Page Two
'CAT', 'BUS STOP':
Williams Inge
By HARRY STRAUSS
PLAYS BY two Pulitzer Prize
winners opened in New York
within a few days of each other
recently. Both plays are far above
the others of the season.
Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a
Hot Yin Roof" won the New York :
Drama Critics Award Tuesday as ..
the year's best play and William.
Inge's "Bus Stop" was the runner-
up.
"Bus Stop" is one of the funni-
est plays since "T rn Yesterday"
and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is?
superb drama.
Inge's comedy follows h i s
award-winning "Picnic," which he
called a summer romance. Though
this was a good pla:', it had some
serious technical writing faults.
Inge's latest drama has none of
this; it is a more mature work.
HE STORY concerns five per-
sons stranded at Grace's diner
during a Mid-western snowstorm.
Among them is Cherie, a "chan- :
toosee," as she says it, being pur-
sued by a cowboy who wants her "
to marry him. His idea of courtship :: :
is to overpower her - he shouts,
stamps, throws her about like one >:::::::
of his cattle and yells his approval.4
while Cherie is entertaining theM
others by singing one of her songs.
But while she drawls that "Ah
can -feel it deep down that Ah'm
gonna end up inMontana," sher
demands respect and treatment as '
lady.
Both Cherie and Bo, the cowboy,
admit (though not to each other)
that they are lonely. The others
in the play are also lonely and
searching, but the play is not con-'
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Plays Seen as Year's 1
Sunday, April 17, 1955
3est
MAY FESTIVAL
MAY 5, 6, 7, 8, 1955
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA AT ALL CONCERTS
LOIS MARSHALL, Soprano SOL SCHOENBACH, Bassoon
RISE STEVENS, Mezzo-soprano MASON JONES, Horn
NELL RANKIN, Mezzo-soprano GRANT JOHANNESEN, Pianist
LESLIE CHABAY, Tenor RUDOLF SERKIN, Pianist
WILLIAM WARFIELD, Baritone EUGENE ORMANDY, Conductor
MORLEY MEREDITH, Baritone THOR JOHNSON, Guest Conductor
JEANNE MITCHELL, Violinist MARGUERITE HOOD, Youth Chorus Conductor
JOHN deLANCIE, Oboe UNIVERSITY CHORAL UNION
ANTHONY GIGLIOTTI, Clarinet FESTIVAL YOUTH CHORUS
PROGRAMS
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 8:30 P.M.
Eugene Ormandy, Conductor
Rudolf Serkin, Paindst
Prelude 'and Fugue in O Minor . . . . Bach
(transcribed foeeor chestra by Eugene Ormandy)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 . . Beethoven
Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83,
for Piano and Orchestra k . . . . Brahms
Rudolf Serkin
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 8:30 P.M.
Thor Johnson, Guest Conductor
University Choral Union
Lois Marshall,MSoprano
Nell Rankin, Mezzo-soprano
Leslie Chabay, Tenor
Morley Meredith, Baritone
Missa Solemnis in D major, Op. 123 . . Beethoven
University Choral Union and Soloists
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 2:30 P.M.
Eugene Ormandy, Conductor
Jeanne Mitchell, Violiniot
Festival Youth Chorus
Marguerite Hood, Conductor
Overture, "Donna Diana" . . . Reznicek
Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat major,
K. 297h. . . . Mozart
John deLance, oboe; Anthony Gigliotti, clarinet;
Sol Schoenbach, bassoon; and Mason Jones, horn
Viennese Foik and Art Songs
Festivai Youth Chorus
Symphony No 8 in B minor (Unfinished) . Schubert
Concerto No. 5 in A major. . . Mozart
Jeanne Mitchell
SATURDAY, MAY 7, 8:30 P.M.
Eugene Ormandy, Conductor
William lWarfield, Baritone
Overture and Allegro from LaSultane . Couperin
(arr. for orchestra by Darius Milhaud)
"Thy Glorious Deeds" cra tSamson" . Handel
Two macgs from "Vier Ernste Gessnge" , Brahms
William warfield
Epigraph. . .. .. .Delia Jobo
Five Oid American Songs . . . . . Ace. Copland
Mr. warfield
Concerto for Orchestra . . . . . . . Barto
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2:30 P.M.
Thor Johnson, Guest Conductor
University Choral Union
Lois Mitchell, Soprano
Leslie Chabay, Tenor
Morley MeredithBaritone
Grant Johannesen, Pianist
"Carmina Burana".. .. . Carl Orff
University Chorai Union and Soloists
Concerto Na. 3 in C major.. . . . Prokofiev
Grant Johannesen
SUNDAY, MAY 8, 8:30 P.M.
Eugene Ormandy, Conductor
Rise Stevens, Mezzo-soprano
Concerto Grossa No. 2 for String Orchestra . Boch
"'Gods of Eternai Night," cram Alceste .,.Glucik
(English text by John Gutman)
"Adieu, forets," from Jeanned'Arc . Tchaikovsky
Rise Stevens
"Mon Coeur," from Samson et Dalila . Saint-Saens
Babanera from Carmen...... izet
Seguidilila from Carmen , . . . . . . . Bizet
Miss Stevens
Symphony No. f in F minor . . . Tchaikovsky
cerned as much with their prob- The play has also been attacked
lems. for its obscene talk. This is an at-
giltempt to beg the question: the em-
N THE ROLE of the young girl phasis on sexuality is inherent to
from Arkansas, Kim Stanley the play and its characters. The
surpasses the performance she wealthy Southern family in the
gave here in last year's Drama play details the sexual aspect of
Festival as the acidic daughter-in- happiness, both for themselves and
law in "The Trip to Bountiful." for others.
