Evening star., 1950-06-28

of summer theaters. Neverthe-'
less, the uproar she produced at
Olney in the opening performance
of "Over 81" raises the question
of whether any one woman, or
possibly three, could be that
amusing.
This spectator minority judg-
ment, for all his healthy admira-
tion for Miss Arden, is that she
has become one of the few good
,humored habits developed by the
Nation in the last decade. When
sevr she is within earshot. not to
mention eyeshot. everybody ex-
plodes.
There is nothing wrong with
this, to be sure, and not another
even vaguely carping word here
Is going to interfere with any ones
enjoyment of the second play in
the Olney's summer series.
y X II X
"Over 81" is strangely wise
vehicle for displaying Miss Arden's
comedy tricks. 1t was written by
Miss Ruth Gordon as play for
herself and it served her ex-
quisitely for two rich seasons. Yet
if Miss Gordon would like to know
it, she wrote just as good COM
edy for Eve Arden, who Is quite
another actress with singularly
personal style.
Any one with an ounce OF mis-
judgment. and every one has at
least that much, could have told
you in advance that "Over 81"
was dated play. He would have
had to duck, however, two min
utes after Miss Arden appeared
on the Olney stage.
There she was, sitting in the
living room of that crummy Flor
ida motel, the wife of a poor,
overage devil trying to get through
officers Candidate School, and
making every one forget that this
all happened one cold, and one
half-hot, war ago.
This is quite a feat, and if you
can get one of the unreServed
seats which go on sale at 8 pm.
nightly, it would be rewarding
and sensible.
So few things seems to be re-
warding and sensible.
A critic trying to behave like
critic has no alternative but to
report that Miss Arden in "Over
21" represents just about perfect
summer theater formula.
She is an enormously and prop
erly popular comedienne with a
demonstrably irresistible person.
ality in a play that shows her
off to perfection.
Her role is that of brittle,
sophisticated writer in her attrac-
tive late 30s reduced to the status
of millions of simpler women who
followed their husbands to camp.
The situation is universal, or
seemed to be a few years ago. but
the character is unique. All Miss
Arden has to do to be endleSSly
funny is to take on the weird
domeSticity of this arrangement
and fight it out in her own Spe-
cial way. a.
Her special way is unfailing
whether it applies to brushing
her teeth and finding no water
to rinse with; trying to give a
party for her husbands COM
manding officer; keeping the hus-
bands confidence in himself
somewhere above zero; and final
ly spending their few intimate
hours seeing that he does his
Army-assigned homework.
"Over 81" might have been
written for her.
* X X
Stagewise Miss Gordon was
smart enough as an author, how
ever, not to capsule her comedy
in single character. Her personal
experience as an Army officer
candidates wife taught her there
were lot of funny people around
training camps, and she put a
number of them in her comedy.
Among those who offer hand
some support in the Olney COM
pany and reflect bright credit on
Harry Ellerbe's direction are DON
aid Foster as the crusty old pub
Usher; Brooks West as the har-
assed husband of Miss Arden;
Marjorie Peterson as the feather