Evening star., 1947-03-07

GOWN unQor tne Title F1nlanS Rdll
of it, it is the love of musical, every
one says.
A playwright. or two playwrightss
who conjure up a leprechaun as
hero have done a miraculous thing.
They have instantly absolved them
selves from docile obedience to all
laws of logic. Whatever happens
does not have to be explained or
justified. 1t happens and it is won-
derful. That is the way it is with
"Finian's Rainbow" at the Forty
sixth Street Theater. Your private
leprechauns may be able to get you
a pair of seats in less than eight
weeks. If they are not, don't blame
them. Every one has waited longer
than eight weeks for many things
less delightful than "Finian's Rain
bow"
Actually, it makes good on that
most rugged of tests for any dra-
matte offering! namely being seen
with a matinee audience in New
York.
There is dewlike freshness over
every foot of Finian's rainbow,
pleasant light from another world
perhaps the one Of your childhood.
The songs that burst from its
whimsical heart are different, viz,
How Are Things in Glocca Mora?"
With a little effort, perhaps, it's
dances could be catalogued, but only
a fool would make the effort where
as the wise one will just sit back
and be delighted.
But, most of all, the happiness
one feels in the presence of Ella
Logan, Albert Sharpe, David Wayne
and their associates, is in the book
OF their musical. "A fairy tale of a
thing 1t is, but with its edges jeweled
with satire that is as timely as a
losing liberals campaign speech.
The plot of "Finian's Rainbow"
a plot against intolerance, is an
elfin scramble of humans and ideas
that could be whipped up only un-
der the influence of leprechaun.
Its heroine is colleen miss Lo-
gam whose foot and fancy free
father has crossed the ocean with
his homesick daughter and, worse
still, with a pot of gold he stole
from the leprechauns of Glocca
Mora. He has heard that gold
planted in this land of the free re-
produces itself like corn in Iowa.
When he lands in Missitucky, a
state with a Southern accent. he.
Finian McLonergan, wants only
enough of its land to sew his pot of
precious metal.
He gets that, of course. but he
also gets himself and daughter.
Sharon, involved in all the economic
and social ills of Missitucky. The
land OF the free turns out to be
place OF race separateness, share
cropper malnutrition, and the de-
rivaties of both. All that is evil
in the land is symbolized in
Missituckys Senator, Billboard
Rawson, a villainous blowhard, who
wants all the feathers for his own
nest.
This is where Og. the leprechaun
comes in. Og is talented pixie
and while he has come to get back
his colonys gold, he takes time
out to deal with the problems of
the people in Missitucky.
All this adds up to lot of amaz-
ingly funny business, you may be
sure, but the authors of 'Finian's
Rainbow remembered to treat
character as more worthy than
business. No one sings or dances
simply because some one is supposed
to sing or dance at certain points
in musicals. Each singer or dancer.
or ensembles of each, does so be-
cause HE must do so at that par
ticular interval.
The rogue type, than which there
is no more engaging one, abounds
in "Finian,s Rainbow" and in both
sexes. Miss Logan is the prettiest
and most touching of the rogue
galaxy, but to be the most win
ming Is impossible with David
Wayne around as Og:: Properly,
they split the musicals best comedy
and melody in equal shares. OF the
music, most of it is so fresh it
seems unlikely ever to stale; such
things as "Glocca Mora" which
every one has heard; the ), best
comedy ballad in years, when
I'm Not Near the Girl I Love, I |
Love the Girl I'm Near" and an
other pair "Old Devil Moon," and
the theme song, Look to the Rain
bow 1t is all most captivating
and Producers Lee Sabinson and
William r. Katzell have found lust
the right persons to sing it, both
white and colored groups.
The delightful humor of the book