The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-12-26
PLAYERS REACH new
PEAK IN PRESENTING
THREE ACT COMEDY
Audience Of Several Hundred
Pleasantly Surprised by
Local Talent

Bismarck's Community Play IS
reached new peak In dramatic
presentation Monday night with the
production Of The Dover Road" q
three-act comedy by A. A. Milne, as
their annual Christmas Night plAy
at the city auditorium.
Several hundred persons In the
audience were pleasantly surprised by
the finesse with which the amateur
Thespians put over the production.
II there was q Slight let-down near
the end Of the third act, it was the
fault Of the playwright, not the cast.
From the opening appearance Of
Edward ONeu as the stiff but effici-
ent butler to the final appearance OF
Mary Cowan and Joseph Wright as
an clipping couple, the dozen anna
teurs in the cast held the undivided
attention of the audience as the light
comedy unfolded and rolled to its
hilarious conclusion.
Though the finish with which all
the actors played their parts attested
to the fine direction by Mrs. Alfredo
Truman and Mrs. Obert A. Olson,
the work Of Clarice Belk and Arthur
Cayou stood out most prominently
because the nature Of their parts gave
them better opportunity to exhibit
their dramatic accomplishments.
Strain Was Not There
The strain SO often felt when an
amateur takes the difficult part Of a
whimpering woman was entirely alb
sent when Miss Belk unleashed her
flow Of sobs on the impatient shoul-
ders Of Milton X. Higgins, with whom
she had run away from her husband.
AS an irresponsible member of the
British nobility, Mr.. Cayou was a riot
when he came to breakfast with q
cold, clad only in underclothing and a
none-too-well fitting bathrobe, his
nose red and his eyes watery from
sneezing.
Herman Peters lacked none OF the
dignity needed for his difficult part
of host at the mysterious house on
the lonely road from London to
Dover, where he practiced his hobby
of preventing ill-advised elopments.
Louise SWeen and MIR. Higgins. as
parties to the elopments with Miss
Belk and Mr.. Cayou, which, by the
way, didn't fully materialize, played
we'll their parts, which didn't give
them quite the latitude for per-
Torrance which their co-players had.
The Milne plot was simple. MI.
Cayou and Miss Belk were the un-
happily married couple, each deciding
to elope. Mr. Cayou chose Miss Sween
and Miss Belk selected Mr.. Higgins
for their future mates.
Through conSpiracieS possible be-
cause of his great wealth." Mr.. Peters
was able to have the two couples
run into each other at his home,
which he set up as "sort of hotel"
BY subjecting the two couples to
adverse conditions, he forced them
to see each other at their worst and
they were only too glad to drop their
elopment plans when Peters brought
them together In a comical scene.
Servant Staff Good
The buffers staff, headed by Mr..
O'Neil and including the Misses Jane
Byrne and Evelyn Ellingson as maids,
and Charles Goodwin and Richard
Tiedman as servants, provided many
a laugh as they set and cleared the
dining table with rhythmic demeanor
and marched off in single file with
military step. Mr.. O'Nen was par
ticularly dignified. meticulous and
spotless as the butler.
Mary Cowan and Mr.. Wright had
but minor parts, making their APP