A Navy officer is hit over the head with a bottle of gin by his fiancee when she sees him kissing another girl. Sound familiar? It's not what happened to you last weekend; it's only the beginning of the revival of Mark Twain's fantasy, "A Connecticut Yankee." Attempts to streamline the new production and shake off the dust it has acquired have largely failed. Despite some moments of light humor, it oftens becomes so dull that you wish someone would hit you over the head with a bottle of gin and put you out of your misery.

When Martin, our hero, played by Dick Foran, falls into his rapturous dream, he finds himself in an ancient Shangri-la with knights and ladies and kings with long red beards. In true Navy style, he sees a young girl and wins her love. The girl, being ignorant of modern customs, doesn't know how to neck but she is set wise quickly. After that, magicians, Merlins, disguises, and a feminine villain proceed to dominate the action.

The songs are lacking in vitality with the exception of "Thou Swell" and "To Keep My Love Alive." In the latter, Vivienne Siegal sings 16 verses describing how she managed to burn, poison, guillotine, stab, electrocute, gas, and hang her various husbands in order "to keep my love alive."

If Mark Twain could see the present production, he would probably be sorry he ever released the copyright on his delightful maspterpiece.