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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 1, 1957)
Sunday September 1, 1957 MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE VEW : u Fresh Ideas, Enthusiasm Please Record Audiences The regret which the end of every Oregon Shakespearean fes tival season brings is tempered this year with extreme pleasure and pride, for this has been one of the festival's best years. The company was excellent, and a number of fine, new actors added their talent to the old guard which festival fans have come to appreciate more and more as the years have gone by. Directors approached their tasks this year with fresh ideas and enthusiasm, and the results have pleased the audiences audi ences which broke attendance records night after night. Even Mother Nature smiled on the 1957 festival, and no perform ances were ruined by weather. The Ashland event is truly a "festival." Signs and banners in the city of Ashland proclaim this and anticipation is height ened by the pathway lights in Lithia park, the banners atop the theater walls, the gay booths where food and gifts are sold and the colorful plantings of flowers. This year the crowds which gathered at the back of the theater grounds long before play time seemed always to be In a holiday mood; they respond ed warmly to the costumed sing ers and dancers who performed each evening before curtain time. No Mar Carnival However, the Shakespearean festival at Ashland is no mere carnival. It is a worthwhile ar tistic endeavor, a significant cul tural, dramatic and academic achievement as well as a civic project in which hundreds take pride. With the addition of the Institute of Renaissance Studies, lectures, and concerts of both music and dance, the festival now offer both the academic and dramatic fare which the Shakespearean student and lover demands. This reviewer sees every play every season and each yar our choice of the best play of the year is always the history. They offer more to hold the interest than even the tragedies, which run a close second there is more meat to the plots and more excitement in their unfolding. This year is no exception we choose "Henry VIII" as the best play of the year, with "Pericles" as runner-up. Directors and theaters seem to shy away from "Pericles." Could it be because, as hap pened in Ashland, this melo dramatic play produces a mixed reaction in the audience which is disconcerting? Thursday dur ing the performance in Ashland some in the audience would laugh aloud at a moment when others were deeply stirred. A divided audience often is a dis tracting influence, lessening the enjoyment of the play. Seen Three "Othellos" Our theatrical fare this sum mer Included three perform ances of "Othello", one at the Stratford, Conn., Shakespearean theater and two Ashland pro ductions. They offered interest ing contrast. Stratford achieved more dramatic staging, although the entire theater is less Eliza bethan than Ashland, and the Stratford performance had a greater impact for this patron. Alfred Drake's playing of Iago at Stratford was aptly de scribed b;- the Saturday Review writer as a "top sergeant mad at the general." William Oyler's portrayal at Ashland was that of an intelligent man who de liberately and coldly plots treachery. The latter we found more effective, but many play goers are dissatisfied unless Iago is portrayed as a truly vicious person, and expressed disappointment not in Oyler's acting but over the choice of characterization. There were many outstanding performances among the men players. Remembered will be Richard Graham's excellent por trayal of Henry VIII, Michael O'Sullivan for his wonderful Cardinal Wolsey, George Vafi adis for his vivid acting as Orlando and as Pericles and David O'Brien who seemed made for the role of Touchstone but turned in equally outstanding performances in "Two Gentle men of Verona" and the Duke of Buckingham in "Henry." Angus Bowmer, with his dog, Crab, and Nagle Jackson as Speed, turned in delightful comedy performances which saved "Two Gentlemen" from being a mediocre event. Also due praise for their sub stantial portrayals are Kenneth Geist for his playing of Jaques, Jerry Mickey for his portrayal of Cassio in "Othello" and his equally intelligent presentation of roles in the other plays, and William Sharp for his good scenes in both "As You Like It" and "Pericles." Reviewing the month, it becomes evident that from the least player to the most outstanding, the com pany of men was better as a whole this year than in some past years. Mary Jo Randall Honors among the women go to Mary Jo Randall. She capti vated audiences as Rosalind, and in the heavier role of Emilia was equally fine. Rosalyn New port gave a sensitive and tender performance as Desdemona, a role which is always overshad owed by the men of "Othello." No one is likely to forget Muriel Eisenberg for her playing of the flighty