Drinkwater’s Puzzle

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

Drinkwater’s Puzzle

AUTHOR OF HISTORICAL | I DRAMA WRITES PLAY ! i WHICH SEEMS TO BE FARCE

WOBBLES BETWEEN STYLES

After making his name as a writer of Historical plays—“ Abraham Lincoln” and “Oliver Cromwell,” among others—John Drinkwater has suddenly changed his mood and entered as an author of farce. For at least it was the farcical side of his story in “Bird-in-Hand” that interested most of the audience at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, where it was produced recently; that same quaint little theatre which has seen the birth of several plays afterwards successful in London. The story chiefly concerns an obstinate old Gloucestershire innkeeper who objects to the idea that his daughter should marry the son of a baronet —and a blue-blooded baronet at that. The old position of melodrama is, in fact, reversed. It is not, in this case, the aristocrat who would

cast off his son if he married beneath himself. It is the humble innkeeper who would cast off his daughter if she married above herself. Such is the theme of Mr. Drinkwater’s amusing, complex, and sometimes puzzling play. For even when all was over and Mr. Drinkwater had made his neat little speech, it was not clear whether he was only trying to be funny or whether he had some moral behind his fun and fancy. At any rate, he most certainly wobbles between one style of theatrical effect and another. He mixes melodrama with light comedy, light comedy with farce, and none of this leads to any definite end. Perhaps the author only intended to write a play of epigrams, in the most modern style, by way of escaping from his reputation of being a poet in prose, a dramatist of history. Anyhow, whatever his original intentions, he succeeds in being exceedingly entertaining—at times. The cast seemed a little puzzled as to what exactly they were supposed to be portraying. but within certain limits Peggy Ashcroft, Carrie Baillie —too much of the lady perhaps—Percy Rhodes, who frequently forgot the Gloucestershire accent, Laurence Olivier, Frank Randell, who should adopt an elderly make-up if he comes “to town,” and Robert Lang helped to keep a very lively play very much alive. But the chief comedian, although he won most of the laughs, seemed to be too broad for the piece. At times it was almost as if George Robey had wandered into “Hamlet.” There was a good reception and the author made the poljte little speech so familiar on such occasions, .