The Wilmington morning star., 1946-10-27
ITALIAN Play
Opens For z
Nights Monday
~Laura" Will Be Staged At
Community Center Audi
forum At $3.50 P. M.

The brilliant and tense murder
r,vstery Laura" by Vera Caspary
and George Sklar will be presented
h., the ITALIAN association at the
Immunity center, Second and Or
.rge street, on Monday and Tues
dsv nights Of this week. The cur-
tsio will rise at $50 o'clock. This
excellent play is being directed by
Warren L. Humphrey and Andrew
johnson.
Laura" is a new release for this
area and the audience can look for
ward to a very thrilling evening.
Ben M. Jones, Jr., will portray
tbe lead as Mark Mcpherson who
falls in love with Laura, knowing
he is in love with a phantom be-
cause he has come to her apart
ment to solve the mystery of her
death. he is a detective. Her por-
trait. books, and personal belong
j0gs tantalize him, making him
realize that she was his ideal, even
though he had never seen her alive
but she does turn up very real
and alive as it was her friend who
was murdered instead of Laura.
There. the real romance begins.
Rpn is a veteran actor of the Thali-
ans, as he has played in Through
the Night" Holiday" wedding
Spells" and Singapore Spider"
The title role OF Laura will be
played by Ruth Pretlow, a new
conner on the ITALIAN stage. How
ever she has been a most enthusi-
astc worker in the productions
since moving to Wilmington, and
the audience is looking forward to
seeing her behind the footlights.
Waldo Lydecker, a brilliant col
umnist and an old friend of Laura's
will be played by Guerard Simkins.
He has played numerous types of
parts with the Italians ranging
from the Colonel in "Doughgirls"
his last stage appearance, to the
william in a one . act melodrama,
and a polished butler in Holiday"
and numerous others. Guerard al
ways does a good part.
A minor part, the janitor's wife,
is cast as Mrs. Charles Chenworth.
Th%eatre-goers Of Wilmington always
enjoy her professional acting. Es-
pecially the memories of her excel
lent part as an aunt in arsenic.
and Old Lace. Daney, her son
whom she worships and sacrifices
everything, is being played by Bob
by Wilson. He did a splendid part
as a bad boy in George Washing
ton slept here"
c. j. Watts. Jr.. a newcomer to
Wilmington and the local little
theatre group, who halls from Find
ley Ohio has been most active in
the amateur theatres having work
ed with a group in New York,
Southern Methodist and the Univer-
sty of Tennessee. In Laura" he
will play Shelby Carpenter, the fl
ance.
Another newcomer is Mrs. Jack
Daniels, as Bessie the maid. The
role is small but the spectators can
expect a good performance.
Staging Of the show is in the
hands Of Hester c. Donnelly, tech
meal director of the Thalians, as
sisted by an experienced technical
SIAN as follows: Lights: Everett
hugglnS; scenery: Bob Redmayne,
John Powell, Milan Wood, Betty
DIVINE, Verge Beall, Aldyth Car
ItIl' and Helen Jones; properties,
MRS, Ken R. Noble, Reba johnson
ana FL Watts, costumes, Julia Seig-
I[ and Marion Frink; makeup:
H-zaoeth Hardwicke, Jesse Rey-
AoldS and Frances T. Edmundson.
Members of the 1856 season
nLay witness the performance, Of
Laura by presenting membership
ueketS from last year. New mem
perShlpS may be obtained in the
.opoy OF the Community center and
ucKetS will be on sale at the door
Vie nights of the performances.