country wench, Audrey, and her broad characterization of the bawd in "Pericles." The costuming, the music and sound effects, the dancing, the lighting all continue to im prove and to enhance the fes tival plays. One pertinent com ment goes well here one play goer who has been attending the festival for years complain ed that the "trappings" par ticularly the gorgeous costumes, distract her from watching the actor s faces and from concen trating on the beauty and poetry of Shakespeare's lines. Director Bowmer and his assistants might mull this over year by year something is added more stage decorations, more props, more music, more dancing, more lavish costumes. As long as the trappings enhance the drama and poetry of Mr. Shakespeare's plays, fine; they should not dis tract. O.S. Friends Compere Similar Productions This summer several friends of the writer attended productions of Shakespeare's plays in vari ous parts -of the United States and England- It was indeed a pleasure to hear favorable com ments on the Oregon Shake spearean Festival by them and have the local productions com pared with those they had viewed previously. This writer's vote for most de lightful play for 1957 would so 10 as you L,ike It." Most memor able are the parts of Audrey and Touchstone played by Muriel Eisenberg and David O'Brien. The clothing in last vear's "Love's Labour's Lost" is still vivid in this reviewer's mind and it is wished that lasffvear's plays could be forgotten (mo mentarily, at least) while view ing the current season's selec tions. Coloring Excellent Coloring this year was put to excellent use. To cite a few ex amples, the rich red and white of Cardinal Walsey's garments in 'King Henry VIII," the pur ples for Pericles and his follow ers, and the bright, sharp orange used in the brothel in "Pericles" in sharp contrast to the pale blue garments worn by Jean Cart wright as Marina in the same scene. And then, of course, there were the white robes of Diana in the final scene of "Pericles." In Shakespeare's time some speeches or lines were directed to the audience in the "pit." Through the years this audience has vanished but the "spicy" speeches still remain. Thelisten er sometimes wonders if the speeches should have vanished with their audience. The splendid acting In all the plays represented many hours of hard work. Special mention should be made of Ed Brubaker as Gower in "Pericles," and the staging in varous scenes in that same production. The beginning o the play was enhanced by the excellent lighting and makeup of the daughter of Antiochus which emphasized the evil in the part. The wandering minstrel sing ers before the plays provided de lightful entertainment for early playgoers. But this writer won ders if the singers harkened to "medical claims" this year, not a word was heard about a cig arette P.H. Bard Wrote For and About All People William Shakespeare wrote plays to entertain an audience, and even today, his plays are popular. It is the audience, and its response to a play, which make the play either a success or a failure. That Shakespeare's plays are entertaining is evi denced by attendance at the Oregon Shakespearean Festival which ended a highly . success ful season at Ashland last night. There are those who claim they do not like Shakespeare, basing their' opinion largely on the idea that his plays are "high brow." But the Elizabethan play wright wrote to entertain peo ple from all walks of life, and he included all classes of people in his- plays. This is obvious in the productions at . Ashland this year. Those same type of people can be seen in various walks of life today. It is true, there are few royal courts, but there are merchants, working people, and today's "country folk." But the majority of Shakespeare's char acters can be transplanted into contemporary settings. Shakespeare distinguished be tween classes of people by using verse and prose, specifically be tween the royalty and merchant class and the country folk, crim inal elements and servants. It was done partly because cos- Mary Jo Randall of Kansas City was a favorite with Oregon Shakespearean festival audiences this year. Miss Randall, from Kan sas City, is seen here as Queen Katherine in "Henry VIII" and also played Rosalind in "As You Like It" and Emilia in "Othello." ' &&t 1 ' .qjLa Ellen Kay of New York and Jerry Mickey, Spokane, were two of the capable actors who made the 1957 Oregon Shake spearean festival an outstanding success this year. Miss Kay is pictured here as the courtesan, Bianca, in "Othello" and Jerry Mickey played Cassio in the production. Both also ap peared in other roles of the five plays presented in repertory style this summer by America's first Elizabethan theater. This was the 17th season. turning during the Elizabethan period was not as elaborate as today, and partly because it was an accepted form of writing. Not Lines Alone It is not the lines of a