The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-09-14
Shakespeare Ala Webster All To Good
 "The Tempest"
 Done in Lighter
 MonneF; Fine
 Entertainment

n V TIE M F E s T" by William Shakespeare presented at the Shu- bert Theater, New Haven. by Cheryl Crawford and produced by Margaret Webster with original music by Da- vid Diamond, settings and costumes by Motley, lighting by Moe Hack and the following cast of players:
 Ship-Master. Beaumont Bruestle Boatswain ...,.... Angus Cairns Alonso, King of Naples .....
 ............... Bram Nossen Gonzalo ........ Robert Harrison Antonio, Brother to Prospero ..
 ............. Joseph Hardy Sebastian, Brother to Alonso :.
 ...... Eugene Stuckman Prospero ........... Arnold Moss Miranda, His Daughter .......
 ........... Diana Sinclair ANel ............. vera Zorina Caliban ............ Canada Lee Ferdinand, Prince of Naples ...
 ....... Albert Hachmeister
 Adrian, a Lord ..... Jack Bostick Trlnculo ......... Wallace Acton Stephano ......... Benny Baker Master of Ceremonies, Dancer
 Spirits-Bernard Miller Peggy
 Allardice
 Mariners, Shapes and Spirits
 Peggy Allardice, Beaumont
 Bruestle, Angus Cairns, Ro-
 bert La Vine, Bernard Miller,
 Thomas Vize.
 No worshipful admiration for the genius of the Avonian Bard is nec- essary to enjoyment of this revival of a rarely exhibited Shakespeare comedy, 'The Tempest" for so thor oughly appealing is this streamlined production that even by modern standards, 1t is a fine evenings en- tertainment. For those who do ad- mire the beauty of Shakespearian prose, who marvel at the wealth of his ideas and the profundity of his fantasy, the play becomes sheer de- light.
 In recent years, or rather until the advent of Margaret Webster, none had succeeded in quite tam Ing the technical requirements of producing Shakespeare to the point where art and entertainment meet on even terms. A multiplicity of massive sets, faithful loyalty to his lines as written, an inbred fear of tampering with the master usually made rather dull affairs of all but a very few of Shakespeare's plays. Miss Webster, however, has cast precedent to the wind. She has followed her success with "Othello" by staging The Tempest" with virtually a single set. She has cut lines as generously as needs be to make less tedious the Elizabethan verbosity and with a matchless ability to capitalize on lighting ef- fects and an abandon in casting her production has actually popu- larized classic drama which hitherto has been handled at arms length The total effect is altogether pleas ing.
 Modern playwrights who treat of fantasy, such as the author of the roundly-condemned Devils Galore" of recent Shubert Theater note, might do well to model their writing on the fortnight direct- ness of Shakespeare in "The Tempest" Of Prospero, the ship wrecked Duke of Milan, he has made an out-and-out magician with no squeamish attempt to make his magic plausible. When he provides comic relief he gives 1t to us in scenes which have offered iIl- spiration for our own American burlesque theater for years, e.g. that in which Caliban. Trinculo and Stephano seek shelter meath a common cover and find false ann bition in 8 common bottle. No half- way measures did The Bard.
 Less well-known than are his tragedies, "The Tempest justifies it's production in the present in stance by breaking with tradition in its casting. Zorina, as the spiritely Ariel, was pure inspiration for only as accomplished ballerina could bring to that character the wistful, failciful grace with which she is so generously endowed. Canada Lee as the monster slave Caliban, is an equally happy choice. Arnold Moss is ProSpero every inch and the threatened heresy of bringing bur- lesque star Benny Baker to the part of Stephano becomes instead dramatic coup.
 Miss Webster has won accolades alike from scholars and todays gen. eration of theater-goers who can't abide heavy-handed drama, by her work with Shakespeare. A program credit goes to Eva LeGallienne for furnishing the idea of 'The Temp est" in its current version. These two, with a cast which misses few chances to make the most of nuances in the lines too often overlooked in casual reading, have certainly struck a valiant blow for better theater.
 Last nights capacity audience was generous in its applause. Tn the face @ such enjoyable goings-on few of its members found it possible to sit on their hands in indifference.