Capacity House At Civic Amateur Group's Play
Capacity House At Civic Amateur Group’s Play
By Vivian S. Case
Ann Arbor patrons of the drama, although they had a concentrated offering of this entertainment last week-end, were not at all thinly-spread, but turned out Saturday night for one of the biggest houses the Civic Amateur theater has had, packing Pattengill auditorium for the performance of "The First Mrs. Fraser.” At the same time, the Lydia Mendelssohn theater was well filled although Nell Gwyn’s company playing there distributed its audience over two evenings, and also at the same time, the popular "Gone With the Wind” was to be seen in a picture theater.
“The First Mrs. Fraser” deserved this large patronage; it was one of the best things the Civic Amateur theater has done. St. John Ervine’s comedy presents the' typical triangle of married life with wealth and middle age on the one side and predatory youth trying to better itself on the other. However smart the "chatter” of the play may be, the important thing is the problem of the married couple; so the dramatist wrote it and so the players gave it Saturday night.
Excellent Casting
It was an inspiration of the casting committee to bring Daniel G. Meikle of E. Huron St. away from his beloved back-stage work which is his preferred dramatic interest, and to give him the leading role opposite Mrs. Walter Harris of Ypsilanti in the name part. They were cast just right for their roles, Mr. Meikle as the deliberate, unromantic Scot, James Fraser, after five years of life with his young golddigger second wife, and Mrs. Harris as Janet, the divorced wife of gracious, attractive middle age. The excellence of their performance stood out as the characters themselves do, and all that they needed was the adequate support which they received.
The. competence of the rest of the cast and of the directing of Mrs. H. R. Dunshee of W. Liberty St., gave this required support: Dr. Ira.L. Schamberg of Geddes Ave. as Philip Logan who has always been in love with Janet—and with fishing; Philip Swander of Kalamazoo and Robert L. Barton of Geddes Ave. as the two Fraser boys; Miss Emily White of E. Liberty St. as a daughter-in-law; Miss Olive Codrington of E. Kingsley St. as the maid and Miss Dorothy Dahl of E. William St. as the utterly cheap and selfish young second wife
Many From Away
The audience included a large group of patrons who came from out-of-town for the play and Mr. and Mrs. Meikle gave a buffet supper at their home after the play for the members of the cast and their friends and for some of the out-of-town patrons.
In the party were Mr. and Mrs. William R. Meikle and their sons William and Donald of Allen Park and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Koester of Toledo, O., who remained overnight with the Meikles.
The Detroit patrons included Mr. and Mrs. George R. Alschbach, Mr. and Mrs. H. Rourke, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Robinson, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J. Grum, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Tennell, Mr. and Mrs. Don Woodworth, Mr. and Mrs. P. W. Kostia; Mr. and Mrs. Claude T. Mooney, Mr. and Mrs. Leo Fregili and Mr. and Mrs. N. J. Pryer.
Article
Subjects
Theater - Reviews
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
Civic Amateur Theater
Ann Arbor High School
Nell Gwen Players
Old News
Ann Arbor News
Daniel G. Meikle
Mrs. Walter Harris
Mrs. H. R. Dunshee
Ira L. Schamberg
Philip Swander
Robert L. Barton
Emily White
Olive Codrington
Dorothy Dahl
William R. Meikle
Mrs. William R. Meikle
Donald Meikle
Henry Koester
Mrs. Henry Koester
George R. Alschbach
Mrs. George R. Alschbach
H. Rourke
Mrs. H. Rourke
C. F. Robinson
Mrs. C. F. Robinson
Joseph J. Grum
Mrs. Joseph J. Grum
Alfred Tennell
Mrs. Alfred Tennell
Don Woodworth
Mrs. Don Woodworth
P. W. Kostia
Mrs. P. W. Kostia
Claude T. Mooney
Mrs. Claude T. Mooney
Leo Fregili
Mrs. Leo Fregili
N. J. Pryer
Mrs. N. J. Pryer