Morton High School - Top Hat Yearbook (Hammond, IN)

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Page 23 MORTIMER BREWSTER (Dick Updegraff) prevents his two sweet aunts (Ramona Adams and Betty Feldt), who turn out not to be his aunts at all, from giving a prospective boarder (Dan George) some of their elderberry wine spiked with arsenic, cyanide, and strychnine. XT T DON VOROS, as the mad Jonathan Brewster, and August Schischka, as Dr. Einstein, his accomplice, bring one of their victims through a window in the senior class’ production of Arsenic and Old Lace.” a Serious Play at Morton High LT. ROONEY (Don Stryzinski) and Officers Klein and Brophy (Jerome Babitz and Wayne Lazar) come to the aid of theater- critic Mortimer, who has been forced to remain bound while Officer O’Hara (George Conger) read him the play he had written. DAVE VAHORVICH, as Teddy Brewster, who believes himself to be Theodore Roosevelt, yells Charge!” as he dashes up the Brewster staircase, supposedly San Juan Hill.

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Page 22 Curtain Goes Up for First Time on Two firsts took place on the Morton High School theater scene this year: the first serious play in the high school’s four-year history was presented, and the senior play for the first time was an adult, name, Broadway hit, instead of a high school comedy. Both depar- tures from the usual were well- accepted. The Theater Guild presentation of Jane Eyre,” a play with a nine- teenth century setting, occurred Nov. 9- In the play, Jane Eyre, fresh out of an orphanage, is hired as the governess of Mr. Rochester’s daughter. At first Jane thinks that the aura of mystery about the Rochester home is just part of her imagination, but many strange happenings increase her suspicions. The sudden arrival of Mr. Mason, an old school friend of Mr. Roches- JANE EYRE (Nancy Massingille) happily anticipates her marriage to Mr. Rochester (Joe Wysong) in this scene from Jane Eyre,” the MHS fall play. ter’s, whom the latter receives very coldly, adds to the general con- fusion. When Jane learns that Mr. Rochester’s insane wife is being kept upstairs by the supposed seamstress, her marriage to Mr. Rochester is called off. However, all turns out happily in the end. Members of the class of 1957 overcame last-minute difficulties and gave very creditable perform- ances in Arsenic and Old Lace” May 2 and 3. Written by Joseph Kesselring, the play was first pre- sented in 1941 in New York by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Its plot revolves about the two sweet old Brewster sisters, who have 12 dead men buried in their cellar — one of whom died a natural death and 11 of whom they poison- ed — and their three nephews: Teddy, who imagines himself, to be Theodore Roosevelt; Jonathan, who has just escaped from the Indiana Hospital for Insane Criminals and is himself a mass murdurer, and Mortimer, the only sane Brewster. ZELDA, THE gypsy (Alexandra Gardner), reads the palm of Blanche Ingram ( Jan Taylor ) , while Blanche ' s mother, Lady In- gram (Connie Parsons), Mr. Mason (Phil Jackson), and the seam- stress (Joan Franks) look on with interest in a scene from the Morton production of Marjorie Carleton ' s dramatization of Jane Eyre. A TENSE moment occurs in Jane Eyre when Mr. Mason stops the marriage ceremony, which was being conducted by the Rev. Mr. Wood (David Wright). Looking on are (standing) Zelda; the seamstress, and Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper (Salome Bartos), and (seated ) Mrs. Ingram and Blanche.

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.rx . . , Page 24 Mortonites See Concerts, Follies ' HERE ARE two photos of the twirling show. Above, four young drum majorettes demonstrate their twirling techniques, and at right Janet Slivka plays with fire” in a solo. THIS PHOTO shows the MHS band performing under the baton of John Melton in one of its concert appearances. There’s always something to which to look forward at Morton. This statement is especially true when something refers to an eve- ning program. For besides the Home- coming program, the plays, the banquets, the after-prom party, the Music Festival, and Commencement, there were many other enjoyable evening affairs. On Dec. 12 there was Candy Cane Lane,” the Junior Red Cross- sponsored fashion show, with models representing various organizations. There were four Music Depart- ment concerts, at which vocal and instrumental groups performed; the drive-in band concert in June, and the twirling show, at which Morton drum majorettes strutted their stuff,” April 9. And then there were the Friars’ Follies,” presented the evening of May 24, a week after high school students had gotten a preview of them in an auditorium session. THE ORCHESTRA, directed by Mr. Melton, gives its rendition of the Blue Danube Waltz” at one of the four Music Department concerts.