New Plays in Manhattan

The 9th Guest. There are four pairs of guests, mysteriously summoned to a penthouse party, each pair having reason to mortally fear and hate the other. They are: A socialite and the woman lawyer who knows her closest secret; an upperclass politician and the political boss who defeated him; a university president and a disgruntled instructor whom he has dismissed; two lovers who have quarreled over valuable real estate. Invited by anonymous telegrams, as they arrive each thinks one of the others is host. None of them can understand why they have been brought in the company of their adversaries. Suddenly a radio loudspeaker informs them that they are prisoners, that one by one each shall die defeated by his or her secret viciousness, that if anyone is clever enough to outwit the host, he, will perish in the presence of his remaining guests.

Playwright Owen Davis is to be praised for having written a whopping good thriller. Even the most iconoclastic devotee of mystery fiction could find no flaw, no cheating on the part of the author.

Through The Night is a very dull and tiresome little piece which starts lamely and concludes likewise, with moments of tedium during which spectators wonder what the actors can find to say next. It is billed as a comedy, the work of Samuel

Ruskin Golding and Paul Dickey, for whom the plea of inexperience may not be urged.

Although called a comedy, Through The Night is really a variety of mystery play. Actress Helen MacKellar is wedded to a righteous hypocrite who has been appointed Crime Commissioner of a metropolitan suburb. Having pitched their drama in an urbane setting, Playwrights Golding & Dickey feel free to introduce all the standard elements of bogus stage high life--a crafty butler, a drunken polo player, an. unscrupulous Spanish noblewoman, a millionaire and his wife, a smart lawyer who sympathizes with Actress MacKellar. The story gets under way when the rich neighbors are robbed of their jewelry. Miss MacKellar catches a smooth young man with the valuables in his possession, fancies him, internes him in her bedroom until, two acts later, it develops that he is not the thief at all. He is just the insurance company's detective, sent to catch Miss MacKellar's husband who, in league with the marchesa, has been pilfering gems from the entire neighborhood. Helen MacKellar is the first star to make her bow with the new season. Pretty, blonde, possessed of a graciousness akin to that of Ina Claire, she does her best with the meagre opportunities Through The Night offer her. More impressive vehicles in which she has appeared include: Beyond The Horizon, Back Pay, A Good Bad Woman. Hot Rhythm. Producers of Negro reviews almost always make the mistake of trying to ape the elegance of contemporary Caucasian extravaganzas, as though afraid that just dancing and crooning-- at which blackamoors often excel whites-- are not sufficient for an evening's entertainment. For this reason, the comedy of Hot Rhythm is often unfunny, the attempt at magnificence unimpressive. Best, most natural humor in the show is offered by plumpish, sleek Mae Barnes, who delights many a spectator with her slatternly, lazy dance. Most tuneful song: "Loving You The Way I Do."

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