“JUST AS YOU SAY, DEAR.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20355, 12 March 1928, Page 15

“JUST AS YOU SAY, DEAR.”

A NEW ZEALANDER’S PLAY. LONDON PRODUCTION. ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTION. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, January 25. It is a rare thing for a New Zealadner to have a play accepted in London, and when this does happen it is an event worthy of notice. “ Just As You Say, Dear,” is a three-act farce by Mr G. H. R. Toung, of Wellington. The producers, Messrs J. and D. de Leon, have accepted this for production, and the play was put on for the first time at the “ Q ” Theatre, Kew, last night. The audience was a large one, and let it be said, at once, that th© play was received in a way that should have been most flattering to the author. “ Just As You Say, Dear, ’ was written in New Zealand, and played by the Victoria College students for four nights in Wellington. Ten months ago Mr \oung came to London, and one of his ambitions was to place this play No doubt ho could tell a tale of tireless effort and disappointment. He has probably learned a great deal about the' personality of producers and the methods they have with young playwrights. His confidence in the article he had to sell was strong, however, and at last he was successful. Nevertheless, it was rather a depressed author on G met at “Q ” Theatre before the play began. One gathered that the “cuts,” alterations, and interpretation had been a blow to him —that just those passages which, the author considered, gave it °rare distinction, had been mutilated or omitted, and that the play had been ruthlossly conventionalised. Mr Young washed his hands of it. Without knowing what was the original form of the play one. may venture the opinion that from the point of view of popular appeal and box office receipts the producer has arguments in his favour. Even when the enthusiastic audience called for the appearance of the author and afterwards for a speech, Mr Young was apparently not convinced that the best had been produced. It was a strange little speech. He said he had not anticipated a success, he had not been satisfied with the way it had been but, evidently, judging from the “ noise ” that came from the audience he was mistaken. A MARVELLOUS INVENTION. Assuredly the play, as presented, is a good one. Its central idea is ingenious and amusing, and the situations are really funny. Th© dialogue is spontaneous and fairly humorous, but the ludicrous situations would in any case help to cover any deficiency in this respect. A henpackcd professor has invented an apparatus which transforms the most violenttempered woman into an angel. This- is the theme on which the story is centred. Glanville Graham and Claude Britton, advertising agents of Fleet street, both being in love, are in need of a few thousand 0 pounds to forward their suits. Sir Henry Avon, the man with the money, is sick to death of hearing of America’s superiority. He offers the two bright young men £IO,OOO each if they can find an English inventor who will do somethings to astonish th© world and keep England on top. Incidentally, they must broadcast the marvel throughout the five continents. The professor’s discovery is the thing they are seeking, and the second act see s th© company in the professor’s laboratory to witness an experiment. The instrument on exhibition is imposing, and Professor Blenkinsop explains that his expressed wishes are conveyed in the form of electric waves and communicated to cigarettes. One puff of smoke from these supercharged cigarettes has an amazing effect on the mood of the “ negative element,” as women are described. We se© the soothing smoke at work first on the professor’s own wife and afterwards mi a ferocious Irishwoman. All this is very well, but the members of the Grushmah Club are in hiding, and they manage to kidnap Mary Avon, Sir Henry Avon’s daughter. They Hold her as a hostage - pending the time their demands—that the machine should be destroyed —are complied with. Glanville Graham, unheedful of th© danger to the hostage, publishes the nows to the world. Th©'President of the United States offers £1,000,000 for the American rights, but the women of America offer £1,000,000,000 and a bit for the destruction of the machine. . . Cross currents of. enmity arise between Sir Henry Avon and Graham, and between the two partners owing to the danger to the kidnapped , girl. But the chief danger comes from the members of the Crushman Club, the president of which is actinsr a double part, .for it is she on whom the affections of Graham ha\ - e been bestowed. All the men are badly, manhandled by the irate Amazons, but in the end th© baronet’s daughter is restored to her father and to her admirer, Britton. Professor Blenkinsop, because he does not want money and because Abe kidnapped girl has been restored, has destroyed the machine, but he has retained a stock of impregnated cigarettes, which will keep hi s wif© in order for the rest of her life. When danger from the Crushman women is still great the professor walks before them and puffs a little smoke in their direction. One by one they are transformed into and reasonable voung women, and the peril is averted. ' There is scope in several of the parts for a great deal of jolly fun. Mr Sam Wilkinson, as Glanville Graham,’ made the most of his opportunities. In any future production much will depend on the personal ability of the actor who interprets this part. It is capable of being played in several ways. Mr Brember Wills, as the professor, elected to play bis part as light comedy as distinct from farce, and made a very charming part of it. The rest of the characters were frankly farciyiEWS OF LONDON CRITICS. It is difficult to conjecture what the London critics will say of the play if it gets to the West End after the week’s run at Kew. The delight of the audience, after all, is the veal criterion of success. This may be said that laughter throughout was spontaneous and generous, and after many of the minor climaxes there was a greaa deal of applause. Applause in the middle of an act is unusual, so that one may safely say the audience was pleased from th e beginning to the end. Representatives of the Daily Telegraph and the Morning Post contribute notices of the play. The Telegraph gives the full space customary regarding West End first nights. “ Mr Young gives us farce with a vengeance,” says this critic, and then goes on to tel] the story. In the final paragraphs he says: “It was all very amusingly acted, and, although the play must he said to have its longueurs, it caused a great deal of laughter, and had a capital reception at the end. Mr Bremher Wills, as the professor, gives one of his neat little studies. Mr Sam Wilkinson, as Graham, was very vivacious, after the manner rather of Mr Ralph Lynn ; and Miss Wilshin and Miss Clare made duly intriguing figures of the two sweethearts. Mr Christopher Steele also played the part of a tyrannised Irishman in humble life very well. “ We rather gathered from the author's sueecb at the close of the evening that he had not been entirely satisfied with the interpretation of his work. He must, however, have been more than satisfied with the audience’s reception of it and of himself.” . The Morning Post representative is more cautious He savs :—.“ A new farce * Just as You' Say, Dear,’ by Mr G. H. R Young, was produced at Kew last night Professor Blenkinsop, a scientist and a hen-pecked husband, applies his genius to the invention of a * dope ’ to control the moods of women. We sep its marvellous effects not only on Mrs Blenkinsop, but also on those noisy feminists, the members of the Crushman Club. “ This comic notion, unfortunately, is. not surmorted by anv ver-r distinguished wit. Mr Brember Wills brought his refreshingly quaint method to the part of

the professor, but it scarcely harmonised with the remainder of th e piece, which demanded hard work in broad humour from Mr Sam Wilkinson, Mr Billy Speechley, and others.”