IFeature
Section I
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LL
Sir igan
att
Fea ture
Sections
VOL. XXXV. No. 58
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1924;
EIGHT
TURNS TO SISHD
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]By I hliobe Bent
An atmosphere of muedi 'vai 8;an t'he taver'n in
fit 1:htimy.'day~a and the rme of ra~o m~ tueB
sl1OU n' sxtV e 1-1 1U cf o; I .0 1' ; n5 1 ;ii bY A sques
:hls :.ear'. An i naly a p iay i a pie~ en re by this so-
C:(etV isua^1 re P(U1rIng ('IakOr: ta staging an(I 'OS-
tuming, , hich a: unns itsa a nc with its very
pl rfl lnit'5e5. itOnds (I Jut 2resi ', this year's
;l:ClC ion is 1O xcept nl I. 11 iS w i .tteii ' !u J a cnt 0
le.'tvente, 12.'tl ioremosi lving y(nalist. of Spain,
a (Th dy. fal.:'ical in its nru e 'iWi~h a bit 01 uleal-
ism t hrougl'nut. F iinti.:;t ic :d rat Ir ia , it is sim-
ilar to the ol I"tat ian (wne d :1re, a brilliant,
p erener ratir on th e imisistonncics of hiunan
r atu re.
An inn of seventeenth cent ury pain is the set-
t'ng of the first at ; ('rispin al Leander. adven-
ttre"s ha just, entered. They ghie the impression
that they r JLypeople iofU icOrtree gaIing Cdit
from all the tradespeople throgii the impertinent
slitassurance with which they condluct tlnmselves.
leander, quiet and serious, asumes the role of a
nobleman, with Crispiu, wily Lnd rollicking, as his
servant. With their usual clever methods they dis-
cover that Dona Sirena is planning to give a fete in
honcr of Senor Polichinelle, his wife acd daughter
Sylvia, who, Crispin has discovered, is the most
leautiful nd wealthiest heiress in the (iy. lie de-
cides that sylvia would be a good mal ch for Leander,
that there could 1e no Leuer place o meetl her
than at this f'te and so contrives to get an invita-
tion to it.
Dona Sirena, a some what u n sc-'uptlousi woman,
though eminently respectable, is the social leader
of the city. She feels that it would he to her in-
terest to promote the match between Leander and
Sylvia and so allies herself with the crafty Crispin.
With the opening of the second act the scene is
laid in ,a garden, the fete in active sight in the dis-
tance. Spanish dances and music are distributed
throughout the play, giving an enchanting back-
ground for the love making of Leander. For of
course he meets Sylvia and of course they fall viol-
ently in love with each other. But their happiness
is soon disturbed for with the advent of the third
act, Sylvia's father makes it apparent that he is
distinctly opposed to the natch, in fact won't allow
it to be consun:mated at all. Dona Sirena and
Sylvia come to Leander's house with Sylvia's father
following soon enough to discover Sylvia there.
While Leander has lost himself in th'e enjoyable
pastine of loving Sylvia, the tradespeople have dis-
covered who he really is and surround his house,
demanding their money.
The remainder of the play is concerned with
Leander's effort to extricate himself from the en-
tangling circumstances caused by love and money,
always assisted by Crispin, his alert servant. It is
hoped that it all ends happily.
Prof. Herbert A. Kenyon of the Romance Lan-
guage department is directing the play. Ife is par-
ticularly interested in this production because it is
set in Sp.ain, and Ile is especially familiar with the
Spanish life of this period. Professor Kenyon was
connected with Comedy Club before Prof. J. Raleigh
wil -h ourzi ho in Italy for several centuries.
s the story of a band of Italian maskers who, driv
fnr: EL,<rrol 1y Cie new realists find themselves
the serry.liurs 0f dawn, in front of the gate
Pekn. ScentiUg adventure in the several heads
princes displayed above the gate, the niaskers ent
the city and after mingling with the life of the ci
for one day, succeed in bringing the romantic ic
of a princess for :. beggar to a happy climax. It
n Aral ian Nights story, depicl;d in elaboiate se
tings, and was first produced in New York und
the direction of William Irady. Its distinct litera
merit uarked it as a valuable contribution to di
matic literature ad the atmospherc of orient
t isic was obtained by the use of the original mus
score used by Mr. Brady in New York. The Shehe
azadlaof Rinsky-Korsakoff, the Turkish March
Mozart and the, Persian Garden of 1illi Lehnana a
somni of the sources from which the music w
Orawn. MrA:.A. L. Schneider directed the mu
for last year's production,
.~X~flQ.'7A.j.
L--A
this year. Professor Nelson plans to leave for
IEarope sometime near the first of the year.
Professor Kenyon selected the play with the as-
sistance of the executive committee of Masques and
feels that it is extremely adaptable to the peculiar
abilities of the different persons who are taking part
in it. June Knisely Simpson, '25, has the largest
part in the role of Crispin, servant to Leander. Mrs.
Simpson appeared in last year's Masques' produc-
tion, "A Thousand Years Ago," as well as in "The
Dover Road", "Sweet and Twenty" and "The Man-
darin Coat", given by Comedy Club, and in "Clar-
ence", "Daddy Long-legs" and "Sweethearts", Play
Production plays. Leander, portrayed by Mary Van
Buren, '26, is the hero. Miss Van Buren took part
in "Ashes of Roses" and "For Distinguished Service",
both Masque plays. Miss Kathryn Clarke, '26, has
the role of Sylvia, the beautiful ,and wealthy heroine
of the play. Miss Clarke is a member of Masques,
Comedy Club and Mummers. The difficult part of
the calculating Dona Sirena has been entrusted to
Margaret Effinger, '26, who had a prominent part in
"Captain Applejack", produced by Comedy Club last
year and "Matter of Husbands", another play pro-
duced by the same organization. Columbine, com-
panion of Dona Sirena, is. played by Frieda Bank,
'27, who is a member of Mummers and Masques.
