The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-09-29


stage manager Mary Jean Cope
land out 10 the drugstore four or
fVe times during each performance
was interfering with her bell.ring-
ing chores. Also it's nicer without
the flavor OF cardboard.
over at the Cort Theater, where
"A Bell for Adano" Is playing.
Dressing Room Row frequently
takes on the aspect OF an artists
colony, for at least five members
OF the cast have considerable tai.
ent for painting and drawing. and
every night, before, during and AZ.
ter the performance, there is sure
to be someone busily working at an
easel.
J. Scott Smart, who portrays one
of the cartdriYers (the one with
the largest circumference) says he
uses greasepaint for the caricatures
which literally cover the walls Of
his tiny dressing room. Mario
BadolAti, who plays Tito, does por-
traits in oils; practically every
member OF the company has posed
for him since opening night. AL
bert Raymo, who enacts the role
OF the belligerent cartdriver, spec
Ializes in pasteis.
Raymo also is co-proprietor OF a
restaurant called The Adano Cafe,
Neapolitan Kitchen, just across the
street from the Cort, which gives
him much in common with Tito
Vuolo (the loquacious interpreter In
the dramRl owns restaurant call
ed The Little Soldier in Brooklyn,
and every evening finds him and
Raymo IN hot discussions involv-
ing spaghetti. canapes. the price
of lettuce and the scarcity OF but
ter.
Margo, the glamour girl OF the
cast, neither dabbles in oils nor
appraises eggplant, but she holds
court in her dressing room after
the. performances. Her callers In
clude a variety OF celebrities rang
ing in type from the Mexican artist,
Miguel Covarrubias, TO Alfred
Gwynn Vanderbilt.
Peter Birch, the dancer. Is do
ing the most strenuous doubling"
trick in town. Every performance
time he dashes from the Majestic
Theater across the street to the st.
James and appears in two OF the
towns greatest hits-"CaroSsel
and "Oklahoma"-almost stimuli
taneously. First he is a sailor lad
in old New England, then he does
the dancing Curly" In "Oklaho-
mas" end-of,the-first-act ballet.
Vicki Cummings OF THE Voice OF
the Turtle" is writing a comedy, I'M
titled as yet. In which she plans to
perform. She denies the rumor
that It's slightly photographed,
protests, "Oh, no! It's fiction!"...
Ruth Webb, who filled in for Muriel
Angelus in EARLY to Bed" and re-
Gently subbed for Luba Malina In
"Marinka". is approaching the Big
Moment in her career. She's re-
placing Betty Comden in ION the
Town.
Bernice Parks, rehearsing In
Spring in Brazil. attends the
practice sessions in strange-but
logical-attire: Street dress, long
flowing train tied on over II, and
wild shoes with four-inch clog soles.
II occurred to her In the middle
OF the rehearsal period that II she
expect to manage the long train
she will be required to wear In
Brazil" and scurry around the
stage in the towns tallest wedges.
she'd Jolly we'll better start TO get
used to them. - The Shuberts are
running up a fabulous bill for over
time on their scenery for. the Berle
show, and even 50 all Of 1t may not
be ready by the date OF the out-of-
town opening. Backstage at the
Imperial, where Song OF Norway"
Is continuing its delightful course,
Edward Grieg (Larry Brooks out Of
costume) confldes that he may be-
come re-engaged TO Mary Mullen,
the MGM starlet. They were be-
trothed when she was Copa siren
here, but found the distance Of
3 900 miles between here and cine
maland unbridgeable. and the ro.
nance ended. However, they have
started writing again, and a beau
tiful emissary named Pat Clarke,
on a two weeks visit TO New York,
brought Larry the news that Mary
still cares.
Copyright, 1045, for Daily Press)