PLAYGOER

"The Army Play by Play" is probably the most disappointing show to hit Boston in many a year. Following as it does, at the discreet distances of 25 months and two months, such masterpieces as "This Is the Army" and "Winged Victory," the newer soldier show is an extremely poor evening. At no time is it worthy of the United States Army.

The show consists of five plays, all written and directed by an enlisted man in the army. All of the actors are enlisted men, as are the musicians and the men who put on vaudeville entertainment between the plays.

Four of the shows are badly written. The only one which is an exception is the fourth, "Mail Call," which tells the story of a dead soldier, as seen through the eyes of his friends. In the final part, they write a letter to his mother telling him of his heroism--despite the fact that every one of them saw him shot in the back by his sergeant while he was running away from the battle line.

Four of the shows are badly acted. The single exception here is "Where Do We Go From Here," which involves something including Carmen Miranda, sabotage, stolen records, and the Articles of War. The play was made amusing and worthwhile by the double-talking sergeant reading the articles of war ("Article I--Flibbergabbit on the scrannifornia with homerjohnny fidledudeed on government satchelfradd--the penalty is death!"), and an excellent comic as the supposed saboteur who becomes the recipient of a kiss from a hairy-chested Carmen Miranda.