ANOTHER LOOK AT G.B.S.

New Zealand Listener, Volume 30, Issue 763, 5 March 1954, Page 10

ANOTHER LOOK AT G.B.S.

AVING anatomised modern poetry and. the modern novel, Professor J. Isaacs has, inevitably, turned to contemporary drama; he is at present well launched on his new BBC series, Twentieth Century Theatre, from 1YC. Thegchief difference between this and his earlier series is that illustrative scenes from modern plays are included. Dr. Isaacs’s recent talk on Bernard Shaw began by saying nearly all the obvious things about G.B.S.; but displayed some _ originality in the selection of the scenes -Mrs. Warren’s defence of her "profession" to Vivie, and a snippet from Heartbreak House, Listening to Mrs. Warten’s speech, I couldn’t help noticing, now that the first impact of Shaw has worn off, how he weights his scales, and how sophistical are the arguments he veils with wit and pafadoxatid also how dreadfully "petiod" it ‘sounds, In his final sentence, Professor Isaacs suggested that Shaw’s plays, save for Heartbreak House, would sufvive ofly in fragments. But, frustratingly, he did not elaborate the point, the only really unusual one he made, and one which is provocative enough to merit further discussion. Predictable Story [Fick CROSS’S The Fall of Dandy Dick, as produced by the NZBS, killed an hour not too disagreeably. This rather predictable story of a noblewoman "kidnapped" by a dashing highwayman, and trapping him into marriage of a rather dismal respectability, was cafried along by the vigour of Charles Sinclair as the philosophical Bow Street Runner, and some pleasant _charfacter-work from Ria Sohier as Lady Sophia, Raymond Griffiths as Dandy Dick, and William -Austin, unrecognisable as the deliciously adenoidal Lord -Tappertit. The singing of Alex Lindsay’s tavern song (very reminiscent of The Beggar’s Opeta) struck me as being neither robust nor noisy enough; and like several other NZBS plays I’ve heard recently, production appeared perfunctory, and not very imaginative. A couple

of years ago, when the Auckland studios were producing, Wellington’s plays seemed to benefit from the competition. But now we seetn to’bé back in the old dispensation when NZBS plays, originating in one city only, have a depressing sameness, atid draw ot far too limited a range of talent. The wonderful BBC World Theatre plays, so meticulously produced, make recent NZBS plays seem rather like a small-town entry in the Drama League competitions. And once they did promise so well!

J.C.

R.