"LABURNUM GROVE"

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 3

"LABURNUM GROVE"

THE THESPIANS AGAIN

The work of J. B. Priestley attract ed the favourable attention of the 'yhes pians in their selection of the corned: "Laburnum Grove." The play wa; presented at the Concert Chamber las night to the manifest enjoyment of ai audience that approved and accepted i with gusto. It is a mystery play b; which the interest of the audience i gripped firmly at the outset, kept tau up to the end of the second act, slack ened up a little, then sharply draw; tight to breaking point, and the audi ence left wondering as the curtain fall: whether George Radfern was the cleve: crook he posed as being or the respect able paper manufacturer enjoying < practical joke on unwelcome visitors As the audience first sees him, Radfen is a quite ordinary, middle-aged, home loving business man, one of th< myriads who stream from their re spectable "suburban residences to tn< City and back again, every workin; day, by Tube. He resides at Labur num Grove which is in Shooters (no Golders) Green, and his house is caller "Ferndale." because all the San; Soucis," "Mon Desirs," and "Mon Re poses" have been used up in that thor oughfare- also in his leisure moment: he is a horticulturist with a green house. Radfern could be called at average man, but no man is average nor is he, for he is a self-confessec crook, only his fond wife does no know it. The confession is not mad( to her but to a couple of relatives bis sister-in-law and her husband, hi: own daughter and her sweetheart. Ar unimportant philosopher has observec that nobody wants relations 'becausi if you are poor your relations dom want you, and if they are poor yoi Jon't want them." So it is with Rari fern's sister-in-law and her husband who have a limpet-like preference foi itaying on at Radfern's and are in neec jf money. Radfern passing as a papei manufacturer in a comfortable posi ;ion they think is "touchable" for a least another £400—the brother in-law has already had and the daughter's fiance u also in hopes of borrowing c 'ew hundreds, with which to ernbarl. n a second-hand car business. rner Sadfern, at a jolly little supper, tell! ill four that he is not what he.seem: ;o the world at large to be, that in fac ie is head of an international gang p forgers of bank-notes and bonds; ir short, that, to use his own .words, h< s "pursuing a private P°kcy °* m ?.* ion/ . Of course, at to* they dis jelieve him. Surely he is joking? No ie is perfectly serious.. The limpe ■elatives say that they will flee, so doe; he enterprising lover of Radferni laughter. They all make their exits md George is left to enjoy that domes ic peace, comfort, and quiet that, 3! Ie says, "so many good chaps have weated their guts out , to obtain. Th iudience is left wondering whether th Vhlth?r%Te&s + "Laburnun Srove" owes anything to the sodra natised exploits of the notoriou jurglar Charles Peace who was hangec tor murder of a policeman is not dis ■losed, but Peace, when not a-burglar ng was a quiet inobtrusive member o suburban society whotaugh n a Sunday school and played the ■hapel harmonium when not engage n housebreaking. But whatever th< irisin of "Laburnum Grove, it pro kfed substantial entertainment las light As a play it has technical de ■efts but the characters are all wel *Th. cast w» exoe«aingly good evei mm ■u?ely agree that Mr. Gillespie's under landing of the character ought t< ier lover, were admirably piayea a> irove, a weU-constnicted set, showing m example of ingenious car bi W mffi' was a fflffiV l^ Grove" will be repeated n search of laughter and thrill.