THE THEATRE
Bird in Hand." At the St. Martin's.
IT is rather surprising to find that the late John Drinkwater could write an entertaining comedy, for humour was not conspicuous in him—certainly not in his later days. Yet Bird in Hand was written long after Abraham Lincoln and is probably, on the whole, his best play. I did not see the original production, but in this Arts Theatre Group revival, which has been transferred to St. Martin's Theatre, the play wears well and has lost nothing of its force or its vivacity, although a few phrases may date it. But slang always dates and nothing becomes so quickly old-fashioned as the latest popular jargon. The struggle between the old-fashioned father and his " modern " daughter is a dateless and perennial phenomenon, and here it is handled vividly and well. As the father, Herbert Lomas gave an excellent and most convincing performance, ably supported by Kathleen Boutall as the mother, although her character is perhaps more feebly drawn than any other in the play. Most of the others are, however, stock theatrical figures, and it is a further weakness of the play that it is drawn out too long. Most of the fun and excitement are over before the end, but it is fun and it is exciting for the greater part of two acts, and the father is a piece of real characterisation and not a lay figure.
JAMES REDFERN.
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