Whether she is giving her off-
key version of "That Old Black THE "CAT" of the title is Mag-
Magic," or trying to primp herself gie, who, through agreement,
at 5 in the morning, telling her lives with her husband, Brick,
lurid past or resisting the cowboy, though he will have nothing to do
Miss Stanley is wonderful. with her. He blames her for the
Also a stand-out in the produc- death of his best friend after she
tion is Albert Salmi as the Mon- hinted of relations between the
tana bronco. When storming two men. Brick resents the men-
across the stage or sitting as un- dacity in the world, just as he re-
obtrusively as possible after being sents any implication that he had
rejected, his portrayal is alive and homosexual relations. He recoils
exciting, from the world by drinking and by
refusing to acknowledge his wife.
NO MATTER how good one Maggie, an attractive, sensuous
thinks "Bus Stop" is, it sud- woman rebels and is determined
denly seems like a minor play that her position ("I'm like a cat
after seeing Tennessee Williams' on a hot tin roof") should change.
latest work. For in this drama,'the In the end she gains a temporary
author of "A Streetcar Named De- change, when she must make good
sire" has shown that he can write her lie, telling Big Daddy, her fa-
of passion without the overt force ther-in-law, that she is pregnant.
of the earlier work. The second story line in the play
Since the opening critics have concerns Big Daddy. A huge, hulk-
stated that too much is left un- ing man, dying of cancer though
said, too much rromise and too everyone tells him otherwise. In a
little fulfillment. This seems gross- spiteful moment, his favorite,
ly unfair to the skill of the author. though drunk son, blurts out the
True, there is a minimum of ac- truth. So when he believes Mag-
tion, being a play of words. But at gie's statement of pregnancy, it
the play's end, there are no very may be because he wants to be-
loose ends, the immediate prob- lieve her. As the curtain descends,
lems have, at least for the mo- the now broken man must resign
ment, been solved. See TWO, Page 5
'Oddly-Select' Holmes
Collection Published
By DONALD A. YATES
dards-must appear to all Holmes
A Treasury of Sherlock Holmes devotees a grievous fault.
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Se-
lection & Introdsction by Adrian IT IS the younger Doyle's con-
Conan Doyle) Hanover House tention that there are certain
686 pp. "essential elements" present in the
A BOOK sporting a title such as t basithe Holmes tale arbtraril
this is unquestionably one selects and rejects. These ingred-
bound to bring detective story fans ients he lists as plot, characteris-
crowding to the book counters. tic, atmosphere and truth; and
This is understandable not only we might be led into believing that
because Sherlock Holmes can lay these compose a fine standard-
exclusive claim to the tag of The were it not evident that in one of
Great Detective but also because these, at least, he is obviously in
his devoted fans the world over error. In discussing the "plot,"
number well into the millions. Doyle says one of the main
However, in the final analysis, it strengths is the "scrupulous fair-
is solely this fact-that these are ness" with which the clues are al-
ISherlock Holmes stories-which ways laid before the reader. This
redeems this oddly-reasoned selec- is quite a generalization and, un-
tion from the Canon by the son of fortunately, it is not true. Exam-
the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. pes of the violation of this rule
Doyle fils has gathered up two aresnot uncommon, and can even
of the four novels and twenty- be pointed out in the pages of the
seven of the sixty short stories into "Treasury."
what he terms his "Treasury." And so he passes along, like
This would seem a dangerous Prokofieff's hunters, shooting as he
commercial venture to undertake goes. An inspired volley is fired
on any basis, and particularly so in the direction of the Holmes
when "The Complete Sherlock societies, e.g., The Baker Street
Holmes" is still in print at a mod- Irregulars, who, he claims, have
erate price (I paid $1.98 for mine distorted the proportions of the
a few years back). Probably be- figures of Holmes and Watson.
cause he senses this risk, Adrian This is a little difficult to ac-
Doyle opens the volume with a1 cept, since there is no group of
introductory piece (which serves men on earth who have done more
many purposes for him) wherein than the BSI to perpetuate in
he tries to explain all. glory these gentlemen from 221B.
At the outset he excuses him- Moreover, it is on these and other
self for any hapless omissions of Baker Street sympathizers that
pet stories which might be dis- Adrian surely is counting for his
appointing to Holmes fans. His sales.
selections, he infcrms us, were The last item of interest taken
based on his own feelings for the up in the Introduction is an at-
individual tales and tempered by tempt on the son's part to identify
discussions he had had with his the real life counterpart of Dr.
father in respect to the latter's Watson as his father's secretary,
evaluations of them. (Exactly one Major Wood. The argument seems
third of the elder Doyle's professed plausible and Adrian Doyle cer-
favorites are bounced under this tainly offers a fresh approach to
arrangement.) an interesting problem.
Next he proceeds to an explana- At this point the preliminaries
tion of the reasoning behind his are over and the big show now
choice of the selected novels and goes on. No matter what edition
short stories. One feels it is the you read them in, the Sherlock
civil thing to accept quietly his Holmes stories have the irresistible
selections, but it is not without appeal and flavor which trans-
impatience that one sees the cele- ports you into a world of schem-
brated "A Study in Scarlet" ad- ing violence and masterful deduc-
mitted only with apologies! Like- tion, a world of nostalgia and--
wise, the exclusion of "A Scandal yes-fantasy. This is an element
in Bohemia"' and "The Adventure far too uncommon in our detec-
of the Red Circle"-by any star- I tive fiction of today.
SINGLE CONCERTS : $3.00 - $2.50 - $2.00 - $1.50
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC SYMPHONY . . . (2:30 P.M.) Sunday, May 22
CHARLES MUNCH, Conductor
Tickets and information at University Musical Society, Burton Memorial Tower