" Call Home the Heart." By Clemence Dane. (Heinemann. 6s.) A
NEW dramatic work by the author of Will Shakespeare is an event in the theatre—or should be. All the omens for this play were good. A distinguished cast was well produced in a suitable theatre. Yet, after a varied but respectful reception from the critics, its run was short-lived. The play is concerned with a couple's readjustment, after war's separation had landed both of them in emotional entangle- ments elsewhere—a problem topical enough in all conscience. The study is deftly constructed, true to visible and audible surfaces of life, holds interest and suspense, and is rich in character. Humour and pathos alike are supplied by the acquisitive Svava, a Polish refugee whose unhappiness in doing domestic chores in return for a home must be typical of the lot of thousands. Her blundering English is a delight. "May I take the work-basket of Tonbridge ware that you gave me to hold my sewings when I joined the old sheets down their middles ? " It is possible that the theme would have been more easily acceptable if Miss Dane had told it straight and had not confused the living lover with his dream projection in Lydia's mind. But the play is a distinguished piece of work and worth a dozen of the productions now running in the West End.
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