Evening star., 1944-11-08
By JAY CARMODY,
Drama Editor of The Star.
NEW YORK.

NEW YORK.
Any one suddenly confronted with
a challenge to name the most en-
viable writer in New York at the
moment could do infinitely worse
than to pop out with the name of
John Van Druten. Mr.. Van Druten
is not only the author of last years
most charming, comedy, 1.-The Voice
of the Turtle" but is in a fair way
to claim the distinction this year as
we'll. His newest candidate, II Re-
member Mama" adapted from
Kathryn Forbes "Manla's Bank Ac-
count" deals with characters rather
amazingly different from those in
the other one, but they have about
them the same engaging humanity,
the same warmth and appeal. The
only trouble with Mr.. Van Druten's
winning people Is that every one
wants to see them at the same time,
which makes it rather difficult to
get into the Music Box Theater.
where Mady Christians, Oscar
Homolka and an altogether superb
cast are having a wonderful time
with the comedy, the pathos. the
tenderness and the quiet wisdom of
mama and her family
Il Remember Mama" patiently was
no easy story to adapt to the limita-
tions of the theater. Mr.. Van
Druten artfully disposed of its diff
cultleS, however, by the clever trick
of using narrator, Daughter Kat
rim, with the result that he has
virtually staged the novel intact. 1t
is reminiscent of Our Town" with
the notable difference that it makes
effective use of some highly flexible
settings by George Jenkins, which
greatly facilitate the telling of
'Mama's" story.
Mama miss Christians was a
character to bring out the best in |
Mr. Van Druten and vice versa. She |
is simple hearted Norwegian i'm
migrant. tenderly devoted to her
husband and four children. Her ap-
proach to life is invariably direct, |
out when circumstances demand it |
she is capable of devising an artful |
solution of the family's occasionally |
battling problems Her greatest art
fulness in the play, as it was in the
novel. is in her handling of the |
always acute problem of money.
The play at the Music Box opens,
indeed, on the money theme. The
scene is that in which mama under
takes to teach the family the high
and fundamental value of money.
even of the smallest coins, by letting
each member of the family touch
the amounts allotted to various
items, saying aloud the amount and
what it is to be devoted to. 1t is
perfect reflection of mama's direct
approach to life. It is also a neat
trick of exposition writing by which
Mr.. Van Drutan gets his principal .
characters introduced and identified
in the briefest possible time. There
is. instantly, mama of the great and I
simple heart; father whose loyalty
is worthy of his wife and children:
dreamy, romantic Katrin who wants
to write when she grows up; realistic
Christine; clever Nels who is des-
tined to be doctor, and pudgy little
sister Dagmar, whose love for all
animals is symbolized in her devo-
ton to Uncle Elizabeth, her cat.
These are the immediate members
OF the family, each in his way faS-
cinating and warm with life. But
next to mama and Katrin, the most /
interesting one in the play is stormy
old Uncle Chris (Homolka). Few
families have been blessed with
more lovable tyrant than Uncle
Chris, man of terrible mien and
voice and completely golden heart.
Uncle Chris is cripple, who thinks
children should have a good pro-
fame vocabulary to take care of
painful moments over which they
otherwise might weep He drinks
and he storms and he lives with a
woman who is another mans wife.
Uncle Chris, in short, has COM
mitted every sin against respectable
ity, but he never ceases to be re-
spectacle to, and loved by, the mem
bers of the family whose affections
he thinks worth encouraging. Like
mama. whom of all his nieces is the
only one he can tolerate, Uncle
Chris is man of infinite and ir-
resistible kindless, and an enormous