With'A String of Pearls' Berytus Ensemble Establishes Reputation Here By LOUISA KENNEDY up the pace. Patricia Smith, "A String Of Pearls", under Peter Shebaya, Lindy and Iaian the direction of David Kurani, MacWilliams, and Stefan Kem- opened at West Hall stage on ball all bring to Shaw's people Thursday, January 23. Perfor- a special radiance. Patricia mances resume again this week Smith positively smokes with beginning on Thursday, January energy. Peter Shebaya, quite 30. rightly, underplays the Inca, With their offering of five One adjusts himself from rowdier Act plays under the collective objectives in Chekhov earlier in title "A String Of Pearls" the the evening, locates the Inca's Berytus Theatre Ensemble has more modulated character and undoubtedly established itself tinges it with becoming gentle- firmly and professionally as an ness. important repertory group. Lindy MacWilliam as the ap- The five plays chosen have in prehensive, rabbity little prin- common one ingredient: Co- cess handles her scene withthe medy. In order to point up right note of wistfulness. Stefan comedy in its various rhythms Kemball has the ability to inject and dimensions Berytus has dimension into the briefest of dipped into many different parts. As the barman in "Last veins. To Go," the Russian servant Desperate as they may be, it is Looka in "The Bear" and as the nonetheless interesting that diffident British hotel employee three of the five plays culmi- in "Inca..." he explores a wide nate in marriage proposals. In range of humanity and never "The Bear," by Anton Chekhov a Shirley Irving and Peter Shebava misses illuminating that which defiant widow accepts an offer is important and deeply charac- of marriage from a neighbor teristic in each be it with a sim- whom, seconds before, she has ple hand gesture, a momentary sworn to shoot in a duel. In tice to both 19th century drama- format. downward arc at the side of the "Then", by David Campton, two tic techniques as well as the "Last To Go" is, primarily, mouth, or a fleeting gleam in the survivors of an incinerated more timeless, human equa- Pinter parodying Pinter dia- eye. world agree to a permanent tions in the play. Shebaya is logue. In this respect it is a Director Kurani saves much responsibility before either has particularly sensitive to the tantalizing little tour de force of his most powerful ammuni- seen the other's face. In Shaw's alter egos (the mental hypo- of repititious conversation. Ar- tion for the evening's conclud- "Inca Of Perusalem" a lady's chondriac and the adamant guments could be raised as to ing moments Ionesco's "Saluta- maid turns down an Emperor's male) of Smirnov. And the tran- whether it need be run backward tions," in terms of pure theatre proposal in the process of sition he effects between the two or forward the sense remains is, perhaps, the happiest combi- choosing one of his sons as is an utterly believable and the same. It seemed to me that nation in the production. Krikor husband for her mistress. engaging piece of work. Stefan Kemball and Iaian Mac- Satamian, Stefan Kemball and The remaining two plays in While Campton's Then lies William reach the essence of David Kurani as three speci- the sequence are burlesques on comfortably within the realm of the parody so rapidly that per- mens of Ionesco absurdity conversational gambits. "Last modern theatre it is, perhaps, haps they have even beaten the plunge swiftly into a devastat- To Go" by Harold Pinter, and too insular to appeal to all playwrite at his own game. In ing routine of verbosity and "Salutations" by Ionesco. tastes. I, personally, find the any case, for Pinter enthusiasts mime which they pull off with Shirley Irving and Peter She- theme already worn and its peo- particularly, these four minutes considerable charm and skill. baya gracefully depict Chekho- ple essentially uninteresting as (eight, if you count the backward I'm sure Ionesco himself could vian comic irony in The Bear. dramatic principals. But Iaian run) are absorbing ones, slyly ask for nothing more. Three Recognizing that Chekhov's cWilliam and Lindy MacWil- constructed and ably sustained. lady spectators (Patricia Smith, mysterious charm emanates not liam display many qualities di- "Inca Of Perusalem" (Shaw) go- Leila Ogden- Smith and Luba from situation but from charac- verting in themselves and at es like a bonfire thanks both to Khairallah) whimsically charge terization of normal, if drama- times achieve moments that crackling lines and the ability the scene with gaity in a totally tically inclined folk they do jus- justify the play's meandering of the Berytus players to keep delightful Can Can.