Workshop Deserts 'Hamlet' After Storm of Disapproval

Faced with a barrage of student and faculty disapproval, Harvard Theatre Workshop last night tossed "Hamlet" overboard and renewed its search for a spring production.

The decision came after casting had already started and after Harry T. Levin '33, associate professor of English and HTW adviser, had told the group that a production of the Shakespearian tragedy would probably be "an artistic and financial failure.

Professor Levin, who had previously sounded out other members of the English Department on the matter, said that "the Workshop has been performing a great service in bringing unusual plays to the Harvard stage, and should not compete with professional actors by producing such a well-known piece."

HTW president Jerome T. Kilty '49 said he had also heard from many students who expressed the same opinion.

In place of "Hamlet", the club is currently considering four other dramas for their coming show, which has been postponed from March to April. "The Zeal of Thy House," by Dorothy Sayers. "Murder in the Cathedral," by T. S. Eliot, the morality play "Everyman," and Dryden's "All for Love" are the leading contenders.

The Workshop will make a final decision tomorrow night.

Kilty also announced that increasing restrictions on the use of Sanders Theatre had forced HTW to seek another auditorium for its production. Fire rulings prohibiting scenery and a University rental charge of over $400 for "Henry IV" are among the difficulties the Club has encountered.