Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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?entertainment Workshop presents '4 ( Plays enti By David DeWitt Workshop Theatre's "4 One Acts in 1 Evening," running through July 25, is admirable not only because it is a funny, entertaining evening of theater, but also because it asserts Workshop Theatre's sincere interest in growth. Four directors direct the four one-act comedies featured in this production, allowing Workshop to develop new directing talent. This priority is rarely considered in the theater's regular season (this past season's "70 Girls, 70," directed by newcomer Rick Rottschaefer, is an exception), but must be dealt with if Workshop [ is to continue growing and living up to its name, the Workshop Theatre of South Carolina. I Though none of the tour comedies in this t production is particularly atypical, the ( production was imbued with an exciting, ( experimental quality. "Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn" led off i the evening and was directed by Connie < Blankenship, an M.F.A. candidate in USC's Department of Theatre and Speech. The j script (my favorite of the four presented) ] centers on the friendship of two old women, excellently played by Jayne Mulvaney and | Isabel Vandervelde, and their humorous ^ conversations about aging, living, dying and j loving, discussed over a beef stew dinner in < a California cafeteria. I BLANKENSHIP ("Servant of Two , Masters" and "Holy Ghosts," USC) allows this performance to take on a clear structure, with significant moments highlighted i t_ ml -L a l Dy superD pacing, inuugn me women seldom rose from their cafeteria table, they were active without appearing simply busy; the detailed activities and honest, welldeveloped performances gave "Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn" a charming, touching quality. The second show, the Texas comedy 44Patio," drew big laughs from its audience. Directed by Rex Wilson, "Patio" shows two sisters, portrayed with energy and en'Annie' too prei By Richard Culbertson Warbucks' Director John Huston secretary G ("The Maltese Falcon," Reinking) has 1 "The African Queen," "The to #|iis home Man Who Would Be King") favorable put ? << ???->? _ Kn/-?lrc' mihlir has created in Annie a UUV1\0 self-aware attempt at "big" seems, need musical making for a for- Warbucks is n< mulized, almost ritual effort, and seemingly The film is a glossy but only ? fated from occasionally interesting to be charme exercise. phan. "Annie," set in New York Warbucks is during the Depression, is that he initiate about a young orphan, Annie search for Ar (Aileen Quinn), who leaves who promise* an orphanage run by a comic one day returr heavy, Miss Hannigan large reward. (Carol Burnett), to live for a set of parents, week with the billionaire Curry) and h Oliver Warbucks (Albert (Bernadett Finney). manage, witl Jri '9mm* * ? ? ' ^ rtr*^1 w IP | \ Annie (Aileen Quinn) hangs onto a bridge above a river in "Annie." mmmmamammmmmmmmmtmmmmnmmmmmmmmmmam Dne Acts in 1 Evening' ^ m m srtammg s &? ' ;' -jr.. . &< ***^ # ' -'gg- - wBujim \ - it ^ Ruth Gottlieb Moore end Peter Hollend ploy in Evening" et Workshop Theatre. husiasm by Wanda M. Hite and Kathryn ^obb, preparing for a patio party while contemplating turning points in their lives. The play had some extremely funny noments; Pearl's umbrellaless table and stuffed Snoopy prompted two of the best, rhe show moves at such an incredibly fast ^ace, however, that the heart of Jack Hteifner's script was barely explored. The actresses were so busy hurrying :hrough their lines and movement that I wasn't consistently sure they were deeply involved in the stage lives of their oiicii av,lci o. jl ci uapo uucliui vv noun luuiu have corrected this problem; nevertheless, I had trouble caring about "Patio"'s characters. HITE'S PERFORMANCE was attractive and hilarious (although she seemed more at ease vocally than physically), and Cobb handled the active blocking with relative ease and believability. The uncredited costumer did an outstanding job, particularly with Cobb's costume. But I was disappointed with this surface presentation of "Patio" and was glad when it ended. "I'm Herbert" began the second act of "4 One Acts" after a 10-minute intermission. HPhic RnKort A nHorcnn nnmofiv ar>hiavoH Broadway success as part of a" three-play cise, overly lavi: personal Miss Hannigan, to pass for race (Ann the real parents. They take wrought Annie the reward and kidnap to generate Annie. jlicity; War- Annie is rescued, of : image, it course, and Warbucks, heart s attention, thoroughly warmed by now, aisy, arrogant adopts her and all look to - ' -- fUfl / coldhearted nappiriess m me 1UIU1 c civ nit the beginning film's conclusion. <1 by the orINDIVIDUAL P E R > so charmed FORMANCES, in several s a nationwide cases, outdistance the film inie's parents, as a whole. i they would Quinn's Annie is erratic i, by offering a but has decent moments, A fraudulent especially when paired with , Rooster (Tim Finney as he uncomfortably lis floozy Lily confesses his love for her e Peters ) and when she, with the help - r : 1 * Clnonnr i the help ot 01 rresiucm UIIU Uiv^unv/t Hoosevelt, convinces Warbucks, a staunch I I Republican, to direct the I President's "New Deal" ! programs. Quinn, however, somehow fails to capture the irrepressible optimism, beguiling spirit and charm of Annie. t Carol Burnett is good as * i ^ Miss Hannigan, the drunker matron of the orphanage Hannigan is very much ? recognizable Burnett comic x persona, and this works wel *1 in "Annie." She deftb s delivers some of the film*: v | best