SHAKESPEARE SEASON BREAKS ALL RECORDS

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 August 1948, Page 3

SHAKESPEARE SEASON BREAKS ALL RECORDS

(By Air m^ ATpoRD _ ON _ A voN, The 1948 Shakespeare Festival at the Shakespeare Memorial at the poet s birthplace, continues to break all records. In the first thirteen and a half week’s of the 28-week season, 132 000 people saw the festival productions—2o,ooo more than in the same period last year. They paid m all £39 500 for seats —£8,000 more than during the same period last year when a record number of 238,000 people visited the festival in six months. The season reached a climax on July 30 when “Othello” was produced. The cast included Godfrey Tearle in the title role, Diana Wynyard as Desdemona, Anthony Quayle as lago, Ern Burrill as Emilia and Paul Scofield as Roderigo. The production was lavishly staged with five major changes of scenery. Commenting on the production, Godfrey Tearle said: “I can only say that I am in complete agreement with Bernard Shaw’s brilliant comments on ‘Othello.’” He recalled that in 1897, Shaw wrote: “‘Othello’ is pure melodrama. There is not a touch of character in it that goes below the skin; and the fitful attempts to make lago something better than a melodramatic villain only makes a hopeless mess of him and his motives. But when the worst has been said of ‘Othello’ that can be provoked by its superficiality and stageyness, it remains magnificent by the volume of its passion and the splendour of its word-music, which sweep the scenes up to a plane on which sense is drowned by sound. The words do not convey ideas. They are streaming ensigns and tossing branches to make the tempest of passion visible. The actor cannot help himself by studying his part acutely; for there is nothing to study in it. Tested by the brain it is ridiculous; tested by tne ear it is sublime.” Godfrey Tearle added: ‘Should I have had Shaw’s brain and gift ox words, it is exactly what I should have written about ‘Othello.’ It is just as I see the play and the part of Othello, and what I am striving to achieve at Stratford.” , „ , The 1948 Stratford Festival, which has been extended for a seventh month, ending on Octobei" 30, is the last under the direction of Sir Barry Jackson.