Thirty policemen and a number of policewomen today patrolled the street in front of Brooks Atkinson Theater to prevent disturbances at the controversial play “The Deputy” which was scheduled to open tonight. Picketing by members of the American Nazi Party and other anti-Semitic groups was anticipated. Measures to prevent disturbances inside the theater were also taken.
Meanwhile, Herman Shumlin, co-producer and director of the Rolf Hochhuth. drama which accuses the late Pope Pius XII of staying silent when he knew Hitler was carrying out mass murders of European Jewry, denied that any significant changes had been made in the part played by the stage “Pope.” There had been reports that some of those lines had been deleted to satisfy objections from some Catholics. Mr. Shumlin said the only changes made during rehearsals had to do only with the dramatic “effectiveness” of certain lines.
Michael Myerberger, who owns the theater where “The Deputy” is playing, said that about $100, 000 worth of tickets have been sold in advance, and that extra personnel had to be stationed in the box office to expedite the sale of tickets.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
