Word: bronias
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Unfortunately, there is no subtlety or coherence in the acting. Bronia Stefan, as the nurse, plays too broadly. She seems to be Blanche du Bois and Maggie the Cat rolled into one, but by parodying Tennessee Williams (something Williams himself must learn to avoid) she is not playing Edward Albee. Her self-conscious and mannered acting conflicts with the play's style. A characterization, such as Ernest McKinnon's Jack, built by alternating laughing and mumbling, evokes nothing more than the character of a laugher and a mumbler. This effect may be what the actor strived...
...Brown, and this quality greatly enhanced a role that, if played by an archetypically ugly bourgeois gentleman, would have fallen flat. His plodding was that of a sincere man, not a machinator, and his final self-destruction becomes all the more pathetic. As for Dion and his wife (Bronia Stefan), both seemed more comfortable after O'Neill got his (or their) early soliloquies...
...again, is the only word for Elisabeth Hubbard as Mrs. Peachum. Not only is her voice magnificent, but her acting is equal to the rigorous demands of Weill's music. Her cruelty and cynicism give added dimension to numbers like "The Ballad of Survival" and "The Ballad of Dependency." Bronia Sielewicz, as the prostitute Jenny, will make even the most sentimental viewer forgive her for replacing the familiar German accent of Lotte Lenya. "The Pirate Jenny" and "The Solomon Song" are two of the best examples of Weill and Brecht's art and Miss Sielewicz gives them at least their...
...feminine leads, played by Bronia Sielewicz and Leslie Cass, seem considerably more at case on the stage. As rivals for swift's as Vanessa, is the emotional woman, quite ready to display her feelings; Miss Siclewicz, as Stella, creates the picture of the persecuted wife, quite proud of her own suffering. Other members of the cast could be singled out for varying degrees of competency. Catherine Huntington, for instance, contributes a fine monologue in the last act, as she reads to an insane Doctor swift. And Edward Finnegan is suitably foolish as the pompous Dr. Berkley...
With their complicated vehicle the actors do quite nobly, shunning the obvious for almost impressionistic interpretations. Bronia Sielewicz, reading the part of Arcadian Chloris, has a magnificent voice and a most engaging manner. She makes Chloris a good deal more than the vapidly pedantic cipher that might be fashioned by a less accomplished actress. In her opening scene with the well-intentioned artist, played by Peter Sourian, Miss Sielewicz is quite tender and understanding, giving the impression of being inspired, but not inspiring, Sourian matches this performance with, what seems at first (and may be, since it is consistent throughout...