Word: dictional
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...Opening, Another Show." Rudolph Bennet handles his small musical forces capably, and the costumes, dances, and lighting contribute to a handsomely mounted production. One or two of the young dance group deserve mention -- Mark Howard (Gremio) in particular. Mr. Howard stands out from the ensemble because of his clear diction, well-based voice, and good control of himself on stage. The unidentified dancer who accompanied Mr. Roman in "Too Darn Hot" also deserves notice...
Paul Ukena in the leading role of Fred Graham (and Petruchio) sings resonantly and employs unusually clear diction. His voice is well produced throughout his range. Elaine Malbin shows considerable skill as an actress in the part of Lilli Vanessi (and Katherine). Miss Malbin, however, might be shown to better advantage in a conventional theatre where her diminutive stature would not convey the slightly plump appearance it does on an arena state. Her voice seems to have lost power in its lower range over the last two years without compensating gains...
Close your eyes, you say. That doesn't help, for her Shakespearean diction is monotonous, and she shows not the slightest grasp of the music and rhythm of the lines. She ruins Lady Macbeth's crucial "We fail?" and, as Portia, she delivers "The quality of mercy is not strained" as a question. What on earth is one to make of that...
...while the plotting is tautly controlled, Shakespeare at the same time gives himself completely free rein in diction, so that the characters indulge themselves in pouring out poetry at great length and turning an etat d'ame into a cosmic phenomenon. Like King John and two parts of Henry VI, Richard II has no prose; and it contains more rhymes than any plays in the canon except Love's Labour's Lost and Midsummer Night's Dream. As a whole, the play is vastly superior to, say, Romeo and Juliet, written at the same time...
Richard Waring, with his exemplary diction and easy projection, turns the relatively minor role of the Bishop of Carlisle into a major contribution. Helped by inspired writing to be sure, his long denunciation of Bolingbroke is superb acting. There is something noble and thrilling about an individual in the right willing to oppose the mob in the wrong even though he may be scaling his own doom. Thus has it always been: Antigone, Saint Joan, Sir Thomas More, Dr. Thomas Stockmann, Martin Luther King. Carlisle is of their company. In the play's final scene, Bolingbroke sentences Carlisle to live...