NELLIE STEWART SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 597, 27 August 1909, Page 6

NELLIE STEWART SEASON.

. • "AS Y6U LTFLE IT." "A? Yon .'Like it;" • ..Comedyby;.lVillinro SlSak'espea've'.V .'Cast:— v '< Thb -Banished'- Duliel' Dolre 'Trcdericfc: ..:....iJ.anaes Mr.rtin.-,. •: Amtau' v "'."..'.'.'.Nellie', StrottH.'- ' Jatiuea Kiri(t." ~- .■ Lo Beau .Powell, v • Oliver Winrfielfl.!.. •'.'Jaiiu&s* • ' yriinaa' .'Bui-tun',v ' Adam Tappins. v ; "D<jni3, 'Campbell. '.' :„.:.^.:.;..:....;^.;..»;»;;;...;1je6p01d''.btach. ' -Toacilitsno : .:Vv:V.;;..;,".i...!.7.:.v..Ea.rry' -AbMoM.--- ■ ; Oorin ißeresfptd, ' byUitts ( -- .A.» . kteWart:' . ■" If SWak^ptar^'s^^fitiiSi'tßT psr,; in r whiqli ttolitf gnbiiie^aml noble ■ lords :'and ladies -in''uettjhtful; confiw'ab, be tho intellectual offspring 'of.-# .midsummer night's dream,; surely ' x As You Like It" must have- been: conjured, in a.midsummer :duy's doze,' .'under the .shade of the old,; old.elms beside ~the soft-flowing. Avon. .. The one .comedy is'' no more of the. night/ when j the ''wildest imaginings bf dreamland take on 'an v unnatural naturalness, than'the other, is of the' Aay~ot light and sunshine—of: love,' sweet :philpsophy, p ever associated with "the free; air. that ,plays 'twixt .dawn and night' There,-^is. a singular freedom from Shakespearean. complexities, and qnaintnesses, : and an ; exhilarating wholesome; ness. in "As You.like It"'.th'at:must.ever. assure'its popularity.in: the theatre,.if^not;in thp. study.'. .There is that .native'-to the comedy which-.Vis so .fresh ' and.-, vernal' iiigenoral conception, development,] 'and atmosphere; so .much: '--.poetic'.".'charm;' .'• so little lo',resent in the- simple story—for -one' is inclined to thank the, wicked,'l)uke, for .banish? irig Rosalind as the real author of one of the •truest pastoral idylls -ever penned—that ■ we go to the. theatre prepared, not,ito- be tickled or . shocked, but; to revel .in,.that ' incense' of •spring that ' the play exhales. O '•' Secondarily;' weilook'for; interpretation. " The comedy is: very^old;.'the./.'playerg,;; invariably new, and thereby haing's an'-interest/ It turned last evening■ on.- Miss Nellie- Stewart's assumption \of Kosalind",.."a , ''''Wl«';that'.'eye?y.- actress yearns to strut in,-presenting/as it. does such chances to charm as do not pcqqr].every day, in the.-life -of 1 thej- average; prayer.-,- /Therei.-is ,'Jio part in .Hiss Stewart 'could' ...libtl'play.iotplUgently .apd -with charm, nor can she-'h'elp-'-infccting-.'every. character'.shd plays'^ith:'her mapetic'-persobalityi Her. R<«alind.\isone.pf-extrchire, .'peJKa!p4'.'' / i trifle . theatr.i?ally..' : fio.-y,ln;,her tender- .ni'o'pds she:as,,.!real!y,-..'affp.ctihs:t. jaiid/ brighter nlomentslshe ■ iv-as-jolly- .afc. a sapd-boy,:; forgetting .''altogether jthe .niaply, bearipg ,she; ; assuiiied on . Orlapdo'i.ip- tliei'i.fqyeVt, YetV^is^Stew/rt,captivated-the-Jarge.'audience with-, hfef jnhereii't: sweetnek'ijrid. the, cleverness of-'-her acting-'in.':^ 'many bf"Me; ; sceiies,:'\,ye);y natnra'lly-.-.a'na , m6destly ; ,'did '-" she'/ '.ww - Kef Orlando'.byi thfe\-'sheep-'feofe ! ;'fPrest,: and she. was,;del.icid.ufly. sKittish:;in'ithe'.'moclt-.iced-/ ding Perhaps l her :fines.t .'Shqyrihe ;was' in. the. famous "biopsy 'kerchieft spene.i where'sho begsthat ,~her ■':coTOterf?itipg . iiiend'ed to Orfando', .even ; pijy a ,f(Jut breath '/-fiway' swoon'ing'Val.: the -Eight, '.nt h'er'.lb.ver's .'blopd.'" "jChftre.tljP actress reached nigh art;' abil the audierice'were' • quick . (o it. Td' .the 'delight'-of" all, the, pretty', '..butj ',often omitteil •'•\vas f 'spbkeii'.)by "3di& btevva'rt with; admitable' , 'eWpha"si6, after-the last scene. _. The Orlando was. Mr. ianghorne Burton; whif in appearance was,-ideal,'and'who acted with well directed spirit'. In Shi?,Vespeare it is almost essential that, every' ■woi'd' should bo'■ henrd— slurring :is.' ; 'an..'.ab6mii)ation;/' Mr. .'Burton' -ex: hausts his,'.voice, (he'first .bnrst of. phrase and; finishes.., up,-almost inaudibß ,t' 'This ujaiy tola-mannerism, bjit.in jjqstice..to.!t.hp : audience it-''is' pnei-.Whicn.''hc,.'shoijl4. .;m.end.:: ; '.pj-lando.'s wrestle y;ith ,l . ! Charl,ies' w'as : biio of the. best-re-m;arsed'.and_ niost ■ natural bouts ever seen in any production of the 'comedy. Wellington, and:'.tfelt-. desery.e'd. tfe jappkiise -.'it - induced. Mr. Claude King made almost unmelanchply Jaques, to inve.st ; wiiat is .a . strong char'abtef''';with -that', distinctive '/inpivifhality usually v'accoi"de'd. ..--'He 'gave''the 'famous .'-.Seven Ages" 'fipeich: almost'.glibly,''.whilst toeing, w-i(H aniapple nt the table. .Vlt'-was.'-tfQt-the impressive ..elocutionary- effort' of -' : tradition. '' 1 Ifr; Conwayr .Wingfield asv-Dliver ' was: ' the. .best Shakespearean of the-men. last evening. He spoke his lines, smoothly/ almost 'conversationally, and-yet every word'.was heard„.and every , point/ of; his'..argument" understpbd;- "It, wa9.quite'a..good"p£rformance.: , Mr.:Harry Ash,ford. ':capjibla- Touchstone.' ;;His lines came, "trippingly, ,on the. tongue,'? ;and. ; his'postures; and/«>rae<j.y.. business ;wera. those - of- an experienced -actor/. Mr.' A. J.- JatriPk made-;a handsotne. - lpye-lorn Sylvius,,, and- .Mr. Beresford "as' Coriri deserves 'a word of praise for' his excellent' makeup. Mr. A., B. Tapping was - old " Adam and' Jfr. :T. Powell Lo lieau. Miss »Ko3lyn Vane was a..sweet-spoken .Celia, Miss Chard a; handsome -?lioebe, rand Harriett,.Trej)ch a;comical Audrey., ', • ■ '

