THEY CAME TO A CITY

Evening Star, Issue 25565, 18 August 1945, Page 12

THEY CAME TO A CITY

REPERTORY PRESENTATION There is a mystic quality, as well as much more than a mere hint of propaganda, about-J. B. Priestley's 'They Came to a. City,' which the Dunedin Repertory Society presented at His Majesty's Theatre for the first time on "Wednesday night. To few of the audience, which was a large one despite transport restrictions, had it been previously given to know what the play was about, but the whole house gave close attention to the development of the theme—there was no plot—and appropriately expressed its warm approval. Priestley presents to us nine English people of various types who suddenly find themselves, following incidents in blitzed London, unaccountably in strange surroundings; that is, on a parapet overlooking space from which gradually emerges the view of a beautiful city. These people are frankly puzzled as to how they came to the spot. " I was doin' a bit of shoppin' at the time," said the old Cockney woman. The young ex-wait-ress was " walking around, when—- —' Bingo,' and here 1 was." A closeshut door-is shown in the (very effective) set, and after a while this opens under persistent knocking to reveal to the nine people (though not to the audience) a path which leads to the perfect city—in short, Walt Whitman's " New City of Friends." Thereafter Priestley, skilfully interpreted by the cast, portrays the reactions of the various typos to their experiences when visiting that city. ._ The small cast entered into the spirit of the play remarkably well. Not that there was any tremendous histrionic ability required; but, nevertheless, the simplicity', the naturalness, of the wholo thing needed skill and understanding, and these were demonstrated without that straining after effect to which amateurs particularly might have been tempted. Sir George Gedney and Lady Loxfield were aristocrats with that superficial outlook of life characteristic of the vast majority of the class These two saw nothing to admire in the city; they were, indeed, bored with the people there and resentful of being laughed at because of their manners and speech. Cudworth, a businessman and capitalist, saw nothin <>• in a city where no interest coulcf be aroused in financial affairs. Dorothy Stritton did not like it either, because it threw into vivid relief her own jealous and bad-tempered nature. But " Ma " Batley. with her basket with which she had been shopping when " it happened," was thoroughly at home there, as was Joe Dinmore, a seaman who had " knocked about in the engine room," Alice Foster, . the waitress and barmaid, who had also " seen life," Malcolm Stritton, the henpecked husband, and, strangely enough, Phillipa, of the house of Losfield, who becomes dissatisfied with a life lacking in usefulness. This may all sound somewhat banal, but Priestley and the- Repertory players overcame that menace, and a feeling of disapprobation arose only when Joe, who, while longing to stay in the surroundings which so obviously attracted him, determines to return to the world fro in whence lie had come so that he might tell the people there what he had seen and how wonderful it would be jf all cities were like that city. This peroration struck one as being just a little prosy.. However, with "new orders" and all sorts of "freedoms" in the offing, this mystic-propagandist plavlet is timely. The characters with the greatest appeal (again a tribute to the dramatist) were those of " Ma " Batley, Joe Dinmore, and Alice Foster. Tsobel Bardslev presented an admirable study of " Ma " Batley, playing the hardworking, philosophical, and far-seeing old charwoman with restraint and artistry Don Donaldson looked, spoke, and acted as one would expect the straight-talking, but clear-thinking'Jae Dinmore to do, and he won the warm approval of the audience with the ease and naturalness of his work. Margaret Ufton, as the ex-waitress, was particularly apt in her pertness in the earlier scenes, and was good throughout. On the other side of the picture. Frank Lanvon was thoroughly at home in tho part of Sir George Gedney,

which may be set down as certainly one of his successes. Rene O'Sullivan, too, successfully brought to' her, role that air of " high society " and ultrarefinement which is necessary to underline the contrast between Lady Loxfield and " those other people." J. S. More did very well in a part whicn would have been easy to burlesque, that of Cudmore, who makes it so clear to everyone that he is entirely moneyminded. Myra McKechie's haridlino of the unlovely character of Doroth\ Stritton was excellent. It is not an attractive role, but she was faithful to it. Russell Oaten, as the docile husband of Dorothy, displayed the necessary aversion to independent action, and Helen Price was sufficiently the restrained society girl who rebels A very pleasing feature of the work of the whole cast was clarity of speech Miss Kathleen Falconer can be congratulated upon her work as producer; the plav moved along with smoothness from start to finish. Mr J. \. Wallace's Student Orchestra supplied the music.

' They Came to a City ' will bfc staged'finally to-night.