“NED KELLY”

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29330, 8 October 1960, Page 15

“NED KELLY”

Christ’s College - Production

For its major effort this year, the Christ’s College Dramatic Society has chosen “Ned Kelly.” Douglas Stewart’s picturesque drama of the bushranging days in Australia. A large audience of parents and friends filled the Civic Theatre to see the play last evening.

’’Ned Kelly” proved to be a long and at times somewhat vert bose play. Its great merit as a production for school boys to undertake is the number of players it requires, and the occasional outbursts of violence which relieve the flow of monologue. Last evening the Kelly Gang were at their best in their more devil-may-care moods. G. H. D. Connor made Ned a fine ruffianly figure. Joe Byrne was lively, and S. C. Nichol kept this part up very well. As acted by C. A. McVeigh, Steve Hart was potentially the most dangerous of all of them; but D. D. Lackey as Dan Kelly seemed rather subdued.

A procession of characters winds in and out of the three acts of the play, and in consequence only a few can be mentioned. In the first scenes A. C. Wilson, R. L. Baker, and M. J. Henshall brought out the unexpectedly comic side of the bank robbery. Act two was enlivened by the pungent remarks of Mrs Barry, delivered by C. J. A. Draper in ringing tones, I. J. S. Reeves was particularly alert as John Jones just before the Battle of Glenrowan started. The battle itself seemed to go by fits and starts. If the playwright really thought Ned could talk himself out of trouble rather than shoot his way out of it, he should not have compelled the actor to speak through a helmet Those muffled tones did hot produce the desired effect. “Ned Kelly” is cleverly staged. It is produced, for the society by Yvette Bromley.