THEATRE ROYAL.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10884, 7 February 1901, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL.

"THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL." Sheridan's comedy of "The School for Scanual,' which is amongst tne lew cf tne pieces of the time which nave survived tlie ordeal of the taste or modern playgoers, yvas produced last night by Miss nance O'Neii and her company, lue piece is one which is tolerab.y laminar to Cnristchurch playgoers, at least of the older generation, and therefore its performance last night was watched with considerable interest. The character of Lady Teazle is one yvhich demands a considerable amount of talent ior comedy to pour-tray successfully, being conceived and written in the spirit of high comedy throughout, 'lhertt'oi- it was that to a certain extent Miss O'Neii was not nearly so successful as in Magda, a part for which in all essentials she is so eminently fitted. Except that it affords Miss O'Neii an opportunity of displaying versatility, one would rather have seen" the play omitted from her repertoire; not that it was not to a degree .veil acted, but from the fact that the more tragic and emotional characters are decidedly. so far as can be judged from Magda, much more her forte. Miss O'Neii gave us last night, if one may use the term, a too sombre pourtrayal of the character, there being an alwence of the lightness which should characterise the part. This yvas particularly- marked in the quarrel scene with Sir Peter, where instead of the raillery and insouciance with which the lady of fashion treats her husband, Miss O'Neii made Lady Teazle rather a shrew. Lady* Teazle does not take Sir Peter seriously, but she rather opposes his querulousness with vivacity and a good humoured scorn of his remonstrances. But Miss O'Neii made her far too serious and matter-of-fact in her quarrelling. It is ths piquancy of her opposition, as Sir Peter's lines indicate, yvhich in spit-e of himself makes him love her. This was just the lightness of vein yvhich was absent from Miss 'O'Neii's delineation of the character. Her charming stage presence filled the bill completely, as the Americans put it, in this respect, but that is not all that is required. Her best effort was decidedly in the scandal scene, which was well played. In the screen scene Miss O'Neii did not bring out to the full the remorse wliich Lady Teazle feels after hearing how her generous husband proposes to provide for her. Nor did she sufficiently accentuate the scorn and contempt for the hypocrite Joseph which takes the place of any regard her wayward ladyship might have felt for him. As lias been said. Miss O'Neil's role is essentially the pourtrayal of the deeper and more tragi*? emotions, and therefore her performance of Lady Teazle, as has already been said, suffered by comparison yvith that of Magda. Miss Thynne was not happily cast as Maria, her acting being someyvhat forced. Tlie part is one which is intended as a foil to the more brilliant character of Lady Teazle, and therefore requires to be played in tlie simplest manner. Mrs Bracv as Mrs Candour and Miss Gill as Lady Sneerwell were good in the scandal scene, the quick fire of the remarks of the scandal-loving dames as to their acquaintance being well maintained. Mr Raynham was wanting somewhat in animation a.s Sir Peter Teazle, but he was very good indeed in the screen scene. Of Mr Kingston's Charles Surface it is impossible to speak too highly. It was a very fine performance, and challenges comparison with the best exponent of the character we have had here —the late Mr Wm. Hoskins. Throughout he was the good-hearted but careless and improvident man of fashion, and the whole character was conceived and acted with a spirit and an artistic finish which made it stand out most markedly. Mr Plimmer did not seem to have quite the right conception of the part of the hypocritical Joseph. He was not sufficiently unctuous, and at times too abrupt in the delivery of his lines. He was good in the screen scene, but as a whole his interpretation lacked finish. Ths other characters were well taken, especially those of Sir Oliver by Mr Atholwood, and .Sir Benjamin Backbite by Mr Hercus. The niece, which by the way. was a modern adaptation byMr Augustin Daly, was channinelv stasjed, all the details of costume and furniture being reproduced with commendable exactness. A pretty minuet danced at the end of th? first act lent pxcellent colour to it. The piece will be rept-ted to-night.