"THE SILVER KING"

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 114, 11 November 1919, Page 4

"THE SILVER KING"

ALLAN WILKIE COMPANY'S

SEASON.

The company of players headed by Mr. Allan Wilkie'_ and Miss Frediswydo Hunter-Watts , inaugurated a season 'in Wellington, and a tour of New Zealand, at the Crnnd Opera. House last evening, and rovived recollections of the gratifying experiences on its previous sojourn here. The drama presented was "The Silver King," an old favourite, which ie still deservedly popular. To name this play is to recall the performances of Wilson Barrett, whose production made the play a gold-mine a generation or so ago ; and no doubt many people will see it now to make comparisons with those occasions, and the many othere that have followed. Mr Wilkie . has not staged it "de luxe" ; but it is a play of sufficient inherent character to rescue itself from its surroundings. "The Silver King" is, of course,, melodrama, with all the regular attributes—the hero, labouring, under a mi6placed burden of guilt; the villain, protected by the hero's situation and his own boiler-plate conscience ; the heroine, suffering doubly fo- the hero and herself; the faithful servant; the King's evidence; and in particular the orchestral suggestion •or obbligato for the emphatic moments, from which the term melodrama has its actual origin. Yet "The Silver King" ie not merely the melodrama "beloved of the gods" and intolerable to the habitue of the stalls. These are of the same shape, and have the same parts; they work out to the same end ; but the workmanship is different. While most, of the many settings used are good, and some well above the average, some of the minor ones are not up to the standard. "Euston Station," for instance, is a scenic absurdity, which can only be forgiven on the inadequate excuse that the moments in which it is faced are few and relatively unimportant. Mr. Wilkie and his company are well known in Now Zealand as producing a. lot of good work. He himself,,as Wilfred Denver was clearly conscious of the,1 prestige attaching to this famous role, and acted up to it. As tho drink-mad-dened man who, determined upon the murder of a hated, rival, is suddenly awakened from a stupor in tho presence of his enemy's body, and to ? belief that he is responsible for the. crime, and in the subsequent moments of terror and remorse, he made numerous fine impressions ; and in the later parts of the play, when he has returned unsuspected and discovers his wife and children in squalor and misery, his; performance was even more effective. Miss Hunter-Watte, who playod Nellie Denver, was at home in the strongly-emotional role of the heroine, to whom tears were far more familial- than smiles. She had, (in the play) two' cmldrcn ; and one of these was played by Phyllis Scully This tiny child was one of the brightest . psrfcrmers in the cast, and spoke her lines with delightful ease and obvious understanding. Mr Guy Hastings, as Captain Skinner, known to his fellow rascals and the policeas "the Spider," who was the Teal murderer, and finally walked off wearing handcuffs and dignity withal, gave a, finished exhibition, "ifc was remarkabl" *01' the display of gentlemanly coldbloodedness in his behaviour towards the poverty-stricken heroine —a. simple enough episode, but admirably treated Mr Vincent Scully played Daniel Jaikes the old servant of the Delivers, • well enough. Mr. Henri Dore, whose actin? is skilful, was Corkett, one of tho'numerous victims of the Spider's gang, and whatever he did was neatly and tastefully done. Mr, Fred. Parey was a highly-grotesque Elijah Coombe, of the dirty old • beach-camber type, Skinner's first lieutenant, and the plausible old rascal was cleverly portrayed and wholly amusing. Mr Augustus Neville's portrayol of Chpps was vigorous and convincing. About twenty others were accorded parts of various degrees of importance, and in general gave performances of good all-round quality, and1 without a hitch. '■. *

"The Silver King" will be repeated to^dlfwale^"^I^^