BEIRUT, LEBANON SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 1967 Anderson's Fairy Tale Captivates Children, And Adults By ANNE GOODHUE Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale "The Emperor's new Clothes" has been brought to life and installed at the Gul- benkian Auditorium with per- formances on the afternoons of March 10, 11, and 12. In past seasons Rose Chur- chill and her helpers, like San- ta Claus, have fashioned one attractive surprise after ano- ther. Her latest offering to the small fry contingent of Beirut is a diverting and intelligently conceived package indeed, In case anyone is in doubtas to the plot of Anderson's story it goes FOR YOUNG AND OLD: Acting out a scene in the enchanting ART production of "The like this: Emperor's New Clothes" are (from left): Ron Priddy as the general (background), Bill Zar and Zan, who call them- Blakemore as the wicked Han, and Al Miller as Zan. selves adventurers, reach the formulate a plan to avenge the beautiful in the world but one an upside down "U". The tall city of the Emperor and dis- weavers and expel Han® They which is invisible to the eye and debonair Emperor,playe cover sadness and dispair am- persuade the Emperor, whose of any beholder who is either by Bill Nystrom, makes one ong the royal weavers who are passion for new and beautiful foolish or unfit for his or her feel that at any rate the Empe- being exploited and ruined by clothes is all-enveloping, that position in life. Unopposed by ror has good reason to be vain wicked Han, Prime Minister to i they can weave for him a cloth anyone under these conditions, about his clothes. Prunella Ha- the Emperor. The adventurers which is not only the most the weavers measure and fit nania's fragile and apprehen- the Emperor to his invisible sive Empress is, by contrast, garments, catch out the Prime beguilingly human and sympa- Minister at his treacheries, thetic. and in the end make the Em- In fact, all the players -and peror aware, in a most expos- they are numerous-are sympa- ed manner, of his blindnesses thetic and, aboveall, believable, as a monarch. for Rose Churchill is not guilty Larry Snyder and Allen Mil- of playing down to her audi- ler play the prevaricating ence. And her production shows weavers like twin Jacks in a very high order of accom- Boxes. They tumble and cart- plishment on the technical side® wheel, bolt, banter, juggle and Handsome costumes, imagina- somersault and even find the tive sets and properties, state- time to thread empty air into Yy background music composed a giant loom. They are seem- for the production by Douglas ingly inexhaustible, altogether Kirkwood are among the ingre- lunatic, and, happily, victo- dients that make truly genial rious. magic take hold at the Gul- William Blakeway's Han-his benkian theater. And this ma- evil character orchestrated by gic, unlike the Emperor's pa- a sinister clashing cymbal- rade clothes, is readily dis- employs a voice which is more cernable to children and their growl and a scowl like parents alike. IMPERIAL COUPLE: In "The Emperor's New Clo- thes" Bill Nystrom plays the tall and debonair Empe- ror who is vain about his clothes, while Prunella Ha- nan portrays a fragile and most human Empress by way of contrast.