LET'S GET RICH

an American Comedy. By Mark Reed '13. New York: Samuel French. 1933.

This play tells the story of a young musician and architect who is impelled by love and the girl's parents to devote himself to getting rich. Through salesmanship and bluff he manages to get the certainty of riches and the hand of the girl in the course of three days.

It is, of course, a hokum plot, but probably no more hokum than most of our theatre plots. The play was first copyrighted in 1920, and its values and devices bear the stamp of those lush days, now so dear and dead. It is subtitled "an American comedy," probably because its story could only be imagined in America of 1920, though in essence it's another variation on the Cinderella theme, which is certainly international.

But Mr. Reed would not be likely to insist that the virtue of his play depended on the veracity of his plot. He would agree, one may suppose, that the circumstances which make his hero's success so sudden and easy could scarcely be made persuasive in 1934. He would ask rather, is the play actable? and is it funny?

It seems to me quite actable. The people of the play are rather stereotyped: the heavy parent, the grumpy millionaire, the sweet ingenue, the stodgy rival; but all their lines read easily and the movement is continuous and rapid. The leading role, especially, is an energetic and attractive one. And the play is funny, but somehow not so funny as one hopes. Mr. Reed builds toward comic climaxes which just miss coming off. In the center of the field he maneuvers adequately, but he has no goalline push. The play is pleasant, but not delightful.