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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1955)
m esjejg o o -o 0 TWO MTDrOHD (9l0l) Reviewers Attempt Assessment oif 5L95S Shakespearean Festival Seen as Whole Generally Favorable Verdict Pronounced By Tribune Writers , .(Editor's not: The Mail Tribune this year revives a cui- torn It hat followed at the and of previous Shakespearean Festivals, and publishes a "year-end" review of the festival as whole. Contributing to these reviews, which attempt to assess various phases of the event in retrospect, are two staff members and on contributor, each of whom .has seen all fiv plays offered this season.) Prediction Impossible For Successful Plays Recent festhl seasons have proven one fact it is useless to predict which plays will be sue cessful and which won't. Pro ductions o"The Winter's Tale" in 1952 an "All's 'Well That Ends Well" this season, about which the directors were most dubious, turned out to be two of the most popular. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that directors and cast rise to the challenge, put forth extra effort and overcome the handicaps of weak plots and invalued play structures. The best acting of tte year sometimes turns up in a weak play, too. "Henry VI Part Three" is a disorganized dra matic work with unrelieved brutal action, tending to make it tiresome on the one hand and revolting to some playgoers on th' other. But this year it proved the vehicle for some of the sea . son's best acting, o Picks Best Scan This reviewer selectthe Tow er death scene where William Oyler, playing Richard of Glou-c cester, stabs to death King Henry (Paul Kliss) as the most effective scene of the year, and Oyler's playing of Rfthard as the most outstanding work amon. the men actors. Oyler's violent Richard, op posed to the restrained, almost sad, portrayal of the king by Kliss, heightened the dramatic intensity of the action, and the plot comes to a climax wjh Henry's death. Previous death scenes in the play are bloody, violent and played center stage with all stops out. In contrast, Kliss, as King Henry,, merely curls up against the wall fnd dies Quietly, as he had lived. The combination of these two fine actors plus the inspiration of Director James Sandoe made this an outstanding scene. Kliss directed Macbeth this year, as well as playing two deading roles, proving as he did last year that his theatrical "know how" is not confined xe acting, Company Praised The company this yejr as a For All WIS gAXL WUM whole was good. Not only was there excellent new talent among both the men and women, but there was no one who turned out to be so bad that his acting was conspicuous, as has been the case in some past years. On the other hand, the com pany was smaller than it should be. Festival fans who had com plaints this year about the cast ing probably do not realize that no one director is able to cast a play exactly as he would like to, due to the demands of other directors and other plays. Joan Kugell would have made a fine Puck, but she was needed more in other roles and there is a limit to what one player can do during a season. The new talent this year in cluded such excellent players as Robert Stattel from Floral Park, Naw York; Donald Soule, Nor walk, Conn.; Tom Luce, Palo Alto, Calif.; Michael Kasdan, New York City; Joan Kugell, Natick, Mass., and Marjorie Schaffer of Milwaukee, Wise. Robert Loper of Stanford uni versity, was another outstanding first-timer. Loper not only di rected "Timon" and "All's Well" (the latter broke box office records) in a creditable fashion, but played the coveted title role in Macbeth. We hope Lcfper re turns another year to prove our belief that he is capable of better acting than we saw in Macbeth' this season. Woman Players Marjorie Schaffer and Joan Kugell were outstanding among the women players. Both car ried heavy acting loads aYid came up with excellent performances in every role. Miss Schaffer has a pleasing stage personality and appearance, and her roles showed the smoothness which experience, talent and intelli gence produce. Miss Kugell brings an eagerness and vitality to the stage which is extremely appealing. Agnes David surprised many with her engaging portrayal of Helena in "Midsummer Night's Dream." Miss David had been in the festival company for two years past but only in the cos tuming department, and some have been wondering why her Your School Needs Leons '105 East Main TO teki CD IMif ctv Jf. OPEN i ISf -Sl-S V TONIGHT C ( J 1 TIL 9 I ttflH CS3 THAT WONT WEAR OUT le'i safe ... yeu save when ytm choose SAF T NEE Jeans! iMae Texas-Styled denims eliminate mending, triple the Veastro:eet knees. And they're quality all the way! Every pessaMe point of strain is reinforced, the snap and zipper an rastpreel and the teams ere dpuMe-stitched for that Pt extra wear. Ami Now Vat Dyed to Hold Their Color! -M8 VTedaMdar. Aufutt 31, 1951 ability as an actress had not been brought to light before. Brad Curtis deserves special end-of-the-year mention, too. Curtis, a sort of jack-of-all-trades, is improving as an actor and his light-hearted singing of old English songs is one of the bright spots of the festival en tertainment features. Music Improving Most festival fans believe that the music is slowly improving, although perhaps it is not ex actly what Tom B. Cooke ex pected when he offered to under write this part of the festival program. This year Bernard Windt, music director, is especially- pleased with success of the Sunday afternoon concerts. Director Windt thought they might draw two or three dozen music lovers instead 200 to 300 or more persons turned out each Sunday. An innovation was recording of all incidental music and sound effects for the plays with the exception of some of the drum work. Use of the tympani in "Macbeth," suggested by Direct or Kliss and