STAGE SUCCESS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27570, 12 December 1950, Page 2

STAGE SUCCESS

London Production By Ngaio Marsh Resident Correspondent LONDON. Nov. 22". New Zealanders in London turned up in force last evening to see Miss Ngaio Marsh’s production of the perplexing Italian play, “ Six Characters in Search of an Author.” The cast included five young New Zealand actors. It was generally acclaimed as a great success, the critic of the Evening News commenting that her direction showed “ terrific vitality.” Considerable interest was shown in the production in view of the fact that Miss Marsh is to be chief producer of the projected Commonwealth Theatre Group, a company of English and Dominion actors who will tour the Commonwealth

with first-class drama. Its success is doubly heartening to her after the recent failure of “A Surfeit of Lampreys, for which she was unfairly blamed in spite of the fact that she was only part author of the stage version and had no hand in the production. The five New Zealanders in last night s play were Elizabeth McKeown, Donald McClymont, and lan Mason (all of Wellington), and Miss Kara Aldridge and lan Ainsley, of Christchurch. “I think Ngaio Marsh is handling this play brilliantly,” Miss McKeown told me during rehearsals. “Itis a very difficult one to do, but she gets everyone s cooperation. She is the best producer I have worked with over here." ''