Ear on Chicago; Highland Park Music Theater

This is Hugh Hill, speaking from the music theater in Highland Park, which is located at Skokie Highway at County Lake Road. And this is the story of how the music theater goes about its business, and we're here to record some of the rehearsal, which is going on at the present time, and talk to some of the castes and some of the people who are associated with the music theater. At the present moment, Jean Holman, who is playing Amel Debeck in the musical rather airsoft specific, is talking with Jean Bayless, who is the director. And if they don't mind, Jean, I hope you don't. We're going to move in and listen to you two fellows as you talk over what's happening. And perhaps I'll talk to Jean Bayless first here for just a moment. Jean, you might be able to set the scene for us. Tell us what is happening up at this particular point that you're going to rehearse. Hugh, I'll try to do that for you. You've just stopped us here where Nellie Fortbush has just left this stage. At this moment, she has just rejected Amel Debeck, basically because he has been married to a Polish woman. She's from Arkansas, and this is the situation here. She

just doesn't believe that he, as a white man, should have lived with her. And she has rejected him for this reason. Amel, at this time, is left alone as he has been when he killed a man in his earlier life. Now, Amel is on stage with Lieutenant Cable, who has also, in a sense, been rejected because he has come to the island to do a duty. And Amel Debeck was to play a part in this duty, but Amel has rejected him. We are just at the point where Nellie has asked Cable to explain to Amel why she has rejected him. And then the song you've got to be taught comes into the show. After that, Amel goes into his verse of this nearly was mine, which explains that he was left alone at one time, and now he's alone again. And this is the point where we've reached? That's right. Well, can we go ahead and listen in? We certainly can. Jean, could we come over here, and we'll start where Nellie has

gone off, and you have turned to Cable. And he has explained to you that you're not born with this, that you are taught these prejudices. All right. And then I believe you turned to him and say, this is just the kind of ugliness. Could we pick it up there? All right. All right. This is just the kind of ugliness I have been running away from. Well, that's true. After it. Can we go further on? Yes. Could we go on after that? Because I think we have explained that. And take it right into the song. Would you, Jean? Sure. This nearly was mine, one dream in my heart, one love to be living for, one love to be living for, this nearly was mine, one girl for my dreams, one partner in my heart. And paradise, this promise of paradise,

this nearly was mine, close to my heart she came only to fly away, only to fly as day flies from moonlight. Now, now I'm alone still dreaming of paradise, still saying that paradise once nearly was mine. Well, very, very good. Of course, dry and nice, very nice. Dry and nice, very nice. There'll be a company, naturally, during the music. That's right. We're in the play. Where are the orchestra now? Where's the orchestra now? Well, the orchestra is, of course, doesn't rehearse with a central orchestra rehearsal on Monday afternoon, and then they're here for each performance. They're in the pit, which we call 12 o 'clock.

Our conductor is 12 o 'clock. We number our stage just like a clock, because it is round. Our conductor, as I said, is at 12, and then our aisles become 2 o 'clock, 4 o 'clock, 6 o 'clock, 8 o 'clock, and 10 o 'clock. As I was just going to tell, Jean, to be sure to turn very slowly toward aisle 8, which is where Nelly has just gone off. That's how we give our directions out here. And toward 8 o 'clock, away from 8 o 'clock, towards two things of that sort. They move as the hands of the clocks do either count o 'clock wise, clockwise, or directly across from 2 to 8, or whichever direction I will care for them to go into. Well, Jean Bayless, you stand by for just a minute, because I'd like to get some more information on some of the technical problems out here while I talk to Jean Holman for just a minute. Jean, I'd like to get a little bit of your background, can you tell me about it? Yes. I'm really a Midwestern, originally, until about seven years ago, six and a half years ago when I went to New York. I'm from Kansas City, Missouri. I lived in St. Louis for quite a long

time. I was a member of the Midwest Opera Company there, until about 10 years ago. I went to New York, and I'm a soloist in a church there, if I have a new church. I do a lot of quite a bit of concert work in New York. I've been doing Kiss Me Kate, call me Madame, and you get your gun, soft Pacific for about two and a half years, I guess. It's a great show, of course. I can't dwell too much on that, I suppose. Certainly isn't. From the sounds, do you do a grand job? Thank you. Where did you get your French accent? It was hard to develop? No, not too hard. I studied with a man who teaches dialects. This man is a Russian himself, and he has about 12 different Chinese dialects alone, which he teaches. So I did have a little help on it, I will admit. However, Rajas and Hammerstein both told me that they would like to have just a bit of French accent. In other words, they wanted to be understood. Yes. They wanted the idea that across that this man is a foreigner and a Frenchman, originally, but they don't want to so French that, first again, understand what he's saying. Jean, while we were standing here and listening, of course, you were doing it without the aid of the

