Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Feb. 17, 1970, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
PAGE 4 THE DECREE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17. 1970 ‘Miracle Worker’ Reviewed; Mizelle, O’Grady Acclaimed By GARY CHRISTOPHER When one begins a theatri cal review, one often uses the convention of saying, “As the curtain rose on the opening night . . Sorry, folks. The Tank Theatre of Roi^ky Mount doesn’t have a curtain; nor does It have an orchestra pit. But what it does have is a group of amateur actors that perform with the sensitivity of pro fessionals. And it has a ra ther outstanding producer- di rector. THE MIRACLE WORKER, the play which was presented at the Tank on Wednesday night and will continue through February 28, was in a word an out standing production. The play by William Gibson chronicles the turbulent relationship be tween a teacher and a six-year- old deaf and blind child in the 1880’s. The world now knows that this relationship between Helen Keller and her teach er Annie Sullivan was one that resulted in an inspiration for all people, for Helen Keller truly became a woman of in spiration. Yet this play does not stand on the laurels of He len Keller. It is instead an inlense drama that tells the story of a flailing invalid and an indominable Irish girl and of the magic that resulted. Director Frances Royster wa.s extremely creative in her presentation. The minimum of aesthetic distance between au dience and actors allowed Miss I?oyster to create a sharing that W.1S almost frightening at time.s. The play was clearly directed intricately as indicat ed by the scene in which teach er and pupil fought violently for eight and a half minutes (please notice--! timed it). This fight was directed in such a way as to imply open and im mediate hostility. Yet the au dience was ever aware of the innocent motivation behind the hostility, and we were for ced to lend our compassion and to absorb this brutality. Surely much of this depends on the ac tor, but to provide the circum stances and intricate blocking necessary for this effect and to turn this intricity into chaos is an art. This is only one of many examples of Miss Roy ster’s fine direction. The leading ladies for the production were Eileen O’Grady as Annie Sullivan and 10-year- old Marcy Grace Stewart as the six-year-old Helen Keller. Child performers are seldom called upon to be anything but cute. Miss Stewart did not con tain herself to this maxim, however, for she presented a mature characterization of the blind girl. She set the audience ill at ease in that they shared James Keller’s feeling of being embarrassed to see her moving about so helplessly. Her move ments were unbalanaced as if we questioned whether she were in sane as well as blind and deaf. She maintained this posture until the very end, when she de veloped to the point of our ac ceptance, With her newfound knowledge, she became like a rose that goes back into the bud. Eileen O’Grady in the role of Annie Sullivan was as senti mental and compromising as an army tank. As far from a com pliment as that may sound, she slapped the audience with her characterization and brought us through the turbulence with an innate understandingof her trial and eventual tribulation. Her GENO’S “THE PLACE WITH ATMOSPHERE” Sening Food and Your Favorite Reverses ENTERTAINMENT ON FRIDAY & SATURDAY 302 BROAD ST., WILSON, N. C. 237-7400 POPE'S STORE INC. 232 S. MAIN ST. Satisfaction Guaranteed Standard 20% Off On All School Supplies And Stationary Health And Beauty Aids Also Shaving Needs And Toiletries For Men WE BELIEVE OUR HEALTH & BEAUTY AID PRICES ARE THE LOWEST IN TOWN Irish temperment justly showed through, for Annie wa.s indomi nable and impractical yet at times very warm and caring. It would be easy to portray An nie Sullivan as a pseudo-super human whom we know would win out in the end, O’Grady as Annie was not this superhuman, however, for she was very hu man with all the doubts, fears, and complexes. We must con sider this to be one of Miss O’Grady’s most sensitive character i zations. Vance Mizelle proved r.hat he is an even better actor onstage than he is in the classroom. This statement alone is tangi ble evidence that his perfor mance on Wednesday night was laudable. All levity aside, Mr. Mizelle was commanding in his role of Caption Keller. He was an irascible Southern gentleman who was given to practicality most of the time and under standing only at intervals. He was able, however, to steer away from the sterotypification that one often sees in such a character. His role was a un ique complement to the strug gle between Annie and Helen and to the human relationship that was shared in the Keller house hold, In all. a fine performance. Kate and James Keller as portrayed respectively by Jill Wood lief and Jay Ste 11m on were acted and directed well. Kate was very convincing. Her scream in the opening scene and the emotion which follow ed effectively steeled the au- PIZZA INN CARRY OUT EAT IN 44S-3027 MON. - FRI. 4 - 12 SAT. 12 - 1^-SUN. 4 - 10 Order by Phone For Faster Service Allow Approximately 20 iMinutes THE RAINBOW CLUB “THE RETREAT” "Go Where The Good Times Are" THE RECORD BAR TARRYTOWN MALL THE LARGEST SELECTION IN THE SOUTHEAST MAM KBC OPEN 10:00 A. M, TO 9:00 P. M. 6 DAYS A WEEK 25% OFF OVER 3000 8 TRACK TAPES' dience, forced us to discover the gravity of the situation, and immersed us into the un comfortable circumstances. James was similarly convinc ing. though we were forced to wonder about the motivation l)ehind some of James Keller’s character developments. This, howev^er, may well be the fault of the playwright rather than Mr, Ste 11mon. The experience at the Tank Theater was indeed a pleasing one. The most pleasant note was the immediate rapport be tween audience and cast. The 85 seats at the Tank are arrang ed in three rows, the first of which is actually in the middle of the stage. The setwas struc turally simple yet technical ly intricate. Lighting by Ri chard Ward was excellent in that it manipulated our atten- North’s Reply (Continued from Page 1) Parental Permission Slips which state that the student may use her own discretion in sign ing out overnight. The Council is also objecting to the “check- ing-up” policy which will be en forced if there is “reason to doubt that the information on the Special Leave Card is in valid,” BISHOP’S L A.W. states that the integrity of Wesleyan students will not be questioned. The North Hall Dorm Council considers this a valuable as pect of respect for the indi vidual. tion precisely on the small set. The Tank Theatre produc tion of THE MIRACLE WORK ER was a very Mature pro duction for such a small ama teur troupe. It showed origina lity in acting and in direction; we are made eager to see what is done with future production. A major prerequisite for suc cessful theatrical criticism is that the reviewer be able to find something to pan or to tear apart in relation to the show; this is to say that admiring reviewers don’t sell newspapers. It is with out apology however, that this reviewer acclaims the Tank production of THE MIRACLE WORKE R as a dramatic exper ience that is simply not lack ing in vitality and talent, NOTICE Election for the student- elected representative to the cafeteria Board of Directors will be held on February 19th, Vote and be heard. You have nothing to lose. BOB HOWARD’S SHOES LET YOUR FEET DEaDE Tarrytown Mall ROCKY MOUNT, N. C. Olatt ipus ^oom Down to wn R 0 cky Mou nt EASE THE SQUEEZE on good old Dad with better money manage ment/ Henry. You'll find that a Student Check* ing Account in our bank can be mighty use ful. Stop in. PLANTERS NATIONAL BANK
North Carolina Wesleyan University Student Newspaper
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 17, 1970, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75