TWO MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
"Two Gentlemen of Verona7
First Time by
With the production of 'Two
Gentlemen of Verona" Saturday
night in the Oregon Shakespear
ean festival theater in Ashland,
Producing Director Angus L.
Bowmer is one step nearer his
goal of staging all of the Bard's
plays in the Ashland theater. In
the Oregon festival's almost 20
years of existence, this is the
first production of "Two Gentle
men." One of Shakespeare's earlier
works, it remains one of his less
popular plays and is not often
produced. However, as staged in
Ashland Saturday night, it drew
the approval of the audience and
will probably prove to be .good
"box office" this season.
The presence of Director Bow
mer in the cast is almost a guar
antee that it will draw audi
ences, for throughout the years
this actor has built up a solid
following of fans. Those who
particularly enjoy Bowmer in
comedy roles are in for a treat,
for this year he plays ' Launce,
one of Shakespeare's delight
fully comic moronic servant
characters. ,
Those familiar with the play
know that Launce has some lines
which must be delivered . with
finesse lest they offend the audi
ence, even though they were
written by an immortal poet and
playwright. Bowmer's Launce is
an artless, wide-eyed innocent
saying "what comes naturally."
As such, the audience fecl3 free
to laugh and enjoy the scene in
stead of being emoarrassea. o
Dog Makes Hit
Too, Launce's scenes are the
better for the presence on stage
of Crab, an English sheep dog
with a decided bit of "ham" in
his majceup. If anything, Crab
is a bitstoo aristocratic and well
bred looking to be Launce's dog,
but it doesn't really matter the
audience loves him.
Laurge and Crab, however,
don't have all the comedy
scenes. There is the role of an
other servant. Speed, played in
a crisp, sprightly manner by
Nagle Jackson which blends well
with Bowmer's portrayal of
Launce.
The "two gentlemen" are
played by William Oyler and
David O'Brien, two of the fes
tival's outstanding actors this
season or any season. Oyler
is a polished, suave and truly'
gentlemanly Valentine. O'Brien
is cast as Proteus, uporr whom
Shakespeare conferred the title
of gentleman but who acts in a
most ungentlemanly ' manner.
O'Brien makes the character as
believable .as possible, but the
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Ashland Festival Cast
playgoer wonders if Shakespeare
didn't stretch a poif.t in making
Proteus change so swiftly from
good to bad and back again.
Women Charming
Doris VioA and Margaret Va
fiadis play the two sweethearts,
Julia and Silvia, with charm
and grace and btjth make pleas
ing stage appearances. Marcia
Thayer does well as Lucetta,
Julia's waiting woman who also
indulged in a little earthy con
versation. Surveying the cast as a whole,
one finds that it is a thoroughly
competent group, ably directed
by James Sandoe. Richard Gra
ham, wearing gorgeous purple
raiment, makes an imposing
Duke of Milan and Jim Sfceldon
is cast as Thurio, the foolish
suitor. Jerry Turner and Mich
ael O'Sullivan play Proteus'
father and his chamberlain; Tom
.Markus. Fred Strange, Norman
McPhce, Rudolf E. Vest Jr., Wil
liam Crossett and Pauline Peofr
ter complete the cast.
The Ashland festival is fortu
nate to have Douglas Russell as
chief costumer. A man of knowl
edge and imagination, Russell's
costumes compare favorably
with those designed and pro
duced for the Shakespearean fes
tivals of the nation. In "Two
Gentlemen" he uses the pleasing
device of using the same color
for tHe clothing of each pair of
sweethearts which adds to the
imDact of the costuming.
ftugh Morton, Julia Sandoe
and Diane Cochran provide a bit
of music for the play, and Di
rector Sandoe and Marcia Thay
er, festival choreographer, have
added dash to the production by
closing it with dancing, rather
thai the traditional assemblage
of the cast for routine curtain
bows.
If here are those who find
"Two Gentlemen" a bit tedious
in spots, it is the fault of the
play itself, and not the acting or
production. It is not only present-day
playgoers and critics who
find fault with "Two" Gentle
men." In October of 1765 an
unidentified person wrote in
Lady's Magazine, published in
London, the following paragraph
under the title "New Observa
tions on the plays of Shakes
peare: '
Strange Mixture
"In this play (Two Gentlemen
of Verona) there is a strange
mixture of knowledge and igno
rance, of care and negligence.
