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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1975)
,9 Page 8 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1975 [Players present “Scratch Devil demands Daniel’s defense By B. J. STRODE Critic A spotlighted young man with a guitar crosses the stage in singing, “Neighbor, how stands the Union?” So begins the Aggie Player produc tion of “Scratch,” a play written by Archibald MacLeish and based upon “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Stephen Vincent Benet. An unlikely beginning for the story of a man’s fight for his immortal soul. But somehow it works. The young man. Beau Sharbrough, is suitably solemn and quietly drama tic. He also has a beautiful voice, which even in the quiet passages car ries to the back of the theatre. The lyrics were supplied by MacLeish, d but the music was composed by the singer and subtly sets the mood for what is to follow. What follows is a PERFOR MANCE! Technically, the show is near-perfect. The sets were con- ® structed under the direction of Brian McPherson, Jim Thomas and Walt Meissner. Confusion was caused by a e too-modern chair and what seemed * to be black bushes in the first scene, but the second and third scene sets were great. Concentration was ham pered by a few missed light cues, but these will undoubtedly be corrected before the show opens, and the lights were well-designed and effective. I especially enjoyed the eerie i green glow that accompanies the ar- i , rival of the jury, and the blood-red aura signalling Scratch’s departure. A respectful salute goes to Mar- e garet Thomas and her crew for an n outstanding job on costumes. They i a are historically believable, using earth colors that complement the .j tone of the play as well as the decep- 1 tive simplicity of the set. One masterful touch was dressing * S Scratch all in white, an unexpected and highly effective contrast to his i: role and to the other actors. Also excellent was the ghostly garb of the jurors, although Judge Hathorne appeared to be wearing his grandmother’s nightgown. Another highlight of the technical aspect was the make-up, deftly applied by the able and no doubt - dirty hands of Marc Chaloupka and Lanya DeLong. Daniel Webster needs to look a little older and Jabez Stone a little younger, but the really fantastic work was done on the jurors. They did indeed look “dead and damned. ” Any small children in the audience are likely to have unpleasant Gun incident overlooked Associated Press CHICAGO — Chicago police ar rested a woman carrying a gun Tues day night outside the Conrad Hilton Hotel 12 minutes before President Ford’s arrival by motorcade, but the Secret Service said it had nothing to do with Ford’s visit. The woman, identified by Presi dential Press Secretary Ron Nessen as Carmen Theresa Pulido, was ar rested at 6:02 p.m. across the street from a rear door of the hotel at Eighth Street and Wabash Avenue. Ford entered the building at 6:14 p.m. NesSen said the Secret Service had questioned the woman, then said it was pulling out of the case. Nessen quoted a Secret Service agent as saying: The incident is of no interest to the Secret Service and the episode has been judged to have no thing to do with the President’s - visit.” if im ■s. WITH PURCHASE FROM OUR STORE Permanent Performance SINCE 18*46 Writing Instruments in Lustrous Chrome EMBREY’S JEWELRY 415 UNIVERSITY DR. COLLEGE STATION MON.- SAT. 9:00-5:30 memories of the 13 lost souls filing onto the stage from the back of the theatre, shrouded in ghoulish green and staring vacantly from disfigured faces. The perfect touch was achieved on Scratch himself, whose wickedly slanted eyebrows and distinguished graying temples demonstrate the power of creative make-up to en hance a well-defined character. Not to be outshone by backstage excellence, the actors are to be con gratulated on a fine performance. Jim Burford is suitably desperate and frightened as Jabez Stone, the hap less seller of his soul. His plea for mercy in the second scene could use a little more pizzazz and the recita tion from the witness stand should be filled with utter despair. But Burford has a good sense of character and adequately portrays a man who has lost everything and can’t quite accept the finality of it. Another director might have used Jabez Stone as comic relief with grea ter success; however, Burford’s Jabez is well-done and believable. Daniel Webster is powerfully por trayed by Phil Hafer, whose size is in his favor. There are some weak mo ments, however. Phil has some trouble keeping his voice in the do minant, authoritative range most fit ting for a famed orator. He tends to whine during emo tional speeches and becomes unin telligible when excited. The worst few minutes of an otherwise admira ble performance occurred during a long recitation at the trial. Hafer needs more variety in his de livery and more commanding pre sence to combat the distracting movements of the jurors. Mitch Hall should get a rose for his characterization of Scratch. He is consistent, convincing and delici ously sinister, while at the same time managing to be likeable. In his dazzling white suit and beautifully appropriate make-up, he presents a truly striking picture and one that is enhanced by his delight fully wicked laugh. I loved him. A special accolade goes to Steve King for his credible representation of the indomitable Judge Hathorne. All in all, it is a good show. Robert Wenck has done a fine job of weaving the plot, characters, and other elements of the art into a cohe rent fabric. A less easily satisfied viewer might wish that such talent, energy and de votion would be applied to a more relevant drama. The overriding message, pounded home in speech after long-winded speech, is that Americans are better than everybody else and have some how become gods themselves. How ever, there might be more to it than that. 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