The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-01-28
Pride And Prejudice'
 Expertly Presented
Civic Theater Gives Finished Performance in Adapta-
 ton of Jane Austen's Famous Novel

of Evie-Ted Lilley, the Mrs. Ben nett of Beatrice Wood, and the Lydia Bennett of Harriette Phillips. These are only few of those who furnished entertainment for pleas urable evening. Also outstanding in the cast were Edwin Delinks as MT. Darcey, Frank Phelan as MT. Bing- ley, James Parker as MT. Collins, Barbara Webber, returning to the Civic Theatre after some consider able absence from the ranks as Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Helen Upson as Lady Lucas, Adele Jenks as Miss Bingley, and Anthony Rodgers as MT. Wickham.
 Minor Characters
 There were other minor char acters who added much to the suc- cess of the production. Louis Nor tison as Hill the butler, Helen Splann as Amelia, Frederick J. Wood as Colonel Guy Fitzwilliam, Julie Atkins as Belinda, Marjorie Farley as Amanda, William J. Feeley, Jr., as Captain Denny, Irene Daly as Agatha, Clarissa Deming as Maggie, Mary Culleton as Mrs. Lake, Gene Stettbacher as Mrs. Gardiner, Jane VoSburg as a mato, and Robert Comstock and William Queal, Jr., as two young men, were among these.
 As to the play itself - well, it was Pride and Prejudice" and since most everyone is familiar with this story first read in the early teens and re-read many times since, there is no need to reassemble the facts. The fact that a certain Mrs. Bennett of Hertfordshire, England, in the late seventeen hundreds, had three marriageable daughters, furnishes sufficient material for plot. Mrs. Bennett, as you know, does not try to hide the fact that she is out to grab any passable male that comes her way. The daughters all take this in their own stride. Jane almost, but not quite, gets left, but is saved from a life of diSappoint- ment in love by the return of her young man in the last act. Lydia is out to get hers willy-nilly, so stages an elopement. And the kind and lovely" Elizabeth wins hers by an indifference, her pre- judice against MT. Darcey's pride bringing everything to happy end with all for the best in that best of little words of Jane Austen's day Mary Mitchell Wallace played Eliz- abeth with sweetness, firmness and an intelligent restraint. She was very lovely in the part, and acted with such repose and ease of man. ner that made her Elizabeth some thing like ones conception of her.
 Outstanding Performance
 Judge Makepeace played MT. Ben- nett as if he liked Pride and Pre- iudice". In other words, he was perfectly at home as MT. Bennett, both in looks and manner. This portrayal seems to us his best with the Civic Theatre group. Beatrice Wood afforded much to the amuse- ment in her portrayal Of Mrs. Ben nett, slightly less genteel than her husband. Jane and Lydia Bennett were also exceptionally well done by Miss Neale and Miss Phillips. And James Parker as MT. Collins fawned and fluted in fitting manner.
 The sets for the play were credit to the production staff, as was the curtain, also the costuming, and so on. The play seemed to be minus no detail that was included in the New York production, and with the several changes, in scenery was run off with a smoothness. Before the play and during the acts 8 group from the Consolidated High School orchestras directed by Floyd Evans presented selections.