THE THEATRE
A MIXED BAG r ARMS AND THE MAN."—By BERNARD SHAW.—EVERYMAN.] [" BLACRITIRDS : A COLOLTRED lizvuE.—Pavnaorn] • [" THE MIKADO'S " NEW CLOTHES.—PRINCE'S.] [MR. PLAYFAIR'S ADVENTURE: THE MIDNIGHT FOLLIES.] I THINK it was in the spring of 1917 that it happened to be both my privilege and my duty to escort Mr. Shaw round a section of the British Front in France. The experience was, for me at any rate, as memorable as it was enjoyable. If only all our eminent visitors had been so intelligent, so observant, so courteous—and so humble. It was my first insight into the real character of the man—the side he still likes to conceal from the general public. During the course of our tour the talk turned on the probable duration of the War. And now a curious thing has happened. On revisiting a brilliant revival of Arms and the Man, it was interesting to note that all the theories about war brought forward by Mr. Shaw on that windy afternoon in Picardy had been developed many years ago in this "anti-romantic comedy." If there is still one among us so foolish as to deny to Mr. Shaw the quality of genius, let him ponder on this significant fact. Nearly thirty years ago, Mr. Shaw put into the mouth of his "chocolate soldier," Captain Bluntshli;thoughts that every British officer of intelligence was Incoherently trying to utter in 1917! I believe an attempt was made recently by the Bulgarian Government to prevent a production in Sofia of the play, which wears better than any other of Mr. Shaw's earlier works, partly because of its picturesque setting. The veryman revival, which was charmingly staged, was made notable by_ the reappearance of Mr. Robert Lorraine. This fine actor is a shining example of the fact that an actor is not less of an actor because he can do a number of other things well. on the contrary, Mr. Lorraine's stage personality gains iriuriensurably trbm The fact that we have mit forgotten his early and gallant adventures'as'a pioneer of flying. Raina, like most of Mr. Shairir's yd'ung women, is a hard and rather thankless part. Miss Jeanne de Casella gave an interesting rendering of it in the mincing, artificial style of the Comedie Francaise. Miss Margaret Scudamore, with genuinely comic powers, and Mr. Michael Sherbrooke, were extremely amusing as the Petkoffs. Miss Joyce Kennedy was the surprise of a singularly happy evening. Her tem- pestuous rendering of the maid, Louka, was admirable. Even the Bulgarian Government, I think, would have approved of it !
As a theatrical eccentricity, the coloured revue, Blackbirds, is worth a visit. It is a jolly, unpretentious show, and has been the rage of Paris for months. Whether it will repeat its success here depends on the amount of prejudice existing against coloured artists. I believe it to be considerable. Personally, I do not share it—provided the entertainment offered is not a mixed grill of black and white. Blackbirds is an all-black revue, even to the smiling gentlemen of the orchestra. Its Most pleasing features are some amazing acrobatic dancing by the Three Eddies, whose enthusiasm for each other is infectious, and a low comedian of genius, Mr. Johnny Hudgins, who has Mr. Robey's amusing trick of deprecating applause, though he approaches the problem from a different angle. Its main fault is a lack of imaginative humour. I should have liked to see a coloured burlesque of
• The Last of Mrs. Cheyney. It is also too noisy. More planta- tion songs, and less jazz would improve the recipe enormously, but it is, on the whole, a very palatable pie out of which these blackbirds sing. The " star " of the evening, Miss Florence Mills, is already well known and very popular in London. She is doing such fine work in America towards improving the cultural standard of the negro population that it goes particularly against the grain to be forced to say that her performance on the night I was present disappointed me.
One can say nothing new about The Mikado except that it is refreshing to have the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with us Pnce again. Judging by the size and enthusiasm of the audiences, one foresees another successful season. T he 3fikado in its new garb and' setting is a delight. The genius of Mr. Charles Ricketts has transformed it from conventional prettiness to real beauty. The " atmosphere "
is now convincingly Japanese—not Japan as standardized for the stage by the Victorian Era! The costumes are original, harmonious and full of splendour. The criticism raised by this departure from tradition will be all to the good of one of our most cherished national possessions.
Mr. Nigel Playfair, the Don Quixote of the theatre, has broken another lance. Assisted by the witty lyrics of Mr. A. P. Herbert, and his own subtle imagination, he has tilted this time at the windmill of cabaret, and has proved that this form of entertainment need not be completely crazy to be enjoyable. You can dine at 8.30 or sup at 11 and listen simultaneously to rollicking Mr. Herbert, in his best vein, making fun of subjects so diverse as croquet, Charles II. and Mr. Augustus John. There is clever Miss Elsa Lanchester, and beautiful Miss Elsa Macfarlane. There is a pretty chorus,
• "not a touch of vulgarity from beginning to end, and last, but far from least, some very tuneful music by Mr. Alfred Reynolds, who is surely qualifying for the laurels of a Sullivan. Here and there this delightful entertainment falls between two stools, but with a few alterations (Miss Elsa Lanchester, for instance,
whom many people will want to see, is not quite at her best. without Mr. Harold Scott, and I did not think the choice of principal comedian entirely happy) Mr. Playfair and Mr. Herbert may respectively add another feather to their caps.
EWAN AGNEW.
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