orchestra. Yes. Did you find it difficult to do that or just as easy as you were? Well, in this show, the orchestra points up all the dialogue. It's a great show to my mind, because of that fact. All the underscoring of that the orchestra plays is so great, and really our dialogue, as we did it here today, just in rehearsal, doesn't mean too much without this music underneath. It's wonderful. All the crescendos must come in a certain place, and our words have to be timed just right so that the ultimate result is satisfying and gratifying. How do you rate South Pacific? Oh. Shouldn't ask me that. As the greatest of all. I think it's wonderful. I'd be very happy if I played the back the rest of my life, but I suppose that's not possible. Do you like playing it in the round? Yes. I think this is the greatest way to see the theater now. The audience certainly has a part in this type of theater, and the people who are listening to your program, I should say to this, if you have never seen a production in the round, you really, really miss something thrilling. I think each member of the audience feels himself a

part of the show when you see it in this type of thing, and we have a great theater here, and you can see from every seat no problem of sound. I think it's a wonderful thing to see in here. Well, I've only been here for a few minutes, and new folks have convinced me. I'm sure that this would be a wonderful way to have a very enjoyable evening. I think I'll bring my wife out and come out and see it. We expect you to hear every night, then, probably. Well, probably. Yes, every night. Thank you very much. And listen, a lot of luck to you in the play and in their future show business. Thank you, you. Nice to be with you. Let's get back over here to Gene Bayless, the director. Gene has been talking to Jack Drummond, who plays Lieutenant Joseph Capel's in South Pacific. Gene, here I am budding in again. I hope you don't mind us doing this, but I think it's the best way for us to tell our story of how you fellas go about it out here, and so we'll just listen. That's quite all right here. You've been quite nice sitting by while I finished that other scene. Now we've gone back to this other one here. This is one of the first scenes in the show where Capel has just come onto the island. And he has met the men of the island. He's met Luther Billis, the comic

of the show, and he's met Bloody Mary. Mary has just tried to persuade him to go to Ballet High with the famous song from South Pacific Ballet High. Capel, who picks up this persuasion after Mary exits after the song, has other ideas of why he wants to go to Ballet High and is trying to help with the persuasion. Capel is left on stage alone here, and he has a duty to report to the officer of the island and report to him about the orders that he has just received. But right now, the idea of Ballet High is a little too much for him, and this music that Mary has been talking about, at last he has heard it, and is drawing him to the island. And that's the situation at this point, and it draws him into this that he does come out into a reprise of the song. Jack, could we pick it up there? All right, ready at the top? Yeah.

Excuse me a minute, Jack. Julian, could you come over here? Is his position all right with you, I mean, as far as the cutoff there on the end of the number? Well, the important thing is not the cutoff, I'd like to do a fade on the end rather than a cutoff. I think it's more important that he be facing me on his entrance on the beginning of the number because it's a little difficult. All right, well then we can just restate that at the beginning a little so that he does have your eye and you have his, and then it won't be so important that he's facing you on the end there. Right, but I would like to do a very gentle fade out

on the last note. All right, fine. Excuse me, Julian, I should have introduced you to Hugh here. This is Julian Stein, our musical conductor, who's been watching our rehearsal here all day. How do you do? Julian, it's a pleasure to know you, and Jean, thank you very much, and Jack, thank you. Wow. Thank you. I better get Julian over here because there's a million questions I'd like to ask him. Why don't you and I walk over here and let them go ahead and rehearse, Julian. Your orchestra isn't here today, although you're sitting in on the rehearsal, I guess you want to see how things are going. Well, nobody's here. Our pianist isn't here at the moment either. Well, now tell us something of the problems that you have, if there are any, with this cast and with this musical South Pacific. Well, there are no specific problems with this cast. There are a couple of problems, particularly in theater and around. I think the major problem is that endeavoring to try to play to all sides of the house in a round audience, as you say, a