play, whether verse or prose, which make the play popular. This holds true not only with Shake speare's works, but also with contemporary plays on Broad way. Without good directing, good acting and stage managing, a play has a slim chance of becoming a "hit." The Festival was indeed for tunate this year in having a combination of these factors. Acting generally was improved over the 1956 season. The sup porting roles this year surpassed those of last year, a fact which distinguishes a "high caliber" company. Many supporting roles were done with such force they dominated the particular scene, and are remembered vividly by the audience. Such was the case of Muriel Eisenberg as Audrey, whose tac tics in showing her love for Touchstone (David O'Brien) were most amusing in "As You Like It." Another was Jim Shel don's interpretation of Thurio, Silvia's suitor in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." Sheldon played the part of the foolish gentleman as such a gentleman would seem in real life, domi nated by those who wanted to use him as theyvwould. Perhaps the most domineering supporting roles, which bordered on being the major roles, were those of Buckingham, Queen Katherine, and Cardinal Wolsey in "Henry VIII." O'Brien, Mary Jo Randall and Michael O'Sul livan carried those parts so well that, with Richard Graham's por trayal as King Henry, the play was by far the favorite of this writer. O'Sullivan also was magnifi cent in the part of Cerimon, a lord of Ephesus, in "Pericles, Prince of Tyre." His hands, voice and stature played an important part in the roles of Cerimon and Cardinal Wolsey, and it is doubt ful if those two parts could have been portrayed better than O'Sullivan did them. Launce Memorable Another memorable part was that of Launce, servant to Pro teus, in "The Two Gentlemen." Angus L. Bowmer's interpreta tion of Launce, and the simpli city with which it was done, was truly entertaining Among the supporting female roles was that of Anne Bullen, King Henry's wife after his di vorce from Katherine, portrayed nobly by Margaret Vafiadis, who also played charmingly the part of Silvia, Valentine's lover in "The Two Gentlemen." Doris Viola's presentation of Julia in "The Two Gentlemen" convinced the audience of her love for Proteus. The part of Gower, played ad mirably by Ed Brubaker, in "Pericles," can hardly be called a supporting role, but it war rants some mention. His Is the part of a narrator, who sets the stage for the action, keeps the audience up to date during the years between acts, and finally wraps up the production. To keep audience attention in purely narrative appearances re quires an exceptionally fine presentation. Brubaker retained the audience's attention with physical movements and voice variations which coincided with the subject of the narrative. In all the plays, of course, were the principal characters, who fitted the part in which they were cast exceedingly well. Among the most notable were Graham as Othello and King Henry, George Vafiadis as Peri cles, and William Oyler and David O'Brien as Valentine and Proteus in "The Two Gentle men." There are those and others, some only appearances on stage as curtain pages, guards, sol diers, knights, messengers, for esters, or country folk, who took Shakespeare's verse and prose and brought it to life. And they brought into, that life the audience. Good Costuming But there also was excellent costuming, which reached its perfection in "Pericles," and in particular the first and final scenes of the play. The two scenes were costumed beauti fully with the play the first, a weird situation in which evil dominated and the shadow of death prevailed, and the final scene in which the bright white robes of Diana and her priest esses all but illuminated the out door theater at Ashland. From the gay, fanciful clothes in "As You Like It," the bright red of cardinals' robes in "Henry VIII," and the mourning attire of Pericles, the Festival com pany under the direction oi Douglas A. Russell did a wonder- ful job of capturing the cos- Michael O'Sullivan, Redwood City, Calif., (center) was praised for his portrayal of Car dinal Wolsey in "Henry," and Jim Sheldon, Hollywood, appeared as Cardinal Campeius. (Arbuckle and Moran photo) Woman Chemist Earns Living Testing Fabrics By RUDY CERNKOVIC United Press Correspondent Mrs. Lisle Zehner is a chem ist by profession and a scientific trouble shooter by choice. , The brown-haired researcher runs thousands of tests a month in her laboratory at Mellon In stitute to determine whether fabrics are resistant to water and sun. She investigates claims by manufacturers regarding their products. She advises the best soaps, detergents and other cleaning agents fof use on vari ous materials. Gen. Matthew Ridgway, head of Mellon Institute, came into Mrs. Zehner's office with a per sonal problem recently. His suit had a dab of ink and he was to attend an important