On Borrowed Time

Thanks to Victor Moore, the play now at the Wilbur will be remembered as one of the brightest spots in the 1952-53 Boston theatre season. Although there is a plot and a supporting cast of some eleven actors and actresses, On Borrowed Time is essentially a one man show, a vehicle for a man who must be one of the finest character actors on the stage today. It is, to put it in his own vernacular "one helluva time."

Paul Osborn's adaptation of Lawrence Watkin's novel appeared on Broadway a number of years back. It is an amiable bit of nonsense with nothing much to say and very little purpose other than to amuse audiences. At this it succeeds. I should say it succeeds mainly because it brings Moore back to the theatre.

Victor Moore is a Puckish sort of a fellow with a twinkle in his eyes. He brings so much warmth and humor to the part of Gramps Northrup that the audience barely has time to notice the other characters or even the general story. From the time he appears until the final scene Moore has the audience completely within his grasp, making them laugh and making them cry without any effort at all.

Just what his secret is, I do not know. It has a lot to do with timing and something to do with his slightly hoarse voice. Maybe its his sincerity, a way he has of telling the audience "This is really me, not just another character in another play." Maybe it's a lot of things developed through a long career and rolled into one. Whatever it is, he has it, and its a pleasure to behold.

The action of the play, such it is, concerns an orphaned boy and his grandfather's attempts to keep him from the care of his aunt, a "pismire" as she is termed by Moore. Mr. Brink, the personification of Death, wants to take Gramps away, but he refuses to go and leave the boy alone.

Within this framework Moore has ample room for a portrayal which will be remembered for some time to come. The part is there and that's all he needs. Moore is supported by Beulah Bondi as the grandmother, Leo G. Carroll as Mr. Brink, and David John Stellery as the boy, Pud. I found Miss Bondi's performance especially touching, but the others were certainly commendable.