Word: heartsongs
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...problem play in the Scribe tradition, Arthur Laurents' "Heartsong" has neither a biting social problem nor a pat formula to rescue it from a morass of meaningless talk and contrived situations. Susan Douglas, as Ivy, the eternal sex force, is Mr. Laurent's champion of illegitimacy. Although she was the only character who seemed to have something relevant to say, Miss Douglas was as uncomfortable in her part as everyone else last night...
Realizing, perhaps, that his theme wasn't quite capable of sustaining "Heartsong" through an entire evening, Mr. Laurents was wise enough to write in a part for Shirley Booth, a competent comedienne from Hartford. When she was permitted to stick to her element, Miss Booth, who can make almost any line seem funny, managed to carry the play. But when she was obliged to join in with the rest of the cast in thrashing out the problems of marriage, Miss Booth sank to the same level of purpose-lessness that here colleagues and the author had established...