THEATRE ROYAL.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17809, 7 July 1923, Page 11

THEATRE ROYAL.

"MY LADY'S DRESS" TOrNIGHT. _ To-night at T£« Theatre Royal, *.% S J. C. Williamson presents Miss Emelio Polini, in association with Mr Frank Harvey, and a more t&en ordinarily good dramatic company, in "My Dreas." Of this entirely fascinating play, « prominent critio writes:—Written by a, skilled theatrical tradesman, "My Lady's Drew" has care»ujl£ calculated elements of commercial suofu 8 !' ■ II a 8 r *P ici movement, colour, drams, tha, 13 sometimes melodrama, sontiment sad some refreshing comedy. And the last .ict auppports the modem theory that: the etngfc 13 a piace for fashion displays. "My Lady's JJress' belongs to no established form of drama. _ One may judge that Mr Edward b-noblocs (who wroto "Kismet" and eollaborated with Mr Arnold Bennett in "Milestones ) decided to prepare for tha stage * series of concise and picturesque dramas linked by their' association with the dress and the dream. The dresa of tie title, costing 110 guineas, is bought by Anne <jMiM tnielio Polini) as part of a campaign, to cajole Sir Charles into giving a particular post to her husband, John (Mr Frank Harvey). Tho manly husband objects to Anne's behaviour, and even more to the price, cf tha dress. After a quarrel on the subject, Ann* dreams of the origin of the material and trimming of the dresa, and of its making. She sees tho silkworms in a peasant's fcoma in It«iy, the silk being woven at Lyons, tho lacemakers at work in Holland in 1660, , ™™« being made by a crippled girl in Whitechapel, the fur in a trapper's stockade m Siberia and incidents associated with tue making in London. In eaoh case thare is a dramatic, pathetic, or humorous episode I associated with the change of scene, and in I all Anne and John, with changed personal- I ity, oro tho leading figures. Miss Polini does some fine dramatic work in a part that calls f or muc h a^v and Tar j onoc of method. She is throughout convincing and often superb Mr Frank Harvey is uncialenged as an artist of the first order. A brilnant cast supports the principals.