SYBIL THORNDIKE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 30, 6 February 1933, Page 9

SYBIL THORNDIKE.

IN A SHAW COMEDY. AUDIENOS DELIGHTED. A MEMORABLE EVENING. Nothing could have been more cordial than the welcome a large Auckland audience gave to Dame Sybil Thorndike and her company at His Majesty's Theatre on Saturday night in Shaw's amusing Old "Captain Brassbound's Conversion." In an interview in the "Star" on Saturday afternoon, Dame Sybil, speaking of the changed position brought about by the advent of the talkies, said the theatre had its roots too deep in human nature not to survive. Saturday evening provided an appropriate proof of the legitimate theatre's vitality and of the unassailable attraction of the living artist. To the haidened theatre-goer one of the surprises of the very pleasant evening was the instant response, from the stalls to the "gods," to Shaw's amusing digs at everybody and everything —except his own colossal conceit. "Brassbound" was written over thirty years ago, and it says much for Shaw's skill that it shows but little signs of_ its age. In fact the costumes of thirty years or so back —for the company very rightly did not commit the anachronism of playing it in modern dress—came rather as a surprise; one had not realised that it went with long skirts, veils and frock coats and silk hats —Victorianisms that have nearly all been swept away by the motor. Shaw is not a great dramatist, in the real meaning of the word; his enthusiasms never rise above the intellect, and while his brilliance delights, he has no power whatever over those deep feelings which make men and women do great deeds. The Celt is glorious at destructive criticism, but rather weak when it comes to construction. Shaw is true to his race, but so delightfully amusing with it all that one forgives him much —and some people can even go the length of regarding him as some sort of prophet. The story of the play is well known to people interested in theatrical matters. Suffice it to say that Shaw wrote it for Ellen Terry, and the central idea was her triumph through woman's wit over the very vital Captain Brassbound I —rather a "cave man" in some ways, and rather a denizen of melodramaland in others. However, lie was just_ the sort of person on which Lady Cicely Waynfleet—one of the typical Shaw women with lots of feminity and lots of intellect —could make play with her quick wit, her good looks and her delightful feminine way of bossing the coarserminded mere man, Shaw showed his Celtism •in nothing so much - as: in his sneaking regard' for woman's remarkable gift of intuition.- —<..-*■■ • ; r , Clever Acting. Dame Sybil and her company gave a. delightful rendering of the comedy. It started out in life .as a comedy-drama, but as time goes on the farcical side comes uppermost. Shaw has a disconcerting trick Of mixing up really clever, rapier-like thrust at shams and foibles, and years..agar.jjjiat was. mistaken for. philosophy. To-day. we realise that there is much of the destructive boy. about Shaw, but still he can amuse us mightily. Dame Sybil made an instant conquest, and it was quite refreshing to feel the thrill of the responsive audience as she domineered in her, deligh.tfuljy feminine manner over the absurd males. Old play-goers were pleasantly reminded of that attractive actress Nellie Stewart. Dame Sybil was singularly like her, even to some of, the toneß of her voice, and some of her likeable mannerisms. With a touch of real talent she introduced a soupcon of burlesque into the part of the irrepressible Lady Cicely, and made the character feasible in a way that would be impossible if it were played as a more serious person- She ran things, right from her first entrance, with., a verve that carried the audience with her, just as in the play she carries everyone off his feet, from the armour-plated captain to the dry skipper of the American man-o'-war when she rearranged the sleeping accommodation of the stokers on his ship. Shaw Characters. Mr. Lewis Casson made a fine blustering Captain Brassbound who could rule his unruly smugglers with a glance from his electric eye, and even if his "conversion" under the arts of Lady Cicely was rather difficult to follow logically, it was excellent fooling, and made a very pleasant evening's entertainment. Much of the Shawism of the play depends on the, part of the Cockney, Drinkwater, one of Brassbound's following, with his Cockneyisms, his pretended conversion by the Scottish missionary, and his wit of the street arab type. Mr. Norman Shelley made a great success of the character, and even Shaw would have shaken him by the hand after the last curtain and thanked him. One of the best-sustained characters was that of Sir Howard Hallam, the judge, and brother-in-law of the wayward Lady Cicely. It was a most finished piece of acting. Mr. Michael Martin-Harvey, as the missionary from Scotland, whose only convert was the bibulous Drinkwater, gave a masterly interpretation of a. typical Shaw absurdity, even to a thorough mastery of the dialect—at times to the point of making one strain one's ears to follow his meaning. A miscellaneous collection of sailors, Arabs and other people one would meet in a Morocco imagined by Shaw was well represented, and the Cadi of Mr. Bruce Winston was particularly colourful, especially if one happened to have met any of the rotund,, vociferous jfcribe. Dame Sybil's Ovation. One of the pleasaritest parts, of a thoroughly enjoyable evening was after the last curtain, when the audience filled the house with applause, and Dame Sybil had to "take a curtain." She received two beautiful bouquets, and then stepped to ( the footlights and thanked the audience," telling them how nice it was- to meet such spontaneous and quick response, and how much she and her company appreciated it. Captain Brassbound will be converted again this evening and to-morrow night, and on Wednesday afternoon Auckland will see Shaw's masterpiece, "St. Joan."