A recent argument was made that Barry is better remembered than his contemporary Behrman because two iconic movies were made from Barry plays, and the same isn't true for Behrman. All we have is his scripts.
I've only read two Berhman plays. I found THE SECOND MAN to be stuck in the jargon of its era and not particuarly engaging. NO TIME FOR COMEDY, however, I thought charming and timeless if, similar to what AlanScott says in the thread, you can swap the intellectual vanities of Berhman's era with our own. The play is also more engaging and wise than the botched film version. (Berhman could have used the wonderful Donald Ogden Stewart as a screen adapter as Barry was lucky enough to have had.) I haven't read Berhman's adaptation of Franz Werfel's JACOBOWSKY AND THE COLONEL but I could see it being revived in the future. |