singer must have his back to the conductor at some of the most crucial moments and this constitutes a problem. Well, now, for example, Julian, when you were talking about the fade out there that you would rather have in that particular song, Ballet High, with Jack, what was the purpose of that? Just an effect, primarily actually it's what the music calls for. It's what Richard Rogers intended and I think that's the way it should be done. That was right at the very end of the... Right at the end of the number. It doesn't end as it does the first time. This was a reprise. That is a repeat of a number which has already been done is called a reprise. How long have you been connected with the South Pacific, Julian? I'm just connected with music theater. I haven't been particularly connected with South Pacific. Oh, it's the same orchestra for each musical. Right, I'm the musical director here and I've done all the shows this season. This is our concluding show. Well, now, well, I'm going to ask a lot of questions about

the history and background of music theater with this gentleman standing over here in just a minute. So I suppose that you're not the proper person at the moment to talk about the history of this place. But I will ask you just a couple of questions. For example, how long is the run of South Pacific? Two weeks. We're beginning Monday. What's the date? The 26th. We're running for two weeks. Running for two weeks. Have you had a pretty good turnout? No, I'm sorry. It wouldn't be the 26th or the 19th. August 9th. Well, I will get that straight in a minute. But anyway, have you had a pretty good turnout? Very good. I don't know. Very good. You got a good orchestra? One of the best you can find in Chicago. You're not in a relation to Julie Stein. No, I'm not. You probably wish you were. Well, I wish they got the royalty checks mixed up. Thanks a million, Julian, for talking to us. Pleasure. Now let's talk for just a moment to the stage manager of the music theater, David Crane. David, we've been, as you know, listening in as they rehearsed a few of the songs for South Pacific and

discussed just a very few of the technical aspects of putting on a theater in the round. Now, I'd like for you to describe a little more in detail some of the things that you do here. Now, for example, Gene Bayless was telling us that you divide off the stage like a clock, 12 o 'clock, 1 o 'clock, and all the way around. Now, let's you and I just take a look at the stage and where is 12 o 'clock? Straight ahead of us here. 12 o 'clock's right ahead of us. Yes, we're standing at 6 o 'clock right now. That's the aisle that goes up into the stage house where the dressing rooms are. And directly across from us is 12 o 'clock where the orchestra sits. And just to the right of it, as you go clockwise, the first aisle you see is called 2 o 'clock. There's a post right here that often becomes a tree, depending upon the show, or a street light or something else of the sort. And that's just at 3 o 'clock. You know, until I got used to this, I kept looking at my watch every time we started to rehearse. And if somebody would say 2 o 'clock, take a quick peek and realize that it's not 8 o 'clock. That's going to all imagine. Now, of course, it moves around here to 6 o 'clock where we're standing. It's another aisle. I'm sorry, we're just about 5 .35. You're a little off or 5 minutes

slow. And then there's an aisle over here, which is what? We don't have to look at the watch. It's 8 o 'clock. And then the post over here? The post over here is 9 and there we are, a 10 o 'clock for the last aisle in the house. Well, now, what about scenery? What sort of scenery, for example, do you use in this particular play? Very little. As a matter of fact, we try to avoid the use of scenery as much as possible because of scene changes that have to take place in the dark within 10, 15 seconds at the top, during which time the orchestra plays just a little bit of blackout music. Does that not take away anything from the play? I don't think so. As a matter of fact, I'd like to go back to about a year ago when we did a production here called by the Beautiful Sea. And in it, there's a nightclub scene. A strong man comes in and does a strong man act, he picks up a 500 pound weight. During the blackout, there were four people who carried the weight on and set it down there. Of course, when there's a blackout, it isn't a complete blackout. The orchestra lights are on and people can be seen to a certain extent. These people came in and carried the

weight, put it down. Then the lights went on, the weight lifters started to lift the weight and actually got a hand on it because it looked so real. Then the lights went out and the weight lifter picked it up and ran up the aisle with it and got the biggest laugh at this show. Well, I don't, you obviously couldn't have much scenery or some of the people in the theater and the round couldn't see. Precisely. Any time there is scenery, we try to make things that can be seen through. In this show, there's a wall that has to be a wall to indicate the background of one of the scenes and instead of an actual wall, it's simply four pieces of bamboo and anyone sitting behind it sees right through it. David, you know, when I stop to think of it, theater in the round is something that if you haven't seen it, it's rather difficult to imagine it. But I suppose when you describe it, you would say that theater in the round is just exactly what it sounds like amazingly enough. It's a round theater. It's certainly a round theater and it harks back to maybe even 5 ,000 years ago when there was a

