Word: macowan
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
This profound thesis is considerably diluted in a new drama by Britisher Norman MacOwan which substitutes sentimentalism and pasteboard glamor for the more rugged emphasis of the late great Thomas Carlyle. Actor Leslie Banks is introduced as a penniless Scotsman, living morally and thriftily in the garret of a bordello and studying to be an insurance actuary. Actress Helen Menken is a wan creature who faints on his doorstep. He befriends her to the extent of a bed, a portion of his gruel and the services of a doctor. The backslid daughter of a scholar, she can quote reams...
Playwright MacOwan's somewhat misapplied earnestness is ably abetted by Actor Banks, whose moral austerity and quirks of personality convincingly reek of heather. Actress Menken's husky voice has always been effective when sober things were being spoken; she still achieves miracles of makeup which make her seem almost beautiful. One of the season's most extraordinary moments occurs when, as a barefoot invalid, she extends her foot toward the audience and spreads and wiggles her toes with astounding flexibility...
| 1 |