The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)(about) |
Previous issue
Monday 3 November 1952
Next issue
Send to:
|
No corrections yet
Double Bill Presented
By Shavians
A double bill which opened at the Shavian Playhouse on Saturday night was performed, for the most part, on a steady level of industrious mediocrity
Unless acted in a neo-romantic, bravura style, "Man Of Destiny" emerges as hardly more than a parade of preciosity, a fledgling effort, a page from a playwright's notebook Even though trade marked with Shaw's satirical till- ing at love, war, politics, and the English people, its form is to some extent derived from 19th century costume melodrama
Edward Jackson's stage direc- tion provided a sound framework which the cast seemed unable to fill with enough flounce and flourish A good deal of the act- ing was intelligent and well spoken, there were certainly no intolerable blunders made But somehow it was too polite and suburban; it lacked spaciousness
and colour
OUTSIDE RANGE
Brian Anderson turned Napol- eon into a testy, energetic muni- cipal councillor, he seldom sug gested the cold command, the irresistible drive or the slightly ludicrous pomposity of the con- quering Corsican Technically his portrayal suffered from blurred diction More important still, the character was tar out- side the range of his pleasant, homely personality.
David Lloyd's honest vigour could not cope with the comic complexities of the inept army officer. However, Reg Lye contri- buted a neat sketch of the garru- lous old innkeeper. As the mysterious lady spy, Moya O'sul- livan was rather brash and im- mature; yet, apart from the ques- tion of interpretation, quite lively and appealing
"How He Lied To Her Hus- band," the first piece on the pro- gramme defeated the limited his- trionic resources of Judith Hill. Jon Duncan, and Frank. Curtain Miss Hall maintained a (airly balanced approach, otherwise the production shifted uneasily be- tween mock formality, rowdy farce, and prim understatement Pitched in a querulous key, it never captured Shaw's irrespon
Isible, holiday mood.-,
A.A.