Festival's Romance
Play Well Received
William Shakespeare's "Peri
cles. Prince of Tyre" was among
the first romance plays he wrote.
It was popular with audiences
during the Elizabethan period,
but there have been few times
since then that it has seen sim
ilar popularity.
Perhap's this is due to Shake
speare's use of formal devices
which gave the play a fairyland
quality in order to render it
plausible. For indeed it does
border on the supernatural in
places, and it abounds in sensa
tional situations and surprises.
But whatever the cause of its
unpopularity following the Eliz
abethan period, it has, since the
. turn of the century, been staged
with general success at various
times.
Wall Received
Robert B. Loper's production
of "Pericles" at the Shakespear
ean Festival in Ashland Friday
night was well received by al
most a full house. Directing such
, a play does not in itself make
the play success, however. Se
lecting good characters, particu
larly for the parts of Gower and
Pericles, Is necessary to carry
the play forward in a smooth, en
tertaining fashion.
George Vafiadis, cast as Per
icles, does a commendable job,
not only as the young prince flee
ing Antioch in the face of death
but also as an elderly king mour
ning the loss of his wife and
daughter.
Ed Brubaker as Gower has a
part as important and about as
long as that of Pericles. It is
Gower who provides the narra
tive, and does it well in pre
senting background material
during time lapses representing
several years at a time.
Without good casting in those
two parts, the play would not
have received the audience re
sponse it did. But as in any play,
supporting roles play a major
part, and several such roles in
Pericles enhanced the over-all
production.
Stand-Out Scenes
Because the play contains
some supernaturalism, family
partings and reunions, ship
wrecks, and other events which
are seldom seen in modern plays,
there are several scenes which
stand out.
The first scene, in which An
tiochus. King of Antioch, pro
vides the reason for Pericles'
flight from death, is marked by
evil. George Hchock's presen
tation as Antiochus, and Marcia
Thayer as his daughter, not only
have evil in their voices, but also
in their appearance, thanks to
wardrobe artist Julia Sandoe and
to excellent lighting effects.
Another memorable scene
takes place in Epheus after the
coffin bearing Pericles' wife,
Thaisa, is washed ashore. Mi
chael O'Sullivan, who played
Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII
so effectively, has a natural-born
part as Cerimon,, a lord of Eph
esus, and a magical physician.
Ku voice and physical actions
provide what Shakespeare prob
ably had in mind in mystifying
the character. It is Cerimon who,
after Thaisa's coffin has been
opened, brings her back to life.
Brothel Scene
Scenes in the brothel, to which
Pericle's daughter, Marina, is
taken after her capture by pir
ates, are staged with excellance.
Marina's virtue dominates all
forces of vice, and she reforms
the bawdy house clientele, even
tually forcing the house into
bankruptcy.
Jean Cartwright portrays Mar
ina as an innocent, virtuous
lady exceptionally well. In fact,
had she remained in the brothel
much longer, she may even have
reformed the Bawd, played by
Muriel Eisenberg, who did as a
good a rendition as the Bayd as
she did Audrey in "As You Like
It."
Jerry Turner as a Pandar and
William Sharp as Boult, his ser
vant, provide a touch of comedy
in the brothel scenes, and both
characterizations seem to be
well adopted to the parts.
Perhaps the two most import
tant scenes are those in which
Periciles is reunited with his
daughter and wife. Pericles is
most impressive when his daugh
ter, whom Pericles believes is
dead, attempts to have him speak
after a three-month silence. It
is a moving scene in which Va
fiadis reaches his acting height
in the play.
Final Scene
The final scene, in which Per-
1 . J
if:
It-'
A group of Portland professional women
were honored at a luncheon given by M ad
ford Altrusa club Thursday noon at Rogue
Valley Country- club. The group included
(left to right) Mrs. Marguerite Spicker, radio
logical technician; Mrs. Freda Cowling, club
editor of the Portland Oregonian; Miss Ade
line Kendall, owner of Kendall Handicrafts
shop: Miss Pearl Base, assistant vice-president
of the First National bank, Portland and Mrs.
Ruth Kennedy, director of Arts and skills for
the Red Cross in Portland. All but Mrs. Cowl
ing are members of Portland Altrusa dub.
