Grande Dame
HEARD by chance last week the opening scenes of Act III of The Way of the World, with Dame Edith Evans as Lady Wishfort. Dame Edith was, in her youth, the Millament of her time; there can surely be no doubt, that in her maturity, she is the Lady Wishfort of all time. Her voice in this role is like a flawed wind instrument of enormous width of timbre, a slaying flaying instrument for all those unfortunates called upon to serve her. This, for example, to Peg, who has brought her a tiny cup from which to drink cherry brandy. "What a cup hast thou brought! Dost thou take me for a fairy to drink out of an acorn? Why dost thou not bring a thimble?" Dame Edith turns Lady Wishfort into a virtuoso harridan, queen of invective, mistress of an irritability so enormous that it seems enlarged to carry the whole world of ill-humour, yet withal, wildly funny and engaging. One’s only fear is that her identity with this part will be so complete, the lines along which she has laid it down so decisive and authoritative, that, as with her Lady Bracknell, no.other actress will ever be able to
play her.
B.E.
G.M.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19570712.2.49.4
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 935, 12 July 1957, Page 31
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207Grande Dame New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 935, 12 July 1957, Page 31
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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