Margaret Ainsworth, '26, takes the part of Senor
Polichinelle, the gruff father of Sylvia. Miss Ains-
worth appeared in Masques' "Helena's Husband."
Harlequin, a sentimental poet, ,and lover of Colum-
Strauss, '26, and Eleanor Crook, '25, respectively.
Miss Strauss appeared in the Masques' production,
A Thousand Years Ago" and "Aria da Capo" and in
"The Man in the Bowler Hat," produced by Comedy
Club. Miss Crook is a member of Masques and ap-
peared in last year's Junior Girl.' play. Minna
Miller, '27, is the tailor, Pantaloon. Miss Miller took
part in Masques "Gretna Green" and in the Comedy
Club productions, "Matter of Husbands" and "Red
Feather". The Innkeeper is portrayed by Ruth
Kahn, '27, who appeared, in "Helena's Husband", a
Masques' production. Elizabeth Hays, '25, is the
secretary to the lawyer.
Scenery and costumes have been designed by
Professor Kenyon. 0. C. Davis of Detroit is building:
and painting the scenery. Last year's audience of
the Masques' play, "A Thousand Year's Ago" will
remember the delightful Maxfield Parrish effects that
were obtained by the remarkable scenery produced
by Mr. Davis. This year's stagings should be every
bit as effective and possibly more so-Spanish effects
will be carried out in detail. Special lighting will
be introduced in many instances.
Professor Kenyon went to Chicago last week to
personally select the costumes which are being
made by the Fritz-Schoultz Company of Chicago.
This company has done the costumes in the past
and promise to produce especially attractive ones
this year with the material for beautiful color com-
binations the play allows. Mr. and Mrs. Hirshfield
of Detroit will make up the characters as they
--------~-~- - --------
marked off for themselves a distinctive field of (Ira-
matic endeavor by presenting "The Yellow Jacket"
in Hill auditorium. This was followed year before
last by the revival of the Elizabethan burlesque, "The.
Knight of the Burning Pestle," and last year by the
fantastic "A Thousand Year's Ago"' by Percy Mack-
aye.
Nellie Rittenhouse, '25, is president of Masques;
Marguerite Goodman, '26, vice-president; Beata Wag-
ner, '25, secretary, and Kathryn Clarke, '26, treas-
urer. Chairmen for the committees of "Bonds of
Interest are as follows: properties, Elizabeth
Strauss, '26; publicity, Kathryn Clarke, '26; cos-
tumes, Margaret Beal, '25; music, Lucille Bellamy,
'25; program, Beata Wagner, '25; tickets, Charlotte
Harrison, '25; ushers, Virginia Cronin. Members
of Mummers, Masques' sister dramatic organization
are acting as ushers. Ruth Vermilyea, '26, has
charge of arranging the dances and training the
dancers. Tryouts for Masques society will dance
in the Spanish ensembles that occur in the pro-
duction. Mrs. J. L. Schneider of the School of Music
is to furnish the music throughout the play.
Tickets will be on sale tomorrow, all day, in Uni-
versity hall and from 9 to 12 o'clock and from 1 to
6 o'clock, Tuesday and Wednesday in Hill auditor-
ium. Mail order sales are going very well accord-
ing to eharlotte Harrison, '25, chairman of the ticket
committee.
Only the reserved seats will cost $1.50 and will
Prom the con fused and. sonmenwhat incoherent fan-
, sy and fairy tale of the play a prodaction as vi-
brant and Leautiful and living as any performnane
ever given here was produced. Professor Nelson
who ha long been prominently identified with cam-
pus dramatics, w'as largely responsib'p for the
brilliant success of "A Thousand Yecaa Ago". It
was played at a rapid tenpo, an obvious virtue.
Dusty China was the setting of last year's. play.
The st'age furnishings were more than artistic and
thoroughly in keeping with the exotic atmosphere of
the script. The costumes, as well, were colorful and
novel, some of them being taken from designs by
the famous Bakst. On the whole it was apicture of
romancer masked autnlers and a unique direction.
Somewhlt in contrast to this production was the
one given the year before, "The Knight of tle Burn-
ing Pestle", an Elizabethan burlesque.
This faice which is the oldest in English litera-
ture had a notable revival in London winter before
last. It is a colorful burlesque suggesting the most
interesting points of the life of the times in which
it was written. The whole setting was designed to
lend the atmosphere of the old English' play house.
Astage, boxes, and the pit of that ~time were ac-
curately reproduced in the scenery, as well as in-
cluding the characteristic audience of the Elizabeth-
an days. The popularity of the play itself lay in
the great variety of incident and character and in
the contrast between the grocer and his wife who
represent the vital realism of the commons' taste
and the over refined conventions of the play to
which they went as an audience. The Knight is in
many respects the English version of the Don
Quixote of Spanish literature. Jigs, morris and
circle dances of the days when "Bonny Bees" and
the Waits of Southwark who sing the ballads of the
original play were used.
It presents the stage and audience of Shakes-
pear's time. Written by Beaumont and Fletcher, it
is chiefly by Beaumont whose hand is to be trace.
in its dominant note of burlesque and the mock-
heroic. Of the plays of these two masters tlit( is
lnoneo f the mnmt lellihtful The fondnes rf the