"ANN"

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2554, 31 August 1915, Page 3

"ANN"

AMATEURS IN COMEDY ! "Aon" a comedy/ in. three acts, by . Lechmcre Worrall., Cast:— ; Ann .'Aiming ; Hazel .Grey ■ Evuugelino Lydia Barrett i lire. Hargreaves ........... Ruby M'Kenzio > Tho Rev. Dean .. -.... Tom Cullen . Billy Lloyd Dick Park Edward Hargreaves Edgar Wallace "Ann,"-'played by the Gaiety Comedy Company (tho' latest, addition, to the list: of amateur theatrical clubs) at the Grand Opera House : lost evening, ie a comedy with all the signs of technical immaturity ! thick upon it, and is evidently one of the '-. earliest'. essays ,in play-writing of tho author who ;so. successfully collaborated in the production of "The- Man .Who Stayed at Ilomo." Its action is jerky, :* the situations illogical and crude, at times .to. a .surprising .degree, but for all that ! there is tho germ of originality apparent in tlio idea of. . the" play which denotes •promise. ' Ann. is an. American lady journalist, to our ideas a rather vulgar slapdash .young' person, who. has fallen in. : . love with' Edward vHargreayes, a young ■; English; novelist -'and tho son of Dean Ham-eaves, a-short-sighted,. narrow- slave : of English conventionality.' The whole fun of .the comedy • consists ■ of- Ann's sue-. ; cessful effort to break info.; this family ; circle and gather the scalp of the young author, who; has a<.flat.'. in the. same hotel ' as herself; ' 'Her task is not an easy one. as the scribbler is already -engaged- to one Evangeline, to whom he has proposed ■ oyer, tlio telephone at tho behest of .his mother. Aim, ivho seeks, to interview young' Hargreaves as a--means of gaining his acquaintance, enters, his flat by means of & fire-escape, and by the aid., of mother wit, and native cheek finds her man, and squeezes out of him in a few: minutes the most intimate - secrets of . liis life, lnclud- - .ing his engagement.' ..This she resolves to ! upset, and does ; so .by • maliciously jilanting in. various parts of the room items of . v her .'•' linguerie. These .; are, i of course, ' discovered in the presence of Evangeline..and asEdward cannot explain tlieir whence,. his . fiancee gives him his conge,' leaving the ' way clear for Miss Stars and Stripes.; '.She, with slangy language. and ; worse manners, soon indices the foolish felloir that Evangeline : .is impossible, "and, in a cocksure style-impresses, on his .plastic mentality that she is tlio only ■ one; and, -strange; to-: relate, , he is encouraged to- think "Mrs. Hargreaves,'; though why. it is difficult.to im--agine,: as: Ann's characteristics are about, .as taw"dTy ,ahd.:insincere! as it i 6 possible to imagine,', but tho end of the play sees Ann ,in ; Iklward's armS and'the dean'and his wife metaphorically saying "God bless ,ybu;"; v y, '■ ;Mi6S'Hazer ; Gtay played the role' of the ;amazing; Ann. with.; easy confidence, and made,her,a breezy if not a very likeable tj-pe of -forward young womankind, '.The American .idioins rolled; from her wugw as to the' manner born, and she showed talent as a frocker. Miss Ruby M'Kenzie .played Mrs. Hargreaves: with delicacy and refinement, and Miss Lydiu Barrett. raaoe 'the most'of-Evangeline.'' Mr.' Edgar Wallace was a. presentable EdwaTd Hargreaves but- hardly realised, the comedy inherent 'in/the role. , He' was o very serious young' man.about town.: >lr. Dick Park chirped •pleasantly in a 'monotone. as Billy Lloyd (Edward's/friend), and.Mr. Tom Cullen ;wes}' altogether -.:;-too juvenile, in manner for tho dean. ■; ;The - comedy, ■' which , was', witnessed' by; His Excellency the Governor and Countess ;of Liverpool. and tho Mayor (Mr... J. P. Luke), .will be repeated this evening. The Wellington v Gas" ■•; Company^'. Orchestra played selections during the intervals,