The Playgoer

With the French Revolution and the battle of Waterloo rumbling in the background, "He Was Born Gay" is a fantasy woven about the legend of the Last Dauphin. Written by Emlyn Williams, staged by the Harvard Dramatic Club under the leadership of Jock Munroe, the play shows thought and skill on the part of the writer, director, and cast. Rough edges were smothed, the surface polished, and the performance was well-rounded and unified.

Yet in the effort to produce pains-taking and careful interpretation of the play, cast and director neglected to give it the life it needed. The stiff, high collars of Empire dress were reflected in a stiff performance. Perhaps this was due to first-night jitters, perhaps to the artificiality of a costume play, but whatever the cause, the result was a little too dignified, too well-polished.

In those parts of the play, however, where the players let down their hair and threw themselves into their parts, they packed a real punch. The third act was superb; the pace was fast; and the build-up of the first two acts gave the final one added force.

Except during the infrequent moments when the play tends to drag, every member of the cast is excellent. Were the play comparatively simple, good acting could be expected from the Dramatic Club, and would not be noteworthy. But in such an intricate play as "He Was Born Gay" convincing acting required a great deal of intelligence and ability. The lead, Mason, was especially complex and a less sensitive actor than William Manson would have mixed weakness, mysticism and ambition into a completely incomprehensible mass. That Manson was able to cope with such a character successfully is a compliment to his skill and perception. No less a job had the other members of the cast. Each character, so carefully worked out by Williams, demands all the resources of even profesional actors. In the large majority of cases, the cast was able to fill the bill and give distinguished performances.

Probably, as the production grows older, the cast will become more at home in heir parts and will give them more life,--but even as the play stands, it is a mature piece of work, a tribute to the Dramatic Club.