Norwich bulletin., 1921-07-16

grim spirit admirably exempltTied In | this huge cast the oldest families of | Plymouth and the newest rub should Il CTS. So far as is possible the role of the prominent Pilgrims have been assigned to Mayfiower descendants | or to representatives of old New Eng land families, In the mob scenes, however, the View Americans" who l make up 50 per cent of the cast, fig l ures prominently. And there Miss Vir- l ginia Tanner, assisting Prof. Barker l in the direction of the pageant, breaks | into conversation with paean of l
 1raise for the natural artistic instinct l 1f the Italian and Portuguese men !
 md women, girls and boys whom she l .s nightly guiding through the intri- l cate mazes of Dutch and other dances. 1
 They are weuderfuI," she exclaims. often at that through an interpreter, and they seem 10 catch the spirit of it immediately" Meaning, of course interrupts Rol- 10 Peters, who has drawn the most ex- quisite designs of all the dresses -the Pilgrim spirit of it.''
 The same spirit of democracy, of if one prefers, the Pilgrim spirit, that animates the cast pervades the cos tune room where the women of Plymouth are hard at work day in, day l out, making the thousand or more things and costumes necessary to the l pageant. All of these workers are under 1 the direction e Daphne Star, former I ly of Walter Hampden's staff, who
 slashes cloth and pins it together at the rate that is positively awe inspir- | ing.
 Her husband Michael Carmichael 1 Carr, occupies the old town goal near by, not as a prisoner but as supreme
 director and ordered and iashioner in chief of all the multi -farious proper
 ties, running all the way from a ships chest out of the Mayflower to a vik- lng's helmet, cunningly devised from
 a derby hat minus the brim The am-
 ount of responsibility. which sits on
 MT. Carr's shoulders can be judged consists of six closely typed pages, while hint of Mrs. Carr's activities l IS conveyed when one learns that she has cut up some 5000 yards of mater
 iaL No account of this aspect of the
 pageant would be complete without
 metion of Mrs. Marion Poor. whose marvellous batik work produces out
 Of homely materials the most rich sat
 ins and velvets.
 The pageant itself is written in four
 episodes. There is a prelude with mu-
 sic specially composed by Henry F } Gilbert. Then follows. for the first episode, series of legendary and his
 torlc scene, representing the various
 PAgrims who found their way tc , Plymouth, or at any rate to some part
 Of the coast of North America r We are apt to forget at times.
 Prof. Barker says in describing thii episode, that America, at the time tho Pilgrims decided to come here. wa.
 fairly well known as a result of tn, voyages Of various adventurers."
 Consequently the first episode start. in xxyisI Viking ship of Thorwald in 1000 A. D
 goes on to present in tableau form tn, various adventurers who preceded tn,
 Mayflower to the American coast ear 3 ly In the 11th century-Martin Prine : Champlain, Admiral Blok, Capt. Johl a Gmith, Thomas Hunt and Capt. Thom 2 as Dermer.
 The second episode takes us to the Pil - grims in England, showing successivel 6 their secret meetings near Sturton- -le j. Steeple; their sufferings in Fleet Prison '- London; tho royal progress of the intol # erant James I; the Pilgrims meetin,
 near Scrooby to take t1fa great decisio s to secape to Holland, and their half l. disastrous escape from Haltouskitters q haven, on the east coast of England. i y which some manager to get away, whil e others were captured by the kings mer a It Is interesting to note that the rnusi e for an effective chorus in the scene ore senting the royal progress was com s- posed by Edgar Stillman Kelley, a de Ie scendant of Governor Bradford, tn E. words being furnished by Her7nan Haze -s dorn.
 F. In the third episode one follows th II fortunes of the Pilgrims in Hollant
 their refuge for Ii years, and see the,
 make the great decision to continu their pilgrimage to New England. I'll
 dances in the Dutch scenes, accordin
 to Miss Tanner, aye particularly effet | tive. The music for these scenes
 furnished by Frederick Converse and Le
 Sowerby, while the words for the Pi
 grim chorus in the departure scene al
 by Edward Arlington Robinson.
 There follows a musical interlude con
 posed of Chalmers Clifton. who hs
 general direction of the pageant nusi ; and then comes the final episode, show d ing in seven scenes the coming of tE K Mayfower to the New World, the Pi 'e srims' landing on Plymouth Rock whic II by the way, in the Voice of the Rock -e has speaking part, their dealings vii D. the Indians, and their life at Plymout The pageant concludes with an al n them, the music by Arthur Foote {, words Of William Br Ndford, and wi; le an impressive finale symbolic of the pe IL siStence Of the Pilgrim spirit through a l. the history Of America. The verse fl
 the last Is written by Robert Frost music by John Powell, while Song a the Pilgrim Women" in previous seer Id has words by. Josephine . eston Pc: y body, with music by George w. Chal T. wick
 se It is a gigantic task that Plynout s. has undertaken to put on this impre 1t sive pageant; but one has only to wis a- the town to become aware Of the reverei S. ttal, almost sacrsmental spirit in whs IS the entire population is dedicating itse of to the work in hand.
 There will be 12 performances Of q 1e pageant in all, given in three sets r. four each. on the following dates: Ju h. 20, 21, 22, 23 July 30, Aus. 1, 2, ct Aug 10, Ii. 12. IS. The dates are co rs ditioned by the state of the moon is which, as everyone knows. has an e Il feet on the tides and the tides at eal be performance must wash the base of 0 d. Plymouth Rock, now set back again
 the position in which the Pilgrim Fat lg ors found t, in readiness for the p k geant.