New Plays

Thumbs Down. This offering is described on the program as a "thrillodrama." Suspicions are justified. Thumbs Down liberates a few thrills which creak mechanically through the house; it contains nothing of real drama.

A labyrinthine plot centers about the murder of a Bootlegger King. His daughter's fiance is accused; suspicion shifts suddenly to the daughter herself. Finally the winds of evidence blow up from a totally different quarter and point the weathercock of circumstance toward the least expected actor. Although the solution is fairly ingenious it is not worth waiting for through two Plundering hours of gunplay, tears and tired old jokes.

Sue MacManamy makes a rather appealing heroine and is especially good when called upon by the author for tears. Since he requires her to weep fairly consistently through the last three acts she has a rather successful evening. Not since Rain has such an aqueous deluge, been the arresting feature of the action.

The New York Times: "Not a little excitement."

The New York Herald: "Stencilled phrases of Humor and Melodrama."

In Love with Love. Vincent Lawrence, author of this play, seems to have on the brain the prenuptial aspects of the triangle. Some weeks ago a piece under his signature was produced by George M. Cohan (Two Fellows and a Girl) in which a girl flipped a coin to decide which of her two " steadies " she would marry. In the present play she flirts wildly with two men and finally marries a third. The theme in both deals with the difficulties besetting the bewildered young lady when she finally decides to stop flirting and go in for love as a serious industry.

One may readily perceive that such an imponderable plot must be fashioned mainly of talk. Since the talk is consistently bright and often brilliant the lack of incident is not a serious setback.

Henry Hull and Robert Strange sputter through the action as the losing lovers. They bandy back and forth the old humors of jealousy--fighting beneath the outward mein of repression in the presence of their mistress. They are both insufferable egotists, and the author derives much laughter from their self-approbation.

Ralph Morgan is the fortunate third. He has an attractive part and renders it more attractive by his playing.

The honors of the play, however, are mainly to be heaped before the door of Miss Lynn Fontanne. This singularly fine English actress (known in America principally for her delightful " Dulcy ") quite carries the play away. Despite her unconquerable English accent, almost Cockney, she gives an amazingly effective portrait of the nitwit heroine. Her sense of humor, her touch for character values are remarkable.

John Corbin: . . . "extraordinarily diverting."

Heywood Broun: "Miss Fontanne, one of the finest actresses of our day."

Alexander Woollcott: "Generously cast ... a source of innocent merriment."