New Play in Manhattan

Bravo! (by Edna Ferber & George S. Kaufman; produced by Max Gordon) is about a group of distinguished Middle European refugees who share a shabby Manhattan brownstone. An archduchess turned dressmaker, a Habsburg turned salesman, a jurist peddling candy, a ballet dancer spewing venom, a famous playwright and actress (Oscar Homolka & Lili Darvas) on their uppers--they are bitter and sweet, grumbling and gallant, some taking misfortune in their stride, some wearing Budapest on their sleeve. In time most of them find their mate or their metier; while those whom the immigration authorities threaten with tragedy are saved by a phone call to Bernard Baruch.

Bravo! would seem like apt material for a neat Ferber & Kaufman blend of oil & vinegar. The play does have touches of warmth and wit, but most of it is a purely mechanical sponging of the emotions, or a frantic clutching at comic and dramatic straws. The characters are too often mere plushy stage furniture, exploited rather than explored. Only Refugee Actress Darvas (wife of famed Hungarian Playwright Ferenc Molnar) possesses real rather than synthetic dignity and charm.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.