Word: gwillim
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...part would benefit from a little more coarseness, Kate Reid has the Nurse fully under control. And well she might, for she has been doing the role for at least 14 years. The touchstone remains Dame Edith Evans, however, who polished her interpretation continuously for 36 years. Similarly, Jack Gwillim first played the Friar long ago, and imbues the eccentric cleric with exemplary kindness and geniality...
...Jack Gwillim is a fine Clown when carousing with the others in the comical caterwauling cantata at midnight; but, later, he simply does not have a good enough singing voice to do justice to "Come away, death" and the concluding curtain song (which would also benefit from better synchronization between singer and backstage orchestra). This is no small point, for Shakespeare wrote the heavily musical role especially for Robert Arnim, a new company acquisition who happened to be a superb singer...
...JACK Gwillim is a kindly, virtuous King Duncan; and it is a felicitous touch to have him embrace Macbeth before retiring to his final sleep. Kurt Garfield's bleeding Captain sounds more Jewish than Scottish, Theodore Sorel's Angus is poorly spoken too, and Richard Backus' Donalbain is weak. Jeanne Bartlett is adequate as the ill-fated Lady Macduff, and William Larsen's old Siward is a decided asset. Macduff's son (Glenn Zachar) is far too old; so is Fleance (Keith McDermott), who seems to be assisted in his escape by the mysterious Third Murderer engaged to kill...
...major interest attaches to Pinchwife and his young bride Margery. Wycherley, who was educated in France, modeled the pair on characters in Moliere's School for Husbands and School for Wives; the jealous and overprotective Pinchwife corresponds to Sganarelle and Arnolphe, the outwitting Margery to Isabella and Agnes. Jack Gwillim's gray-bearded Pinchwife is all gruff and grum, but the part is a stock two-dimensional character that admits of little variety...
...though, was intense but somewhat bouncy. She looked wrong, except, perhaps, in her sleep-walking scene. To fulfill my demands for the role of Lady Macbeth would take a rare actress, which, I am afraid, Miss Browne is not. John Neville as MacDuff, Jeremy Brett as Malcolm, and Jack Gwillim as Banquo give distinctive performances, and the lesser roles are all handled with unusually thorough skill...