BLAND HOLT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 308, 30 December 1895, Page 2

BLAND HOLT.

"A LIFE OF PLEASURE TO-NIGHT."

The Opera House was packed in all parts on Saturday night, when the spectacular drama, " The Span of Lifo," was repeated for the last time. All of the principals were called before the curtain for their clever and finished acting.

To-nighb, Mr Holt will stage for the first Rime his third great dramatic novelty, the famous Drury Lane military epoctacle, " A Lifo of Pleasure," written by Henry Fettibt and Sir Augustus Harris, embracing an exceptional sorios of extraordinarily graphic scenic tableaux, with a strong cast. "A LIFE OF ' PLEASURE." To-night tho military and spectacular drama " A Lifo of Pleasure " will be staged here for the fir3t time. Tho piece is from the pen of Henry Pebtit and Sir Augustus Harris, and is said to bo tho strongest in Mr Bolt's reporfcoiro. Exchanges to hand say that wherever produced the piece has proved a Buccess. It is full of exciting incidents while tho dialogue is bright and racy. The moving spirit in the drama is Ue.ptaiu Chand'oa, who makes his appearance in an eviction ecene from which he narrowly escapes with his life, the friends of the farmer who i 3 being turned out nearly belabouring him to death. The timely paymono of the overdue obviates the necoe&ity of the execution of the process, bub it is made apparent that the moving cause was a desiro to get into his power Norah Hanlon, the daughter of the farmer. Though checkmated at first, he succeeds later on, and the interest is sustained to the end. The stage pictures are said to be the happiest of Messrs George and J. Gordon's works. There are many fine scenes throughout the piece, amongst which may bo mentioned the housoboab on the Thames, the Empire Music Hall, and the battle scene, which is laid in Bnrmab, and in which over 100' people aro on tho stage ab tho same time.