State

I THE STATE A Weekly Survey of North Carolina Entered as second-class matter. June 1. 1933. at the Poatofficc at Raleigh. North Carolina, under the Act of March 3. 1879. Vol. XV. No. 26 November 29, 1947 Robert Carroll This young actor anil pianist has joined the ranks of a number of other North Carolinians who have made good recently in the theatrical world. В I/ DON ONE day last Spring three men connected with the thea¬ ter stood talking in front of Sardis Restaurant on West 44th Street, New York City. One of them said he was searching for an actor who could play the piano — to be cast in the lead of a musical about Tchaikovsky, ou can stop looking,” one of them said. "I know your man. He’s Robert Carroll, who played a part in Jose Ferrer's 'Cyrano de Ber¬ gerac’ this year.” The talent agent, when he re¬ turned to his office, discovered that he had had a card on Carroll in his files all the while. But that little word — put in at the right time and place by a friend — landed Robert Carroll in a Broadway lead this season. He plays Tchaikovsky in "Music in My Heart,” a production which gained little critical favor but which, notwithstanding, has assert¬ ed itself as a hit and already is selling tickets for the next eight¬ een weeks. A Product of the Playmakers Carroll is the son of Mr. and Mrs. B. R. Carroll of Hamlet, N. C. He is a product of the Carolina Playmakers, having been in a long list of plays in Chapel Hill, on the road with Paul Green’s "The House of Connelly" and in Green’s "The Lost Colony" at Manteo. The war interrupted all that. He served in the Army, but in Eng¬ land he found time to work with a repertory company. After the war he returned to the Playmakers THE STATE. Novkmber 29. 1947 BISHOP briefly, then set out for New York. He made the rounds and matched his wits against the sub-secretaries in producers’ offices who seem to find their greatest joy in being nas¬ ty to aspiring actors and actresses. At last Carroll found a man who was on the lookout for new tal¬ ent — Jose Ferrer, who at 34 was an established stage success. Acted Small Parts Ferrer signed Carroll for a walk- on part in a touring company of "Cyrano de Bergerac," used him in summer stock, and kept him by his side for a part in the Broadway run of the Rostand work. Carroll played Ligniere, a tipsy song writ¬ er and friend of Cyrano — not an important role but enough to at¬ tract a little attention. He was touring with the "Cy¬ rano” company when the events took place in front of Sardi’s, and Carroll left the show to return to New York. "Music in My Heart" is a story of Tchaikovsky’s attraction to a young singer who sings his songs but loves his best friend. Its real strength lies in the Tchaikovsky melodies which have been outfit¬ ted with lyrics approximately suitable to the story. However, the only really significant acting in the play must be done by the person who plays Tchaikovsky. Further¬ more. this actor must play the piano frequently. Carroll is a superb pianistic actor — or acting pianist. In fact, he was so good at the piano that the New York Daily News critic on opening night assumed - and wrote — that Carroll merely went through the motions, while an ofT-stage pianist did the music-making. Another critic, of Hearst’s New York Jour¬ nal- American, rushed through his condemnation of "Music in My Heart” so swifty that he said Car- roll sang off key — when in fact Carroll doesn’t sing at all. The erratic performances of these crit¬ ics is perhaps an indication of how faulty was their judgment, for "Music in My Heart" seems to have "caught on,” as they say in the theater. When an actor or actress comes up from nowhere to stardom on Broadway, it doesn’t take long for the Hollywood talent scouts to swarm around. And they've been to see Carroll. So far he has told them to wait. He has heard of others who yielded to the beckon¬ ing finger shaped like a dollar mark — only to be swallowed up in the obscurity of a seven-year con¬ tract. Now some would say that a seven-year contract with a film company would be a fine and se¬ cure — thing. But Carroll wants to act. In fact, at this moment, while performing ( Continued on page 30 ) з