Paseo High School - Paseon Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

Page 33 text:

THE 1928 PAsi+3oN . .- . L , .. . . , C aa... , ir. ia, -f-Y ' .f-::.Ls..m.ag,:a-v:.vua1.-'via-:,..c ig 'rr :.. Y 27 Sally and Company 'llic spring play. Sally and Company, was presented in Past-o's auditorium, Saturday, iklarcli l7. lies clever plot was well received by the aurlience. Lillian Koppel, as Sally Dawson, showed great ability in her portrayal of the clever mil- liner who had courage enough to start a hat shop in the town where her vaudeville com- pany had failed. Charles Vlfalter, as Stephen Bates, gave his role the needed dignity and sympathy that it required. Ruth McClellan was quite interesting in her part of Cynthia, the daughter of Mr. Bates. One of the most difficult roles was very capably played by Dean Kennedy. who portrayed lack Mortimer, the villain. In addition to the major parts, there were many others who added interest to the play. VValter Lyman gave a sympathetic interpreta- tion of Charlie, a newspaper reporter, who was very much in love with Cynthia. lo Jester and Maxine Leppert as Mrs. Appleby and Mrs. Plunckett, town gossips, created many laughs, as did Constance Flanders who had the part of Emma, the maid in the Bates' home. Charles Bramblei gave a solemn interpretation of Rev- erend Moss, and Elizabeth Eaust was very good in the part of Hietty, the sister of Stephen Bates. lva and Dora, milliners, were interest- ingly played by Olive lane Joyce and Suzanne Lispi. One of the unusual features of the play was the large number of people in the cast. Extras were used in the millinery shop in the first act, and twenty sorority girls and a number of guests in the second act brought the total to sixty-three. Besse Higbee, Marguerite Gill and Nona Leen acted as assistant milliners in the hat shop. Much excitement prevails in the millinery shop at the opening of the play, for Sally, the proprietor, is to arrive that day from New York. Stephen Bates, a silent partner in her shop, has a very important problem for her to solve upon her return. His lovely daughter, Cynthia, is in love with Jack Mortimer who-m Bates distrusts. Sally proposes that lack be invited to the Bates' home for a visit. Her argument for this apparently wild plan is that if you have hot biscuits and honey for every meal, you will tire of them. If Cynthia sees Jack constantly, she will learn his true char- acter and will become disgusted with him. The second actyfinds lack firmly installed in the Bates home. It is Sunday morning, and when Cynthia returns from Sunday School she finds him lounging in the living room in his pajamas and robe. He becomes irritated when she speaks to him about his attire. He finally leaves to- dress while the others go to the garden to take pictures. VVhen he returns to the room he overhears a conversation between Sally and Bates in which they plan to get rid of him. Bates leaves the room and lack ac- cuses Sally of wanting to get rid o-f him so that she can get Bates' money. War is de- clared between the two. Although Cynthia is about out of the notio-n of marrying jack, he becomes so attractive after his quarrel with Sally that she falls in love with him again. Sally finally brings about his downfall through her disco-very that he is already married and is a forger. He wanted Cynthia only for her money. She is hurt but finds solace in Charlie who has loved her for many years. With his daughter happy, Stephen now has time to turn to his own af- fairs, and tae closing curtain finds Sally saying Yes to tae old question.

Page 32 text:

