MIRANDOLINA, The Mistress of the Inn - HPT - 1984

 And now...back to  THE HIP POCKET THEATRE  and our 1984 production of CARLO GOLDINI's  1753 play  THE MISTRESS OF THE INN.

( seen above are  JOHN MURPHY, DICK HARRIS  &  JAMES MAYNARD in a publicity photo by MICHAEL BODYCOMB)

We veared wildly about in that outdoor summer season, THE HEAD, HANDS & TOE SHOW, a mime review by JOHNNY SIMONS opened the season. This was followed by the first stage adaptation of  THE MALTESE FALCON,  which was also my own return to the Theatre playing the role of Joel Cairo.

 Then the Scottish play  UNDERNEATH THE TOP DOWN,  which I have posted about earlier...and after that this classical comedy of manners...

...and after that the season ending production, my own adaptation of the film ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN!

I ask you, Where on Earth could you go to see a theatrical season like that? THE HIP POCKET THEATRE, that is Where...and now almost 40 years on they are Still producing landmark seasons out under the Texas Summer skies. I'm so proud to have once been a part of that tradition.

 Just a bit of a footnote about the GOLDONI play:

 It is considered the first theatrical work since SHAKESPEARE  to deal honestly with the relations between the sexes. No less than  CONSTANTIN STANSLAVSKI,  the Russian Founder of the School of Modern Acting, staged the play in te first season of the MOSCOW ART THEATRE ( famous for promoting the new works of that youngster  ANTON CHEKHOV)  in 1989, with he himself playing the leading role...(seen above in a photo from the second revival in 1914)

...Even earlier than this, the Italian actress ELENORA DUSE, whose career predated Sarah Bernhart in the early 1800's, had assayed the role.

She even performed in the play before the then young Queen Victoria on an English Tour ( as pictured above in one of the earliest known photographs of a stage actress).

I wasn't going to post anything about this show, since I didn't have any material...or so I thought...

Once again the turning of the dusty old files hase uncovered a rendering which even I had forgotten about....