Theater: Dour Delight

3 Bags Full, by Jerome Chodorov. Seme actors need funny lines to be funny. Paul Ford needs only Paul Ford. His face is in perpetual mourning; he can bat out a laugh by not batting an eye. His body is always on the point of settling, like a house. His mind works like a stopped clock, and the time is half-past McKinley. Indeed, part of what makes him so phenomenally droll is the sense that three or four entire generations have passed him by and left his features mottled in nonplused fury.

This French-bred farce is set in 1905, and Ford has...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!