Evening star., 1945-11-07

low to handle. The politicians who
would boss him discover that he is
a tartar and that his pretty wife
is even more of one. When the
boss set does contrive to soft pedal
Matthews tendency to shout that
both labor and capital lack states
manship, and that politicians lack
morality among other things, the
wife takes up the cry. Between
them, they make terrible mess of
the well-laid plans of the group,
which was mad enough to assume
they were docile. At the same time,
they rescue themselves from the
martial mess they have made Of
their own lives, which, gives the
play some of it's more tender mo-
ments as well as it's more guffawish
ones.
Beyond the wayward presidential
candidate and his beautiful, cynical
mate, Estate of the Union" is popu-
| lated with characters whose antics
the authors dislike, but toward whom
they show a dramatically telling toll
erance. There is Jim Conover, for
instance. He is the national chair
man of the Republicans, fellow
with a nasty professional technique,
but personally gentleman and
worthy Of your affection. The news
paperman who campaign manages
the harrassed candidate is another
of the same stripe. He will sell his
services to the highest bidder, but he
is sound at heart, and funny cynic
to have around 1t is all right with
the authors, however, If you feel
less kindly toward the sexless fe-
male publisher whose approach to
life is ruthless. The same goes for
a frumpy female, who is ready to
deliver the Polish, Italian and other
racial group votes if the candidate
will use the tricks she is ready to
teach him.
These are the major types in
the charade, all of them well and
some of them wickedly limned. They
are not unfamiliar, but if they were
that would rob "State of the Nation
of much of both it's fun and its
force. They are allowed even to
speak in the dullest of their familiar
cliches and the effect is greatly to
the advantage of the play.
Circumstance dictates that they
shall be identified as Republicans
but any Democrat who thinks to
be comforted by their lampoonine
is fooling himself. state of the Ma.
ton" is so little an admirer of either
party at the moment that it finds
the only difference between them
that "the Republicans are out, ano
the Democrats in"
Virtually all members of the cast
of the play have found occasion fol
inspired performances in the mate.
rial that has been written for them
There is particularly pleasant GLOW
about that of Miss Hussey as tn,
outspoken, wise wife. 1t is matched
by that of Watson as the politica
boss who can practice his strang,
profession and yet remain the suave
engaging gentlemen by Bellamy!
portrait Of the right, but reasonabl,
befuddled, candidate Mccormick /.
excellent as the cynical newspaper.
man and the same is to be said o.
Miss johnson as the female pub
Usher and villainess of the drama
Bretaigne Windust's direction re-
fleets the fact that the play still
is being kept as up to date as to-
days headlines (the one about tn,
local streetcar strike was read alout
for one of the plays best laughs)
but is generally all that goes t,
make a hit production.
Raymond Sovey designed the set
which are not particularly dis
tinquished, but which frame tn
play adequately,