tnmsnAY. OCT. 17, 1968
the lance
PAGE THREE
lUiiniiTB.'
„HigH SPIRITS”. A musical
based on the play “Blithe
Spirit" by Noel Coward. Book,
music and lyrics by Hugh Mar
tin and Timothy Gray. Produced
by the Highland Players. Di
rected by Art McDonald. Cast:
Charles Condomlne Jett Alhelm
Edith Phyllis Dleth
Ruth Condomlne . .. Kay Comer
Mrs. Bradman ... Pat Ruttln
Dr Bradman . . . Craig Smith
Mme. Arcatl . . . Sally Carlson
Elvira .... Susie Mowrey
Rupert Joe Mitchell
Hippies and Ghosts: Mac r'am-
ron,,Bonnie Foster, Marj B.
Higgins, Betts Hunter, Maiy
Key, Kathy Koch, Joe Mitchell,
Traywick Newton, Denny Ri
chards, Dawn Taylor, Sharon
Weber, Laura Welgle, Chuck
White, Ron Wllkerson, Julia
Wilson.
Musical direction by Gayle
Baldwin. Musical arrangements
by Lydia Johnson and Miss
Baldwin. Scenic design and
technical direction by Dub
Narramore. Assistant to the
director: Carol Fetter. Cos
tuming by Sally Syphrlt. Light
ing by Harry Hagan, Don Law
ton and Doug Raynor. Sound:
John Ogletree. Properties:
Jane Hayman, Pat Ruffin and
Cynthia Sweet. Stage manager;
Jack Liggett. Originally pro
duced In New York by the
Messrs. 0 s t e r m a n, Fletcher
and Horner. Musical numbers:
Overture; “Was She Prettier
Than l?”i “The Bicycle Kons”;
“You’d Better Love Me”;
"Where Is the Man I Mar
ried?”; “The Sandwich Man”;
“Go Into Your Trance”;
“Where Is the Man I Married?”
(Reprise); “Forever and a
Day”; “Something Tells Me”;
“I Know Your Heart”; “Faster
Than Sound”; Entr’acte: “If I
Gave You"; “Talking to You”;
“Home Sweet Heaven’*; “Some
thing Is Coming to Tea”; “The
Exorcism”; "What in the World
Did You Want”; Finale (“Faster
Than Sound”). Playing nightly
in the Liberal Arts Auditorium
through Saturday.
Four years ago, after New
York had seen the premiere of
new musical called “High
Spirits”, six city papers car
ried reviews of the show, and of
them five were lavish in their
praise. (Five approvals out of
six reviews is by far a better-
Ihan-average reception). The
critics did agree, however, that
the show’s appeal was found
more in the players, the music
tod the visual production than
In the book of the play. That
there was a favorable reaction
from the audience is demon
strated by the fact that the pro
duction kept its doors open for
a year.
But sadly, there Is truth in
wHat was said then: the play
is shallow, the ending a po
tential disappointment, and only
the work of the company per
forming can keep it cheerful
and alive. The first time a-
round, Tammy Grimes, Bea
trice Lillie and their troupe
did the ]ob; now it is being
done--and is being done just as
ably—by the Highland Players.
In the first place, toe scenic
production is the most am
bitious and clever that this
critic has seen used here. In
spite of the requirement of
five settings and frequent
scene changes, Dub Narramore
has done a remarkable Job of
putting into operation a system
allowing for rapid changes and
a flowing transition between
scenes. And Sally Syphrlt’s cos
tuming—more extensive, I be
lieve, than in all the shows
from the last season counted
together—is nothing to slide
over too quickly; both bizarre
and beautiful, the costumes
combine their color with that
erf the settings to make visual
appeal one of the three elements
that allow the play to be the
memorable affair that it is.
The second of these elements
is the musical score by Hugh
Martin and Timothy Gray, who
also did the rather brittle book
adaptation from Noel Coward’s
modern classic “Blithe Spirit”,
The whole play, as written, is a
very routine and undistin
guished, If not uninspired, thea
trical piece about a happily
married husband and the
medium who conjures up his
first wife from the dead, given
life solely by a pile of pleasant
songs. “High Spirits” is not
without hope, though: an acting
company may, if they are able,
perform well enough not only to
iffer salvation, but to give zest,
bounce and gaiety to the pro
ceedings.
