspicion of mental malady.
The trouble with the play is that
after gay, perfectly delightful first
act, set in barber shop wherein
Edmund Gwenn gives an inimitable
portrayal of barber at his work, the
remainder Of the piece is taken up
with the vagaries of the newly rich
Cockney and the effect of their i'm
pact upon his dismayed family.
at other, times come perilously close
Dialogue Is Brilliant.
But, aside from characterization
merit of the play lies in such lines
as only a Vaughan can put into
parable of life; in flashing shafts of
wit; in intimations of deep pathos;
in occasional sparkles of humor.
Perhaps I can give you an idea.
When, in the end, Sheppey is con-
fronted by the spirit of death en-
bodied in lovely brunette, when he
realizes. he has to go with her, he
asks what, is beyond. Death shakes
her head in solemn negative. She
does not know The play is filled
with touches like that. Personally,
1 liked it. I would enjoy seeing it
again.
Miss Adler's Play Sad.
How beautiful Stella Adler is! In
Claiborne Fosters play, Pretty
Little Parlor," presented by John
Moses and Ralph BeIlamy at the
National Theater. Miss Adler is as
perfect a naturalization of a Glib
son girl as you could imagine. Phys
ically, sartorially, she is superb, and
it does seem pity that playwrights
and producers persist In putting her
into plays in which she has to beat
her head against table, or a wall,
in hysterical emotion and in other
ways rack mind and body trying to
carry plays too burdensome even for
the shoulders of an Atlas.
In the piece in question she is the !,
second wife of drunken failure of
a husband. She has stepdaughter
destined for spinsterhood and mar
tyrdom and daughter of her own,
aged 16. The play deals with the
woman's various Vaccinations in
attempting to ameliorate her life
and that of her family, in process
of which she plots nefariously, lies,
cheats, double crosses and, in gen.
eral, conducts herself in such man
ner as to make designation usually
applied to such women an insult to
the most disreputable female canine
you ever saw.
(Released b. North American Newspapsx
Alliance, 1nc.)