campfire, people sitting around it. Then gradually that became more and more formal, just a storyteller sitting at the campfire than the story became more formalized. And we'd be more concerned with the center rather than a campfire. It would become a tomb, then it would become a stage. And the point of attack would go back farther and farther in the story instead of talking about somebody who's dead in the tomb that talked about the life of the person. And gradually that became more and more stylized into the theater. After a while, the people who were watching theaters, I have an idea why this happened, changed it from a round situation to one in which everybody faced the same way, probably because the sun setting at a certain time of day would hit the stage at that time and people after dinner would watch it. I'm not sure that I'm right, but I might write a dissertation about that. Well, you should. When did theater in the round come back then? Well, I don't know the exact date, but it's been popular for a good many years. We're going to get to her

broaders here. Well, my boss knows all about that. I think he started the theater in the rounds and very likely, if not in this part of the country and the West Coast. Well, everybody in here can certainly see, well, as I can see by looking at the seats because they all slant up. And we're standing right almost in the center of the stage, which is for all intents and purposes around stage. During rehearsal, often people come in and I have to be nice and say, I'm sorry, you can't watch the rehearsal, but they come in to look and see where the best seat in the house is and they invariably ask where it is. And I say, every seat is the best. Actually, this is true. If you sit close or far away anywhere around, you'll always see the best part of the show with the entire show. What about hearing acoustics? How are they? They're perfect. For one very good reason, we have very fine microphones and loudspeaker systems as you can see up above. And if an actor is facing in one direction, he has no alternative. His own voice will be heard, then it'll be picked up by microphones and heard behind him with just as much

intensity. Well, David, thank you so much for talking to us. You sound like a man. Not only in no theater in the round, but you know theater. Well, I'm very happy in the business. Thank you very much for talking to us. Good luck. Thank you, Hugh. Thanks very much. Well, David, while we have just a couple of minutes here, I'd like to talk to one of the leads, the female lead in South Pacific, Betty Jane Watson. Betty Jane plays Nellie Forbush. That's right, Hugh. Betty, how long have you been in show business? Oh, quite a few years. I started right here in Chicago, in fact. I started studying at the American Conservatory of Music. Then I think my first engagement was with Griff Williams here at the Palmer House in the Empower Room. I was a singer, of course. Yes, aha. And I went, did you get into the acting on the stage? Well, I went to New York in 1944 and got the part of glory in Oklahoma. And then I came back out here at the Irlangor Theater and I met my husband out here and we were married. And then both of us went back to New York to take over the parts. And then I went to London, took the privilege of taking Oklahoma over to

London. Then I came back and we had our little girl, Cynthia Lee. And this is the second time I've played South Pacific here in Holland Park. I was here two years ago and then the season where I was here in pajama game. So I'm kind of like a Chicagoite. Well, you're a stellar Chicago girl. You live around Chicago then? No, no. I live in New York. I live in a little suburb outside of New York called Piermont, New York. I know you don't know where it is. No, I don't. I'm not even from the east and I wouldn't know. But we'd like to have you back here in Chicago. What we do get you just once a summer though? Well, I usually, I wasn't here last summer but I've been here twice this summer so I guess it's kind of made up for it. What was the other one you were in? Pajama game. Pajama game and now South Pacific. That's right. What's your favorite play and what's your favorite role? Well, I think Nelly Forbush is my favorite and another close one is Annie and Annie gets your gun. I enjoy doing that. Thank you very much and listen. A lot of luck to you in the play and in their future show business. Now let's talk to Musa Williams who plays Bloody Mary in South Pacific here at the Music Theatre in Highland Park. Musa, how long have you been in show business?

I'm ashamed to tell you. I know for quite a number of years. So I retract the whole question. If you wish and maybe I'll tell the truth. Is this your first time you've played Bloody Mary? No, indeed. I played Bloody Mary in the New York production. From the beginning I was in the show and understudied Miss Juanita Hall who did the original Bloody Mary. And in 1952 she left and then I took over and finished 1952, 1953, and 54. Were you on the road show at all? No, that was called International Company. I was in the Broadway production. Yes. I think we didn't go on the road. The International show came out here. Yes, yes, you had them out here. Well now, would you give us some of your background besides playing in South Pacific? Well, it certainly has been. I have been with such productions as The Drama Porgine. Now maybe you'll know how long I've been in show business. I was a little girl then. But The Drama was the play from which the opera Porgine Best was taken. So

