An American Theme
HE theme of American Momism has been‘ thrashed so hard of recent years by novelists and playwrights that
some of the freshness has departed from Sidney Howard’s The Silver Cord, which was one of the first in the field. Despite this, the admirably economical construction of the play and its pur-
poseful dialogue still keeps it very much alive, Listening to the NZBS version (1YA), I found myself thinking how much. more effective as_ antiMomism was this non-propagandist
treatment than Philip Wylie’s hysterical polemics against the devouring American mother. A pretty good cast made the most of the dramatic moments, and I thought John Huson as the spineless son, and Pat Evison as the determined wife of the other son were particularly effective. But Zenocrate Graham’s portrayal of the consuming Mrs. Phelps seemed to me to: lack depth and subtlety, Sidney Howard's character is more finely conceived than this. One effect of the rather obvious playing of this part was to make the sons, who are supposed to be completely deceived by her maternal avowals, appear gullible in a way the playwright hardly intended.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19541224.2.22.3
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 805, 24 December 1954, Page 12
Word count
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187An American Theme New Zealand Listener, Volume 32, Issue 805, 24 December 1954, Page 12
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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