North Saluted as Narrator of ‘Peter, Wolf’

Iran-Contra figure Oliver L. North won hearty applause for his musical stage debut Friday night as narrator of “Peter and the Wolf,” but among the youngsters in the audience he was clearly upstaged by the wolf.

“It was right nice,” said Aquil Robinson, 12. “What I liked best was when the wolf ate the duck.”

North, 46, who is appealing his May 4 conviction on three felony charges in connection with the Iran-Contra affair, accepted an invitation from Maria Fisher, president of the Beethoven Society, to read the narration for Sergei Prokofiev’s musical tale for children.

The retired Marine colonel and former White House national security aide wore a tuxedo for his half-hour performance in the main ballroom of a downtown hotel before about 1,000 spectators.

The audience included North’s probation officer, Ralph Ardito, and 100 inner-city children from the Save Our Youth anti-drug program in Washington, where North is serving his sentence of 1,200 hours of community service. He also was given two years’ probation and fined $150,000.

North read with lively expression and never missed a cue from the orchestra conductor. He said it was his first stage appearance since he played “the bad guy” in a high school production of “How the West Was Won” in his hometown of Philmont, N.Y., nearly 30 years ago.

“It was wonderful,” said former North associate Robert W. Owen, who saw the show with his 2-year-old daughter Katie. “Ollie may have a new profession,” said Owen, who once served as North’s liaison with the Nicaraguan Contras.

“He was very good,” said conductor Richard Weilenmann. “Some narrators are exaggerated and overblown, but North read very naturally, as if he were reading to his own children.”

North, who reportedly charges $25,000 for every speech he makes, narrated “Peter and the Wolf” for free, Mrs. Fisher said.