THE THEATRE
"Sweet and Low." At the Ambassadors.—" The Moon is Down." At the Whitehall.—" The Russians." At the Playhouse. " The Sadler's Wells Ballet." At the New.
FIRST place must be given to what is most excellent of its kind, and there can be no doubt this week that it is Hermione Gingold and Walter Crisham's new revue Sweet and Lou, which is far the best revile London has seen for years ; it is so intelligent and so intimate that a charming little theatre like the Ambassadors is just the right home for it, since it would have been shameful had its fine quality been lost in the desert vastness of a big house. Here is wit, elegance, brains and a delightfully sharp and outrageous humour without vulgarity. I am so often finding little or no entertainment in musical, plays and revues that I have to admit, on reflection, that part (though not all) of their dullness may be due to the size of the theatres in which they are presented. In such huge auditoriums the crude and obvious can get across when anything subtler and less trite might be lost. This, perhaps, explains the elementary humour and the noisy music, even to some extent the hackneyed scenery and the tasteless dresses. Certainly in a theatre like the Ambassadors we can appreciate the virtue of a small, choice com- pany totalling about nine, and recognise how a picked chorus of four or five can quite surpass in effect massed hordes, however well drilled—they can, for instance, be given individuality and dressed with more taste. In most shows choruses are just stop- gaps, but in No. 7 of the second part of this revue, "Oh, Miss Dixey," a chorus of three girls makes one of the most attractive numbers. The same superiority of quality over quantity is shown in decor and dresses by Berkeley Sutcliffe and in much of the music, which is contributed by two pianofortes and percussion under Clarry Ashton. All this background, alwas tasteful, some- times exquisite, would, of course, be wasted without the talent of Hermione Gingold, Walter Crisham, Bonar Colleano, Brenda Bruce and their collaborators. Miss Gingold especially, for she has developed into a revue comedienne of original genius with an astringent pungency of humour all her own, and Walter Crisham, with an excellence of his own, sets her off admirably. Not to see Miss Gingold in "Valhalla " or "What Shall I Wear? " is to miss something very remarkable. Bonar Colleano is also a new talent to me. His Message," introducing an astonishing mimicry of some filth stars, and his "Ivan Ivanovitch " were masterly per- formances. I hope I have said enough to persuade that- Sweet and Low is an outstandingly clever and attractive show, and in a class quite by itself ; no doubt it owes much to its producer, Charles Hickman.
Not much need be said here about John Steinbecles play on his novel The Moon is Down, which has some excellent forceful dramatic scenes marred by the unreality and sentimentality of the women's acting—particularly in the scene in the miner's wife's house—for which the producer must be held partly responsible. There is some excellent acting by Lewis Casson as the Mayor and Karel Stepanek as the cleverly drawn German Colonel. Less suc- cessful as drama is the other war play, The Russians, although it is an effective piece of propaganda in which we are given a .vivid picture of the patriotism and resourcefulness shown by the Russian guerillas in circumstances which make the utmost demands upon their moral and physical courage.
At the New Theatre the Sadler's Wells Ballet has revived the amusing Wedding Bouquet, music and decor by Lord Berners, words by Gertrude Stein, and choreography by Frederick Ashton. In the same programme Hamlet confirmed in me the original im- pression that this is the most completely successful new ballet the company has produced during the war. JAMES REDFERN.
Previous page
