Word: jeffords
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...playwright has not used it to individualize the character who speaks it, is to say it as clearly and prettily as possible while still maintaining a reasonable degree of intensity. The Old Vic actors take this tack, and here again competence is the order of the evening, although Barbara Jefford is too solid and self-assured to be right for Viola. Half the pathos of the lorn and lonely girl, washed up on a strange and almost friendless coast, is lost when the actress gives the impression that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself...
...ideal Viola would have all the male members of the audience in love with her. I personally would not go to the ends of the earth for Miss Jefford, though others may; beyond doubt she is young, good-looking, and talented...
...Miss Jefford knows what she is doing; she has been well-trained in doing it; and she does it, on the whole, quite well. The extent to which this--and little more--can be said about nearly the whole company is an indication of the extent to which this Twelfth Night is a group effort. Set, costumes (also by Mr. Heeley), and music are more important to the success of the production than is usually the case. This success rests finally on the subtlety with which these elements, and the acting, were made to combine and to complement each other...
...Ophelia, Barbara Jefford goes mad quite prettily, in the most fetching rags you ever saw. One wonders why Laertes insists on ranting and shouting and making such a fuss, just as if something serious had happened to her. (It can be argued, however, that this incongruity exists to some extent in the text...
...Malvolio is grandly absurd in the letter scene, and in his yellow stockings and cross garters, really funny. Jane Downs's Olivia, Judi Dench's Maria, Dudley Jones's Feste, John Neville's Sir Andrew all bring something personal to their roles, and Barbara Jefford's Viola is attractively girlish whether in man's dress or woman...