... THE GATEWAY JOHN BROWN HAD A SOUL On January 24, the committee of the Gateway Theatre Club presented at the Gateway a new play by Joan B. Thompson, entitled John Brown Had a Soul. Dealing with the ever-present problem of juvenile delinquency, this play is well written, composed of many short scenes, some ot which last only a lew minutes. The story is that of Johnnie Brown who, brought up ...

... Current performances in London and dates of production. ADELPHI.Castle in the Air, December I. MS, I.JU, MU lue. illU Sat,., 2.30. ALDWTCH A Streetcar Named Dwlr*. O' v.ju. Mala.. Wed. and iwrf. Mon. AM. Fallen Angela. Novem- o. Mai., 'rue. and Sat., 5.15 :iiid 8 iS APO-i-U. Treasure Hunt, Sept 14. 1949, 7, ..is Ihu and Sat., 2.30 ART:.. Mn. Wlrnn'i Profession, January 25, 1949, Tue. to ...

... COMPANY CELEBRATE THEIR SEVENTY-FIFTH YEAR The Carl Rosa Opera Company celebrate this year the sevcnty-fifih anniversary of their foundation. Since 1875. when the company was formed by Carl Rosa, they have been engaged in continuous activity in presenting opera in English throughout the Uniicd Kingdom. Among works which Ihcy have either given for Ihe first time in English or presented as ...

... TAVISTOCK LITTLE LOVE FOR LOVE On January 14 the Tavistock Repertory Company presented here William Congreve's Love for Love. Humorous as this play may be, its value nowadays lies not so much in the amusing incidents as n the classic example it gives us of the type of comedy and plot which appealed to audiences al the time )f William and Mary. The prescnt- ition of these old plays, 250 ...

... SCHOOL FOR SCOUNDRELS On January 24 was presented here a play in two acts and four scenes by Charles Fenn, entitled School for Scoundrels. If the characters of all young men were changed as much by a course of Commando training as those of the principal characters in this new play, society would in deed be in a sad predicament. The play is presumably intended to be a psychological study ...

... LARGER THAN LIFE On January 23, at the Royal, Brighton, Wauna Paul and A. T. Smith presented a new play in three acts by Guy Bolton (from Somerset Maugham's novel, Theatre en titled Larger Than Life. The question we are asked to con sider, both in the novel and in the play, is Can actors or, at all events, actresses be human beings? According to its title, (he play seems to presuppose that ...

... MONEY TO BURN On January 23 at the Bolton Hippodrome the Lawrence- Williamson Players presented a new comedy by John Trayne and Rosamund Beauchamp, entitled Money lo Burn. This play, a fast-moving comedy, received an enthusiastic reception from Bolton theatregoers. It is set in a London suburb and reveals how a little henpecked draper's assistant discovers the secret of changing coal into ...

... THE BEDFORD THE SHAUGHRAUN Un January 24. Pat Nye and John Penrose presented a revival of Dion Boucicault's melodrama. The Shaughraun. This Bedford production should effectively snuff thai amused con descension so often reserved for the Victorian dramatists. It is true that we sometimes find ourselves laugh ing at lines and situations which. 75 years ago. were written in all seriousness, ...

... THE INTIMATE ANN VERONICA One is bound to approach this first production of Ann Veronica since the original presentation al the Piccadilly with a certain amount of speculation because the actual staging of the play was one of the most striking things about the West End production. At the Piccadilly a revolving stage and a complicated switch-board made possible a smooth flow of changing ...

... The most that can be hoped for the continuation of the Malvern Festival is that its fate still hangs in the balance, although announcements have already been made that it will not take place this year. The loss last year was £2,000, and Captain Roy Limbert stated several weeks ago that he would not hold Ihe festival this year unless he received financial guarantees. It appears that Captain ...

... LYRIC. HAMMERSMITH THE BOY WITH A CART On January 19 Tennent Productions, Ltd., in. association with the Arts Council of Great Britain, presented a one-act play by Christopher Fry entitled The Boy With a Cart. Though written some time ago, this Christopher Fry play of but an hour's duration weaves the same spell of verbal enchantment as the later works, though the pattern is rather less ...

... ST. JAMES'S VENUS OBSERVED On January 18 Sir Laurence Olivier presented here the play by Christopher Fry Venus Observed. The current Christopher Fry season three London productions in different theatres in eight days began with this major ottering, im portant in itself and equally im portant as the piece chosen to open Sir Laurence Olivier's career as an actor-manager. Venus Observed is ...