Word: malvolio
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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...settled on Twelfth Night and engaged the imaginative Herbert Berghof as director. Berghof, in keeping with the festive occasion, decided to turn the play into a "music and dance extravaganza." He employed as much music as possible, composed or arranged in neo-Elizabethan style by Andre Singer. He interpreted Malvolio's phrase, "the fool's zanies," as "the Fool's zanies," and created two new characters--a singing zany and a dancing zany--to accompany Feste the Fool. He also did some textual pruning and excised completely the taunting of Malvolio in prison, thereby deliberately upsetting the delicately balanced construction...
...were as sharp as her own nose and chin. The other two superlative performances were the Dancing Zany of Geoffrey Holder, who designed the choreography and also sang; and the light-footed Singing Zany of Russell Oberlin, the world's finest countertenor. In other major roles, Fritz Weaver's Malvolio, Zachary Scott's Orsino, and George Mathews' Sir Toby were disappointing...
Eric Portman makes an excellent Captain Hook, thought one might wish that he occasionally played with more bravado, since the humor in this role is so meaty and the character is reminiscent of Malvolio in Twelfth Night. (The scene on the Pirate Ship, where Hook is duped by Peter and the orphan children is particularly reminiscent of the Garden Scene where Malvolio is duped by Sir Toby and his cohorts.) Mr. Portman, nevertheless, brings his own special qualities to the role...
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (Spoken Word, 3 LPs) gets a fine new production by the players of the Dublin Gate Theatre, with Michael MacLiammoir as Malvolio, "sick of self-love," posturing his priggish way with timeless vulgarity. London is also out with a spate of Shakespeare-Coriolamis, Othello, Julius Caesar, Richard II-in a series of journeyman readings by the Marlowe Society players, who eventually will press all the plays. One of the most majestically read of the talking books is MGM's Joseph Conrad, in which Sir Ralph Richardson whittles Youth and Heart of Darkness to half...
...cold-voiced Malvolio, Fritz Weaver is adequate. His best moment, though, occurs when he is speechless: in his cross-gartered scene he brings along the forged letter and, misinterpreting Olivia's question, "Wilt thou go to bed, Malvolio?," drops it on the ground in stunned amazement. William Daniels' Sebastian leaves a favorable impression. Frederick O'Neal looks the part of the sea-captain Antonio, but his Shakespearean diction is woefully deficient...