FINE STUDY BY ESME PERCY .sx PRINCE BIBESCO'S NEW PLAY .sx Prince Antoine Bibesco's comedy , " The Heir , " which was presented at the Gate Theatre last night , is said to have been enthusiastically received in Paris at its original production there last October .sx It is conceivable that the nature of its subject may have had something to do with this reported acclaim .sx For " sex questions " in various aspects seem to carry an intrinsic interest of their own across the Channel .sx And this play is concerned with an aged peer who marries a young woman to be his wife in name only ; with the fact that she subsequently has , or is about to have , a child by her husband's nephew ; and with the reactions of all the parties to this peculiar situation .sx To an English audience its chief attraction lies in the skilful character-portraiture of the old Marquis of Sark , as well as in the really admirable performance of this role by Mr. Esme Percy .sx He is an able actor of somewhat unequal accomplishment , and this is one of the very best things he has done .sx This is the main interest of the piece , and for that alone it is worth seeing .sx It contains much aptly written dialogue , and some that is less so , while one scene at least is far too long-drawn-out .sx Next to Mr. Percy , Miss Greta Keller gave the most satisfactory performance as the young woman doctor who came to cure the marquis and remained as his titular wife .sx Mr. Glen Byam Shaw was not altogether to blame if he was less successful in the sketchy , and unconvincing role of the young nephew , condemned to utter such crude cynicisms as " There are only two kinds of women :sx the ones we have had , and the ones we haven't had .sx " LONDON CONCERTS .sx MME .sx MARGUERITE DE PACHMANN .sx The programme of the recital given last night at the Grotrian Hall by Mme .sx Marguerite de Pachmann had the unusual merit of including two compositions by a musician whom the present generation has almost completely forgotten - Joachim Raff .sx The " Prelude et Fugue " and " Rigandon " which Mme .sx Packham played last night , are very characteristic of a style too brilliant and too facile to endure the test of time .sx They serve , however , well enough the purpose of introducing something that is not hackneyed , and , moreover , they seemed to suit the pianist much better than Beethoven .sx In Raff she was fluent , apt , equal to all technical demands .sx In Beethoven the rhythm seemed , in turns , too elastic and too rigid .sx As we preferred her Raff to her Beethoven , so we found her Mendelssohn more attractive than her Chopin .sx BERTRAM AYRTON .sx In the time that has elapsed since he last gave a recital in London Mr. Bertram Ayrton has evidently not neglected opportunities for developing his style .sx At any rate , his singing at the Wigmore Hall last night of a most tastefully-chosen programme gave me the impression of a more perceptiveness in matters of interpretation and of a wider - if still somewhat restricted - range of expression than the showed before .sx His baritone voice , then a more than commonly useful asset , retains all its pleasant , musical quality , and , except in one or two songs when he allowed vigour to take on a note of undue vehemence , was managed with commendable smoothness and judgment .sx He sang Brahms better that he did Schubert , and both Brahms and Schubert better than Hugo Wolf .sx And the beauty of his mezzo-voce tone in the Breton " L'Angelus , " as set off by Mr. Harold Craxton's very perfect playing of the delicate accompaniment , made that number a particularly happy feature .sx A SENTIMENTAL COMEDY .sx IAN HAY'S " MR FAINT-HEART " .sx UNPRETENTIOUS CHARM .sx You would have to be very hard-boiled or very superior to resist the unprententious charm and the simple humour of " Mr. Faint-Heart , " which is Ian Hay's new sentimental comedy at the Shaftesbury .sx As a matter of fact , I don't think many people will try to resist it .sx It has popular success written all over it .sx In these disgruntled days , good-humour is a rare and precious commodity , and Ian Hay has any amount of it .sx He gives you the impression that he likes hid people , that he like writing about them , that the whole business of putting on a play is the greatest possible fun .sx And so he comes with enormous zest to the telling of this story , giving freshness and life to a plot which has done duty many times before .sx It is the tale of a shy young bank clerk , who comes into money and goes for a pleasure cruise in the Mediterranean to see life .sx But he has a made-up tie , an inferiority complex , and a stammer , and these things prevent him from making any head-way with the beautiful young heroine .sx So he pretends to be a certain best-selling romantic novelist , and instantly becomes the lion of the ship .sx Troubles , complications , and - need I add - a happy ending .sx THE OLD HAND .sx All this is put across with great competence and a complete certainty of theatrical effect .sx Ian Hay " gets his laughs " with the conscious ease of a very old hand .sx He had a tendency at times to be heavy-handed with his sentiment ; but , always , just as he is on the point of becoming mawkish , his since of humour comes to the rescue .sx Mr. Basil Foster plays the young man with the stammer better , I think , than anything I have seen him do .sx Stammering , life deafness , Is usually a very bad joke on the stage .sx Mr. Foster contrives , however , to make the stammer and the worried air that accompanies it something rather attractive .sx But he near for one moment looks like a man who would wear a made-up tie .sx Miss Jane Baxter plays another of her superlatively nice girls .sx She has such a delightful personality on stage that I never trouble my head to wonder whether she can act or not .sx So far the point has never really risen .sx The parts she plays call for nothing but charm and a certain youthful confidence .sx She has both in full measure .sx Miss Marie Lohr appears as a kind of guardian angel , and handles an over-sentimentalised and therefore difficult part with great tact .sx Mr. Clive Currie , appearing as a character