Evening star., 1951-06-06

The comedy of course is the 81
between Shakespeare's kind and
that of most humans, especially
these days, is that his was
deliberate.
Arenas actors, directed by
Zelda Fichandler. make this Won
derfully visible with bubbling
performance that would do credit
to much older and more exper-
fenced hands at interpreting the
Bard. The company has been
augmented for this occasion with
two talented newcomers who
should be induced to stick around
by whatever lawful methods may
be used to coerce, or appease,
actors.
These two are Albert Corbin, a
Barter Theater alumnus who plays
Malvolio as if it were foregone
triumph instead of one Of the
most difficult of comedy roles,
and Bernard Diamond whose Feste
is one of the most artfully polish
ed fools in this highly competitive
period.
With others Of the regular
Arena company. headed by
Dorothea Jackson Viola, Henry
Oliver as Sir Toby Belch and
Harry Scully as Sir Andrew Ague-
cheek, they will provide you with
a gay evening any night you name
during the next two weeks.
x 4 \
Twelfth Night" is just the fluid
shakespearian piece that lends it
self ideally to central staging. It
is skittering. revelous comedy that
always threatened to spill through
any theoretical fourth wall in a
theater. The threat is pleasantly
removed in this production by the
simple expedient of removing all
four walls.
Mrs. Fichandler is free to send
her actors spinning in all direc-
tions and she takes full advantage
of this freedom to turn Twelfth
Night" into the slapstick lark
Shakespeare had in mind.
This makes it quite unimportant
that the twins, Viola and Sebas-
tian, look no more alike than
Griffith Stadium and Blair House,
and that there are more mistaken
Identities in Twelfth Night" than
In IL years. No one ever gives the
slightest hint in this produrtion
that any Of this is supposed to
make sense. Entertainment is the
object here and when each of the
richly comic roles is played with
the necessary intelligent unintelli-
gence and the playfully poetic
verse is read for it's meaningful
meaninglessneSs, it cannot fail to
be entertaining. .-.--
There is the usual suggestion at
the opening of Twelfth Night"
that this is not going to be the
case. The vanity of moderns be-
ing what it is, that they are going
to be taken in by no nonsense, all
Twelfth Nights" begin slowly, all
most duly. This one is no excep-
ton.
Things change, however, as soon
as the contagious idiocy Of Feste,
the fool, Sir Toby, Sir Andrew,
Maria, and the charm of Viola
have had chance to work upon
the audience.
Briefly to blow away any fog
that may have collected since any
one last read, or saw, Twelfth
Night" it's the one about the girl
Viola who became the page of
the Duke Orsino who was trying
to marry the beautiful Olivia who,
In turn, would have none Of him.
After this is set as the premise of
the comedy. everything and every
body goes daft.
The basic ingredients Of a
happy Twelfth Night are a
charming Viola, a monumentally
vain and stuffy Malvolio, a gusty
alcoholic Sir Tobey, and mincingly
mad Sir Andrew.
Arenas production is becom-
ingly blessed with all of these,
and more. And, from top to bot
tom Of the cast, they are letter
perfect in the elfinly comic dia-
logue with its vague tinges Of
wisdom and wistfulness. Not a
word slipped out of place and In
very few was the ripe, rich mean
ing lost in the best read of Arena
plays. From lyrical love to low
comedy, all the language is there
X
In Miss Jackson, Arena has
found a dainty, artful girl who