"SCANDAL"

Southland Times, Issue 18931, 3 May 1923, Page 5

"SCANDAL"

A OARING COMEDY

MISS DUANE’S SUCCESS It was George Jean Nathan, the Pls> boy of the Critical World of the Dry States who said: “In a modern comedy the bedroom scene is where the audience sleeps* But he did not have Cosmo Hamilton'! “Scandal” in his mind when he penned that risque definition, because in the bedroom of “Scandal” nobody sleeps—least of all the audience. The explanation of thia wakefulness is quite simple. Cosmo Hamilton has discovered that even the most proper people realise thdt it is the height of folly to be other than alert when skating on thin ice and he manages always to put us on the thinnest of thin ice without letting the temperature get high enough long enough to tumble us all into disaster. He can build a situation that is as properly exciting as a window display of ladies’ silk stockings and as innocuous on examination as the lay limbs which left them from the mildness of mere hosiery to the dignity of philosophic doubts. In the first place the choice of his title was scandalously clever, because it provided him with an unerring bait for the best and the worst of us—all the world loves a bit of scandal—and it only remained for the author to work in a generous portion of romance to get two strings with which to pull bell and beau and “bean” to the playhouse to hear a “Scandal” they would love. Coemo Hamilton has made a reputation as • trader in discreet, indiscretions and undoubtedly the most exhilirating of his daring wit is to be found in this delightful comedy, which he keeps out of farce, except for one slip, by means of hirt clever lines. The basis nf. the romance, of course, is the never-failing lure of “cave man stuff,” the violent clash of the strong man and the wilful, winsome maid, but the swift, penetrating charm and the thrill of the play comet from the devilish skill with which Hamilton has managed to play with fire without scorching anything. Beatrix Vanderdyke begins the trouble by claiming Pilham Franklin as her husband in order to lit her way out of a tight corner. Franklin, a “sport” (surely not a “sportsman” as Beatrix insists on calling hint in defiance of all laws of modern conversation American or English!), plays up to the falsehood, but * finds himself in the centre of an admiring crowd and thrust with this girl whom he cordially detests, into what her parents regard as a bridal chamber. That situation is not- new on the stage, but Hamilton turns his Pelham and Beatrix in a Petruchio and Katherine, and the scene develops almost Sheikishly with many thrills into the modern man’s effort to apply force as a means of taming the ultramodern Shrew. His victory takes an unexpected turn, and the audience is led to the inevitable romance and misunderstanding, with Petruchio and Katherine in love but too proud to speak. Everybody knows what the end will be. but the author skillfully disguises the way to the conclusion, which is a charming love scene, one of the most captivating to be found in modern drama. “Scandal” is a play which cannot help succeeding, because behind its daring fun is a fine piece of chanasterisation in the portrait of Beatrix, a complex but lovable girl for all her selfishness and pride. If Beatrix were not interesting and worth sympathy “Scandal* would fall to the ground as a dull play in spite of the clever dialogue through which it is told.

In such a play the role of Beatrix requires careful handling. Miss Doris Duane takes up the character with the physical attributes needed for it—she is young, attractive in face and figure and graceful Temperamentally she is well suited, and except for a tendency to emphasise one or two of the comedy touches in the second act unduly, her performance is really impressive. She carries through the daring scenes with impeccable skiH, but as an actress she is decidedly at her best in the third act where the audience finds the emotional promise of the second fulfilled in some telling scenes. Mias Duane realises Beatrix and the success of the play is in a large measure due to her sure but delicate touch. Mr Eric Harrison looks and is an attractive hero, though he is jat times too heavy with his lines, and in some places perhaps lacking in finesse. The second act is the most difficult for the actor appearing as Franklin, but Mr Harrison does excellently, especially in the scenes where he breaks through all reserve and displays unrighteous but very human anger. These two characters carry the great part of the play, but there are other people of interest in it. Among them one must pick out Mr Arthur Orbell as Major Barnet Thatcher. Mr Harold Moran was not “deadly” enough to provide a full portrait of Sutherland Yorke, the “villain of the piece,” but Mr John Galway was satisfactory as Malcolm Fraser. The rest of the cast was quite effective. Last night at the Municipal Theatre the play went well from start to finish. The audience was promptly .captured and was kept thrilled to the close. “Scandal” it may be said, will set wagging the tongues of those who saw it last night and the immediate effect of that will be another large audience when the comedy L presented again this evening.