meeting. Mrs. Zehner whipped up a cleaning agent of detergent and water. The general went spot less Into the meeting. Mrs. Zehner spends one day a week in a downtown depart ment store studying complaints If tests show the merchandise is faulty, both the store and cust omers can claim refunds. Early this summer one store received numerous complaints about an expensive bathing suit. Customers said yellow stains ap peared in the suit after a few wearings. Tests convinced Mrs. Zehner that sponge rubber in the suits was responsible for the discolor tion. The suits were recalled by the stores and returned to the manufacturer who made re funds. A laundryman who does Mrs. Zehner's work finally worked up enough courage to ask her a question recently. He said for years he had been puzzled be cause her husbands's shirts had been neatly clipped at the back. Mrs. Zehner smilingly ex plained she snipped off the shirt ends for materials used for tests. Housewives frequently call Mrs. Zehner's office to ask how tn remove stains, what synthe tics are the best for household use and what soaps and deter gents are the best. Mrs. Zehner advises the call ers to read the labels on clothing and fabrics. She advises ironing synthet ics at a low heat. Such mate rials should not be wrung by hand or machine or they will acquire permanent wrinkles. It is best to hang them dripping from the rinse water. It is suggested tryiing a single color at first, so the child gets the "feel" of his work before mixing colors. tumes most suitable for the play settings. Along with costuming goes make-up, directed by Graham. His make-up of Othello is prob ably the most notable, but also outstanding was his treatment of Pericles who must be trans formed from youth through mid dleage to an old man with a beard. David A. Thayer's lighting di rectorship proved effective and was most appropriate perhaps in the first scene of "Pericles" to add to the scene's weirdness. Night scenes seemed more effec tive this year. All these the play itself, actors, directors, costuming, make-up, lightning go to make a successful play, and that they did at Ashland. E.H.A. Art Critics Laud Young American By HENRY F. SCHULTE United Press Correspondent Madrid (IF) The Spanish have labeled 20-year-old Joan M a r k s o n "the millionairess American painter with the Italian name who exhibits bullfight pic tures in Madrid." It was with such a headline that the evening newspaper ."Pueblo" recently introduced a series of articles on the New York-born Miss Markson, known professionally as "Giovannella." "Pueblo's" critic, Sanches Ca margo, praised her as an artist whose work was "surprisingly good." She had, he said, captured "the flavor' 'of Spain. Other papers and other critics here hailed Giovanella as at least a potentially great artist. One Mariano Tomas, writ ing in "Madrid" compared her to Goya and Rembrandt. The outburst of laudatory criticisms, which welcomed her one-woman show, was climaxed when the respected Madrid "Circle of Fine Arts" elected her to honorary membership. She was the second American and the first young person of any nationality to receive such an honor. Miss Markson, well into her sixteenth year of painting, is quick to discard the "million airess" tag as "just a bunch of baloney." Began Studies Her father, John Markson, New York businesman art collector, appears rich to Eu ropeans. In early 1954 he took a leave of absence from his firm to bring her to Europe. He, Mrs. Markson and Joan are still here. When the family arrived In Rome in 1954, Joan began a study of painters, especially the Renaissance masters. Then she had a solo showing in Rome. She studied by herself during 2Vi years there, because, accord ing to her father, "There is no one who can teach Joan, I mean Giovannella, anything." In February of 1956, the fam ily flew to Madrid for a few weeks at the sprawling Prado, with nearly 3,000 pictures. By this time, Joan was "Gio vannella," an Italianization of her name, in tribute to the Italian greats. She liked Spain especially the bullfights, a favorite subject of recent drawings and paintings and the weeks stretched into months. New York In November The family's departure has been postponed until November, when they hope to head back to New York. No one has greater faith in her abilities than her father who said he recognized genius when at four, she took up the brush. "She was offered a one-man show by a New York gallery at the age of eight when she paint ed in a bold primitive style on the order of Picasso, only better he said. He predicted she would be come one of the great painters of the ages. The critics, while lacking some of the enthusiasm of the fond father, haven't done anything to throw cold water on such dreams. After all, to be compared in print with Goya and Rembrandt isn't bad for a girl of 20. Youngsters E noy Finger Painting Urbana, 111. W Young sters enjoy finger painting and