THE CRIMSON PLAYGOER

Considerable interest has been shown in New York over the coming trip of the Dramatic Club, with Sacha Guitry's "Beranger" and Andreyev's "The Life of Man" as well-balanced repertory. The Dramatic Club is doing an unusual thing in taking two of its greatest successes to New York during the Spring Vacation. It is doing an unusual thing as a visiting amateur organization in playing a week in a regular theatre, offering as it will "The Life of Man" for the first half of the week of the fifteenth, and "Beranger" for the second half. The experiment is certainly justifiable. A group of amateurs that have had courage and skill are carrying their dramatic wares to New York. The justification lies not alone in the remarkable settings that D. M. Oenslager has designed for the two plays, the skilful lighting effects of Donald Stralem, the acting of Conrad Salinger as Talieyrand, and his interpretative music for "The Life of Man", or J. J. Collier's well-contrasted Beranger and Man. There is a certain, indefinite, indescribable quality that the experienced amateur possesses that the professional by necessity loses. And that something is often a desirable thing. It is particularly so when an ensemble playing that shows no professional stress on the individual is achieved. It would be ridiculous to assert that the two plays are in every case played better or as well as they would be in the hands of professionals. But it is sound to say that the general playing, the stress on the play as the prime object of interest, and the cooperative work of all the departments connected with the productions, make the venture more than justifiable. If the amateur can at all times learn from the professional, the professional can at times learn from the amateur. And the combination of all the artistic forces in the theatre, worked out without undue stress on any single department, makes the Dramatic Club's productions of "The Life of Man" and "Beranger" of unusual interest, and not without value as pointing to the advantages of the amateur spirit in the case of certain kinds of plays.

"Just Married" now playing at the Plymouth Theatre has had an eventful life. During the ninety try-out performances before the play was brought to New York the farce passed under such names as "What's Your Number?", "A Room for Two", and "The First Night Out". It was the general stage director of the Shubert's, J. C. Hoffman, who finally christened the play. Success came overnight as "Just Married" traveled from the Comedy Theatre in New York to the Nora Bayes, where it played for sixty-five weeks. Lynne Overman and Vivian Martin have headed the cast, which now remains as originally brought together, for two years, The third anniversary of the play will be held at the Plymouth Theatre on Monday evening, April 16, when the nine hundredth performance will be celebrated.