University of Virginia Library

"Four On A Garden"

Whereas a play such as "The
Gingerbread Lady" deserves a
lengthy critical evaluation (more
than space here permits me), Abe
Burrows' new comedy, "Four on a
Garden," should be quickly
dismissed as the nadir of Mr.
Burrows' career. It is an evening of
four short sketches of sex. All of
the playlets are superficial, three of
them aren't even plausibly
developed, and to pass the evening
off as a comedy is comparable to
calling downtown Charlottesville
the garden spot of the world.

Carol Channing and Sid Caesar
participate in the disaster. Both
have my pity and Mr. Caesar has
my admiration for rising
significantly above the material,
which doesn't even approach the
caliber of the sketches on, say, The
Carol Burnett Show. At its best,
"Four on a Garden" is commercial
mediocrity; at it's worst, it is
simply amateurish garbage which
should be taken away - far, far away.

Aside from marrying Claire
Bloom, the smartest thing that
producer Hillard Elkins has done in
recent years is to star his wife in
two of Henrik Ibsen's finest plays
to be presented in repertory for the
rest of the season. "Hedda Gabler"
will open later this month; "A
Doll's House" has already opened
and is being heralded by most
everybody as The Great Women's
Lib Play. Perhaps today it is, but if
the play is to be praised, I think it
should be praised as good theatre
rather than topical propaganda.