Evening star., 1946-08-05

works OF their rather remote ancestt
14th century has made its contribut
Lutte Song" In general, this retu
lugubrious spirit. If the plays have
offered to miserable moderns the ct
tough, and yet somehow the species
has managed to survive.
Now, of all groups, comes Catho-
lie Universitys theater to commit
the praiseworthy heresy of produc-
ing an Elizabethan play that is
neither tragic or sad, but is almost
sheer slapStick It's author is Rob-
ert Greene, an Orson Welles of a
man. 1t was Greene's theory that
anything goes in the theater and
that 1t should go 100 per cent to
making the audience laugh it's COL
lective head off That is why he
wrote "Friar Bacon and Friar Bum
gay" the final item of the Univer-
sity Theater's trilogy of comedy for
this summer.
AS play title, "Friar Bacon and
Friar Bungay" may sound more de-
pressing than Uncle Vanya." AS
a play, however, it is a daffy, nom
sensical composition which indicates
that Playwright Greene must have
been the most Intoxicating, or in
toxicated, subject of Queen Eliza
beth. Maybe both.
The height to which Greene car
ried his nonsense in "Friar Bacon
and Friar Bungay" is evident in a
plot that would leave William
Saroyan agape. His play not only
has everything, but also apparently
everybody who lived in England at
the time. To the answer that it
does not make sense, Greene no
doubt would put the question: Who
ever said sense was fun?
OF Greene's hero-not heroic
friars, Bacon is the main one. The
play tells the hilarious story of his
dabbling in magic; how in his
monkish cell, he and few demon
delinquents conjured up mischiefs
which reached out to involve not
merely the English royal family. but
even the courts of Spain and Ger
many. AS man of the people.
Greene could not ignore them. His
play utilities them in impressive
number, most notably the farmers
daughter. Greene's farmers daugh-
ter. Margaret by name. is a beauty
who proves almost fatally attractive
to the Prince of Wales. when he
spies her one day laboring over a
vat of cheese.
How Greene disposes of his Col
lection OF friars, fools, farmers
farmers daughters, princes and
is something much better
left to him than to any modern
plot synopsizer. At this point. it
need only be said that he manifests
a fine, amusing disdain for the rules
Of playwriting.
Director Leo Brady and his large
cast apparently have had no trouble
at all catching Greene's enthusiasm
for "Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay."
Like him, they have taken a few
liberties with the letter of the play
in order to prove that there was no
margin for liberties with its spirit.
They have proceeded on the sound
assumption that this is a comedy
about some madly revelling spirits
which could be lark for university
thespians and their public.
They are quite right.
It is as production problem that
'F'rIar Bacon and Friar Bungay"
might. have sent the University
tl1eater reeling back upon a one-set,
three character modern romantic
comedy. That lit did nothing of
the kind is a tribute to the imagina-
ton and handiwork of Designer
Ruth Schmigelsky and Director
Brady. The former whipped up a
revolving stage of which Friar Bacon,
the old magician, himself, could be
proud. The friar has only to
wave his wand to have the north
wall of his London cell turn into
a kind of telescope through which
he can watch the antics of char
acters as far away as Fressingf1eld
or Oxford. Even If one does not
know the exact mileage, the effect
is one which indicates Miss Schmig-
elsky is, like Bacon, a kind of
necromancer.
Greene, playwright, who laughed
off any scruples against stealing
from his fellow dramatists, provided
a whole school of actors with rich
roles in "Friar Bacon and Friar
The richest. Friar Bacon,
is played with relish by Martin
Murphy in the c. U. production.
With no more relish, however, than
Robert Keefe brings to Bungay;
Phyllis Berl to the spirited wench-
iness OF Margaret: Francis Ford to
the roving-eyed, but noble Prince
of Wales. Or Val Dn1ford to tho