Scranton Central HS December 1956 Yearbook (Scranton, PA) - Guest Access

Charley's Aunt Trudye Connolly, '58 A ' keptical" first night audience wa swept into laughter on th open– ing night of the delightful farce, "Charley's Aunt", and kept laughing even after the final curtain call. With th u ual amount of nervou ne and confusion and amidst repeated last minute instruc– tions from their director Mis Jeanne Rainey, the cast took their places on tag for the opening cene. 'It was pretty hard going for a while" admits Jack Che ney, 'then the audience tart d picking up the cue ." Tall dark handsome Jack carried through the play with an air of confidence. Head over heels in love with Kitty Verdun Jack seized every opportunity to tell her so only to have his best laid plans go a tray. Pompous, old Sir Stephan Spet– tigue helped to steal the show. He trode through the play dressed in a frock coat grey cloth waistcoat, a top hat, umbr lla and gloves. He pos e ed a naturalne s and more than a smattering of good acting technique. Kitty Verdun, lady-like down to the tips of her tapering fingers, softly cooed, ' I thought the play wa a littl tiring but I hope I may do something like it again." When the real aunt, Donna Lucia 'Alvadorez turned up, and as– umed another name, a comical situation resulted. Donna Lucia gave 8 a per onal charm to th play. At one point he remarked, I wa nervous during the p rformance but I al– way try to be; I feel I am at my be t then." Ella Delahay, and Colonel Sir Francis Che ney, di play d an ea • and poi e on tag . Their convincing portrayals of the part delighted the audience. "Last year' play wa n't quite o hectic," admitted harley Wyke– ham in a brief interview in the wing . Considered an old hand at the e thing Charley wa a college Ann Lomberli, '57 student in Ia t year's production, Mother Is a Freshman. The cenery wa rather difficult, and co tume changes kept us going all the time." Fair haired good-lookin Charley was the charmer of the play. Pur u– ing Amy Spettigue niece of Sir Ste– phan Sp ttigue, kept Charley in a frantic state throughout all three c nes. Lord Fancourt Babb rly, who portrayed '· harley' Aunt" with the fin e of an exp rienced and legi– timate actor noted the mo t trying part wa 'getting into all tho e kirt . It wa bea tly, but I'm all right. It wa fun I ay while it lasted ... wouldn't I like to do it again though." Bra ett th butl r hobbled hi way from one cene to another much to th merriment of everyone. Hi polite awkward manner erved to amu e and invoke peal of laughter, from the audience. The thre -act comedy wa pr - sented in the n wly decorated en– tral Hi h chool auditorium. In u e were both the newly in tailed light– ing and acou tic y tern . The play cheduled for one night only wa held a econd night be– cau e of the xten ive ale of ticket . Th original text of Cha1le·y's Aunt as written by Brandon Thoma in 1892 wa the cript u ed for thr The pian production. Trudye onnolly IMPRES IO