Books: Irish Hero

BALLOON—A Comedy in Four Acts— Padriac Colum—Macmillan ($2). Caspar rents his telescope in the Square (Act 1) in Megalapolis, a city much like Dublin. He deserts his trade to do a heroic thing: to go into the Hotel Daedalus, first to its Cafe (Act 2), then higher to its Hall of Palms (Act 3), then finally to its Roof Garden (Act 4). In all three places he asks this question: “Is a man born a hero or does he become a hero by doing heroic things?” In the Cafe, when a woman eyes him through a lorgnette, he pulls out a pair of field-glasses and returns the stare. This somehow gets him acclaimed hero by the crowd. In the Roof Garden he is about to further prove his heroism by ascending in a balloon as escort of Cinemactress Romerantz. Miss Romerantz, however, cancels the ascent since, due to a sudden newspaper strike, her flight would lack publicity. Thus prevented from an ultimate proof of his heroism, Caspar descends to the street level, takes a ride on a ferryboat with his gypsy sweetheart, Paras Veka.

Little Theatre actors who like their fantasy nebulous, will like to act this play.