The versification is often excel
lent, the allusions are learned
and just; but the author conveys
his heroes by sea from one in
Monday, Auguit S, 1957
Produced
land town to another in the same
country; he places the emperor
at Milan, and sends his young
men to attend him, but never
mentions him more; he makes
Protheus after an interview with
Sylvia say he has only seen her
picture, and, if we may credit
the old copies, he has, by mistak
ing places, left his scenery inex
tricable. The reason of all this
confusion seems to be that he
took his story from a novel
which he sometimes followed,
and sometimes forsook, some
times remembered and some
times forgot."
All of which proves nothing
except that even Shakespeare
sometimes turned out a bit of
faulty writing but that faulty
or not, the play deserves the at
tention of all true Shakespear
ean fans and playgoers who
want to know the playwright in
his entirety. O.S.
Society
St. Mary's Class
Holds Reunion
Members of the 1947 class of
St. Mary's school recently held
a reunion at Mon Desir inn near
Central Point.
Attending the dinner were
Mr. and Mrs. James Messer, Mr.
and Mrs. Robert Rickman;
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ran
stead, Mr. and Mrs. Howard
Rickman and Neil Murphy. Of
these Mr. Messer, Mr. Rickman,
Mrs. Ranstead, who was Lois
Kneeland, Mrs. Rickman, the
former Mary Lou Ryan, and Mr.
Murphy were members of the
class.
Unable to attend were Mrs.
Dan Tanable, Seattle; Mrs. Jo
seph V:.ctorine, Malin, Ore., and
Mrs. William Neeley, Eugene.
The last member of the class of
nine, Barbara Bell, has been
"lost" and her classmates were
unable to locate her.
Plan Sale
Central Point A sale of iris
will be held during a meeting
of Central Point Garden club
set for Wednesday, August? 7. If.
will be held at the home of Mrs.
John Holmer, Old Stage road,
and dessert will be served at
1:30 p.m.
Save time and fuel by halving
large potatoes before baking
them.
Good Casting Seen in
Henry VIII; Three
Parts Highlight Play
A "history" play has been
defined as one in which there
are a series of historical events
having no distinct formality of
structure. Such a play is com
posed of episodes episodes
in the life of a man or an age.
William Shakespeare, in "The
Life of King Henry VIII." has
taken four outstanding events
from the busy life of Henry
VIII (who had six wives and
was in part responsible for the
separation of the Church of Eng
land from the Church of Rome)
and has woven some of his fin
est lines into one of his. greatest
writing achievements in his his
tory plays.
Three - Episodes
Three of the episodes serve
as a basis of unity for the play.
Each in itself is a type of trag
edy. The three persons involved
conduct themselves with dignity
in the face of disaster; they main
tain a grace which gives them
victory over their enemies.
Those episodes lead to the
fourth the christening of Eli
zabeth, which provides a note of
assurance that England has been
blessed by her birth. Thus the
play ends with reverence de
spite the fact three principals
meet tragic ends. '
Such a play, which probably
was no simple matter to write
in the beginning, requires es
pecially good casting for the
parts of Duke of Buckingham,
Queen Katherine, and Cardinal
Wolsey, the three persons in
the "tragedies." -Fine
Selections
Director Robert B. Loper
made extremely fine selections
for those parts in David O'Brien,
Mary Jo Randall and Michael
O'Sullivan.
O'Brien's presentation of
Buckingham, crossing the stage
as a condemned man, is pene
trating as he delivers one of
Shakespeare's best speeches by
a man doomed to death. He is
pathetic, and captures the aud
ience's sympathy.
Katherine likewise attains
compassion of the audience,
both at her trial and in . two
later scenes. Miss Randall spoke
with the eloquence and passion
of a queen herself at her trial.
She maintains her dignity in an
argument with Cardinal Wolsey
in a moment of weakness. But
her final appearance is perhaps
the most touching. As dowager,
she retains tier finesse, although
overwhelmed by her divorce
from 'Henry, and stirs the aud
ience to her favor.
Speeches are Moving '
The third tragic episode is
that of Cardinal Wolsey, . and
despite his unscrupulousness,
O'Sullivan portrays him as a
man who captures attention and
sympathy when he is left alone.
