THE PLAYGOER

The trip from London to Boston was long, but it should take even longer for "Edwina" to reach New York from its present stand. Billed as a "London smash," this new play by William Dinner and ican tastes differ. Over here, it is a long, tedious William Morum proves again that British and Amerwhodunit, colored by an unsatisfying love affair.

There are five characters in "Edwina," four of whom are alive. Edwina, of course, is the dead one; the purpose of the play is to show the effect that she has on the survivors.

A simple account of the relationship between characters is enough to give away the entire plot. Robert Harris plays Edwina's husband, who is in love with his dead wife's companion, portrayed by Signe Hasso. There are also a maid and a Scotland Yard detective.

At the end of the first scene, the detective asks, "Whodunit?" It is supposed to take people in the audience three acts to find out, but since the detective never questions the maid, it is obvious in which direction the solution lies.

The four players perform bravely, despite a script which is about as suspenseful as "Little Red Riding Hood." The Victorian setting provides the necessaries for melodrama: a heavily-draped living room, flickering candles, and a swinging chandelier. There are other timeless devices, such as nighttime storm and strange offstage noises which supplement the generally trite plot. Bail Langton's direction would be better appreciated if the play were a strong one. It is correctly slow-paced and would emphasize the tension that must be written in as really good melodrama.

The mystery in "Edwina" is not whodunit, but why?