Director's Comments
For the second year running the efforts of the producer for 'The Plumed Serpent', a film project for my sister Sarah and myself, had failed. However our Los Angeles agent at ICM was quick to suggest a stop-gap, as he knew that a theatre in Chicago needed a play. Sarah, as brave as usual, was willing to trust her brother whose theatre direction hadn't been exercised much since they worked together as teenagers!
Film had always been my first love - but not only did the play we both chose independently, (a wonderful surrealist comedy by Thornton Wilder, 'The Skin of Our Teeth'), require a 'lantern slide show', but it also had to be staged in the round for the theatre where we were putting it on. There was little time for us to ponder the difficulties, as I had to fly out to the US immediately to join Sarah. However I had managed in the meantime to persuade the theatre producer, David Lonn, that Thornton Wilder's 'lantern slide' show should become a short film!
Sarah was to play the mad maid Sabina, which had originally been played by Tallulah Bankhead in the US and Vivien Leigh in England, and was perfect for the role. Wilder wrote that Sabina often doesn't understand the play, and says so to the audience, this we thought would be a nice opportunity to change from her American accent to a British one when addressing the audience.
MRS ANTROBUS
You've let the fire go out!
(Turns to Sabina)
Have you milked the mammoth?
SABINA
(To the audience)
I don't understand a word of this play -
(To Mrs Antrobus)
Yes, I've milked the mammoth.
Plan of the Chicago theatre at Arlington Park in the round
LS = Loud-speakers P1 and P2 = projectors
As can be seen from the diagram above, theatre and showing film in the round is fraught with problems. The film side I solved by having 2 screens opposite each other, above the heads of the audience on the wall behind them, as shown in red. This, together with 2 projectors suspended from the ceiling out of the audience's vision, and 4 hidden loudspeakers, enabled everyone, no matter where they were sitting, to see a screen.
The fun part was making the short film, which Wilder had seen as a sort of a spoof newsreel with an announcer commenting on 'News Events of the World' - (which was originally set in New York, but I changed it to Chicago 1973 with Mayor Daley). Interestingly enough Wilder refers to climate change and a wall of ice in the show, which I returned to later as a theme in 'Alternative 3'.
The difficult part (at least for me) was directing in the round. Fortunately, both my sister and the very talented cast, were always at hand to make sure that the action could be seen from 360º. For the roles of Mr and Mrs Antrobus I was able to have a splendid real husband and wife team - Robert Gerringer and Patricia Falkenhain, and when Bruce Davidson, the acclaimed Hollywood actor, agreed to play Henry, a very strong cast was being formed.
Two other LA imports were Rob Bowers who wrote some excellent music and songs for the play, and Michael Byers who sang and danced to them, among the other 4 parts he played. The rest of the cast played life-guards, doctors, baton-twirlers, refugees and judges and were all from in and around the 'windy city', and were not only talented but fun to work with as they grappled with dinosaur outfits and rockets taking off from the stage cleverly designed by Rick Paul, who worked miracles with a very small budget.
Only later did I hear from Sarah and my helpful Production Stage Manager, Judy Olsen, how the full effect of this surrealist comedy had taken its toll on Robert Gerringer. Half way through the run he went down with 'flu and exhaustion and suddenly announced to the audience one afternoon that he couldn't continue - "I can't go on" he said "In a 23 year career I have never missed a performance, but this time with pains in my chest I have to stop" - and stop he did. Mad comedy as it was, most of the audience thought it was part of the play, and clapped what seemed like a very real performance.
But behind the scenes it was far from a joke, as Judy quickly got him to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. David Lonn flew back from LA and cancelled the weekend shows, but by an amazing chance they managed to find an actor, Art Kassul, who had already played the part, and who after a few rehearsals, successfully took over the role. As Judy said in her letter to me - "What luck Art was free, for there just aren't that many Antrobuses running around Chicago!"
Robert Gerringer happily soon recovered and lived for another 26 years, but died of a stroke in 1989 aged 64.
