... 'A Man and a Circus Ring' A PRIZE for originality is deserved by the Theatre Group of the Royal College of Art, London, for eschewing the church halls of Edinburgh and performing their contribution to the Festival Fringe, A Man and a Circus Ring, in a maruuee disguised as a circus tent. The show, which opened on August 18, is an entertaining and noisy frolic with a serious core, an aspect ...

... Marlene Dietrich MARLENE DIETRICH, the incomparable artist, casts a magic spell on audiences at the Lyceum this week, holding them entranced for sixty-five exciting minutes From the moment the celebrated figure appears on stage, a slender sheath of shimmering gold, we are completely captivated by every teasing note and gesture, as she weaves her dazzling way through a programme of eighteen ...

... 'The House of The Dead' LAST Friday evening saw the fifth and last production in the Prague Opera Season at the King's, Edinburgh, the British premifcre of Janacek's The House of the Dead. Written in 1928 to his own libretto adapted from Dostoevsky's Journal from the House of the Dead the work is a powerful evocation of the liv ing death of a prison camp in Siberia. Almost without plot, the ...

... 'Two Plays' TWO one-act plays by the Polish author Slawomir Mrozek, were presented at the Traverse Theatre. Edinburgh, on August 28. The Party in its original language may have held some deep significance for Polish audiences, but it must be admitted that most of the audience at the Traverse at the opening performance seemed somewhat puzzled. Three young men noisily burst into a room, ...

... by John Montgomery DIRECTOR JOHN GOLD is to make The Harp that Once lor Columbia Pictures, with Nicol Williamson starring. jJIKMAN COHEN is to star Ldith Evans in Crooks and Coronets the first of two l>!ms which he will produce for Warner Brothers-Seven Ails. Jim O'Con- nolly will direct his own screen play. IYANNY KAYE and Terence Stamp are lo co-star in Felinni's IV! m The Satyricon of ...

... STAGE fighting, especially with swords, has been an important aspect of theatre production, at certain periods being dealt with by selected experts to ensure accuracy as well as dramatic effect. Today, stage fighting production or arrangement has become something of an art in itself. For the amateur, youth or school company, though the professional too may find it of interest, the latest ...

... Rock Circus, 30 minutes, French subtitles THIS was a rock concert in a circus setting in the studio. Performances and music were good and the de signer particularly caught the eye. He used motor bikes and an Ameri can car with lighting and effects that were very imaginative. Producer and director had worked out a very good balance of material for what could have otherwise been a non-televisual ...

... Italy Celentano; fear of triumph, 51 minutes ADRIAN CELENTANO is said to be the biggest show business talent at the moment in Italy. In this rather pretentious pop-documentary we were frequently cut from one of his very successful outdoor concerts to him in his dressing room waiting to ko on and then to his discussion with a television reporter about his fear of such big crowds as he attracts. ...

... Bulgaria Elixir for All, 31 minutes A STRAIGHTFORWARD opera compilation with next to no linking and done in the studio in front of an audience, this had no place in a light entertainment festival. We asked how it had come to be admitted, but the chairman of the organisers said that he had referred it back to the originating company who said that it was what they wanted to enter and it had ...

... Canada Dream Weaver, 50 minutes, no subtitles A SORT of variety ice show, this might have been an outstanding production had it not been for a poor beginning, and mixing just a little too many solo pieces. Performed in front of an audience, it looked like a very expensive and very rehearsed production. Star of the show was skater Toller Cranston and he was joined by song writer and performer ...

... France (TF 1) Number One: Raymond Devos, 51 minutes, no sub titles WE logged that 28W minutes of this production was taken up with the comedian star of the show, Ray mond Devos, doing a stand up act straight to camera. A sort of Bernard Manning who is very popular in France, Devos worked hard trying to inject some life into gags heard in the Paris music halls before televi sion ran them down. ...

... Switzerland The Little Guitar, 34 minutes AN orchestra rehearsing in the studio takes a break for lunch and the char is left to do some tidying up. This is her chance to realise her ambition of becoming a performer. She sees a small guitar and from there we are taken through some numbers, dream sequences and reality, with a little animation of instruments. There was a tango number, Indian ...