Strange situation that the critic should approach George Bernard Shaw with a genuine mixture of doubt and skepticism! And yet not strange, when one considers the things which have emanated from that brilliant melting-pot of inconsistencies. "Major Barbara," now playing at the Plymouth Theatre, does not change matters at all, for it is about as capable of being fully appreciated by an American audience as the Zend Avesta by a white-tied Methodist. Not that "Major Barbara" is not enjoyable, adverse criticism would reflect nowhere but on the unsatisfied but it is all so mysterious and sphinx-like.

The brilliance and scintillation of the piece we pride ourselves on comprehending. We can even understand such ideas as "scrapping" a misfit religion or saving souls by killing men, but put everything together and what is the final meaning of the sum total? We rather guess Shaw knew, but he has kept his secret, and the challenge "to make war on war" is virtually a sealed book. All this may be highly commended, for what didactic influence Shaw is attempting to make, is sent out over the footlights with a subtlety and belief that "the malice of a good thing is the barb that makes it stick." Shaw forces moral and ethical discussion on us, but our throat is not crammed so full as to interfere with our occasional giggle, which we need to have on hand when we are communing with this British enigma. His whole purpose seems to be to convince us that whether truth is an actuality or not we ought at least to think, and that a lot. Stimulating influence and laudable aim!

As for the cast--Miss Grace George has finely appreciated the role of Barbara, and does more than justice to the part. From enthusiasm to discouragement, she is always the artist, and the noticeable suppression of ranting and rank melodrama is quite evident. Barbara is a dignified character and Miss George makes her fascinatingly so. Mr. Ernest Lawford as Adolphus Cusins is very successful, and his interpretation of the Greek professor could not well be improved upon by the present generation of actors. Two members of the cast as originally played in New York were missing, Mr. Louis Calvert, whose voice so suggested the power of Andrew Undershaft, and Mr. Conway Tearle, the immortal Bill Walker, both having gone onto other boards. Mr. Herbert Druce, who played the elder Undershaft, is by no means mediocre, but there is a tinge of great power in the munitions-maker which at times he missed. Mr. Lewis Edgar was a good Bill Walker. A certain nervousness and rushing, however, clouded his part in a few places.