of course I grew along with that and worked in Porgine Best until that was the original Porgine Best. Until after the first revival of The Porgine Best, which was in 1942, and I was in all productions. So I feel like I was one of the roots of Porgine Porgine Best. And way back I could take you further back than you'll know, but your grandmother will tell you about Lulestus Blackbirds, Rhapsody in Black with old, I shouldn't say old, but with Miss Ethel Waters of course. I was going to say an old performer. And so you know that I've been working for quite a long time. I've been in Cabin in the sky, members, daughters, in Happy Birthday with Helen Hayes, set my people free. I've worked with some of the finest directors, such as Ruben Mammullian and Josh Logan and Mr. Abbott. Oh, I really could name so many. It'll make me seem like I'm a hundred. But I feel very excited and very happy to have been connected with the RNH, as we say, for Rodgers and Hammerstein through two shows, as I say, Happy Birthday with Helen Hayes

and with South Pacific. It made me working with them and owe for about eight years at different times. Well Muse, that sounds like a wonderful and rich background. And certainly I think you probably have had a wonderful life. Do you get tired at all of playing Bloody Mary after all of these years? Well, I really didn't. I enjoyed it so much. It's the most exciting role I think. And I think if you really keep yourself kind of perked up, I don't believe you can get tired of Bloody Mary. This is my first season however, doing it in the round. How do you like it? Very much. I did it two weeks ago or I will say three weeks ago in Rhode Island and Connecticut. And that was my first time. And now I'm very sorry that I didn't do it the first day that it was released. But I certainly am looking forward to a pleasant engagement here and hope I'll have your support because I'll need it, because maybe the outdoor people in Chicago might frighten me and I won't know my lines. Oh, I don't think that would ever happen to you. We want to thank you so much for talking to us, Muse, and we hope the players are smart. Well, thank you, Hugh. It was so nice meeting you. Good luck.

Thank you. Well, last but certainly not the least as the saying goes, we're going to talk to the boss of this outfit. Her broadgers, who is the producer and the man who has to do all of the worrying for everybody. He worries so much that he was worried about this radio program. When I could have told him when we came in here would be one of our best shows. And her, it is. You've got a wonderful story here and I've enjoyed telling it. And I want to ask you just a few more of the problems that you must face. And I suppose the biggest one is getting the people out here to see the plays. Well, yes, Hugh, that is. What was your question again? Not much of a question, just a statement and I suppose you'll agree with it. But how do you go about, well, we'll say publicizing it. I notice you don't buy any time on our station. No, we buy enough time. The music theater now has been here for eight years and we've been advertising each year and all the downtown meant to pop newspapers in the North Shore papers and that sort of thing. We don't take time on the radio. We usually get a lot of time on the radio by various

programs and that's everything. I agree with you. This is probably the best shot you've had in a long time though, isn't it? Well, one of the wonderful things about theater is that you do get a lot of free time and free space in newspapers. And it's because the fact that we are dealing with the public and an interest at the majority of the public is interested in, which is theater. It's like any other mass participation, even like baseball or anything else. It's dealing with the public and the public wants to see it. So they are curious about various personalities and various shows that have been hits on Broadway and that sort of thing. And so we do get a great deal of free time. Well, now her, South Pacific, as everyone knows, is a musical and a great one. Do you also put on plays, drama? No, I operate the tent house theater, which is two miles north of the music theater here in Highland Park. And at the tent house theater, we do straight dramas and comedies and that's our thing. Here at Music Theater, this season we opened with the

pajama game and then we did plain and fancy, then can -can. And we did wish you were here. We had a swimming pool right in the pit. And the swimming pool? Yeah, and then we did, we're doing Damianci's this week, which was, well, I suppose it's - Well, we're on the air, you're doing South Pacific. That's right, that's right. And we're doing South Pacific this week. Well, now let's get the dates straight on South Pacific a little while ago. We only have one more week, according to, we are closing Labor Day. And with the South Pacific, it's running all this week. And we run every night of the week, seven nights a week. And then they'll all go back to New York. Well, Herb, if we run just about out of time, Don, we're just about out of time here, pal. I can sit here and talk to you for another hour about theater in the round because this isn't my first experience with it. I've seen theater in the round, but it's the first experience I've ever had in trying to tell the story. And certainly it's an interesting one indeed. We want to thank you for allowing us to come out here and listen in as your cast rehearses and talk to you and everybody involved. Well, thank you very much and we're very happy that you came around today to catch rehearsal.

And that's the story of music theater of Highland Park. This is Hugh Hill speaking. If we take the order with us because we want to follow you.