Bryn Mawr College - Bryn Mawr Yearbook (Bryn Mawr, PA)

Page 31 text:

Soph Y( omore I ear. As I have been overhauling my Sophomore memories and Philistines, the remark of someone to the effect that Boston is not a place but a state of mind has occurred to me, again and again ; and I have wished enviously that I could claim the witticism for my own, so that I might, without fear of plagia- rism, make the statement that Sophomore Year was not a succession of events, but a mental condition., For it was not so much what we did in our second year of college that made it different from every other, as the sporty, bumptious, world-is-my-oyster spirit in which we did it. With what enthusiasm we plunged into the giving of our play ! I remember how we used to sit, even those of us who took no active part in it, cross-legged on the Gym floor or perched on bars and horses, through the long rehearsals, tingling with pride and delight. And the day after the actual performance — was there a Sophomore who did not have blistered hands and a raw throat ? Even now, looking back at it from a five years ' perspective, it appears to me a very charming bit of high romance ; and I am sure the Philistine ' s praise was fully deserved. The class of nineteen hundred and two, says that judicial organ, certainly deserves great con- gratulation. Their performance of last Friday evening was distinctly first-rate throughout, and furnished an adequate proof that even the most difficult of plays may be successfully staged at Bryn Mawr. ' The Adventure of Lady Ursula ' is by no means an easy piece to act ; nevertheless its many difficulties were successfully met and overcome by this ambitious class. The masterly way in which the problems of the Gymnasium stage were solved won the admiration of all who have ever been concerned in college theatri- cals, for it can truly be said that the whole performance was artistic and complete to the minutest detail. The occasions are certainly rare when a play has been given in which the parts have been so felici- tously assigned. Miss Clinton as ' Lady Ursula ' made a very winsome heroine. She looked her part to perfection, and her impersonation was throughout charming and naive. Miss Rotan ' s graceful and finished rendering of the hero ' s rdle was an unqualified triumph. In a long and difficult part she sus- tained a high level of acting, and, unlike most amateurs, was able to cut an important figure without ranting and overacting. Her costumes, too, showed the best of taste, and were both artistic and appro- priate. In the humorous parts of the piece, Miss Yeatts as ' Mr. Dent ' made a decided hit, and Miss Spencer as ' the Rev. Mr. Blimboe ' fairly brought down the house. In fact, there was not a name on the program that does not deserve mention and praise, and the greatest credit of all is, perhaps, due to Miss Douglas, whose excellent management made the play go off smoothly from beginning to end without hitch or pause. 2?