Evening star., 1960-09-25
BY JAY CARMODY
Drama Critic Of The Star

streets, has every intention
of winding up its five years
there in a blaze of variety.
And, of course, excellence.
To this end Arenas man
aging director, Zelda Fich-
andler, has spent months
stalking the best available in
dramatic literature to supply
the eight-play program. The
quest has had its interrupt
tions, of course. These have
included polishing plans and
starting construction of the
new half-million dollar Arena
due to be ready next autumn;
assembling a resident COM
pany up to the standard that
has given the theater inter-
national repute.
There has also been the
matter of apportioning plays
and directors, among the lat
ter F. Cowles Strickland,
Arenas resident genius; Alan
Schneider, an annual and
brilliant guest. and Mrs. Fich-
andler herself. Staging plays
is one of her highest priority
objectives, submerged the last
two seasons in her building
program activities.
A Political Note
AS to the 196o-61 play
schedule - which a record
5.400 season subscribers
bought sight unseen last
spring-it opens on October
18. And, quite appropriately,
on a political note.
The production, which Mr..
Strickland will direct, will be
"The Gangs All Here" q
memoir of the Harding ad-
ministration, which ran on
Broadway last season with
Melvyn Douglas as its star.
Mrs. Fichandler who has
mastered, or is it mistreSsed.
the art of balanced stock
theater, hits an enticing high
in the mid-November play.
This will be Felicien Mar
ceau's THE Egg" a Euro
pean hit of such popularity
as to make Marceau's The
Good Soup" (seen last sea-
son at the NationaD forgiv-
able.
Arenas production of "The
Egg" will be the American
premiere. 1t also will be
directed by Mr.. Strickland,
who returned last summer
from two years in Europe
with a fervor, no less, for the
comedy and for M. Marceau.
Tradition DEGREES farce for
the December holidays at
Arena and Mrs. Fichandler
has decided that it is high
time someone did 1.-THE
Rivals" around here.
And PirandellO's Best
The Sheridan classic will
be followed by one of the
most persistently provocative
of Pirandello's works, six
Characters in Search of an
Author" Last time this fan
ciful work found its way into
an American repertory was
at New York's Phoenix The
ater where it was directed by
one of its most faithful ad-
mirers, Ireland's (and Eng
land's) Tyrone Guthrie.
This is the play that Mrs.
Fichandler has her own eye
on, if administrative duties
and the progress of new the
ater construction give her
time to direct a play again.
The February play will be
a modern work and one that
divided the critics rather
sharply last year in New
York. The drama in question
is Robert Anderson's ex-
quisitely felt and delicately
written "Silent Night, Lonely
Night" It's stars on Broad
way were Henry Fonda and
Barbara Bel Geddes and two
of Washington's critics heart
lily liked the play, its perform
ances, and its direction.
"Silent Night, Lonely Night
will bring Director Schneider
back to Arena, upon the con-
clusion of one of Broadway's
more conspicuous chores this
season. And, after he has
done the television version
of one of his favorite plays
Samuel Beckett's waiting
for Godot."
GiraudOux on List
Jean Giraudoux, whose
"Elektra" was a sensation at
Olney this summer, will be
represented on Arenas sched-
ule in March, with one of the
late, great Frenchman's su-
premely effective plays, "Tiger
at the Gates" Mr.. Strickland
whose last experience with
Giraudoux was the direction
of his "Madwoman of Chail-
lot" with a Finnish cast in
Helsinki, will direct the bril-
liant Frenchman's anti-wal
play.
For its final season in the
old theater, Arena in April
will revert to one Of its most
Nonstop Eating