The Playhouse began its last season under the direction of Theron Bamberger. The actors that comprised the company that season were Playhouse regulars. Local husband and wife team Francis Reid and Philip Bourneuf appeared in many productions as did Sara Seegar, Margaret Mullen, Ruth White, and Ronald Telfer. The season opened up with productions of Mister Roberts, The Country Girl, The Voice of the Turtle and Celia. |
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| Goodbye Again by Allan Scott and George Haight ran in July with Philip Bourneuf in the lead and Sara Seegar and Frances Reid in supporting roles. |
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John van Druten's sophisticated comedy Old Acquaintance played in July with Sara Seegar (Katherine) and Ruth White (Mildred) in the leads. The story centered on two novelists who lead very different lives. Their friendship is strained when Katherine's daughter attempts to steal Mildred's boyfriend away from her. Ms. Seegar was married to director Ezra Stone. They lived in Bucks County and 1953 was Ms. Seegar's eighth season with Bucks. |
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Philip Bourneuf |
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The Happy Time teamed up old favorites Frances Reid and Philip Bourneuf. The "happy time" referred to in the title is the growing up of a young boy in Ottawa, Canada in the 1920's. Although Reid and Bourneuf had appeared at Bucks many times since 1941, this was their second appearance together. |
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Ruth White |
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Philip Bourneuf and Frances Reid |
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Ruth White next starred in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. It was White's third starring role of the summer and fifth season at Bucks. By the end of the 1953 season, Miss White had played 42 different roles in those five years. |
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Ronald Telfer starred in Meet The Wife again co-starring Ruth White and several of the Playhouse regulars. Later that season he recreated the role of Gaston Lachaille in Gigi, a role he had played previously on Broadway. |
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Ronald Telfer |
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| Next up, Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes starring from left to right, Sara Seegar, Ronald Telfer and Ruth White. Sara Seegar was Theron Bamberger's choice to play Regina, the role originated on Broadway by Tallulah Bankhead. Ruth White was Birdie. Ronald Telfer played Horace Giddens. |
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Sara Seegar, Ronald Telfer and Ruth White
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| Gigi was the second to last show of the season starring Margaret Bannerman. A Canadian-born actress, Ms. Bannerman was internationally known for her stage and screen work. Here at home, she was a frequent radio and television performer. |
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Margaret Bannerman |
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Thorton Wilder's Our Town was the final production of the 1953 season. Our Town starred more than thirty cast members including Robert Caldwell as the narrator. He was also the resident director at the time. |
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Robert Caldwell |
Our Town was the final production of Theron
Bamberger's reign as producer of the Bucks CountyPlayhouse. Mr. Bamberger had taken over at
Philadelphia's Playhouse in the Park in 1952 and knew
that this season at Bucks would be his last. Towards the
end of the Bucks season he started to have doubts
about leaving. On the day of the final performance of
Our Town, he called the Bucks County Playhouse to explain that he was tied up with duties at the Playhouse
in the Park. The same message was given to Playhouse
in the Park regarding Bucks. Mr. Bamberger was
hospitalized and died two days later of "hypertension
aggravated by injuries sustained in an automobile
accident" that he suffered while driving with a friend.
Friends said he died of a broken heart.
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Phyllis and Theron Bamberger |
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