Thieves' Carnival

Jean Anouilh's Thieves' Carnival is clearly the work of a literary stylist. It has a delicate, charming style which is something like a waltz of distinctly impressionistic orchestration. Fittingly, the plot sometimes takes a rest and the characters actually break into a dance.

Anouilh, however, did not have to rely on tricks to keep his comedy alive, because the story, which wanders somewhere between farce and fantasy, is very amusing in its own right. The play relates the adventures of three its own right. The play relates the adventures of three thieves who become the guests of a rich and thoroughly bored old woman in search of diversion. The three relish their new life so much that they stay on to enjoy their hosts' fine brandy and the company of the household's two young ladies. But a romance, inevitably, between one of the girls and the youngest rogue finally brings the idyll to an end.

Since Thieves' Carnival is at least partly fantasy, it requires a particularly light touch in its staging. Director Fritz Kracht, evidently cognizant of this has given the production a great deal of grace and movement. Most of the cast responds to his direction with capable performances, although one or two of them seem a little uncertain of their lines. But there is nothing unsure about the acting of Ray Duffy, who plays the leader of the thieves. He makes an altogether likeable yegg. Herb Adams, the second member of the trio, tends to overplay his part of a professional seducer and becomes a bit too arch at moments, though this fault does not damage his portrayal much.

As the youngest thief, Wayne Maxwell projects an innocence that is both amusing and ironical. His girl friend, Georgia Boyko, tries for much the same spirit in her role and achieves a reasonably coherent characterization. But the best job of acting is that of Sharon Gans, as the knowing old lady who sets the plot in motion. Although the actress is young, the character fully bears the burden of old age and its tedium.

Members of the Lyric Productions company are engaged in a gamble that has never paid off in Boston--they are trying to establish a permanent repertory theatre which aims at artistic as well commercial success. Their first effort has its weaknesses, not the least being Thieves' Carnival's previously limited renown. The group therefore relied on its own talents and not the reputation of its vehicle to draw an audience. Fortunately, almost the entire company is skillful enough to deserve a measure of success.