The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-04-06

making ner rev Xork debut. The
E. Mawby Green and Edward Allen
the same name by Elizabeth Bowen.
Miss Pitoeh received a warm re-
ception and undoubtedly is a fine
actress. Naturally, she speaks with
an accent, but 1t is easy to under
stand her and her acting is such
that you soon cease to notice the
incongruity of a French character
speaking with an accent In her ma
tive surroundings.
The play is not a good one. Miss
Bowen's novel was successful,
much liked By the book reviewers,
but 1t was what the experts like to
refer to as novel Of mood. Trans
lating the plot into dialogue mere
ly resulted in making it banal. The
writing Is pedestrian, some of the
characters are 80 badly drawn as
to be completely unbelievable, and
there are cliches that can be meas
ured by the square yard.
1t is a period piece with a pro-
logue in 1911, the main portion in
1900 and an epilogue back in 1911.
The scene is the fashionable Paris
pension Of Madame Fisher, where
well-to-do American and British
girls are sent for year Of polish
ing by French culture before going
home to get married. In the pro-
logue there Is seen a 10.year-old
boy who has been raised In Italy
by foster parents and who is
awaiting the arrival Of his real
mother. He bears some close con-
nection with Madame Fisher that
Is explained in the main portion OF
the play. 1t seems he is the bastard
OF one Of the PENSIONS 1900 British
girls and young artist who was
the special pet Of Madame Fisher.
The Madame Is a domineering
type and she succeeds in wrecking
several lives, causing the young
artist to commit suicide, among
other things. Her own daughter
becomes an embittered old maid.
The epilogue points to a possible
happy future for the boy because
the British aristocrat who eventu-
ally married his mother comes to
take him to her. I'm dashed if I
know what this was supposed to
prove.
Alastair Boyd Kyle, a British
child, did remarkable job with
the boys role, but the character
was believable only to the extent
Of his own acting powers. AS Writ
ten, you wouldn't give it house.
room in a hotel. I doubt If anyone
could have done more with the
role Of the artist than did Michael
Ingram. Cavada Humphrey was
good as Madame Fishers frustrat-
ed daughter.
1t will be a shame if the Pitoeff
does not get another chance soon
in a more expert and plasible
play. She is a definite asset.
Clarence Derwent directed and
H. Clay Blaney produced.
The fortunes of theaters in New
York are fascinating. One Of the
houses that has ben down and out
for decade is going to get a new
lease on life. This Is the Jolson,
a large house ideal for musical
shows, that always was little out
Of the general theater zone, being
over on Seventh avenue, at the en-
trance to Central Park. The Shu-
berts used to make good use of 1t
back in the thriving '20s. but when
the depression cut down the num-
Der of houses in use, the Jolson
was one of the first to suffer. Now
and then some foreign language
production would show up there,
but that was about all.
Now the place has been renamed
the Century and is being polished
and manicured and dressed up for
the reception Of a big new musical
comedy, Follow the Girls" If the
show is hit, there will be plenty
of life around that outpost Of the
theater belt. It has always seemed
silly that good house like this
should fall into disuse, apparently
simply because it was not cheek
by-joWl with the rest of the houses.
It's just as easy to get to as any
place else and no one has ever dis
puted that the public will go where
it has to go to see something 1t
wants to see.