THEATRE ROYAL

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21414, 5 March 1935, Page 17

THEATRE ROYAL

"TEN-MINUTE ALIBI" .Tremendous doings in the Bloomsbury flat of Phillip Sevilla, a villainous-look-ing fellow, and, as it turns out, even more repulsive morally than his looks promise, provide the theme for "TenMinute Alibi," the best thriller to be shown here for many years. The final evening performance of "Ten-Minute Alibi" will be presented at the Theatre Royal to-night, and the last showing of the play will be at the matinee to-morrow. The trappings for the best sort of thriller are ail there. There is the very attractive girl, • the sensible but desperate hero, the" already mentioned sinister villain, and, indispensably, the comic relief in the form of a rather blundering section of the police force. As every good thriller should, "TenMinute Alibi" starts with a certain amount of tension, and proceeds to increase that tension till the final curtain falls. It is a murder story, in which the audience is permitted to see not only the actual murder, but also something of the clever scheming that goes to make it a premeditated crime. Needless to say, the sympathies of the audience are all the time with the hero, who in this play is the murderer. The caste is a very small one, only seven people appearing in all. Each, with the exception of one, has a very important role to fulfil, and each fills it admirably. The most important part of Betty Findon, the girl in the case, is taken by Miss Jocelyn Howarth, acting is required to cover, and does cover faultlessly, every emotion from that of the young woman in love to the terrified young woman being interrogated by the police.

The part of the unhappy young man, Colin Derwent, is taken by Mr George Thirlwell, whose acting is exactly what one would imagine was needed. It was not an easy part to play, that of the highly-excited murderer trying to keep calm, but at the same time communicate some of his excitement to the audience. Others who are especially good are Mr R. L. Atholwood and Mr Frank Bradley. "THE WIND AND THE KAIN" j Great interest is being taken in the presentation in the Theatre Royal tomorrow night by J. C. Williamson's brilliant comedy and dramatic company of Merton Hodge's comedy "The Wind and the Rain," which is still a reigning attraction in England. "Once again," wrote a Sydney critic, "a play has come to Sydney which combines sparkling dialogue, comedy, sentiment, and charm, to provide an evening of delightful entertainment. At last night's gala premiere 'The Wind and the Rain' blew and showered all those essential ingredients of true comedy into a packed auditorium, which showed its appreciation -with a succession of laughs." Dr. Merton Hodge, the young New Zealander, who based the play upon his experiences of university life at Edinburgh, gained his first knowledge of the stage through amateur work. With the ambition always to write for the theatre he had, to use his own words, "to use the medical profession as a means of reaching London—the only place in which to take up play-writing seriously and commercially." It so happened that he, a doctor, should have written a play for which Celia Johnson, the daughter of a doctor, should be chosen for the part of Anne Hargreaves. for the London production at St. Martin's Theatre, where it enjoyed a run of more than 12 months. George Thirlwell, the hero of "Ten Minute Alibi," is a fine actor, quiet and convincing, and as he does in the drama, he secures all effects in "The Wind and the Rain" without any elaborate or violent gesture. His part is that of a serious student. Charles Tritton, and it is said that he presents it to the very life. Jocelyn Howarth has quite a different part to portray in "The Wind and the Rain" from that which she acts in "Ten-Minute Alibi," and the two roles show how versatile she is. Tommy Jay plays the part of Gilbert Raymond, who has been' nine years at a medical course and is still at it when the play closes. He is said to present a highly humorous characterisation and he has his audience in roars of laughter the whole time he is on the stage. The cast also includes Arundel Nixon, Nan Taylor Gwen Munro, Russell Chapman, Richard Fair, Ronald Roberts, and other artists. Box plans are at the D.I.C.