SHAKESPEAREAN SEASON

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27277, 18 February 1954, Page 13

SHAKESPEAREAN SEASON

(lounger Players In Leading Roles (^ TO,n Out Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 3. Reversing its usual oolicy of selecting at least two established West End stage stars for its eight months’ season the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company has given its major roles for this year’s Stratford productions to younger actors and actresses. Three of the younger “stars” chosen toured New Zealand last year with the company.

For the last six seasons, stars like dearie, Diana Wynyard, Robert Helpmann, Sir John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft, Michael Redgrave and Margaret Leighton have drawn thousands to Stratford on Avon. For this year’s productions of “Othello,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” and “Troilus and Cressida,” the directors have decided to give some of the leading roles to young actors and actresses who, have developed within the company. The “junior” experiment does not necessarily mean that there will b’e a permanent change in their “star” policy; but it will be done every few year« to give young and promising actors a chance. Under the new policy, Zena Walker, aged 19. who played as Phoebe and Lady Mortimer on the ,New Zealand tour, has been given star ranking to play J uliet. He.- Romeo will be 24 year-old Laurence Harvey, who has recently played the role in a film made m Italy. He will also play Troilus. Barbara Jefford, leading lady for the New Zealand tour, where she was seen in the parts of Rosalind, Desdemona and Lady Percy, will star in her third btratford season as Kate in “The Taming of the Shrew,” while Keith Mitchell (Hotspur and Orlando in the New Zealand productions) will be Petruchio.

Anthony Quayle, a director of the theatre, will take the parts of Othello. .Bottom and Pandarus. while the Wel-lington-born actress, Rosalind Atkinson, will enter, her fifth season at Stratford by appearing as the Nurse in < E. omeo ai ?d Juliet” and the Hostess in ‘The Taming of the Shrew.” The parts of Friar Laurence and Ulysses will be taken by Leo McKern, whom New Zealand audiences will remember as lago, Touchstone and Glendower. Two newcomers are also included in the cast of principals. The screen and stage star, Muriel Pavlow, re-,

cently appeared with Jack Hawkins in The Malta Story.” will play Titania and Cressida. William Devlin, % a recruit from the Old Vic, will be Capulet and Brabantio.

Rehearsals for the new season’s productions started at Stratford this week. Although two months remain before the season opens, more than £25,000 has already been taken in advance bookings.