AMUSEMENTS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16117, 23 January 1918, Page 9

AMUSEMENTS.

THEATRE ROYAL. "GOOD GRACIOUS, ANNABELLE." In somo eases the brcczv title proves ioo much for the play to live up to; and. of course, sonic breezy plavs have quite commonplace titles. At> regards "Good Gracious. Annabelle." presented to a very large audience at the Theatre Royal last night by Miss Marie Tempest and the company associated with her, the title fitted xU plar like a glove. Those who. prior to seeing the comedy, were inclined uj be prejudiced against it owing to !;.o unconventionally of its title, were tiio to recognise that, though it promised to be virulently Yankee, it .vns jiot nearly a-- virulently Yankee tlier anticipated. It is true that a millionaire figures amongst the cbmacters, but he proved quite human and not too aggressively and hustlingly American. it is also truo that thove is a mining man from the wild and woolly West, but ic was a relief to i)nd that he did not chew tobacco, not, at least, while on the stage. All in all. "Good Gracious, Annabelle" proved a bright, merry, laugh-provok-mg, and care-dispersing comedy, calculated to clcar the cobwebs from the mental ceilings of those worried about the tearing cost of commodities, of concerned about the duration of '.he war. The conicdv abounds in smart and witty dialogue, aud the smart tlii-.igs are clever and tho witty ones leave no bad taste in the mouth. Annabelle Leigh is a young lady who may bo described, in Artemus T\ards phrase, as "a sweet, gushin' child of liutur." but yet possessed of a considerable quantity of twentieth century sophistiration. Shu w'as married under most romantic circumstance*. but parted from her husband twenty-four hours afterwards. 'the husband is, of course, the mining magnate from the West, whose allowance to his wife is altogether inadequate ior siieh an irresponsible person a3 Anna belle. When tho action of the ji/ay opens Annabelle is impecunious and all her rich friends, paradoxical though it appears, arc in a similar state. .Annabelle has '"hypothecated'' some mining stock, given to her by her husband, which is ultimately got possession of by tho millionaire, George iVimbledon. The manner in which the stock is recovered, necessitating Annabelle and her friends becoming servants in the millionaire's house, provide the background for the hilarious happenings thaU kept last night's large audicncc in a state of pleasurcable excitement for tho whole evening. -Miss Tempest a s Annabelle Leigli had a part quite different in every respect from those in which she previously appeared. She was the irresponsible, gay and charming American society young woman to the life —all except the twang, and no one was sorry that it was not present. In the scene in tho servants' hall, Miss Tempest, who has been engaged as "head cook," gave an excellent exposition of the comedy in the character without in the least overdoing it. Indeed, throughout the piece this feature of Miss Tempest's interpretation of. the part was noteworthy. As in the other pieces presented by IMiss Tempest, hor gowning was most appropriate, even the -uniform of tho "head cook'' being distinctive. Mr Graham Browne, as George Wimbledon, the millionaire of distinctly bibulous propensities, played excellently consistently a character that called for a considerable amount of artistic treatment to prevent it descending to rather broad farce. Mr lan McLaren was happily cast as Annabelle's husband, tho mining magnate. As James Ludgate, the very English "mail" of tho millionaire, Mr Sidney Sterling was also well cast. The remainder of the characters were ably sustained by the other members of the company, amongsfc the most noteworthy boing Mrs G. T,auri. as the under cook, and Master Len. Nugent. as the hotel page boy. To-night "Good Gracious, Annabelle" will bo finally presented. OPERA HOUSE. At the Opera House last evening a Jarge audience witnessed the current programme, all the "artists being well received. To-night the same bill will be presented. The return of the Walter Johnson Revue Company to the Opera Hou.se on Saturday will he nn event of some importance in vaudeville history. Since its last visit here the company lias been reorganised and considerably strengthened, and it is certain that, the original good impression left by this expert combination of comedy artists will be added to on their second visit to this city. Their opening production is entitled "The Parisian Models," and is said to be a splendid example of rovue. The plan is now on view at Milner and Thompson's, 'where-seats may be reserved for tno opening matinee.