Word: lahr
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Though I have never seen Bert Lahr play the part of Gogo, I am sure Micky Deems has, more than once. His movements and even his voice are uncannily like Lahr's, except that, unlike Lahr, Deems has never been quoted to have said, "I don't understand a damn word in the whole play." His performance is splendid. Dan Morgan plays Didi in the manner of a surly, gravel voiced straight man. Though he has only two movements on stage--a mincing goose-step and a tugging at his bagy trousers--he is perfect for the role...
...reminded that they claim it to be A Midsummer Night's Dream, but this surely is a typographical error, for that play is funny, beautiful, and splendidly poetic, while this production is only occasionally amusing, infrequently beautiful, and rarely poetic. It suffers from a Special Guest Star, Bert Lahr, who is billed above the title, and in larger type. The Stratford company has often before hurt itself with guests, the most notable case being the deplorable Miss Hepburn, apparently because they believe that good Shakespeare, well-acted, cannot attract audiences in this country without a name-star. (This...
...though, to see Lahr flop, because he has been and still is a very funny man. But with Shakespeare, Lahr faces a special difficulty: he is unable to create an image of himself different from the one he has built up over the years, and the usually funny personage doesn't fit into the play Shakespeare wrote. Lahr overacts, as does almost everyone in this production. His most irritating mannerism was an overuse of the forefinger. He brandished it and he gesticulated with it, to no purpose or effect. He was sometimes funny in the final scenes, when the offending...
...should record that most of those present found this production side-splittingly hilarious. Their affection for Lahr is shared by me, but I would rather have spent the evening at The Wizard...
...MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, at the Colonial, through Saturday, Oct. 8, produced by the American Shakespeare are Festival Acting Company, staring Bert Lahr as Bottom, the Weaver...