"MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH."

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 251, 20 October 1908, Page 3

"MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH."

'extraordinarily enthusiastiu reception: It is improbable that, during the whole history of the local stage, so wildi, so surprised, so spontaneous, and so. demon- ■: strative a shout of laughter, has burst simultaneously from every throat in the theatre, as that which last evening ' greeted the entrance of Miss Helen Lowell as Miss Hazy in the enormously , successful production of ." Mrs. Wiggs of ": the Cabbage Patch." It was the instantaneous and inevitable recognition of genius. For the inimitable and never-to-be ; forgotten make-up of the character wae ' as certain and conclusive a stroke-of genius as could be achieved in any art, , and will live gratefully and delightfully in memory long after other things 'in the ; play have been forgotten. That Mrs. ', Wiggs is by any means a triumph of dramatic art is not to be thought of, but as a»3cries of comical studies from life, it is deserving of every word of praise which could be written in its behalf, and the man, woman or child who could see it without shrieking with helpless, hopeless, uncontrollable laughter, has yet to be born. At least, for the good of the racej one hopes so. At all events there was none of the degeneracy alluded to, during the performance of last evening. The audience laughed continuously and unrestrainedly, forgiving' obvious caricatures and palpable over-acting in some characters for their very ludicrousness, and perhaps, too, for that they showed up all the better the supreme excellence of the acting of Miss Lowell, who has made Miss Hazy immortal, an imperishable ' reminiscence of inextinguishable laughter for as long as breath for a chuckle remains in our bodies. There is little plot in the book, there is less in the play; and*such as there is, is not convincingly brought forward. I But" this matters nothing. It is speedily evident we have come to the theatre to laugh, and for no other.purpose whatsoever. And we do that with a thoroughness that can't be appreciated until one has been through it. ; The\ shreds of pathos and sentiment ought perhaps to heighten the hilarious in the. direction of contrast, but it is to be doubted if they do, for truth to tell, they are "dragged in with some obviousness and robbed of any sense of nature they possess-in thebook. Even Mrs Wiggs, lovable as she is, is more admirable for introducing us to her friends "thanior anything else she does or even says, and we listen to her well-remembered speeches from the book with politeness rather than enthusiasm. The character, as is the case with many literary creations, is better in the imagination than when materialised into flesh and blood. Hennessy and Dooley, for example, would be on the boards, and it needed an Irving to play the inimitable Jingle. The ultra burlesquing of the oddity characters of Mts Eichorn —wherever did the management pick up so lengthy and thin an actress?—and Mrs Shultz, with her preposterous girth, might be legitimately criticised if one felt severe, .but the shouts of happy laughter they provoke atone for many and most villainous sins of gross over-acting. Without doubt, if they toned down the burlesque, we should laugh even - more, but having laughed consumedly, as we all did, prolonged grumbling would • -be ungrateful, wherefore one may simply quote:. "Menii your ways, mistresses, an.you lie able," sind add-!-but heaven bless"you in:any case. The children are altogether admirable, Asia .being remarkably fine in. a, poor part, and the younger of Mrs'"Wiggs' offspring fresh and natural. They are not allowed,- moreover, to interrupt the play with banal situations or music nail performances, and one is -proportionately; grateful. Miss Lottie Alter is .an exceedingly pretty " Lovey Mary," a fact of which she seems unduly conscious, to the natural detriment of her ' acting, which is a trifle affected; she . should, moreover, endeavour 'to be ! audible. But she certainly looks delight- ' ful. One's thoughts, however, turn, ever, ! and with -perfectest gratitude to Miss Hazy. Finer comedy has been given,by no actress in Australasia. Miss Lowell \ never- once :exaggerates, never for the ' sake of effect steps out of the picture to ■ the remotest degree, and the result of " this restraint. is an absolutely . flawless > j performance. Admirably (in the main) , j was she supported by Mr Webber as '■ ] "Mr. Stubbins," the drunken tumbling ' j might be omitted). But histrionically and . j artistically it ■ is- after all Miss s Hazy I first, and the rest, comparatively speak- . ing, nowhere, and it is she who will aittract crowded houses to.His Majesty's for the rest of the five nights on which 1 this thrice excellent production is to be 'j repeated. :-. ■; ' . .-■ - . i . : — ; . : .- *