OPERA HOUSE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 85, 3 January 1908, Page 5

OPERA HOUSE

1 "LADY MADCAP."

Tho new musical comedy,!?' Lady Madcap,"by Paul Reubens and a lot .of ot-lior clover people, staged for the fiv.-st time m New Zealand at the Opera.-., Bouse last evening; is- brighter and' better' than' its predecessor; and was received hvith morn effusive enthu- | siasm than was; accorded ,'to ."-The Blue. Moon." TKerd-is ail elemeriO of "catchiriess" 1 in. the mtisio, ivhioh is distmeuished- by; crisp decisiveness in metre, and uirecc simplicity j of ~ Everything crisply ;'and brightly, - in:' keeping witln 4h'e''. cleaft, Ijbglisli atraosplicre in'which-"Lady, Madcap": romps/ Tho now play is very strong in good comedy, and it introduces to the" public a. type : of character made famous in London by .'Mr. Q. I'. Huntley—the awfully- jolly,;, don't you. know,'. really "' sort.'J_6f.: i :.uerson_,_ :the. •-'! johnny '' who is always the gentleman;and a real good, fellow under any circumstances',, yet who is extremely amusing in 'his : exaggeration of tho vagaries-;ofrhisvclassr-"As a vehicle for gaining an'actiiiaiiitance of this sample of musical comedy" character labelled Huntley,". Lady ;M»<Jchp " is welcome. As usual, -the: story' isVthin—a " thick " lone would be ridiculous, pCrhap3j because the interest -/might' get too deep to allow it to be broken whilst someone, sings a casual song or introduces some eccentricity. ' Tt- has;get' enough story .to,make -jt/an'" awfully jolly ". ontertairment ' that has no dullmoments, plenty of action, and a dash _ol' the colour a la.mili£aire to make it, appetising to lovers of .the lighter side ol' the stage. '..v , "Lady Madcap." is really the harumscarum Lady Betty Claridge, who: is a nriioticsJ joker , in a -larjjfe'Syay of business. Her . latest'bit of fuir'- is/to writei to tho Colonel of the, Yeomanry, camped near by, asking tbo company to attend a dinner, garden party, arid dance given by hor father, ,tho Marquis ■of Franglingham, 'who' does, not /know of the invitation:;until- the-military-!ar-rive.'.'; But tilings '.are to#'slow I 'with, the' old. and irate Marquis about, so Madcap concocts a: telegram from the Prime Minister, which draws |iim away, leaving Betty and the military in ■ possession. To extract . the maximum fun out of the situation, and ? at the same time, to' gain ; a closer Ecquaintance, •Trooper, Smith., (really.- jproytf whom she' has se,en nrid lovca;-.on; the I ;cribket field, and who is doing penance as a trooper "for the -fun of the thing," she takes tlio place, of lier maid, and induces her friond Gwenny Holdcii to assume the role!of Lady' Betty. To complicate matters -further Lady Betty, irritated at her father., .qly.'.ays dinning fnto her ears' that shemust 1 'marry 'forymbney, has insertcd. an advertisement to the effect that if'; eligiblo -BritisliJ; millionaires, Iwill call, they.-will hoar, ofi/'Efiftiething;, to their advantage." accounts for th& presence of flash Bill' Stratford,*:imd .h,isyfiinny confederate,' Posh Jenkink ; ' knd' furthor, livoly young lady has wrjtten inviting the presence. of. one Counts-*detSt.< Hubert, , of whom silo suspects her friend to bo fond. As she cannot, have, fiend . clpso enough to hor if he remains.in y lih'6 'arniy, the aristocratic trooper is induced to take the butler's place, and t "bottles" iu a suit three sizes and a bit too largo for him.: What with love-making, songs, and dances. Lady Madcap 1 .Sees that hor guests" "have '/"a": real merry,; t time, wdiich .' is/. ing by tho excellent fooling of Trooper Smith, Posh • Jenkins l / .and!i ,the Madcap herself, until ! the *'■ .' returns in tho middle of it all, and 1 is going to smash things, but for the mollifying news -thatSmith, who is really a-"sw ( cll." has arranged to carry, off liis daughter (lis wife". Miss Daisie Wallace, ns Lady Madcap, had a role that suited her rathdnhiieoiftni'ori stylo of acting. -She danc;:s'very!:neatly-,-but;,the vacancy of alleged innocaiice' perniissiblo- in the expression is carried .t.O'/tho cpuijciavion, and one feels the whflie, time,-a to hear, her, speak naturally. ■ ; Still,' she!.-was Tory- bright and active,,/ahd! Hoi', sbngsj'/'" I haven't any! patience witli.ta. Soßlieif" "and "I'm/a Little Maid," ar.chlj'.',. sung. The unmistakable success 1 of ; "tho, evening was tho Trooper Smith''played- by':'Mr.''My)es Clifton, whoso performance was iiri-'eicarnple of finished!'comedy. tocratic trooper,, who doesn-!t.like-soldiering, really, because the hdrsea/.bite'him/and-r- ho gets a pain ill the bacfeliße also says'that " It would never do to chuck a dinner party for a rotten battle." rHis scejie' with Corporal liiim- in tile-first acti!.wa& very amusing, and as tho coiild not always remombor that- he-was not ono of the guests; ho was screamingly funny,-and-furthcr,. if there is a song that will be whistled about the streiits it is Mr. Clifton's lilt, " Meet me down in Pareo, Carrie." Mr. Victor Gouriet squeozed a lot of 'fun out of Posh Jenkins, who worships his superior in crime, Stony Stratford (Mr. Parkes). Mr. Gour;sfc has a good song in "Nobody knows, 'nobody cares)" and, with Mr. Parkes, sings' " JioV do you, if you please?" His cleverest bit of comedy last ovening was tho sketch in which ho was associated with Mr. Myles Clifton, in which they imporsonaro -different types. of drivers, do a skit on a theatre audience,v'aud were simply splendid in the scene whero Mr. Clifton impersonates tho driver car, and Mr. Gouriet tho chaffeur';."'Another sound performance was that of Mr. Harry Sweeney, who looked t as tho French Count, and whoso performance was convincingly earnest-. Ho was artistic throughout, and nowhere more than in the song, "I Liko you in Velvet." Miss Alina Harbor was a little cold as Gwonny Holdon. Sho deserves credit for her distinct' enunciation. Miss Dulcio Munihy gets a chanco 'as Susan, the lady's maid, and showed proper sprightliness, in a rathor good dance. Mi'ss Oelia Ghiloni looked vory handsomo as Mrs. Lr.yton, but wo continue', to lament, that sho is dumb, as far as singing is concerned. Mr. Pat Bathurst as .Major Blatherswaitc. Mr. It-. Kenneth as Captain Harrington! Mr. J. Ti. Hoguo as Lieut. Somerset, Mr. B. F. Watson as Corporal Ham, Mr. Charles, Beet-' ham as Colonel Imytori; 'arid "tho Miir(]iiis, Sir. Arthur Lissant, were all well within tho picture. Tho' orchestra,' under Mr. Moulton, do very good work, and the scenery arid dresses are all that could bo desired.

"Lady Madcap" will bo .playe<kagain this evening.