which the author has resuscitated from one of his early novels , makes a personal success .sx And Miss Elizabeth Allan , Mr. D.J. Williams , Mr. Michael Shepley , and Mr. S. Victor Stanley help to make up a cleverly contrasted ship's company .sx DRAMA LEAGUE .sx SCOTTISH ENTRANTS' SUCCESS .sx Scotland swept the board yesterday afternoon at the Globe Theatre , when the British Drama League held it's National Festival of Community Drama .sx To begin with the judges - Miss Edith Craig , Mr. Cedric Hardwicke , and Mr. Charles Morgan - awarded the Howard de Walden Cup to the Falkirk High School Former Pupils' Dramatic Circle for a beautifully produced performance of " Ardvorlich's Wife " by Gordon Bottomley .sx To go on with , they put the Magnet Club , of Edinburgh , second with Richard Hughes's " The Sister's Tragedy .sx " And to finish with , the award for the best play by a new author submitted during the various stages of the festival ( which I had the responsibility of deciding ) fell to " Drumgarth , " by Philip Blair .sx Nobody would deny that the Falkirk people deserved their win , if only for the work of the Chorus of Snow Spirits .sx They spoke the verse beautifully , they moved together with a flowing rhythm that was most impressive , and their lighting and other effects were admirable .sx The individual players were rather less impressive .sx For this reason , I expect that an award to the Edinburgh group would have been more popular with the audience .sx But the quality of this depended very largely on an amazing individual performance by Miss Dorothy Gibson as the child .sx The production and some of the acting in other parts were not up to standard .sx I feel that the judges were right .sx Anyhow , they were unanimous .sx All the entries reached a high standard - a fact on which Mrs. J.R. Clynes , presenting the cup in the unavoidable absence of her husband , was careful to remark .sx But indeed , considering that these five clubs had been selected for the final out of 490 entries , a high standard was to be expected .sx The beaten teams - one from Liverpool , one from Bournemouth , and one from Sonning - all did enough to show that the standard of amateur acting in this country was good enough to give the victorious Scots a run for their money .sx 'THE WORLD OF LIGHT' .sx IN THE NIGHT BILL AT ROYALTY .sx " The World of Light , " Aldous Huxley's first play , has been such a success at the Royalty Theatre that Mr , Leon M. Lion is moving it into the night bill , so that another home must be found for Sir John Martin Harvey's production of the romantic drama , " The King's Messenger , " after Saturday , April 25 .sx Sir John hopes that the run of " The King's Messenger " may be resumed as soon as a suitable theatre is found .sx RICHMOND OPERATIC SOCIETY .sx " BLUE EYES " REVIVED .sx It is pleasant to know that jazz does not sweep the board where the musical play is concerned .sx Clearly the graceful tunes and historic characters which go to the making of " Blue Eyes " can still command public favour , since the Richmond Operatic Society boldly announces a revival which is to occupy the Richmond Theatre during the present week .sx In last night's performance one could not sufficiently admire the way in which these enthusiastic amateurs had mastered what is , on every count , an uncommonly exacting play .sx Jerome Kern's music does not , perhaps , rise to any particular heights of originality , and more might have been made of the Scots flavour , but it often has a decided character of its own .sx The singing last night left none of its melodic grace unrealised .sx The cast , indeed , proved exceptionally strong in musical and well-trained voices , of which those of Miss Irene Hitch and Mr. Alfred Reynolds deserve special mention .sx In Mr. Jack Boulderstone , too , the society has a comedian of infinite resource ; while the bright singing and admirable dancing of the chorus , combined with the efficient playing of the orchestra under Mr. G. J. Baumach , proved of immense value in giving life and movement to a capital revival .sx BALLET CLUB .sx SECOND SEASON OPENED .sx The Ballet Club opened its second season last night in happy circumstances , not the least of which is the improved visibility of the stage procured by raising the seats on an inclined plane .sx The club's theatre in Ladbroke-road , Kensington , is a notable accession to the artistic amenities of London , and the fact that there are now nearly 1,000 subscribers to the club is the best proof of the part which a theatre of the dance may play .sx Last night's programme opened with " Les Sylphides , " Fokine's classic interpretation of Chopin .sx In spite of the restricted space on the small stage , none of the essential beauty was lost , which just shows how good Mme .sx Rambert's company is .sx Two other ballets inherited from Diagihleff were the Adagio from Tchaikowsky's " Lac des Cygnes " and Debussy's " L'apres-midi d'un faune .sx " In the one Alice Markoga achieved the evening's greatest distinction , and in the other William Chappell essayed with gratifying success one of the most exacting of male roles .sx Mme .sx Rambert appeared with great spirit in two character dances , but the whole evening was in fact a tribute to her talent as a maitresse de ballet for Tearl Argyle , Prudence Hyman , Diana Gould , Andree Howard , and Maud Lloyd and others are all of them alumni of her school .sx As last season , Hugh Bradford proved himself an invaluable collaborator at the pianoforte .sx Books of the Day .sx Modern Experimenters in the Art of Novel Writing .sx Reviewed by Howard Marshall .sx The Sound and the Fury , By William Faulkner .sx ( Chatto and Windus , 7s .sx 6d .sx ) Thunderclap .sx By John Brophy ( Partridge .sx 6s .sx ) The Weigher of Souls .sx By Andre Maurois .sx ( Cassell .sx 6s .sx ) The Apostate .sx By Vladimir Lidin .sx ( Cape .sx 7s .sx 6d .sx ) Joseph and Peter .sx By Anton Gabele .sx ( Hopkinson .sx 7s .sx 6d ) .sx I enjoyed " Soldiers Pay , " Mr. William Faulkner's first novel , and I hope to enjoy more of his work in future , but I certainly did not enjoy THE SOUND AND THE FURY .sx " 5 .sx