His speeches are moving, al
most to a point of forgiveness
of his selfish ambition and
pride, and the audience is left
with the feeling that, after all,
he is a reverend man and has
been unduly accused.
But Shakespeare regarded
Wolsey as a great man, a fact
which is borne out in early hi&
tories. It was necessary then to
have Wolsey reinstated, as- it
Leo Miksche Is
'Marlboro Man7
Leo Miksche, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Raymond Miksche, 164
Greenway circle, is "The Marl
boro Man" in this week's ad
vertisement of Marlboro cigar
ets. The advertisement is carried
in Life and other national maga
zines. Mr. Miksche, now living in
New York City, is a free lance
artist and does many illustra
tions in such magazines as Es
quire and The New Yorker.
Recently Mr. Miksche illus-
i trated an article on Caryl Chess
man, the San Quentin prisoner
. who has written and publisried
two successful novels. Ihe arti
cle will be carried in a coming
issue of Esquire.
'
Actress Honored
At Patio Dinner
Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Gandt,
141 Clover lane, were hosts for
a patio dinner Tuesday evening
of last week which honored
Miss Rosalyn Newport, actress
in this year's cast of the Oregon
Shakespearean festival in Ash
land. Miss Newport, who is
from Wichita, Kan., is a cousin
of Mrs. Gandt.
Guests for the dinner were
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Schute, Wil
lian Patton, Paul Ganct, Mr.
and Mrs. John Frantz and Miss
Newport.
This is the second year Miss
Newport has appeared with the
festival company.
x ymim iflU
were, after being "tripped by
his own arrogance."
It is those three characters
who highlight "Henry VIII."
They are the unifying trend
the fall from high standing.
And O'Brien, Miss Randall and
O'Sullivan certainly carry their
parts with the dynamic force
with which the lines were writ
ten. The fourth noteworthy epi
sode which Shakespeare includ
ed is the birth and christening
of Elizabeth. The christening it
self brings to light the great
ness and goodness of Canmer,
played by Jerry Mickey, in
whom the author provided a
sort of prophet. Canmer projects
into the future the virtue and
glory of Queen Elizabeth, and
does it with moving tenderness.
Portrayal of King '
Richard Graham's portrayal
of King Henry is not as domin
ating as the characters of Buck
ingham, Katherine and Wolsey,
but it is questionable if Shake
speare wrote the part to be as
effective as those of the latter
three.
Another part which is note
worthy is that of the Duke of
Norfolk, played by William
Crossett. It is not so much the
part as it is Crossett's presenta
tion. Some of the lines are de
livered with a fury which con
trasts sharply with his more
subtle words to Cardinal Wol
sey when the latter's cunning
ness has been revealed.
Loper has directed the his
tory so it progresses with flow
ing ease.
, Last night's performance was
the fourth play. ,The series starts
again tonight with "As You
Like It," and if each produc
tion is as smooth as those this
writer has seen, the month
should prove to be a success for
the Shakespearen Festival.
E. H. A.
-4
Raccoon Coat ;
... x
Staging
Comeback
By GAY PAULEY
United Press Correspondent
New York (IP) The new
est fashion for coeds is as old
as the flapper, the Stutz Bear
cat and the Charleston.
Yes, the raccoon coat is back.
In some" cases, it is available
second hand and in "magnifi
cent disrepair," as advertised by
one New York specialty shop.
But mostly, it is new raccoon
copied after those worn 30 years
ago or else shortened to car
coat length.
Revival of the long-haired fur
in coats and accessories, is just
part of fashion's return to the
Roaring 20s for ideas especially
for the campus and young car
eer girl group.
The "so's your old man" era
also is reflected in new cloche
hats, shorter skirts, fringed and
beaded dresses, and lowered
waistlines. Even Christian Dior
last week in Paris dropped the
waist to the hipbone, a la the
flapper.
Three-Length Types
The vintage racoons, which
the specialty shop bought from
a private collection, retailed for
S25 each. The new ones will
cost S150 and up. One New
York shop featured three lengths
of racoon the shortest, actu
ally a jacket length; another,
32 inches or car coat style; the
third, to mid-calf.
Most of the new old-timers
rolled collars. Others have ad
justable hoods and bright plaid
linings.
