Play review – “Sunday in New York” by Norman Krasna

Krasna's last real success for the stage - produced in 1961 by David Merrick, directed by Garson Kanin, starring a young Robert Redford. His plays could be a little bit racy for the time, and he always pushed it slightly forward - this one is about a virgin, Eileen, who arrives in New York after having been dumped by her fiancee for not having sex. She thinks her pilot brother is a virgin too then goes out and meets a handsome man, Mike, who she sometimes tries to seduce and other times tries not to. It's a little confusing to be honest - Krasna gets on more sure ground when the ex turns up while Eileen and Mike are in bathrobes and Mike pretends to be the brother. That isn't really a great basis for a play but it's enough to power an act. This feels a bit more "opened out" than Krasna's previous farces - there's scenes of Eileen and Mike on a bus, in a restaurant, storm sequences. Was this Kanin's influence or just Krasna working in the movies? Like most of Krasna's stuff, it's sweet and charming.