Th?;. production; was. .magnificent, ,andi. if >lt were, only'for the spectaclo, Toil 'IJke H" -is; yiell'; worth': seeing. The', lnwn before .'the Pake's palace in Act I is a magnificent vistn of'low-stone '.terraces, with' lawns reaching away in the sunlight to "a fair -river—it is like: a beautiful oil. painting, enhanced- by enlargement: The sun glinting-' through', the trees.on the_griarled. trunk of an old- oak.in tlio foreground is; one, of the. cleverest. effects seen in stage scene-painting in Wellington for a long time. The artist was Mr. Stafford Hall;; * ! Tha Forest of Arden" set is by, Conrad. Tritschler, and- is a stereoscopio/ study in, spring greens. Deep in-the background appears a pool, and, on the other side, a. fcrn-stre'wßjrnked .entrance.;, . Branches of. a bluegum, introduced ;for what'reason it is hard to ,conceive; were out. of tune Tfith the colour scheme.,- The third scene worthy : of notice, "Tho Forest; near Rosalind 'a Cottage" (Hams Craven), is a'n'-'adroirable,,pic-ture-of a forest-edge, with, a set-thatched'cot, and a''brawling brook in-.the, background.';, The dresses" jvere adequate, and the. m'uiical* scoro particularly, good./ During,the play Miss.\Nellie Strong sane indifferently. "Under the' Greenwood Tree, and "Blow,- Blow'r^uite, otit. of the picture as sung by a soprano.- Two ypungstefs.s'ang the "Hey, Nonny" fatclumcely, and aehorus. made vocal "alarums, witlumt'-raising' enthusiasm. i. "-As- YtM/L'ifce -It" : repeated" ;to-nlgljLt ud to-nwirw-aijkt, whoa: the; mmou' elm ■