learn a sense of design at the same time, says University of Illinois child development spec ialist Patricia Robinson. But for best results, child and parent must be properly pre pared. Try dressing the young artist in one of Dad's old shirts. Miss Robinson suggests cutting the collar and sleeves off and put ting the shirts on the "artist" backwards, thus making a neat coverall smock. A utility room, or any large place that is easily cleaned up, a large piece of oil cloth or a porcelain top table and junior is ready to create. Tax Payer Lodged After Rights Confused Cincinnati, Ohio (IP) A. G. Falen, 46, figured as a taxpayer in good standing he was entitled to city-owned property. He was stopped by two patrol men recently and questioned about a heavy package he was carrying. The package contained five window weights "from a building the city owns." "I'm a taxpayer," Falen told the officers. "I need them." The understanding officers offered him city "hospitality" and escorted him to a well known lodging on city property. Use M-T Classified Ads- Easy-Just Dial SP 2-61 41 OLDEST GRAD O. Meredith Wilson, president of the Univer sity of Oregon, recently visited with George Dunn of Ashland. At 93, Dunn is the oldest living university graduate. He was graduated with the class of 1886, and before retirement wai a president of the First National Bank of Ashland and a state senator from 1923 to 1936. President Wilson stopped for a chat at the Dunn home while in Ashland for the Oregon Shake spearean Festival. GRANDVIEW-LONE PINE School To Open Wednesday By LILLIAN KNIGHT Grandview-Lone Pine Lone Pine school will open Wednes day, Sept. 4 for the registration of all students. Buses will run on approximately the same schedule as last year and will return the children to their homes before lunch. The cafe teria will open Monday, Sept. 9, when the regular school sched-i ule begins, according to princi pal Lee Merriman. First graders must bring some proof of their birth date and a health examination record be fore they can be admitted to classes. Sept. 5 and 6 are in- service training days for teach ers, so school will not be in full session until Monday. leacners lor tms year are Mrs. Mabel Hundley and Mrs. Rachel Guetzlaff, first grade; Mrs. Edith M. Thornton, second grade; Mrs. Rachel Scheel, third grade; Mrs. Ruth Brostad and Mrs. Dorothy Rix, fourth grade; Mildred Schwendener, fifth grade; Mrs. Beatrice Lindsay, sixth grade; Mrs. Frances Hen ry, seventh grade and Girls' PE; Niles B. Smith, eighth grade and Boys' PE; Richard L. Michaelis, eighth grade and music; Lee Merriman, principal; and Mrs. Estelle Ballard, clerk and office secretary. Mrs. Margaret Verstegan and Mrs. June Hult will again man age the cafeteria. Ivar Hult, Bert Cook, and William Wheeler will be the bus drivers and custodi ans. Bud Lowery, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Lowery, has been in Sandy, near Portland, for the past two weeks, visiting with relatives. Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Lowery and son Garland will spend the Labor Day week end camping and fishing at Dog lake near Lakeview. Mr. and Mrs. George Knight and two little boys have return ed to their home in Palmdale, CLOSE OUT SALE ON SCHOOL CASES y2FF Several Styles and Colors While They Last! Calif., after spending a few days with his parents and visiting other relatives and friends in the valley. Knight is with Convair, in the painting department, where the finishing touches are applied to the jet planes. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Vroman and family returned Aug. 22 from their vacation, the first week of which was spent on the Skyline trail and hiking into Heavenly Twins, leaving their car at Cold Springs. Later they went to San Francisco, where they visited relatives, and went to the zoo, Chinatown, Playland, Fisher man's wharf, and Mother Goose land in Oakland. Mr. and Mrs. Albert Hender son and family will leave Sun day for a two weelk vacation to visit relatives In Astoria, Seat tle, Vancouver, B.C., Pendleton, and Portland. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hesse and three boys of Fresno, Calif., are spending the Labor Day week end with Mrs. Hesse's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ebsen. Eggs and Oatmeal Combine in Omelet New York (IP) Eggs for breafast or oatmeal for break fast, which shall it be? You'll find these two favorites can be combined into a tasty omelet. To make, beat together 2 eggs, 'i cup milk, Vi teaspoon salt and 13 cup rolled oats, quick or old-fashioned. Pour into a hot frying pan containing 1 tablespoon of melt ed shortening. Cook over low heat. Remove the cover and pla.ee under the broiler until the top is golden brown. Fold in half; cut and serve two. When the "work" is done. warm water washes the paints off, or if you want to keep the "original" you can hang it by two corners until dry. i R1EDFORD,ORKDI1
