Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-10-22

LneaCer.
Mr.. Flicker and company
forming the show at the Com
edy Theater. How long they
will be there is a question.
They have been having their
troubles with the Lord Cham
berlain, who serves as censor
for the theater in England.
His latest ukase to The Prem
Use is: Stick to the script or
get out. Even an "improvisa-
tional theater" can't operate
over there without first hay-
ing the manuscript licensed for
performance.
"Improvisational theater" is
not as impromptu as the name
might indicate, Of course. 1t
consists Of some set pieces,
some other semi-set pieces
that can be adapted to a num-
Der of situations, with here
and there a spontaneous in
spiration Of the moment.
Mr.. Flicker, however, WINGED
in public pain and announced
that the order to cease i'm
promising would mean the end
of The Premise in London.
Anyone who didn't know him
would think, reading the news,
that he had been taken by
surprise and was mortally
wounded in the money-belt.
But Mr.. Flicker had to know
three months ago when The
Premise opened in London that
the script had to be approved
by the Lord Chamberlain and
then followed. So did he meek
ly submit to the local ground
rules? Sure. he did.
He steadily advertised The
Premise as full of improvisation.
When the Lord Chamberlain
told him he could not do skits
about President Kennedy or his
family, he produced White
House permission, to no avail.
Now he's In trouble because of
q skit about a southern gov
ernor stunned by the discovery
that God is a Negro.
Mr.. Flicker may not actually
be batting the Lord Chamber
lain. But every time he hears
from the censors the reporters
flock around to quote his an
guished innocence publicly and
the line undoubtedly forms at
the box office. For Ted, his en-
counters with the Lord Cham
berlain are better than being
banned in Boston.
MORE SATIRE - Another
group dealing with 'improvisa-
tional theater" has been in
stalled in that small playhouse
at the Shoreham Hotel where
The Premise appeared last sea-
son. This ones called The Com
pass. They operate in much the
same manner on the small
raised platform surrounded on
three sides by customers, who
are surrounded by mattresses
with short skirts and long legs
The playerS-Lloyd Battista.
Mona Burr. r. Victor Brown,
Dennis Cunningham and Thorn
as Erhart-pop in and out OF
doors at the rear to present a
variety of nonsense. There are
fast blackouts and longer skitS
dealing with such things as the
Peace Corps, the Cuban Prob
lem, international relations,
segregation, etc.
The five performers are an
engaging and talented quintet.
Unfortunately some of their
material is less than engaging
and far from funny, even al
lowing for opening night filters.
Some of the quick blackouts
prompt outlaws and some Of
the pantomime bits are first
rate. They make a very funny
thing, too, of a joint press con-
ference in which President
Kennedy and Premier Khru-
shchev take turns answering
questions from the audience.
Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Erhart are
fine as the President and the
Chairman.
Some other items achieve
total dizziness, or at least they
did on opening night. An i'm
personation of a segregationist
politician, for example, never
got off the ground. possibly
because you can't caricature a
living caricature. A formleSs
and increasingly witless skit
about a housewife and a man
from the department of health
o,,jcklv hopped down in verbal