one-liners (she tell: IL&; Warbucks he is "sinfull; I?.,. l|j handsome tor f | Republican") and ad g^. mirably walks the edge c gi camp without going too far. E Albert Finney as Dadd |p Warbucks is easily the bes BL and most consister Pk character in "Annie. | Daddy Warbucks is th prototypical capitalist, ar Finney develops a c ha rack ^ flB whose bigheartednes finally emerges after tl t girdor high dehumanizing insulation his vast wealth is brok< % mamammmBmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmimmammmBmmHmmm tep to ware wsmmsmsBZ" *m% * mssmm J&I /' ||| \ ji | fii "I'm Herbert" one of "4 One Acts in 1 presentation, "You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running " Under the direction of Bill Mould, director of USC's honors college, "I'm Herbert" was my favorite production of the evening. Rarely do I laugh at a play the way I laughed at this one. The title comes from the elderly husband's insistence that he is Herbert, although his elderly wife often calls him Bernie, George or other names from her past. Herbert is equally confused, forgetting his own name and sludging together different experiences from his past, unsure about with whom he did what. THE CONTINUED false remembrances and presumed corrections could be tiring for an audience, but Mould (Father in "Cheaper By the Dozen," Workshop) gave this show a refreshing variety of pace and a clear structure. The quiet moment when Muriel and Herbert stop trying to remember facts and instead think only of their happy memories mac pcrumio 11 \/ offoptivo In tho Hrmiicinocc IT UU VllWtlT V. HI VtkV Ui VTTOIIIV/OO of semi-sleep, their confusion relaxes, allowing each to share the happy memories of the other. In a sense, the end exposed a secret strength of senility that allowed these characters to mutually enjoy their individually full lives. sh, but has c/e< > Annie is caught in the middle of a tug of ' and Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbucks' secret i down by Annie. Finney's promote J voice for Warbucks (which, Annie's p 1 incidentally, sounds a lot like cidentally / John Huston's) is splendid, mercial; a s as is his mariner ? he meets the s practically leaves a wake (Edward y when he strides across the Eleanor ( a screen. His character ranges one of I- with the most ease from guards, a >f poignancy to humor while named P maintaining a distinct Holder) lo y nature. an autogy ?t before sf it VARIOUS SCENES are drawbridg good as well: Warbucks The ie takes Annie to see a movie at sequence ? id Radio City Music Hall, and is one of i jr Warbucks and Grace are numbers ;s engrossed in the melodrama duet bet\ ie but Annie falls asleep before Burnett i: of it ends; Warbucks goes on an Street" ^n absurd radio show to Burnett, I growth The performances were superb. Although he began the play forcing his performance. Peter Holland (recently cast as the title role in Workshop's fall production of "Cyrano de Bergerac") soon eased into his role. As Muriel, Ruth Gottlieb Moore gave the performance of the evening; indeed, her performance appealed to me more than almost any I've seen at Workshop A wonderful moment early in the play had Murivl in tears, and the audience's concentration on her quiet weeping was amazing. Her honesty was never intimidating but always convincing and appealing. Whatever technique she used it orked for me. COMPLETING THE EVENING was Jane Turner's "Chinamen." This show presented perhaps the greatest challenge for both actors and director included in 4 One Acts," and Turner (who has a B.A. in theater from USC ) and her cast did a good job. The "Chinamen" title suggests the "they all look alike to me" joke, used theatrically in the play by requiring two actors to play five roles and offstage voices. This gimmick causes obvious problems for both directors and actors but made for an interesting and somewhat atypical play ? perfectly suited for the "4 One Acts" format. Turner (the young nurse in "Whose Life Is It Anyway?", Workshop) did not rely solely on the gimmick for the play's success, and helped her actors develop their characters while giving them believable, motivated movement. John Grant and especially Toni Moore did an admirable job of switching from one well-developed character to another in minutes. Coordinating the four shows with a single j set requiring minor changes was another I difficult job, but it was handled efficiently by set designer and technical director Glenn Rawls and a fast, hard-working sceneshifting crew. "4 One Acts in i Evening" is an entertaining, successful step toward making Workshop Theatre a true workshop theater. Jtfiu inumunis s^-v:^9p:V "'^Sr 1 Hr v S?EsHiH^3HflH^& l^Ra^nS BMaSET ,/^35'-' BT^ ggjfy1 ^W ^ : i :S.^;.. - - j \ >B6^*6^?96?^<BwiwW^WD?Re war between Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) iry (Ann Reinking). lis search for relish the thought of the illirents, and ac- gotten reward money, is reads a com- perhaps the tightest, most wide-eyed Annie effective in the film. charming FDR Herrman) and Overall, the dance and Lois DeBanzie); musical numbers (music by tfarbucks' body Charles Strouse, i Indian mystic choreography by Arlene jnjab (Geoffrey Phillips) are very setters himself from conscious, overly lavish and *o to save Annie t?? noticeably sharp. C Ictilb IIUIIl ct 5. The entire film has the "Tomorrow" same problem. This t the White House American fable fails to move he better musical with an ingenious efn the film, and a fortlessness and spon'een Finney and taneity. The audience is not good. The "Easy fooled and never entirely number, in which caught up. "Annie" is too 3urry and Peters planned and precise.