Feb 1964

Page 12

being lost. In the same way Emsley, N. J. Smith and Thirlwell, C. W. Clegg and Wilson and Spencer all achieved something with their parts. Spencer always managed to be a personage on the stage, even when sitting in silence, and Emsley was particularly good in the later scenes, when he forsook the obligations of being a Jesuit to defend the positive good he had helped to establish. But outstanding throughout were Grayson, as the Spanish Deputy, and Biddle, as the Father Provincial. It was an unnecessary irony that they were supposed to have been friends years before in Spain: the part of Miura is difficult enough, anyway, with his loathing of what he has to do but inadequacy to do anything about it. Yet Grayson did portray the weakness underlying the authoritativeness, and the disgust with himself at the end. What one chiefly remembers is Biddle's performance as the Father Provincial. He gave the part intensity as well as weight, and was always the man striving honestly to do what he felt was right, so that we, too, felt the anguish of the decision he had to make, whether to obey his superiors, as he was bound to by his order, and abandon the Indians to the tender mercies of the Spanish Colonials, or to hold out for this good they had created against blackmail, prejudice and material interests. He gave the impression of being strong and lonely, and, in his dying moments, of being at peace: " The Kingdom of God is within you'—that is the •truth, Oros. Each man alone must help to create God's Kingdom." And this was where Don Pedro de Muira saw how miserably he had failed. The distinctive quality of the play was the convincing purpose and direction it had, and it was this which gave the audience so much pleasure, because they also were able to share in the feeling of serious worthwhileness. And if, in producing this effect, Mr. Bolton had to handle some fifty boys (not to mention members of the staff and their wives), the more credit to those fifty for so excellently answering his demands and providing us with so much satisfaction.

THE STRONG ARE LONELY or THE HOLY EXPERIMENT by FRITZ HOCHWAELDER Adapted by EVA LE GALLIENNE THE CAST Father Provincial: Alfonso Fernandez Father Oros Father Lieberman Candia Naguacu Andre Cornelis Father Clarke The King's Deputy: Don Pedro de Muira Sergeant of the Guard Captain Villano Captain Arago Lorenzo Querini 9

H. Biddle P. M. Emsley N. J. Smith P. A. J. Gibson R. W. Oliver G. F. Eastaugh. J. R. W. Thirlwell R. H. Grayson A. S. Medlycott C. W. Clegg R. J. D. Wilson J. N. Spencer


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