worked put by Windt, who did the actual play ing, was one of the most dra matic bits of atmosphere pro duced this year. Two Questions - Looking back over the season two big questions come to mind. One should the festival con tinue to produce five plays, with the fifth s a two-night attempt? There is no doubt that "Timon" would have been a better pro duction this year if it had not been rehearsed in the middle of the night after actors, directors and technicians were already ex hausted from their efforts for the major plays. The other big question is this are the festival plays coming up to the standards which they themselves . are setting? ' Year by year the festival is creating an audience which is growing more and more familiar with Shakespeare, more and more ap preciative, and by the same token, more and more demand ing. Can the festival directors and actors live up to this? O.S. Costuming Department Cited for Development . Costuming for the festival has developed a great deal since the revival in 1947. The department has been expanded to include two full-time assistants, where only volunteer help from local people was available. Although most .of the materials used are bought outside the valley, local donations are still appreciated. Costuming techniques have im proved greatly as a result of the costumier's several trips abroad to study in Europe and England. One minor element of the Go To TEENS costumes which were new this summer were rather distracting. The peaked hats worn by Rich ard and several minor charac ters in "Henry" give a dashing appearance which we feel is not completely harmonious with the rest of the costumes and the characters themselves. For the most part the costuming was ex cellent. Appearanc Altered With the expansion of the fes tival the appearance of the stage itself and the scenery used have been altered. The brown trim on the gray walls of the stage has been made more ornate, and the use of scenery in the "inner below" has been increased. The assort ment of stage furniture has been added to very little, but one ad dition which we feel is not in keeping with' the Elizabethan atmosphere is the use of camp stools, such as are sold by Army surplus stores, in "Henry" and "All's Well." An improvement in curtains has been made with the use of a different set for each play, but with the ' removal of main stage curtains in all plays but All's Well, we feel that the smooth flow of the shows has been somewhat retarded. Likes Queen 'Touch' - One practice which has been discontinued by the festival, and which we would like to see re stored, is that of choosing a Queen Elizabeth for opening night ceremonies, either from the cast or from the people of Ashland. The presence of the queen lends a touch to opening night which makes it seem a little less like a Chamber of Commerce meeting. In our, opinion Joan Kugell is the best of the actresses this season. With only two years of training at Carnegie Tech, she has done an excellent job of each of the . varied roles assigned to her. Many actresses who could perform Hermia with no trouble would be lacking in the ability to interpret the Prince of Wales in Henry ' or an old man in "Timon" without provoking laughter in the audience. In ad dition to these parts she has also been seen as a witch in Macbeth and Helena in "All's Well," two diametrically opposed parts which would tax any performer asked to do them at the same time. Her diction is clear and her stage presence makes the audience forget her small stat ure. Welcome Addition Popular with both . cast and audience, Richard T. Jones is a welcome addition to the festival. His stage presence is good, and his diction clear enough to over come the partial loss of voice which aroused the sympathy of the audience the opening night of Timon. We do not know how much experience With Shake- 1 jrp "Pacific Trail Jacket" Of all kinds ... Quilted lininoj for warmth . . This Nylon wears for strength . . . alio the ever popular "Worm up" Jackets in good colors ... T 10" "Dresses" 49S From such famous makes as "Tiny Town" and "Susy Brooks" that you've seen in Life and "198 Vofuo ... every . . e beauty ... spear a this actor has had; it k possible that this is his first. There is something almost mod ern in his reading of lines which prompts us to suggest that he would be excellent in a periorm ance of Christopher Fry's "The Lady's Not For Burning." This play is written in the Elizabethan style and yet has a distinctly modern flavor. One thing which has become apparent to many members of the festival audience is that some actors can double, that is, perform two different roles in one play, and some can't. Jack Swanson and Jack Colvin are two who can. Both- have im proved greatly since last season,: and both are able to disguise their voices and appearance so that the audience isn't disturbed when an actor who died on stage five minutes ago comes in as a messenger bringing tidmgs of his own death. Such an actor must indeed be welcome to a director who finds that he has more parts to assign than actors. Newcomer Praised Among the newcomers this season is Jack MacPhee, who has a voice which will, with training, produce the type of deep velvety tones which make John Hume stand out in the memories of festival audiences who saw his performance of Othello in 1948. We feel that young . MacPhee will improve with further training and if he returns, will be .an asset to the festival. Another impressive newcomer is Irene Baird of Carnegie Tech. Her performances, that of Mar garet in Henry in particular, have been outstanding. We feel that Hubert Whitfield, although his stage presence is good, has an artificial, unpleas ant quality in his voice which has made him less popular with the audience than his acting war rants. His is a voice which might possibly have been adopted by an 18th century London