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Show "The Miracle Worker" Brightens PCHS Stage lead to an understanding of language and ultimately the meaning of things in the world, that word "everything" could seem utterly impossible. But Annie Sullivan is not one to give up, and again, Kelly Utley's indefatigable energy is something to be commended. Following the two-week period per-iod in the garden house, Helen's parents come to take Helen back to their house. Annie objects vehemently, knowing she hasn't taught Helen nearly as much as she had wanted. The play ends with Helen finally learning how to spell "water" in her hand and realizing that the word itsf has a meaning, and that there is such a thing as language. She can now tell people what she wants without throwing temper tantrums. Brenda Bensch should consider con-sider taking The Miracle Worker on tour to different high schools in Utah. It would probably serve as an inspiration inspira-tion to other students interested interest-ed in theater. Because of the subject matter mat-ter dealt with in The Miracle Worker, attention is naturally drawn to Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan; however, the remaining roles should not be overlooked as they, too, were acted effectively: Mike Jarvis (the doctor), Susan Mann (Aunt Ev), Wade Wallin (Percy), (Per-cy), Mickie Roach (Martha), Gavin Packard (James, Helen's brother). Brent Kimball (Ana-gnos). (Ana-gnos). Korey Lewis (Viney). Tree Brown, who assisted Mrs. Bensch in directing, played the part of a servant in the Keller house. During a s.ene at the beginning begin-ning of the -jlay. Annie tells good bye to he' blind students at Perkins Institute, shortly before going to the Keller home in Alabama. The blind students were played by Angie ' Polychronis. Linda Byer, Ccl-leen Ccl-leen Burns. Lisa Simmons, and Connie Hamilton. The set for The Miracle Worker was designed and built by Dave chaplin. Bill Sellier, and Gavin Packard. Tina Lewis, Sonya Ratcliff and Heather Landis made the beautiful costumes which were very much in keeping with southern tradition. It was unfortunate The Miracle Mir-acle Worker played only two nights. More people should have seen it. Julie Eriksen and Kelly Ut-lcv Ut-lcv should win academy awards for their performances Friday night in The Miracle Worker produced at Park City High School. Reviewing high school plays is precarious because the actors are usually either inexperienced inex-perienced or terribly self conscious cons-cious on stage and one is reluctant to give a totally honest account of their performances perfor-mances for fear of damaging their sensibilities. But the play last week was so surperb in manv ways, it was hard to believe that it took place in a high school. As Helen Keller. Julie Erik-sen Erik-sen reminded me of the tour de force performance by Patty Duke in the original version of The Miracle Worker which was made into a movie. And Kelly Utley. as Annie Sullivan, the teacher who tries to teach the deaf and blind Helen how to communicate with people as well as the importance of language, was equally impressive. impres-sive. In some ways, Annie Sullivan is a more difficult role than Helen Keller because it demands a tremendous amount of energy 'throughout each scene. The interreaction between Julie Eriksen and Kelly Utley was intensely moving in some of the scenes; they seemed to compliment each other's actions. Whenever Julie Eriksen Erik-sen was on stage, one could sense the entire audience staring star-ing at her; she not only had the right physical characteristics characteris-tics for the role of Helen Keller, she also had total concentration as she "blindly" made her way from one scene to the next. The first scene opens with Helen Keller's parents. Captain Cap-tain Keller and his wife, Katie, looking at their new born child in the crib. At the close of this scene, the awful realization comes over them that the baby can not see or hear. Lights abrupty go out and we are quickly taken to the Keller household in Tuscum-bia. Tuscum-bia. Alabama for the next scene, a few years later when Helen is seen groping through the house, trying to make sense of a world she can neither see or hear. Both Wess Jolley as Helen's domineering and impatient father and Cammi Glad as her sensitive mother were well suited for their parts. Wess Jolly has a commanding presence pres-ence and he was perfect for the role of Helen Keller's father. When he shouted at other family members during the moments of utter frustration regarding Helen's inability to cope, you certainly had no problem hearing him. When Annie Sullivan arrives at the Keller's house and meets Helen for the first time, anticipation grows as to how the two will ultimately get along. Helen immediately begins be-gins exploring her teacher's suitcase, touching and feeling the contents the first sign given to Annie that Helen may be blind and deaf, but she has an inquisitive mind and is eager to learn. That night, Annie writes in a letter one of the problems she faces in teaching Helen language "how to control her without breaking her spirit." At first, Helen is wild and uncontrollable after having been pampered by her parents for years. But Annie is determined deter-mined to install obedience in Helen. "Obedience is the gateway gate-way to learning," Annie writes in another one of her letters. The first violent encounter between Helen and Annie comes during a dinner scene. Helen is being her usual un cooperative self, banging utensils uten-sils on the table and disturbing the rest of the family. Annie orders everyone out of the room so she can be with Helen alone. After the family has left, Annie attempts to teach Helen how to eat with a spoon rather than with her hands. Helen throws on spoon after another away as Annie gives them to her. Finally, Helen takes a mouthful of food from the spoon only to spit it in Annie Sullivan's face. And Annie then throws a pitcher of water in Helen's face. The timing of this confrontation confronta-tion between Julie Eriksen and Kelly Utley was vital in order to make the scene work; and they were without question magnificent in the way they reacted to each other. As the play progressed from one scene to the next, showing how Annie Sullivan gradually made her presence known to Helen, there was rarely a lag in the action. And this was due to the solid directing by Brenda Bensch. Mrs. Bensch has in the past dire:ted some very good plays at the high school (for example, The Diary of Anne Frank last year), but I think The Miracle Worker is her best in a long time. Even if a director has talented actors to work with, it takes a lot of skill to create a production that moves an audience, such as The Miracle Worker did last week. Annie finally succeeds in disciplining Helen during a two-week period in the garden house when the two are com-.pletely com-.pletely alone and Helen must rely on her teacher for everything. every-thing. Shortly before intemis-sion, intemis-sion, Annie says to herself (while staring at Helen): "Now, all I have to do is teacher her one word everything." every-thing." Realizing the only way Annie can get through to Helen is by use of the hands in forming letters, which she hopes will ! f I ! ? . If f . : h ; ( f j I ! ! if ' ! 6 : ' s i v f I i I ' '": ; i t" 1 : . A f; , ) I J " ' ' ' i "? j ! I j J ' J ' ' ' j ' I I I ' i ,Jz- j I ! J j ' . ' . i . I . , I : : i v. " - I - r j X- ' : ; it - : ; ! i j ' i ; t'r . ' i ' I I j I J i - j . ' i : . . ' i . f 1 i t i f" J ! f I I t i t 1 It : 1 . '2 '' ' "S |