This brings us to the third
element of merit, a certain
company of twenty-two who
sing, speak and dance wltti_a
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perfect blend of piquancy and
exuberance, and look as if
they’re having a ball doing it.
Once they get the show mov
ing—which, fortunately, they
take twenty minutes or so in
doing—they glide smoothly
from song to song and scene
to scene, garnering laughs
and causing not a few feet to
start tapping.
It is a shame, however, that
while the musical arrangements
by Gayle Baldwin and Lydia
Johnson are superb and deserve
to be heard, such a consider
able portion of the singing is
drowned out by the combo of
musical accompanists. Whether
this is the fault of the instru
mentalists or the singers is
not clear; but unless the viewer
is a llp-reader, he Is liable to
,mlss a significant portion of
lyrics. This is by no means
anything new, for even the pro
fessional musical theater is
often hampered by orchestras
which, while intended as ac
companiment for onstage vo
calists, defeat their own pur
pose by making the actors in
audible. But when a five-piece
band out-soundsaflfteen-mem-
ber chorus, one cannot help
wondering what has gone wrong.
Now it is obvious that "High
Spirits” is a combination of the
necessary dramatic efforts of
seven principals and a chorus,
and while it Is logically im
possible to think in terms of the
play without any one or several
of them, there are those in the
company whose presence is not
only needed, but fully irreplace
able. If It is possible to say that
the show depends upon or be
longs to one particular per
former, then it is Susie
Mowrey’s show; and if ever an
actress deserved to approach
the footlights and take an extra
bow after a performance. Miss
Mowrey is the one. She is dazzl
ing at her first entrance, and
never once lets the quality of
her delivery drop. Though she is
no trained singer, she performs
well in her seven numbers; most
notably, she does a rousing Job
with the solo song-and-dance
routine “Home Sweet Heaven”
and leads the chorus In the
snappy “Faster Than Sound”.
In a very genuine way her en
chanting portrayalof Elvira, the
lead spirit, makes the show
complete.
Playing opposite is Jeff
Alheim, as hilarious as he has
ever been, in the role of Elvira’s
living husband. He has one of the
better singing voices found In
the show, as well as his own
Inimitable farcical expressions;
and by combining the two he is
able to come on strong both as
leading man, and as vocalist
in a series of duets including
“Where Is the Man I Married?’/
doubtlessly his best.
Kaye Comer le good as Mr.
Alheim’s second wife; and
though she is weak on a few
lines, she proves with the open
ing number that she Is the best in
the show in the voice depart
ment. In the principal comedy
role, Sally Carlson is a re
markable mystic and a highly
amusing comedian. Miss Carl
son does the whole role in a
put-on voice and outlandish
clothes, and she displays her
versatility constantly, whether
she be singing and pedaling a
bicycle simultaneously, or
doing a soft-shoe dance with a
Oulja board. And Phyllis Dleth,
as the maid, only makes two or
three brief appearances, but
what she does is neurotically
funny.
The remaining two roles. Dr.
and Mrs. Bradman, are done at
least adequately by Craig Smith
and Pat Ruffin, though the pair
is the least likely to be long
remembered of any of the cast.
Neither one sings at all; as
far as their acting goes, he is
the weaker, suffering from a
lack of tone modulation. Miss
Ruffin’s part Is almost too
small to stand as sutticient
criterion for Judgment, and she
doesn’t play it with any unique
style that might allow it to stand
out.
The major problem, as stated
earlier, is very simply that the
play is shallow. It is not un
attractive In Itself, though, and
Is performed brilliantly by this
company. As far as musical
productions go, “HighSpirits”,
as done here under the stage
direction of Art McDonald, is
hard to beat. And as long as a
show of this quality is such a
rare phenomenon, this critic
most heartily advises, as did
those five others before him,
that anyone with a taste for good
theater, or simply with an in
clination toward an evening of
musical fun, not miss this en
trancing opportunity.
LAUREL HILL
FALL HORSE SHOW
Sponsored By
Sand Hill Saddle Club
Sat., Oct. 19, 1968
12 NOON
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Highway 74
Midway Between
Laurinburg & Hamlet
Officials
Judge J. Ed. Allen
Rock HUl, s. C.
Ringmaster Ed Williams
E^g^emoor, S. C.
Electronic Timers
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