The women attended rehearsals and per
formances of the .Shakespearean festival in
Ashland during the week, as well as a number
of social events. They returned to Portland
by the coast route, (Knackstedt photo)
iclas is reunited with his wife,
is in the temple of Diana, god
dess of childbirth. Thaisa, played
commendably by Margaret Va
fiadis, becomes a priestess when
she believes she will never see
her husband again. Ellen Kay
played the part .of Diana with
out a motion. Her part was only
to remain on the pedestal with
out moving, and throughout the
entire scene, she remained as a
statue.
There are other parts which
are noteworthy, among them
that of Helicanus, portrayed by
William Crossett; Dionyza, wife
of Cleon, played by Carole Cox;
and Cleon, governor of Tarsus,
portrayed by Hugh Morton.
Costuming added greately to
the production, especially in
some of the more elaborate
scenes such as the dinner for
tournament knights in the King
of Pentapolis's court, and the
final scene in whieh Pericles and
Thaisa are reunited. The white
flowing robes of Diana and her
Bark Converted Into
Good Soil Builder
Chicago (If) Scientists at
the Armory Research Founda
tion report they have developed
a method of converting bark in
to an inexpensive and unusually
effective soil-builder.
In tests with greenhouse
plants and field crops, the new
product was found more ef
fective in promoting growth and
improving the soil than either
peat moss or a commercial soil
conditioner, the ARF said.
Dr. Roland McCully, scien
tific adviser in the foundation's
chemistry and chemical engi
said the bark soil-builder, used
with fertilizer, turns clay and
sand into . rich, loamy soil in
which plants grow at a surpris-
priestess provide a bright fresh
ness at the play's end. E.H.A,
ing .rate.
Contemporary Antennae
Unsuitable for Rocket
East Lansing, Mich. (IP) The
first rocket to the moon will
need antennae, but space ships
won't be able to use the cumber
some devices we know as home
radio and television receivers.
Two Michigan State Univer
sity scientists currently are at
tempting to solve mathematical
problems in hopes of stripping
away part of the mystery still
surrounding the operation of antennae.
Rockets and satellites couldn't
use clumsy outside antennae
such as those perched on top of
roofs for television reception,
say the scientists. They not only
would slow down travel speed
but would break off.
Sunday, August IS, 1957
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE ELEVEN
Historic Alaska
Town Gets Lifting
Valdez, Alaska TO This his
toric old gold-rush port is get
ting a face-lifting.
Seven civil works projects
which will cost the federal gov
ernment $7,000,000 are sched
uled for this fiscal year. The
projects include flooa control,
breakwaters and a small-boat
harbor.
Valdez had its beginnings in
Revolutionary War days but
didn't become famous until the
gold rush. During the harsh
winter of 1898, some 3000 poor
ly prepared, but eager prospec
tors attempted the "All-American"
route from Valdez through
the raw wilderness of the Cop
per River valley to the boom
ing Klondike gold fields.
Hundreds of ill-equipped, ill-
informed men died by the trail.
In 1899, only a year after the
rush began, the population -of
Valdez cemetery outnumbered
the population of the teeming
tent city.
By 1910, a trail was blazed to
link Valdez with Fairbanks. The
trail grew into the Richardson
Highway. Today an endless
stream of highway transport
trucks links the almost-tamed
interior with Valdez.
Company Provides
Insurance for Help
Chicago (in A Morton
Grove, 111., manufacturing firm
claims it is the nation's, first
major industry to give retired
employees medical care insur
ance. Bell and Gossett company
said the coverage is in the form
of single premium contracts, ef
fective on the retirement dates
of the employees. It insures
both them and their wives for
the rest of their lives, the com
pany said.
The company said it will pay
the entire cost of coverage for
both the employees and wife in
in the case of all employees re
tiring after 20 years' service.
Employees retiring after less
than 20 years will be covered
by payment of a - substantial
portion at the company Is 63.
The plan, worked out in co
operation with actuaries of the
Continental Assurance com
pany.provides hospital benefits
for 31 days at $14 a day, a $210
maximum for miscellaneous
hospital charges, and surgical
benefits ranging from $5 to
$300, the company said.
Here is a good topping for
coffee cake. Arrange 2 to 3 me
dium apples, sliced, on the cake
batter which has been spread in
a baking pan. Brush the apples
with ' 2 tablespoons of melted
butter or margarine. Mix togeth
er V4 cup of sugar and tea
spoon of cinnamon and sprinkle
on apples. Bake according to
recipe directions.
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