Plays—From Noel Coward To Shows For Amateur Societies

Radio Record, 21 August 1936, Page 25

Plays—From Noel Coward To Shows For Amateur Societies

A Batch Of New Publications From England

(Specially Reviewed by

Victor S.

Lloyd

RACTICAL STAGECRAFLT FOR {| AMATEURS," by Jevan BrandonThomas, and published by Harrap, is a book packed with valuable advice to the amateur actor, producer and playwright. The author is a practical man of the theatre. He is the writer of several successful plays, including "Passing Brompton Road," and the son of the author of "Charley’s Aunt," which has played for so long and with such amazing success. In this book he covers. & great deal- of ground--from the'organising of dramatic clubs up to writing a play; he evén inclidés very helpful advice on. _ festival ara-. mas, It is interesting to note that. in nfs chapter on writing: a: play be speaks of the one-act play .by the New Zealand writer, J. A. 8S. Coppard, called "Sordid Story," which won the New Zealand Drama League. Festival last : year. Mr. Brandon-Thomas writes : "T heartily recommend ‘Sordid :Story’ to students... this brilliant pioneering effort by Mr. Coppard’ combines a dramatie story well handled, crisp dialogue and a novel setting." Coward's Latest OEL COWARD’S plays, grouped. under the heading of "To-night ut 8.80," have already been played in London with considerable success, and sotoe have been purchased by Sacha Guitry, the famous French producer, for production in Paris. They are all different from most short plays of today. In volume 1 there are three plays, "We Were Dancing." "The Astonished Heart" and "Red Pepper." The first is in two scenes, both laid on the verandah of the eounty ¢lub at Samolo. It is an eXtraordinary play concerning the eternal triangle in a new guise. "The Astonished Heart," in six scenes, the entire action of which takes place in a drawing-room, is another triangle .drama treated sympathetically and with a strange pathos. The Jast play in:the-. first volume ‘is an. interlude with musie' set in a palace of: varieties. It'is vaporous and amusing, with a vivid, back-stage atmospherd and:some good: ‘lines. jn the second volume Noel Coward ineludes a light.comedy, a comedy ani a musical fantasy. The first, "Hands Across the Sea." is very amusing:and. is really a comedy of errors with. very modern, dialoguevery easy to stage.

"Fumed Oak,’ the second of the trilogy, is an excellent character study of a man who suddenly rebels against his sordid Life and mean suburban family, which consists of his wife, child and mother-in-law. ‘The third, "Shadow Play," is what its name ‘suge gests, and is the sort of thing. that Noel Coward delights in. "Petticoat Plays" ERE are six plays, published by "Harrap, with all-women /ecasts-~ with.a preface by Fay. Compton, the famous West End actress. This vol"ume, written: by Mutiel ‘and Sydney

Box, achieves what it undertakes-to provide a wider variety of dramatic possibilities for all-women societies than they have previously had. "Martha and Marty," the first of these plays, brings the story of Lazarus inte & modern. setting-well: worth doing. "A Marriage -has*been,. Disarranged" is fun from ‘beginning to end, and ought . to Make a strong appeal. to women. "Anticlockwise". is a peculiar play dealing with the revolt. of a browbeaten relative and a’ mysterious death. Ti ig qtite exciting, and ohght to prove very effective. "Slow Ouitain" is more psychological than any. of the others, and is almost a tragedy. It’ tells of

theatre folk and the strange effect the play. they were doing had upon the two ‘principal characters. A good ‘op: portunity here for character work.