fop. It seems to be unnaturally high, and because the actor is not ac customed to the Ashland stage, overly loud and harsh. We hope that with further acting exper ience his voice will improve, be- see what a difference CH makes ...IN CANNING AND COOKING SUCCESS i tf9m 'V'cane THE New Shipment Davy Crockett Jackets Caps ' . . Moccasins urn back to sciiooi Now Is an important time for your children . . . they want to look nice and be in style . . . and Leons Tots To Teens have the finest selection of the latest styles they have had for years . . . and vary ana from a well known Nation ally Advertised Line you can depend on. small deposit will hold, your selection until school opens.) cflus otherwise let Is a eepaMe actor. Festival Veteran We would like to commend Richard Graham for his excel lent interpretation of the drunk en porter in Macbeth. This actor has been in the company since 1948, and has performed many parts in that time. Not many actors, who could portray the part of King Lear as well, as Richard Graham, would be able to perform a small comedy role and make it stick in the minds of the audience. Richard Graham is one of the "backbones" of the festival, and we feel that his loyalty, to the Ashland enter prise is as commendable as his versatile, high-quality acting. Frank Pinnock, although his experience with the festival has been only three seasons, is an other "backbone." "His acting is consistently good, . if not bril liant, and he has also contributed greatly to the festival through his fencing ability. . Best Performance ' For best performance of the season we nominate that of Wil liam Oyler as Richard in "Henry." This actor, so mild and retiring off stage, has come into his own as the deformed, vicious Richard. We therefore name the scene which ends Act HI, scene 2, of Henry, in which Richard declares his intention of getting the English crown, as the most exciting of the season. It is our sincere hope that he be asked to continue the part as Richard III in 1956. R.S. - Company's Efforts Not Soon To Be Forgotten Oregon Shakespearean Festi val's 1955 season will close to night with the production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" un der an almost full moon. Players soon will return to some 15 states from which they came and resume educations, teachings, directing and: other positions. We are looking for ward to seeing some of. them back another year. But their determined effort to make the Ashland productions a success will not be forgotten, and this reviewer will anxiously wait (INLY CANE SUGAR REFINED IN THE WEST! Nothing finer for sweetening fresh fruits and berries I Loafers' II From "Poll-Parrot" .. . . Antique red leather . . Combination lasts for better fit . . . 598698 "Coatt" From Irembury ... Block ... and Judy Lena ... all famous makes and stylos 10",. 19" Maxet Orion Sweaters The finest of all arlons ... yoe you will love the fool ... wear end washablity. 3" . 5 r yew's preuele liam Shakespeare's plays. Excitingly EataclaiiiiNf Looking back over this year's five productions, each has been excitingly entertaining. It was this reviewer's first festival sea son, which perhaps has resulted in favorable bias caused, prob ably, by attending productions which fail to maintain audience attention, staged by other organ izations. Among items which has made this year's plays successful are varsatility of players, director ship, lighting, costuming and the Elizabethan playhouse atmos phere. Player versatility was witnes-. sed in Richard T. Jones, who aptly played Bottom in "A Mid summer Night's Dream," and played Timon as well. Jones' somewhat hoarse voice added to Timon's plight after he lost his wealth. Oyler Versatile William Oyler provided diver sified entertainment in the char acters of Banquo, Richard, and Parolles, all with personalities THE NEW "INTERNATIONAL" PORTABLE RADIO BY t Eight tuning bands for standard broadcasts and international short wave. e Calibrated in frequencies with special markings for navigation, amateur, weather, aircraft, foreign short wave. e Operates anywhere on AC DC . or batteries. Telescope antenna with 3 ft ex-Q tension for short wave . . . "Wave Wizard" ferrite core loop for standard and long-wave bands. Special circuit for long battery life over 200 hours. e Features include world map in side cover with log . . . aneroid barometer ... thermometer hygrometer. Sturdy luggage style casejf black and grey leatherette finish. Come in and "play" with it well get as much thrill oat of demonstrat ing the "lateroationaT as you will! We Give Northern Stamps TiffWTi LEVI & APPLIANCES I TV IS OUR BUSINESS "Straps" That little airls lev in red . . . brown . . . gray . . . tan... Se smart and tSey fit a well... 498o6 i Blouses' ii In cottons . . . nylons ft cWcroRS l" r "Skirts" . Ivory one washable... and all wijb the famous "Snuialer" adjustable waist band ... ranging frcfti cowejrd to premed itated murderer, witn in poo-, sible exception of The Pointer in Timon, Oyler seemed to fit characters which he portrayed. Versatility of playing also wa . dominant in characters played by . Donald E. Soule. Among the bet ter ones were the doctor in Mac beth, the Philosopher in Timon, Theseus and King Edward IV, but he also played well the parte . of Donalbain in Macbeth and Bertram in "All's Well That Ends Well." ". ' Joan Kugell effectively por trayed both male and female parts, and Marjorie Schaffer act. ed with dignity the parts of Lady Macbeth, Countess Rousillon and Lady Gray. Irene G. Baird as Hippolyta and Queen Margaret characterized the parts aptly. Not All Acting But producing successful playi whether Shakespeare's . or an other playright's, is not all in acting. Credit should be extend ed to Director James Sandoe for "A Midsummer Night's (Continued en Page3) 40 SOUTH BARTLETT PHONE 2-9824 Inc. V SI ON - NOT A SIDE LINE 98 n o 9
