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Junior high play keeps audience in suspence“The Haunted Tea Room.” the Junior high mystery comedy presented Thursday and Friday nights, kept the audience in suspense, trying to determine just who was the villain. The stage and sound effects including the downpour of rain, theflashes of lightning and the roll of thunder added much to theeerie plot.The Willowmere Tea Room and Inn had the reputation ofharboring a ghost who walkedat midnight. Once, the tea room had been the home of a wealthy widow whose only child had drowned in a nearby creek. The shock unbalanced the mother’s mind, and the superstition was that her ghost wandered around the house looking for her child and wailing. On the opening night of the tea room, a long white hand snapped off the lights and mournful wailing was heard. Since that night, people had been afraid to come.What a nightStranded at the inn by awstorm, several youngsters from nearby schools, after seeing a white hand throw in a note, setabout to solve the mystery. What a night they had !The villain proved to be Gerald Fenwick (Gary Theall, Bob Loter) whose father owned a local restaurant. Gerald was the ghost, who turned off the lights, cut the telephone wires and had the long white hand. His sole purpose was to drive business away from the Willowmere TeaRoom. Because Jessie’s fatherowed Mr. Fenwick money, she was forced to be Gerald’s accomplice and furnish the wailing. Jessie, played by Janice Nixon and Barbara Bradford, worked in the kitchen at the inn. No one suspected either Gerald or Janice.Cast membersNo attempt should be made to compare the two casts. Both performed well and were composed of experienced players as wellADACC BIDCas those appearing in their firstplay.G’athv Van Zanl and Diane Lofton ably played the role of Linda Berry, who with her sister, Lottie (Brenda Jinkens and Noli Kane) came to Willowmereto help their aunt. Linda, the leader, was capably assisted in solving the mystery by the good-looking boy next door (Ray Price, Jim Davis).Snoopy Crane (Mark Bang-hart and John Vance) was good as the amateur detective intent on finding the clues to solve the mystery.Relieving the suspense were Harold Reem and Bill Mathias-check. who presented an inter-tion of the absent-minded bug-ologist, Horace Witherspoon,with his continuous bits of wisdom regarding the insect world. In sharp contrast were ClaireLondon (Kimberle Geiger and Lynn Dickey) who portrayed the nervous but perfect’’ lady and Josephine Boggs, the perfect” tomboy (Debby Klapprott and Frances Chase).The ghost scenes and the wailing sent the audience, especially the young members, into screams of fright and surprise.Much praise should be given to the director, Parvin Jenkins, for the patience and work necessary to produce a successfulthree-act play with a doublecast.esting, humorous characteriza-tllir Daiht (6atr (£th|KEOKUK. IOWASATURDAY, NOV. 19, 19663m • *,THE VALUE OF A SPIRITUAL OUTLOOKEvery day we depend on vision” that goes beyond whatour eyes sje. The challenge is always to find a greatervisiona deeper spiritual perception — that will guidemankind’s progress, and lift men everywhere into theiraa a r» aU i I rl r An a f P U a a r 1 L i a m iUIi a I aa! iif A AM
Newspaper Details
Keokuk Daily Gate City
Keokuk, Iowa, US
Sat, Nov 19, 1966
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Burlington P.
IA, USA 24 Oct 2019
Other Publications Near Keokuk, Iowa
Keokuk Daily Gate City and Constitution Democrat
Keokuk Morning Glory
Keokuk Constitution Weekly
Keokuk Dispatch
Keokuk Weekly Dispatch