l 26 THE 1928 PASEON r l ,. . .. Hi . .Mas-Ma as maauwumfzma The Spell of the lmagen The Spell of the Imagef, the second an- nual Christmas play, was presented to an en- thusiastic audience of eleven hundred in the auditorium Friday, December 9. The presen- tation was a comedy drama in three acts and a prologue. The scene of this story is laid near New York and the time is the present. In the pro- logue Phyllis Castleman, of the early colonial days, escapes her guests on the eve of her be- tro-thal to an English nobleman, and grants an audience to her former lover. He taunts her because she has given him up for riches and a passing gypsy tells of an unhappy future. She grasps the pearls, a gift from her betrothed, and hides them in the image. Generations pass, and the pearls remain hid- den in the fantastic body of the image. Finally the old Castleman house falls into the hands of Phyllis and Katherine Aldrich, played very capably and refreshingly by Besse Higbee, and the poised Frances Rush, respectively. Phyllis acquires the position of reporter on the Clarion a newspaper owned by Macdonald Dunbar, portrayed by Earl Richmond who took the lead smoothly. Though the girls have nothing to live on but family honor, their aunt on the aristocratic Castleman side, heartily objects to the girls working. Elizabeth Faust was a dig- rvaf--,WW--Q-.,,a....s ,... ,W ..,., . nified old lady ofa aristocratic bearing. The Clarion is thrust into every sort of trouble, particularly political, by Henry Carter, a rival journalist and a sneaking politician. Harold Boese is the hateful rival. But his smooth work is discovered by Ted, the office boy, and Kitty, and the scoundrel is forced to come to terms. Carter also is forced to pay for an injury done to the father of Kitty's sweetheart, Terrence Donovan. This part is played by Charles VValters with an excellent irish accent. About this time Belinda, the clumsy maid, played ever so cleverly by Olive Jane Joyce, finds the pearls hidden so long ago in the image, thus the final difficulties of Phyllis and Kitty are brought to an abrupt but pleas- ant end. Phyllis makes the new energetic llunbar happy by asking him the question that he had asked her but had been refused be- cause of his wealthy ne'er-do-well attitude. The supporting cast, an excellent one, was made up of Leon Bornstein, Ruth Talbot, lrene Mathis. Wlalter Lyman, Lucille Harper, Danae Wfalters. Charles Bramble, Lillian Koppel and Myron Blotcky. From the colorful prologue of hoopskirts, powdered wigs and minuets to the last word, the play was a huge success. .L .. 0...-N.-ugnngq

Page 34 text:

28 THE 1923 PASEON Stage Crew The stage crew this: year has a memb-ership of five. Last year there were only four mem- bers. It was decided that five would be a suit- able number and that the extra one would not handicap efficiency. The boys comprising the crew are, Leftage Hale, stage manager, Ray Sollars, Theodore Dreher, Albert Fizzell, Charles Player. Mr. Cramer has been the adviser both last year and this. While unable to be with the boys at all times, he has been ready to help with each problem that was presented. It has been the desire of the crew that all stage business progress smoothly during the plays. All the necessary lighting effects were worked o-ut before the date of the play in order to prevent delays. Many of the beautiful scenes in the plays were due to the lights. The stage settings were all set up by the crew. These had to be worked on in advance, and from a week and a half to four weeks were spent on each play. The senior play of this year presented the most difficult problem be- cause of the balcony that was needed. Much outside work was required for this setting. Paseo has an excellent stage equipment and the lighting facilities provide a splendid op-por- tunity for the boys to study the various stage effects. The crew has not only handled the equipment with such care that nothing has been broken, but they also have made some im- provements on it. Plays are not the only thing with which the boys have been helped. Much of the beauty of the Fashion Revue given this spring was due to the skillful use of the stage and spot lights. At Christmas, vari-colored lights were thrown on the tree that was placed on the stage, making it look at times like a silent tree in the forest at evening, and at other times like a gay Christmas tree. The stage flood lights and spot lights were used at all the dances. Some of the members of the crew were in charge of the lights at all times. At the Inter-Society dance a spot light was thrown on the dancers. These lights would have been impossible if it had not been for the stage crew, who could connect and operate them successfully. They also assisted the photographer when the pictures for the Paseon were taken. In order that the pictures should not be dark, special high powered lights were needed and the crew gave much valuable help in working these lights. Two juniors were on the crew this year so that there might be some experienced members for next year. One of them will be the man- ager for next year. The crew wishes to ex- press their appreciation for the confidence given to them by the play advisers and teachers who worked with them. J