ONE-ACT PLAYS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 295, 26 September 1935, Page 5

ONE-ACT PLAYS

THE REPERTORY SOCIETY.

FOUR WELL-VARIED PRODUCTIONS.

Entertainment that was generally well presented and pleasantly varied Was the keynote of the four one-act plays produced by the Ashburton Repertory Society in the Majestic Theatre last night. The large audience showed that the society’s work is popular with the publio and that it is working on the right lines. Most of the players did well, and there were some very pleasing performances. One most pleasing feature was that there was scarcely a line which was not fully audible. “She was No Lady.” “She Was No Lady,” a Saint John Ervine play, centred round the mysterious doings of the wife of Sir Alfred Pickles, a self-made man. She was at last found to be visiting deserted houses with the express purpose of scrubbing floors in order to rid herself of an obsessing regret for the days when, she and her husband, then without sufficient capital to enter “society,” bad lived a poor and simple life. Mr J. Halket MiUar, as Sir Alfred, had a rather difficult task to perform, but lie entered into it with enthusiasm and gave a polished performance. Henry Learmouth, the private detective, was acted by Mr George Good. He was unscrupulous enough and .his humour was fairly convincing. Mrs R. Pearce was a pre-eminently dutiful wife to Sir Charles: in view of her apparent objection to her new mode of life slie might perhaps have cultivated a greater spirit of rebellion. The rendering of a Cockney accent, particularly when there is no first-hand example of it in New Zealand, is not an easy matter. Consequently the actors in this play cannot be blamed it it seemed to be a little beyond them. Miss Phyllis Cox, as the caretaker, made the best showing in tins play, possibly because she seemed to have overcome the language difficulty to the greatest extent. She gave a good portraiture. “The Black Horseman.” The triumph of a good character o\ei a bad one is the theme of “The Black Horseman,” by Mary Pakington, in which the scene was laid in a house on the moors toward tho end of the 18th century. . . Miss Winifred Andrew, as Felicity, a Quakeress, was the good character. It was left to her to influence the Stranger (Mr Arthur Nicoll) from taking the desperate measures that a hunted criminal might be prepared to adopt in a house occupied only by women. Felicity’s grandmother, Cranny Drew, found superstition a stronger force and firmly believed, as a result of the legend surrounding the house about the Black Horseman, that the stranger who entered was the Devil. To Mis E. G. Slierbourne must go the credit of a very convincing characterisation in this' part. There were few flaws in her portrayal, even to the voice.

Mr Nicoll did not give an impression of extreme desperation when ho entered and held up the household at pistol point, but later lie warmed up more to his part. But the apathy ot the young girls (Mai Wilier. Audrey Amos, Nancy Dexter, toll Gilchrnrt and Joy Williamson) to his unexpected intrusion was remarkable. Miss Andrew had a colourless role for the most part, hut she did iei best with it, and certainly had as much pious restraint as such a 101 demanded. Mr G. d’Auvergne was a cheerfully garrulous man-hunting constable. “Villa for Sale.” The translation from the French of Sacha Guitry’s “Villa tor Sale *• delightfully slight and clever hit of coihedy, very well done. Sydney V - Gower had the part of Gaston, sophisticated Frenchman " J Jeanne (Mrs J. GCameron) is to buy a villa. The home of Juliette (Mrs W. R- Ryburn) is for sale, and Jeanne commences negotiations tor its purchase, which Gaston opposes until the arrival of an American woman (Mrs Doris Snelgrove), who also wants buy the villa, gives an opportunity loi Gastin’s ready wits to make a large amount of money in a very questionable manner. . ~ ,i Mr Gower was very enjoyable as ti quick-witted and cynical 1< renchman. It would have been possible ioi him be more suave, debonair and Eontmei tal, but he carried out Ins own interpretation well enough for tins to unnecessary. . Mrs Ryburn was very pleasing as the vivacious little Freiienwomaii, and Mi Cameron as Jeanne was also at hoiii^ Mrs Snelgrove, as Mrs A 1 &«nth, t American, did not quite relieve th accepted American accent, i • c ceded better with hustle and the American mannerisms and diew < 1 preciativc laughs in what was a bioad cmnedy part. Miss Elsie Holland took the part of the maid. “The Substitute.” Mr L A. Charles laid the scene of his nlav “The Substitute,” m a French prison during the Koign of Terror, 1792. There were captured austociats waiting for the day when it would be their turn to go out m the tumbnl to meet their death on the guillotine. Caboehe, a revolutionary officer, is particularly concerned with torturing mentally the Comte de Bainville (Mi Robert ‘Orr), and Bainville, resenting this, knocks him down, and the Marquis de Montferrat (Mr George Fold) seizes this as an opportunity of getting Bainville to change clothes with Caboehe, escaping while his former gaoler, under the influence of a drug obtained with the unwitting co-opera-tion of the turnkey (Mr L. A. Charles), a-pes to the guillotine in his place. Mr A. Prentice, in the part or Caboehe, displayed a gift of declamation which was the keynote ol the character. His performance was mos finished and convincing. f Mr Ford had an equally striking but opposite part—that of the calm, unruffled aristocrat, who arouses himself

only when there is need of haste. Ti)i?> was the role Mr Ford carried out 'to the letter, and he, too, earned welldeserved honours. Mr Charles appeared in a remarkably good make-up as a turnkey who was both villainous and stupid. This part was not a big one as far as words went, but if any extra help were necessary for him to carry out the role with complete adequacy, the make-up gave it.

As the Comte de Bainville, Mr Onused restraint with effect. There were several minor parts, filled by Mrs Charles, Miss Andrew, Miss Cox, Mr A. Lexington Jones, Mr N. Hosking and Mr B. Knox.

Mr Charles, as author of the play, was afterwards introduced to the audience by the president of the. society (Dr. W. R. Ryburn). Everything appeared to go smoothly behind the scenes. The supervisors of the productions were Miss Rene Chamberlain, Miss Winnie Andrew, Mr J. H. Millar and Mr C. E. Moller. The stage management was in the hands of Dr. W. R. Ryburn and Mr E. R. Easterbrook. There was plenty of scope for the activities of the wardrobe mistress, Mrs J. Bathgate, and the excellent costuming was not the least feature of the evening. Music was played by an orchestra under Dr. N. E. H. Fulton during intervals in the performance.