"THE LAND OP PROMISE"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3037, 26 March 1917, Page 7

"THE LAND OP PROMISE"

STAGE PLEA FOR THE BROADER

TOLERANCE

•■■ "^ ne Land of Promise," a r>lay in '{°r Ur i. aOts '« by " William ■-Somerset .Waughain. Cast— ■.=•>■ MnTsh Florence Rockwell «*«« d .Marsh ' -. -Arthur' Styan' Marsh .' I. ■ Gertrude Boswell ..* rank ~ :. Frank Harvey -Reginald Hornby ...... Leonard Stephens 'Bemamm Trotter ■.:.... Frank- Harcourt Sidney Sharp William Hart Emma Sharp Maggie Knight :James Wickliam- ...,..;.. Boyd Irwin /iDorothy Wickham ........ Alma Phillips Wgnes Pringle Rita Aelin • Olement Wynne ......,.:.;. Wm. Lockhart aate .; Maude Edwardes Hitherto we have only had the opportunity 'to' enjoy •William" Somerset ■Maugham as , a writer of light -comedy, wifh occasional depths, such as in ■'■ Lady Frederiok," m wliich Miss Ethel ■Irving was so radiantly 'successful here ' eome five jrears ago. In "The Land of Promise" the samd' author' , is seen'in the possession of more matured! powers in a fine play, and one that should especially interest us as its'motif is jreally a plea, for a broader tolerance .between English people and those' native to British colonies arid dominions. Usually the sharp oleavage inidoas and manners has served as pabulum for /comedy or farce, but here it ir made ' the; motif for strong drama. Not one of the 'Amevican writers: of realistic

inlays has written so - closely to realism ■,-3ii rough out-back life as has tho English author in this play.- The- story is Hbat of Norah. Marsh, who, though a 'devoted compiiiion to a. certain very rtryihg person for ten^years, , finds on her .death—the play opens on the day

of her funeral—that tho promise of an • ' allowance for life has not been kept. She is Tibi mentionedin tho will at all. '.During this act; in which'comedy and 'drama are cleverly blended, , mention is ;made thatNorah has,a.brotb.6r,farm-. : ling iii Canada,'- and that he has -offered her : a home, should: her means ever, fail; hut it is' a complete surprise to find the second act opening in the.kitchen of Edward Marsh's ,if arm; at Dyer, Canada, with all tho of the rough and primitive life that accompany the glorious fight .with nature in a new country, staring 'at one. • Edward Marsh has' married a waitress-in a Winnipeg hotel. She t is' fiercely colonial in her.ways, and a woman all through in her moods. Tho coming of Norah, and the letter's manner, mod'e of speech, and general attitude to' life grate on the colonial- wojSrian, and. very quickly plesantriee round .; the table. lead to, personalities, Mrs. i Marsh showing Norah very plainly that she considers that she h "putting on side." Mr. Marsh is capability personified on a farm, and despises the finer .labit and puerile efforts of the Eng- '.-: ;lish girl to pick up Canadian ways. In .the course of the quarrel/ fomented.on the one side only, Mrs. Marsh boasts \vith the malignancy of hatred that she' could teach her l-othing, to which ?Norah replies that sho certainly .could not teach her manners. That, is the .final straw. Mrs. Marsh goes off in a felack rage, while her husband, a lump of good nature,, begs Ncrah to apolo- . gise, telling her what sort of a good I woman his wife is at bottom. : Norah, ; though wronged, consents, and then 'Mrs. Mareh, in order to humiliate her eister-in-laiv to the full, insists that the .apology shall be made before the men ,'xvho were prosent-when she chose to i-iconsider herself insulted. ■ Bronto'that '.Norph; consents,- and having : gone ( through with it, Mrs.-'Marsh makes a .mistake of.'.'ruhbing.it in." Norah's ■spirit blazes-out, arid, in. her trouble, . Sne' throws .herself.: : .at v - Frank Tayilor,.:.the hired man, who .iad -men-' .tioned that. he wanted a woman 'about his place, and had jokingly offered her:the. post. 'The .next act discloses : Norah "and Frank arriving at their shack in the winter. T orah has taken ! rthe rjob," but though insisting .' on •marriago, sbe does not mean'that tho bargain shall include wifehood. There has been absolutely no love-making, nor is there tho least sign of any affinity ietween tho two-'. Alone with the man Norah ehrinks from his uncouth advances, aid there is-.a royal battle of strength, in which Frank gots most, but not all; of. his lvay. Norah remains merely his housekeeper. The last act sees* the shack a deal brighter for Norah's womanly touches, and "golden summer is shimmering on the wheat ■nelds through the open door. Frank has struok bad luck. The weed has , got into.his crop, and it has been condemned by the Inspector, and when' Norah gets a letter from an old friend in ■England offering her a situation, Frank .and her brother , both think that she should take'it.' But the spirit", of Canada .has got into her veins, and-she has grown to love .her helpmeet.-"Even though ho is.temporarily ruined, she clings to him; and "the Land-of Promise. .The play is almost unique in .that there is no real love theme , until the last five minutes, and yet thff play as a verj human document} and' was intensely enjoyed by an audience whioh packed the Grand Opera House' from floor to ceiling. . • ■ Once moro Miss Florence Rockwell ■ showed pronounced capability as a dramatio actress in her role of Norah ■(Marsh. Her poiso in tho': first act was admirablo, and in the Canadian scenes her innate intelligence and admirablo diction, together with her' strong womanly appeal, made her acting delightruUy natural and '-.• convincing. .Her. bouts with Gortrudo -• Marsh and in the "crockery sceno". with hor •husband she rose .to . rare dramatic •heights. A performance tbat cut even deeper was tho Gortrud* Marsh of Miss Gertrudo Boswell, who typified with fine strength/and purpose the Canadian '■ who grows violently jealous and vindictively resentful of her sister-in-law, and her ways, and in her ignorant pride is not afraid to Wazon her feelings to the whole world. Miss Boswell has never drawn a more

powerful or more human character. Mr. Frank Harvey earns increased tospect -with every performance. As tho rough, uneducated Canadian farmer to whom writing a letter is "a hell of a [job,, ho sensed the shrewd, hardworking, passionless clod to tho life. Taylor believes in physical strength 'first and Jast, only to slowly awako to the fact that wiJJ-power and intellect have a place m the scheme of things human. There wore no false notes—he was the most natural of Canada's natural products. Further praiso would be superWe .Mr Sfrau was admirably placed as Jiddie Marsh, Mr. Leonard Stephens was amusing astha shiftless "Johnny " Reginald Hornby. Mr. Frank Harcourt emphasised tho crude humour, of Ben Trotter, a farm hand, capitally. In the amusing, first act Miss AlmaPhillips was clerer as the selfish Mrs. Wickham. Mr. Boyd Irwin dragged a bit as her husband.. Tho play, is adequately mounted. "The Land ol'Promise" will bo performed again this evening. Tjth the introduction of "The Law of t<lo Land" for tho three farewell nighte oi the J. C. Williamson season commo&eing to-morrow, Miss Florence. , Rockwell and Air. Frank Harvey will ■bring their,visit to a close. .The "Law of the Land" comes with an excellent reputation. It is said that Miss Rock■wefl and Mr. Harvey give still further evidence of their rcmartablo versatility 111 totally different creations.