The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-04-09
MIGNONETTE.

that would give chance to study some
other period than the present one?"
was the way that it started in the
Senior class. well" said Director
Sponsor Hayes, "have you any idea that
you can carry the interest of the
audience by your acting and by the
atmosphere which you create without
the help of the catchy lines of COM
tedy? We want to try, chorused the
ambitious candidates for graduation.
And so after reading dozen or more
plays they chose Mignonette, a whim-
lsical protrayal of the charm that was
the deep South before the dark days
of the rebellion. The South and 1850;
about as far removed from the North
and 1886 as the young people could find
but the excellent results that they
achieved last Friday night fully justi-
fled their choice and was ample evil
dence of their sincerity of purpose.
Mignonette is the romantic story of
an enchanting little Southern blueblood
who was courted and admired by all
young blades of the Carolina planta-
tons. How she fixed her affections on
Jonathan Mills, her dashing but penni-
less sutton, how she pretended to give
him up for the wealthy planter Frames
because she was falsely told by the
crochety father that his boy had prom
ised to marry another girl, how this
Puritanical old man with his aversion
to laughter and gaity caused his son
lonesome life and caused the heroic
sacrifice on the part of the lovely Mig
nonette is all told in the pretty story.
Two acts Of the play are laid in modern
times, the second flashes back to the
period before the Civil war The mod
ern day granddaughter Of Mills SO re-
Isembles Mignonette of the past. that the
audience easily believes with the old
negro nanny that the portrait has
stepped from its frame and the spirit is
the guardian of the lost -in-memory
lover. Under the spell Of the play it is
not difficult to go back to ante bellum
days with its charming ladies in crino-
lines and its courtly gentlemen who
wonder if there might be war The
second act is a dream to the modern
granddaughter but it picks up the lost
threads of the story for Mills and for
the audience as well so the pathos Of
the old mans life is softened and he
joins his Mignonette as they both pass
out of the picture"
Vava Dickin plays a delightful Mig
nonette, in fact she is Mignonette with
all the fairy airs and graces of the
southern beauty with her intense de-
votion to her rigid code of honor In
smiles and in tears she superbly fits
the dual role of the southern belle and
the modern girl. AS Rose, Vava is Mig
nonette in modern world. and her
lead set the tempo for the play.
The Mills character is played by
Harold Martin. As the older man he
walks with slight shuttle, his disap-
pointment has embittered him some
what; he is bent and depends upon his
cane but at ninety he has not lost his
dignity nor his instincts as gentleman
of the Old South. AS young Mills in
the second act he is full of dash and
fire His acting shows that love for the
lost Mignonette rules his life at its close
as it did when he was the favored
sutton Harold played character
istically conmendable part in this diff
ficult role Clothes cut to the model
of 1860, extreme courtesy and polite
drawls were props that placed the play
in the proper section of the country but
it was left to Nanny Lou to give it
point and effectiveness. Shirley Fuller
played the servant part in manner
that would have gained tire approval
of those who know the best traditions
of the South. She was servant, but she
was more She gave color (not pun)
to setting. She had all the traditions of
her race but she loved her young
charge and she played good part in
dominating the household by taking
liberties that only privileged charac-
ter can assume.
Billy Mann's impersonation of the
staid, middle aged business man was
done with assurance and poise. His
manner was SO convincing that he pro-
vided Mignonette with an excellent
background for her deception of her
friends.
James Rubard looked and acted his
part in the juvenile lead His pride was
a match for the naughty Mills and
when he finally won Rose the audience
sighed and felt that it was happy end
ing. The close friend and companion Of
Mgnonette was ably taken by Mary
Margaret Gildea She and Dorothy
Sleizer, Evelyn Dale and Gladys Roll
seth were as charming in the ball room
gowns as they were sober and
straightlaced in their caricature Of
the Ladies Aid which of course
needed Fred Metzger's deacon part
to complete the burlesque. Fred
doubled with Harry Grambauer as
young and develish men about town in
the party scene The william, if there
was one, fell to Sheldon Thompson who
made himself properly disliked Gas a
william shouldl for his selfish disregard
for I'M rT,iir1rss Of the piuacians Mig
nonette
1t was SO easy to fit ones self into the
atmosphere of the play; and then all
went so smoothly and convincingfy to
the climax that few realized the weeks
of effort Director George Hayes and his
cast had made, the hunt for furniture
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