Understudy Gets A Break (Just Like In Movies)
Understudy Gets A Break ( just Like In Movies)
At This Stage
By Norman Gibson
Have you heard the story about the understudy who became the leading lady overnight? She stepped into the lead role before opening night.
The twist to this show business tale is that the original leading lady will remain in the role.
I heard the story from Carol Deniston, president of the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre. Also producer for, AACT’s production of Peter Shaffer’s "Black Comedy” and “White Lies,” which open at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, Mrs. Deniston had stopped by to talk about publicity for this week’s offerings.
Mary Lou Zeulch was picked by director Gary Klinsky to be Annie Oakley in Irving Berlin’s "Annie Get Your Gun,” which has been designated AACT's musical salute to Ann Arbor’s Sesquicentennial celebration.
Allison James became understudy to the demanding role originally made famous by Ethel Merman, who has the stamina of a horse.
They realized that James would be learning all the songs and all the dialogue and all the blocking of all the actions in the musical, but never would appear on stage. Unless something happened to Zeulch . . . which nobody wants, of course.
In the musical, Annie Oakley appears in 16 of the 18 songs. Five of these songs are in the first act, which gives you an idea of some of the demands put on the leading lady.
AACT’s board of directors realized this would be a chance for James to do a big demanding role if given the chance.
Director Klinsky agreed to the arrangement.
Therefore, every night at rehearsals, Zeulch goes through a scene and it is immediately repeated with James going through the same dialogue, songs and action. In most scenes, it gives the other actors and the chorus double practice.
Zeulch, who appeared in AACT’s production of the musical “Company” earlier this year, is a senior member of the forthcoming Michigan Repertory, which the University Players will present in the summer. She also was in the Leonard Bernstein musical “West Side Story.”
James is making her first stage appearance since about high school. Her husband Bob will appear in the chorus.
With seven performances, which is two more than the usual run of a Civic Theatre production, it is felt that each actress will be able to get enough rest in between to carry on with freshness during performances.
You may have figured out by now that the two actresses will alternate in Some manner during the seven performances.
As Civic Theatre has scheduled it, Zeulch will be seen in the performances at 8 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday, May 15-19, and 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, and James will appear at 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday performances.
This is a plot for a story they wouldn’t write for the stage.
But it happens in real life, you can see.
Crawford’s
Folly?
Alice Crawford is one of Ann Arbor's most talented, creative and productive artists.
She has designed any number of sets for Ann Arbor Civic Theatre productions and productions at the University.
Her creation for the Peter Shaffer plays, “Black Comedy” and “White Lies," which will be presented at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday in the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre, may top all, however.
What it is, nobody has been able to guess.
Mrs. Crawford says it has no title.
If you look at it very long, you can’t help but get a feeling.
Trying to describe it is almost impossible. It might be what happened when the airplane hit the fan.
If you are at all familiar with “Black Comedy," you know that it makes a sudden, unexpected appearance and startles a number of persons.
The worst moment came when they almost threw out the work of art. It turned up missing at one rehearsal. When they looked for it, they found it with materials which were scheduled to be picked up by the trash collector.
It was rescued and now is stored carefully after every rehearsal. Should it disappear before the production, there will be a lot of references to a work of art. but no work.
To get the feeling of fumbling and crawling around in the dark, Director David Kelly has had the actors and actresses wearing blindfolds at some rehearsals.
They reportedly have liked the idea so well, they have been reluctant to take off the blindfolds, but Kelly feels they have gained in using the device.
Randy Forte is the impecunious young sculptor in whose studio the lights go out due to a power shortage, throwing the actors into the dark, although the audience can see them. A number of visitors, including the sculptor's debutante fiancee and her stuffy military father, turn up and make moments of mixup hilarious.
Instead of being what has come to be known as “black comedy,” the play is an illuminating spoof and a game of blind man’s buff.
“White Lies" is about a fortune teller and the exposure of pretenses day a Paul Hindemith work which never before has been sung in Ann Arbor. It is a difficult piece.
For her master's degree recital in the University School of Music Recital Hall, she will perform ‘ Das Marienleben” (Mary’s Life), which consists of 15 poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926), who is considered the most significant figure in 20th Century German lyric poetry.
Hindemith (1895-1963) wrote two versions of the work — one in 1923 and the other in 1948, and Mrs. Avsharian will sing the second version of the very poetic, beautiful portrait of Mary from the birth of Jesus until his death.
Irene Connors, local actress, will deliver an English version of each poem before Mrs. Avsharian sings it and famous sculptures and paintings depicting the life of Mary will be projected on a screen during the performance.
What Have We Here.... ?
Shining his flashlight, Fred Beutler has discovered the art work created by Alice Crawford for the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's production of "Black Comedy." Now all anyone has to do is figure out what it is. Others in the dark about all this are, from left, Lynne Weineke, Randy Forte and Larry Coven.