ANDERSON DRAMATIC CO.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1151, 12 June 1911, Page 6

ANDERSON DRAMATIC CO.

fr_ — "THE PRINCE AND THE-BEGGAE i.. ;■,■■ ';.■'■'■■. .> ; .- : MAib?' . ." Wellington playgoers' were given a pleasant, surprise on' Saturday evening, when the Anderson Dramatic Company, presented "The Prince and the Beggar Maid," a.play by Walter Howard, that ,is qpito'.well acted, and moreover is admirably mounted'and costumed. The plot concerucs Monica,'.Princess.lllyria. on the one hand; and'the Princes Olaf, Michael, and Hildred, of Sylvania, oh the other. Thero is war between the two; States, ostensibly over a strip of land, but in reality over •Monica's refusal to keep her girlish troth jffitfc I'riiice , ;-' Hildred; of Sylvania. Jlonica.'s citadel is 'beiur. battered sue-. cessfiiHy, and her army is in a bad way when Hie play opens. So much so that she decides to visit Hildred's halls in the disguise of a beggar maid that she niay. test her-heart against the sufferings ;of i-hef: -people. Hildred turns out i|to \';boV' no ,r end of a scoundrel, yho . insults ''■■ her after her disguise has been penetrated. But she is protected by the beauteous Prince Olaf, a -very, a'ngel-'bf-a prince, who can do no wrong, whilst Jlichael, the hunchback, looks upon her with eyes 'of desire. Monica, obviously impressed by Olaf, is permitted to return to lllyria, but the next day the place capitulates to Hildred, and rapine and riot fill its streets and terror the hearts of the citizens. Only on one i'condition will Hildred witlidi'awVthat' •.Monica becomes'his wife. She is ada- ■ maiif/in her refusal, but consents to" niarrj-'/any other man of equal blood and-, -birth.' l Hildred snaps at her word,'makes it ah oath, and names the mis-shapen Prince Jlichael. Olaf tho beautiful, who loves JJonica with a real high-t|uality ;lo've,-:is' horrified 'when-..Tie • discovers the .itrap in which -.Monica" lias been, caught., /tforcedv to'; extremes, he trades'' on' his '•popularity. with - the army, defies ■ Hildied, '•.and seizes the person ofJlichael (whom all the time Olaf professes to, love' as a brother). Jlichael is confined in the Red Schloss, and Olaf himself keeps watch over him until midnight has passed, when the time limit on Jlonica's any-mau oath expires. Not to be frustrated in his fiendish wishes, Hildred ascertains where .Michael is incarcerated. "With a force of men, ho breaks into tho Schloss, and carries Jfichncl off to hi; wedding, leaving Olaf ;t prisoner. It would never do for Iho hero to so remain quiet during a crisis in the story, so Olaf makes a bold fight with his guard, and, with the aid of Captain Hector (Monica's faithful henchman), an escape is effected. Imagine, then, the dimly-lit cathedral, a flush of rosy light from 'the stained-glass window, the candle-lit altar, and soft organ, music to emphasise the devotional atmosphere of the scene. Enter JJonica, in sheeny white, to meet, to her' suiprist., Prince Olaf, who suggests a journey beyond the purple hills. No, she will keep her oath, and wed the hunchback. So a last farewell is spoken, tho processing enters, and the ceremony presided oymby a bishop in full canonicals begin?. "Do you take this woman to bo your lawful wedded wife?" asks he. "No!" shrieks Michael, who is a really decent sort of hunchback, anil in the confusion which follows, Iho bride finds her wny into Olaf's arms, The last sceno represents the battlements of Jtonica's palace. JFichael, a pathetic figare,' is there consoled by Olaf and Monica, and gets very sorry for himself. Hildred, boiling with rage, finds him there, and is in the act of horsewhipping him when Michael's faithful mute, Nathan, seizes him hy the throat, and after a struggle they both fall over the parapet and are killed. So Michael becomes the reigning prince of Sylvania, and Olaf lords it with Jlonica in Illym, and all is peace save tho applause of the audience, which was enthusiastic.

Miss Beatrice Day, an actress of experience and much personal charm, figured as Monica, and though not perhaps ideally suited to the role of "the little Queen ,, physically, played with iirce and dignity ivhen the occasion demanded. Mr. Harry Roberts acted Prince Olaf with the elan of youth, 'combined with restraint and suavity .of later years. He cut a fine figure-in hi» picture?qTi6 uniform,' ind looked every inch the man thb author intended Olaf to be. Quite an impressive, cleaivcut performance was that of Princo Michael by Mr. Kenneth Brampton, who succeeded in conveying the inward strugglo between his love for Olaf and his passion for Monica finite convincingly. Mr. Walter Dalgleish stormed through the. part of Prince Hildred, , making him a real nasty fellow whom it would be any decent man's pleasure to kick. Fie was rather bourgeois, though, for a Prince in manner and-style of-speech. . linrly Captain Hector was admirably played by Mr. Herbert Leigh; Mr. C. Thorpe as Captain Karsburg and Miss Ethel Bushford as Viola provided some lively comedy as two lovers; Mr. Victor Fitzherbert was eminently satisfactory as Colonel Wcllenburg; and' Miss Florence Kichtcr was quaintly offective as Camiola, a beggar maid in love with tough ' old Hector. The play is verv beautifully mounted, and the scenes depicting the battlements of Monica's palace and the interior of the Illyria Cathedral wers most effective.

"The Prince and the Beggar Maid", will be'staged until further notice, :