Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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?entertainment Workshop presents 4 Plays ent 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, en tertaining 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 ex- f ception), but must be dealt with if Workshop f is to continue growing and living up to its 1 name, the Workshop Theatre of South Carolina. Though none of the four comedies in this production is particularly atypical, the production was imbued with an exciting, experimental quality. "Save Me a Place at Forest Lawn" led off the evening and was directed by Connie Blankenship, an M.F.A. candidate in USC's Department of Theatre and Speech. The 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 Inirinn miar o Klutf ctour Hinnor in lVVHIg) UIOV/UOOV^U Vft VA U WVVA UVV/ ?? VlltUIVi AAA a California cafeteria. BLANKENSHIP ("Servant of Two Masters" and "Holy Ghosts," USC) allows this performance to take on a clear structure, with significant moments highlighted by superb pacing. Though the 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 "Patio," drew big laughs from its audience. Directed by Rex Wilson, "Patio" shows two sisters, portrayed with energy and en'Annie' too pre By Richard CUwrtsoi Warbucks Director John Huston secretary < ("The Maltese Falcon," Reinking) has "The African Queen," "The to his home Man Who Would Be King") favorable pu has created in "Annie" a bucks' publi self-aware attempt at "big" seems, nee< musical making for a for- Warbucks is r mulized, almost ritual effort, and seeming] The film is a glossy but only ? fated from occasionally interesting to be charm exercise. phan. "Annie," set in New York Warbucks i during the Depression, is that he initiati about a young orphan, Annie search for Ai (Aileen Quinn), who leaves who promise an orphanage run by a comic one day returi v heavy, Miss Hannigan large reward (Carol Burnett), to live for a set of parents week with the billionaire Curry) and 1 Oliver WarbucKs (AlDeri iBernaueu Finney). manage, witi jPl 'tj| Annie (Aileon Quinn) hangs onto a bridge above a river in "Annie." t One Acts in 1 Evening' ertaining s k. 16 v"-"3V' if-.--- -r-'-'-'r ~ X m f W -;ri J ^ p.wL i % I ^ l ~-r _- _'" 'i~zi wgg??SBaayracaMai wHHnsaH Ruth Gottlieb Moore end Peter Holland play i Evening" at Workshop Theatre. thusiasm by Wanda M. Hite and Kathryn Cobb, preparing for a patio party while contemplating turning points in their lives. The play had some extremely funny moments; Pearl's umbrellaless table and stuffed Snoopy prompted two of the best. The show moves at such an incredibly fast pace, however, that the heart of Jack Heifner's script was barely explored. The actresses were so busy hurrying through their lines and movement that I wasn't consistently sure they were deeply involved in the stage lives of their characters. Perhaps director Wilson could have corrected this problem; nevertheless, I had trouble caring about "Patio"'s characters. KITE'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. This Robert Anderson comedy achieved Broadway success as part of a three-play " l_ _ I " cise, oveny lavi personal Miss Hannigan, to pass for Grace (Ann the real parents. They take brought Annie the reward and kidnap ! to generate Annie. iblicity; War- Annie is rescued, cf c image, it course, and Warbucks, heart Is attention, thoroughly warmed by now, loisy, arrogant adopts her and all look to ly coldhearted happiness in the future at the *1? i? Uie LK^glUlllllg nun sLunuuaiuii. ed by the orINDIVIDUAL PERIS so charmed FORMANCES, in several gs a nationwide caseS, outdistance the film nnie's parents, as a whole. d they would Quinn's Annie is erratic n, 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 te Peters ) and when she, with the help h the help of of President and Eleanor Roosevelt, convinces 9 Republican, to direct the President's "New Deal" ! programs. Quinn, however, somehow fails to capture the beguiling spirit and charm of Annie. t p Carol Burnett is good as * # . Miss Hannigan, the drunken % I matron of the orphanage. I "f|i Hannigan is very much a ,| j|l.... recognizable Burnett comic ^ persona, and this works well in "Annie." She deftly ... ... ... / 5 wll delivers some 01 me mm s a, best one-liners (she tells Ljk Warbucks he is "sinfully %| handsome for a i? Republican") and adf|8Kgy^ 1| mirably walks the edge of camp without going too far. K* Albert Finney as Daddy |p| Warbucks is easily the best K: and most consistent //Hph< character in "Annie." Daddy Warbucks is the IP <1111 prototypical capitalist, and BP15" Finney develops a character V SRI whose bigheartedness finally emerges after the girdor high dehumanizing insulation of his vast wealth is broken % r tep to wan in "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 Bil) 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 plriprlv wifp nftpn 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 was especially effective. In the drowsiness 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 dei :: v>: > ^gHa^m Vv ^.:^raMa|t??|MH828Sfci *& Hmmim ?a AAilfik# in #ltn fM I?l?lln nf A 4iim a! i miiiiiu is bnuyiu m hid iiiiuuio ui a luy ui and Grace Farrell, Daddy Warbucks' secrets down by Annie. Finney's promote h voice for Warbucks (which, Annie's pa incidentally, sounds a lot like cidentally John Huston's) is splendid, mercial; a as is his manner ? he meets the practically leaves a wake (Edward when he strides across the Eleanor (L screen. His character ranges one of V with the most ease from guards, an poignancy to humor while named Pu maintaining a distinct Holder) low nature. an autogyn before she VARIOUS SCENES are drawbridge good as well: Warbucks The takes Annie to see a movie at sequence at nu.. n.t :~ rr^n J ivauiu mubic riaii, arid ib unt' ui ui< Warbucks and Grace are numbers in engrossed in the melodrama duet betwe but Annie falls asleep before Burnett is ? it ends; Warbucks goes on ?n Street" n i absurd radio show to Burnett, Ci 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 Muriel 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 worked 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 set requiring minor changes was another 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 1 Evening" is an entertaining, successful step toward making Workshop Theatre a true workshop theater. :ent moments *&# ill--jjp jij^T Hf ';%?, | ,:. HF * >9(Hn^BIHpHK&^ft^flH^^^^HiHv'' WtmBB^K^m*^&*?WnBnB3BBm^HBBBBBl flfer>* >Bfi 7 _ "_T ____~'_ i/ar between Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett) y (Ann Reinking). s search for relish the thought of the illents, and ac- gotten reward money, is eads a com- perhaps the tightest, most ^ide-eyed Annie effective in the film. -i -' unarming r JL?rv ierrman) and Overall, the dance and ois DeBanzie); musical numbers (music by arbucks' body Charles Strouse, Indian mystic choreography by Arlene ijab (Geoffrey Phillips) are very setters himself from conscious, overly lavish and to save Annie too noticeably sharp. falls from a The entire film has the 'Tomorrow" same problem. This W/hil/1 Umittn Atnnri/tan foKIn fnilo <n mnun ?f iiiiv l iv'UDv niuu itaii iauic lauo w iuvvc : better musical with an ingenious efthe film, and a fortlessness and spon?n Finney and taneity. The audience is not ood. The "Easy fooled and never entirely imber, in which caught up. "Annie" is too rry and Peters planned and precise.