'Picnic' Proves Exactly That For First Night Audience
‘Picnic' Proves Exactly That For First Night Audience
"PICNIC"
A summer romance in three acts and
four scenes by William Inge. Presented
by the Ann Arbor Civic Theater. Direct-
ed by Ted Heusel. Setting by Robert
Maitland. Lighting by Margaret and
Howard Fox.
THE CAST
Ruth Livingston, Al Douglass, Mary
Lee Merrlman, William Taylor, Joan
Conover, Autumn Routsen, Carl Gingles,
Lois Symons, Nancy Witham, Gladys
Hanson and Patrick Smith.
By Ronald Muchnick
In all its 26 years, it doesn’t
seem possible that the Civic
Theater could have had as suc-
cessful an opening night as yes-
terday's unveiling of its produc-
tion of William Inge’s successful
Broadway comedy-drama “Pic-
nic.” It was a evening of
grade-A entertainment and every-
one concerned can take special
pride in the achievement.
The play which Inge describes
as a summer romance is full of
fascinating personalities and, for
an amateur group, director Ted
Heusel has drawn unbelievably
fine performances from a large
cast. As far as last night’s viewers
were concerned, this was far from
an amateur production.
Into a conservative Kansas
small-town neighborhood comes
Hal Carter, a handsome extrovert
with few inhibitions. His effect
on the lives of some half-dozen
rather sheltered females forms
the crux of the play which con-
stantly had the audience laugh-
ing—often in an attempt to keep
from crying.
Beneath a surface of consid-
erable hearty humor, the play-
wright lays bare the souls of his
characters with sympathy and
understanding.
Staged With Fast Pace
Heusel has staged the work at
an extremely fast pace, while
managing to maintain a seem-
ingly languid atmosphere. And
the cast members, having cap-
tured the audience’s interest at
the opening moment, retain it
until the final curtain.
It is difficult to know where to
begin in discussing the individual
performances, as all of the char-
acterizations have been blended
skillfully into a perfect whole.
In the role of Madge, a beauti-
ful but not too bright girl, Ruth
Livingston is very credible in
what is probably the most dif-
ficult assignment of her career.
She acts with simplicity and keen
insight. There is a touching glow
to her portrayal, making it a
memorable one.
Al Douglass as the braggart
Hal is excellent in another dif-
ficult role. He clearly depicts
both the brash exterior and the
inner lack of self-confidence. Here
is another memorable perform-
ance.
If the work of Miss Livingston
and Douglas is described with
superlatives, the same must be
done for the performances of
Mary Lee Merriman and William
Taylor. Their roles of a spinster
school teacher and a local busi-
nessman she talks into marrying
her, are gems of writing, and they
are interpreted with skill, com-
passion and great good humor.
Shows Versatility
After playing a series of both
sophisticated and unsophisticated
glamour girls in previous Civic
Theater shows, Joan Conover
proves herself a mettlesome ac-
tress as the bookwormish tomboy
sister. Some of the finest mo-
ments of the evening come as she
experiences maturity.
Carl Gingles brings a helpful
strength to the role of Madge's
boy friend and is admirable in
both his romantic and more em-
otional scenes. In her first major
Civic role, Autumn Routsen han-
dles the part of the mother cap-
ably.
Lois Symons does well as the
next-door neighbor and Nancy
Witham is hysterically funny a
a female gym teacher. Gladys
Hanson and Patrick Smith round
out this amazingly talented cast.
The setting and lighting give
the actors strong support. Robert
Maitland has come up with an-
other set as attractive and inter-
esting as his work for “The Moon
Is Blue.” Much of the lighting by
Margaret and Howard Fox is very
effective and eases the play from
one mood to another with a sup-
ple grace.
The one sad note about the
offering is that there are only
two remaining performances—to-
night and Saturday at 8 p.m. in
the Lydia Mendelssohn Theater.
Do yourself a favor; go and have
a wonderful time.
Article
Subjects
Ronald Muchnick
Theater - Reviews
Lydia Mendelssohn Theater
Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
Old News
Ann Arbor News
Ted Heusel
Robert Maitland
Margaret Fox
Howard Fox
Ruth Livingston
Al Douglas
Mary Lee Merriman
William Taylor
Joan Conover
Autumn Routsen
Carl E. Gingles
Lois Symons
Nancy Whitam
Gladys Hanson
Patrick Smith
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