Raccoon also abounds in ac
cessories and. trim. One college
shop used the fur for huge,
pouch, bags and hats, and as
cuffs for wool knit gloves. One
red leather car coat has a rac
coon collar. Another store even
included raccoon scuffs, or
lounge slippers, in its collection
of be-furred accessories.
Trims Suits With Raccoon
Designer Jeanne Campbell of
Sportswhirl trimmed two-piece
tweed suits with raccoon collars.
Goldworm Sportswear used the
fur for collars of its two-piece
knits.
Here are other trends in coed
fashions for fall:
Red in all shades is a leading
color in everything from shirts
to suits. Other color leaders are
black, olive green, gold and
beige.
Jackets mainly are short and
semi-fitted, some of them piped
and suggestive of the loose jack
et made famous by Chanel of
Paris.
Elizabeth Taylor
Resting in Hospital
New YorkUl Actress Eliza
beth Taylor spent a restful night
and was reported progressing
satisfactorily today in a second
attack of premature labor pains
at Harkness Pavilion hospital.
The actress is due to give birth
Oct. 15 but doctors say it may
be necessary to perform a cae
sarean section. They said they
would prefer not to do so until
she reached the seven-month
point in her pregnancy in about
two weeks.
Mike Todd, who married Miss
Taylor Feb. 2, rushed her to the
hospital from their Westport,
Conn., home Saturday night
when she began feeling ill. She
had left the hospital last Thurs
day after a week's stay for the
same trouble.
Riverside Bridge Club
Has Tournament Play .
Tournament play was held by
the Riverside Bridge club at the
last meeting. ,
Winners, north-south, were
Mrs. George Dean and Mrs. Wal
ter Winner, first; Dr. Dean and
Paul A. Hatton, second; M r s.
Richard Milestone and Roy
Pruitt, third; Mrs. Berg Marten
and Mrs. Jack Mitchell, fourth.
East-west winners were Mrs.
M. M. Herman and Mrs. J. J.
Beaman, first; Mrs. Frank R.
Baker and Mrs. Paul McDuffee,
second; Mrs. E. K. Ricker and
Mrs. Harold Jaffrey, third; Mrs.
Louise Lee and Mrs. Mary Trout,
fourth.
Storage Dams Break;
Homes Under Water
Las Vegas, N.M. (IP) Three I
storage dams on the upper Gal-1
linas Canyon broke early today I
after a severe rain storm and
swept 14 to 20 feet of water i
over low lying homes here. j.
Police said 20 to 25 families;
were evacuated but that the im-'j
mediate threat to the town pro- -per
was believed to be over and j
the water was receding.
Heavy rains started Sunday I
afternoon in the Sangre De
Christo mountain region north
of here and up to two inches
was reported in that watershed
area.
Police said no one was miss
ing and that no sandbagging was
necessary along the river front
of the town. r
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Ceylon Ambassador
Given Endorsement
By Ceylonese Envoy
Washington OP Maxwell
H. Gluck, controversial new V.
S. envoy to Ceylon, has been
given an important endorsement
from the Ceylonese ambassador
to the United States.
Gluck's appointment sparked
a controversy after he flunked
a Senate quiz on Ceylonese mat
ters, including the name of Cey
lon's prime minister. - Ceylon's
newspapers have been calling
for him to turn down the as
signment. Favorably Impressed
But Ambassador R. S. S.
Gunawardene said a two-hour
visit Saturday with Gluck, who
has been boding up on his new
job, left him "very favorably
impressed."
"He certainly knew the name
of the prime minister," Guna
wardene said, "although he
found it difficult to pronounce
it correctly."
The prime minister's name,
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PLEASE PRINT.
NAME I IMrt. ( )Mtss (
A0SSESS
CITf
Solomon Bandarakaike. accord
ing to the Ceylonese embassy is
pronounced Ban-dar-a-nye-ka.
Idea of Conditions .
Gunawardene said Gluck, 57,
millionaire race horse owner
turned diplomat, had "quite a
good idea" of conditions in Cey
lon. In a statement issued Sunday
by the Ceylonese Embassy here,
Gunawardene said, "I am very
favorably impressed with him. I
am particularly glad he is go
ing to Ceylon with an open mind
and wishes to see things for himself."
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