Evening star., 1947-02-18
State of the Union as of Today
Remains as Funny as Ever
By Jay Cormody

q The country'S political complexion
has changed since state OF the
spnion" first played here early in
E5s1946, but the Pulitzer prize play has
9changed right with it. That the
comedy remains as funny as ever
seems to be the ironically humorous
commentary on the political mech
+anism that authors Howard Lindsay
and Russell Grouse always knew 1t
would be, come Republicans or stay
Democrats. At any rate, a near
capacity audience greeted a differ
.ssnt but equally polished, cast with
the same roaring enthusiasm that
marked the plays debut here last
winter.
The next three weeks, therefore,
should see fine profitable atonement
flor the dramas being whisked out
of the National after mere five
days on its first local visit.
- There is no question that the
present company, headed by Neil
Z Hamilton, Erin O'Brien-Moore and
James Rennie leaves as little to be
desired as did the original with Ruth
FIussey, Ralph Bellany and Minor
Watson. Lindsay and Grouse have
no more trouble landing the support
of the right actors than Talmadge
did with Georgias 678 decisive
voters.
estate of the Union" is a truly
remarkable comedy. Nightly it is as
fresh as the night final editions
headlines to which the dialogue is
adjusted before each performance.
This is unique and striking and re-
fleets a whale of lot more agility
than any playwrights ever showed
before. It's remarkability, however,
lies beyond this. It is to be found
in the fact that the political antics
can vary so much in essence from
day to day and yet be equally ri
diculous that night in the theater.
: Smart as they are, Lindsay and
%Crouse simply cannot have known
9that this would be true always; that
Z stoday's follies would be as laughably
absurd as last years.
Z Even the canniest political COL
umnists have not learned that. Or
at least dared say so.
~ II a X
Structurally, of course, "State of
the Union" remains the same. 1t
still is the story of a political NAV
erick named Grant Matthews who
comes within a hairs breadth of
being the peoples choice for Pres
: 1dent. People go on identifying him
. as the late Wendell Willkie. That is
. quite all right with the playwrights,
. even though their parents certainly
must have told them about an
earlier maverick named William
Jennings Bryan.
In writing with such ironic wit
on the days political situation, the
authors of state of the Union" are
nevertheless serious men. Through
Grant Matthews gallant grab for
the presidency, they voice a double
barreled dudgeon. They are angry
at the reckless operation of political
machines. but they have equally un-
kind words to say for the apathy of
citizens who surrender power to the
machines. They nnd the one phe-
nomenon as absurd as the other and
they are masters at making their
position both clear and funny.
State of the Union" is always a
play, however, not just a diatribe.
It's characters actually are as con-
Ventional as the vote in Maine. In
addition to the honest hero, Mat
thews, they include a sparkling,
lovely and strangely ignored wife;
sophisticated other woman who
runs a chain of reactionary news
papers; a villain in the form of
master political manipulation; and
the standard assortment of clowns
headed by a cynical neWspaperman
who is hiding a heart of gold.
The conflicts between these are
standard enough for the plot of a