At the Baalbek Festivals This Summer

The English "Old Vic" company performs two plays of Shakespeare: "The Merchant of Venice" and "Antony and Cleopatra"

Since the beginning of this year, the Baalbek Festivals Committee has been holding meeting after meeting and distributing the work, in preparation for this summer's festivals. In view of the great success achieved last summer by the English "Old Vic" company under the direction of Mr. Atkins, the committee entered into contacts with the same company, once it had become clear to it that it specializes in staging the plays of Shakespeare, the greatest dramatist in the world without exception.

At the beginning of May last, the company sent its artistic director, Mr. Benthall, to Beirut to make contact with the members of the committee, visit the temples of Baalbek, arrange matters, and reach agreement upon them.

On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 8, Mr. Benthall held a press conference in the office of the Baalbek Festivals Committee for the representatives of the local press and the correspondents of the foreign press. Attending this meeting were Madame Charles Kettaneh, president of the committee, Madame Charles Malik, Lady Cochrane, Madame Fouad al-Said, and Messrs. Jean Fattal, Fuad Sarruf, and Georges al-Rayess.

Mr. Sarruf opened the proceedings and introduced Mr. Benthall to the journalists, then took on the task of interpreting between the men of the press and the great man of the theater. He thanked the journalists for answering the invitation and explained the mission for which Mr. Benthall had come. After Mr. Benthall had spent a full day at Baalbek conferring with the responsible officials, his choice fell on the Temple of Bacchus for the performance of the two Shakespeare plays: "The Merchant of Venice" and "Antony and Cleopatra."

He was asked about his impressions of what he had seen at Baalbek, and he replied: "I was moved to the utmost by the beauty and grandeur of these temples, which still preserve the stamp of legendary splendor!"

When he was asked, "Why did you choose these two plays for performance at Baalbek?" he answered: "The character of these plays is an Eastern character, which accords with the vistas of the Temple of Bacchus; and the second reason is the fame each of the two plays has won in London."

Mr. Benthall was asked: "Do you think the citadel should be left as it now stands, or must some improvements be introduced into it?"

He said the citadel must remain as it is now, because this ancient patina constitutes the element of beauty and splendor in it. But he explained that it was necessary for the masses of rock to be removed, whereupon the Temple of Bacchus would become an ideal place for the performance of plays.