Evening star., 1946-06-03

starting Tuesday with the Barter
Theater down in Abingdon, Va.
Coward, ever a man to mock the
emotional relationship between men
and women, has always been the top
playwright of the off season. The
other one, too, of course, but not to
such an extreme. His Design for
Living" and Private Lives" the
stand-bys of the past, have a deeper
influence upon the conversation, the
attitude, and perhaps even the
actions of more summer theater-
goers than the works of any other
contemporary playwright. Somerset
Maugham's THE Constant Wife"
and THE Letter." have been run
ners-up through the years, but
Vaughan has really been bit too
cynical in his views of the sexes to
be a serious competitor to Coward
1t was inevitable that this would
be "Blithe Spirits" year. Every
producer has had it tucked in his
happiest intentions ever since its
sensational debut three seasons ago
1t was recognized instantly as the
perfect romantic farce for the al
fresco drama, by far the best thing
the man ever wrote for that par
ticular purpose. "Blithe Spirit
however, appeared just the year
after the summer theater disap-
peared. There was no gas then, and
no tires, and there could be nc
"Blithe Spirit" until these things
were restored to the summer vaca-
tionists.
Now they are restored and Cow
ards blithe fable of triangle DOM
mated by a beautiful ghost wife
will have the time of its life. And
everybody else's life.
Even the wild-eyed clairvoyant
in the play, who had so much trou-
BILE with her tampering with pol
tergeists. could have predicted that
future for the play without batting
an eye.
Other plays on which the public
will have no trouble catching up
II 1t missed them before, are "Au-
tumn Crocus." Let Us Be Gay
Yes, My Darling Daughter" Kiss
and Tell, "Good-by Again. in fact
virtually the whole library of such
things.
Twas ever thus, and so it shall
always be. and any one who would
change 1t is to be classed as a dan
gerous revolutionary. An anarchist,
no less!
Those accurate busy fellows who
keep the New York Times boxscore
on the theater come up with the
fascinating figure that virtually one
fourth of the plays produced dur
ing the 1856 season were with
drawn on the road. There were "a
such failures, or partial failures, as
against 70 which managed to reach
Broadway.
OF the Withdrawals, for which the
blunt phase is died on the road"
Washington saw Spring in Brazil
an elaborate, expensive musical;
West of the Moon," an uncertain
composition by Louis Bromfield and
Laslo Vadnay; "The Joyous Sea-
son." a Philip Barry revival with
Ethel Barrymore, and Miss Jones, "
photographed comedy by Ruth
Gordon, which is rescheduled for
fall production.
The mortality of all types Of dra-
matte offering was much higher in
Boston.
X
Monday memos: Frank Sinatra,
who played his best screen role as
a Brooklyn sailor in Anchors
Aweigh," will play another Brook
Ignite in his next. "It Happened in
Brooklyn" :. Public support meet
ing the anticipated level, "The
Voice of the Turtle" which opens
at the National on June II, may
stay four weeks. ,. Setting, there
by, a consecutive run record for the
theater. The same company
did Is consecutive weeks in Bos-
ton. Yes, Boston.