HUGH WARD SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1101, 13 April 1911, Page 7

HUGH WARD SEASON.

• •■■ ' — • » ■ —:—■" HrfiE BACHELOR'S HONEYMOON" ~ AXD "THE SCARECROW." The action of Mr. Hugh J. Ward and his clever merrymakers,in""A Bachelor's Honeymoon" is an object-lesson on how farce should he played. This sparkling comedy, smartly" written by Mr. John Staplcton, is toned up to concert pitch from the riss of the curtain, and never is' it allowed to drop a shade throughout the threo acts of notons fun, which detail the "second attempt" of Mr. Benjamin Bachelor. That little pillar of suburban Bociety, who has been blessed with two bouncing girls by the late lamented Mrs. Bachelor, has laid siege to and won the heart of Miss Juno Joyce, an actress, and if is'his dread of the • consequences of Toreaking the news to Minerva, his sister aiul moral guardian, and his cherabs, that leads to a maze of complications of a wildly comical character. Mr. Hugh .Ward is nt his best as Benjamin liachelor.'aiid his best is worth going a long way to see. As the hectored, love-smitten, .but mild-mannered little man, hekepttho fun bubbling the whole evening. His volatile dancing, and boyish hilarity were all part of an admirable comedy performance, which left no loophole for criticism. Miss Grace Palotta. could not bo anything but ."charming as Juno Joyce. She in.Vcsted the role with chic tind abandon qiiito- delightful, and the same characteristics helped her songs in no small measure, notably .in the French dittv, .which had the savour of a' ■, Parisian cafe chantant. Miss Maud Chetwynd was once again the eccentric s-ervant Marianne, with- the ambition, to emulate Sherlock Holmes. Her broad comedy, ridiculous poses, and" weird "make-up" wore- laughably ludicrous always,'and when, she sang "I'm Afraid to Go Home in the Dark" the audience lost all, semblarico of restraint in laughter. Jfiss Ghiloni submitted a capital character sketch as Minerva; Mr. Reg... Wykehnm. was well placed as Stephen Houston, and Mr. Robert Greig was unctuously convincing fcs Anthony' Qumbuff. Misees Euby Baxter and Florrie Redfern as Bachelor's twin daughters squeezes! themselves cleverly into the picture; Jlr. I;. Har.dinge was Br. Kwartze, and llr. H. Wallace, Joe, the man servant.

The compdy was preceded at 8 by "The Scarecrow," a clever creation of Mr. Hugh J." Ward, who appears as a wayside scarecrow, and enters tho dream of pretty Mary'of Dickson's Royal Circus, which is camped in the vicinity. Mr. Ward deceived everyone unacquainted with the argument by hi 9 scmblanco of inanition as the straw-stuffed effigy hanging to tho stump of a tree, and when in the dream he. comes to life his comedy and eccentric'; dancing were alike admirable. Ho was most ably supported by Miss Grace Palotta. Mr. Reginald Wykolmin, and Mr. Robert Greig. ' This diverting double bill will be ngain presented this evening, when Mr. Ward will say good-bye to Wellington as a player.