ABSTRACT
. . .The whole directing is felt out with naturalness, brains and confidence. The curious plain poetry of the play is beautifully understood - the weaving of the lives one into another, the gentle humor behind its tragedy, the sense of a futility that is not futile, and, most of all, Chekhov's theme that behind all the fever and commotion life remains like bread, sleep, the hours, the old nurse. The casting is often bold and intelligent, and sometimes a sheer stroke of genius. Most of what remains to be done by way of perfecting the occasion lies with the actors. But there are two things that Mr. Harris could revamp. For one thing, the evening is too long; time could be gained and the play greatly bettered if the performance were now and then speeded up. And for another, the exits and entrances are too often at the same speed. The characters come in one after another sometimes like a dead march. Variety in the timing, less monotony of pace, would be more natural and would add to the vitality of the scenes. . . .
