PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2300, 31 March 1898, Page 47

PRINCESS THEATRE.

••STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART." Never perhaps were the deficiencies of the structure which does duty for & theatre 1 in Dunedin more pronouncedly manifested than they were on Thursday, night. At 1 an early hour people commenced to pour in afc every door, and whea the time had' arrived for the performance to commence the building was a sea of faces from floor to ceiling. Not otly was every seat; occupied, .but; people arranged themselves around the walls two and three deep, aud crammed themselves into- every nook, and cranny and j interstice' which afforded a coign of vantage. I Afc the back of the dress, circle people- craned ; their necks- over one another's shoulders till' overcome with fatigue. The greatest discomfoit which those present were forced to endure, however, arose ftom the inadequate ventilation of. the- building. If any testimony- were wanting, then, as to the popularity of the Bland Holt Company's prodnctionsj the fact, that a vast audience watched with an' all-absorbing interest * play whioh extended over, three hours, I under conditions disagreeable in the extreme, places all doubts in the matter at rest;. The piece selected for last evening watt the reBult of the collaboration of those prolific playwrights Messrs Button Vans ,>p<l Arthur Shirley, and i» sfcylrd "Straight from the | Heart." Tbe piece ia a highly sensational one. \ Abounding in 'interesting situations, a wealth | of incident, and exciting and unlooked-for ' climaxes,, the Rtleution oi tlie auditore is

j enchs-iiied throughout. r ihe *cene opens ) in. Marseilles, where the hero of the play, D ivid Walton, a young doctor (v7ho is 1 freihrt thed' to Olara Nugent, daughter of Captain Nugent, R.N.), is arraigned on the charge of foully murdering a miHioniire. Walton is J discharged for thf* want of evidence, snd. leaves j France with his fiancee iv a passenger shirr of '. which Captain Nugent n ihe commar,der. i Aud here one of thaws coincidences occur | which represpnt such a marked feature of i melodramatic productions, for on the same I ship theie also happens (o be tho vil- ! l'iin of the piece; and thre& others who j play s,~ principal part in the tragedy which | casts sufih a deep shadow over the hero's life. Tbe'VJllain, Ventry Fox (* member of s. secret &cciety), is also in Jove with Clara Nugen l ", arc! is determined that if he cannot have her by fair lueses he will do so by foul. Captain NugpDt ; glances with favour on Di" Walton's suio, j and tbe marriage U about to b-? celebrated • on board when a FreDch gunboat heaves iv i Bight and orders the passenger boat to heave-to. ! The stranger has ou board gome French j police, who have discovered fresh evidence 1 against Dc ¥/ftltou and demand that he should i hi handed over. Walton, however, seeks and secures the protection of the Brit-fob, flsg, and, tho gunbofct sailing away, ths marriasje ceremony is immediately resumed and cucladed. ' However,no sooner has on 9 danger been averted than another succeeds, for the sounds of revelry ; w«te at their height when the alarm of fi>e I sounded forth. The flames^ehoot up the co^ri- ! paoion-way and througn. the bold, and tbe i passeugerK- scarce hive time to take refuge m i the lii'ebonte. Id vhe next act tbe *orvivorHaTft | fuund cast upon a rk-3oliite part of the Algerian i coa-ifc. Many tribulations ensu°, and Tic Walton finds his wife just ia time to save hex from the clutch* s of the villain. &some Frecch soldiers rescue the party, . "but unfortunately their commander proves tob'i - an cmisfsry of the Ja-w, who puts Walton tinder j arrosfe. The last act sees Walton at the j guillotine ia company of another, one. Rayj saoud (an Anarchist), who is<abnut »o FixSer tor ' borab-tarowing. The deadly guillotine is- jns 1 ; about to do its work, when Raymond's I Anarchist friends throw in a. bomb, whioh delays the execution and enables an English d&fcectiva named Dixoa (who hid discovered procis of Dr Wsl ton's hiLiocerce throagh a corsfes&ion. i,f Raymond) ti> ride >ip with a frse pardou. 'This beief epitome of 'the leading fcveut* it the framework upon which' a j most' thrilling, series of event* is built up. It | is reticnlatfd throughout by a. fresh vein of i humour provided by a wholly irrepressible detec- | tive. who is itnperaonateti with his iU3bonaary > inimitable skill by Mr BUud Hol6: Aa a I French ms.iA Mrs -Bland- Holt foiu-d a part j which suited hti- admirably, and froio ths start she installed herself into the good graces of her j auditors. As Clara Nugsnc, Miss El z-vboth , Watson acted with c jnnuer.able power and j dignity, and discharged. the extremely arduous 1 task which devolved upon her with aitisfcic i skill. Mr W. B. Baker had a congenial part j in tho hero, anH be infused into tii9 iropet-Kora-j tion oi the character all the. maoly vigour and ! striking effects which are so characteristic ot hiß aciug. Mr Cosgrore. created & deep I impression in the part of the millionaire, and | although he died early in tha play he contributed in no inconsiderable degree to the success of the performance. Mr Albert Norman I had exacting duties to perform ac Ventry Fo:s, , but the evidence of the success whioh attended I hifl efforts was umisi&takable, (.he- studiencs on fevecal occafeious giving v«nt to their feelings at the • villainies perpetrated by Fox* Mr C. Brawn as Louis Raymond, Mr J. Montgomery as the French commissionaire, Mi* Ccrlfsse as Captain Nugent, aod the other merci*bers" of' the" citnpany lent adequate assistauce. The staging ot the piece, as usual, waa oa a complete and lavish scale. Thepcenic effects were a triumph ..of stageerafb, and evoked tbe heartiest demonstrations of approval. The fire on board the vessel, the Algerian coast scenery,, and the horrible guillotine execution were alj, depicted with marvellous realism. The playing, of the-crcheetra, under- the direc 4 ion Mr Percyi Kehoe, was a feature of the evening.