THE DARK RIVER pEOPLE a stage with contrasted characters living for and 'in their Yesterdays, add a sprinkling of those
who believe in golden To-morrows, turn on wry dialogue—and Tchekov's your uncle! That at least is what Rod ney Ackland seems to have attempted, somewhat unconvincingly, in this topheavy nostalgic piece. Peggy Ashcroft tries hard anti well as the highly-strung wife torn between Yesterday's childish husband (Ronald Simpson) and the prophet of Tomorrow (Stanley Maltby}—shocked to the depths that she should wish to remain in a nursery world of makebelieve. But Tchekov makes heavy and incredible. weather on the River Thames. And fobbing a husband off with a manuscript about their married bliss of Yesterday takes some doing in Fiagland 'and still more believing.— ( h liehall.) A. 1', B..
ACACIA AVENUE IT is in Acacia Avenue—rather than along Angel Pavement or IA Greenery Street—that We can learn about life and laugh gaily. This play, itself one tremendous chuckle, gives us a new Gordon Harker, who has moved Out of earshot of Bow Bells, who catches the 8.40 from suburbia each morning, who gardens and slays slugs with Middletonian passion, and who plans a holiday cruise which doesn't come off. There's little new in it, that's probably why it's all so true and so amusing, for it exposes the Mr. Penny in human nature (English variety) and pleasantly passes on a message: "You can make the world happier by taking yourself a little more objectively and a lot less seriously. You are subject for Divine Mirth." From a fine cast I single out Hubert Gregg as a comedian who has really come to stay.—
(Vaudeville.) A. P. B.
101 Games to Make and • Play. By Arthur C. Borth. (Batsford, as. aida Mr. forth has set out to select the more well-known games arid to give instructions for making them. The book also contains many new and simplymade games. Many of the games can be made from odds and ends which otherwise might be thrown away. The book is well supplied with easily followed diagrams and has some interesting old-time illustrations.