GENERAL JOHN REGAN

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 60, 4 December 1917, Page 9

GENERAL JOHN REGAN

o AND A SCENE FROM " THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL" —r"General John Regan," a comedy in three acts, by "Geo. A. Birmingham." Cast — Dr. Lucius O'Grady' ...Mr. Cyril Maude Major Kent Mr. Edward lister Timothy Doyle Mr. Robert Ayrton Lord Alfred Blakeney Mr. Frank Elliott Mrs. Do Courcy .Miss Stella Paytor Mrs. Gregg Mies Mardi Billon Mary Ellen Miss Betty Murray Thaddcus Oollighor ...Mr. Stephen Scanlan Horace P. Billing Mr. Herbert Ransoh 0. Grog? Mr. E. Gatenby 801 l Sergeant Colgan Mr. Harry Sweeney Constable Moriarty, Mr Raymond Lawronco Tom Kerrigan Mr. H. H. Wallas Rev. Father M'Cormaok ...Mr. Alfred Turner

The double bill, presented by Mr. Cyril Maude and his company at tho Grand Opera Houso last evening was in every respect a happy combination, as it gave theatre-goers an opportunity of seeing tho distinguished" English actor in two entirely distinct roles, widely varying in almost every characteristic, and both, be it said, divergent from that of tbo old party in "Grumpy" of ineradicable memory. Both to those who take their playgoing seriously and those who merely regard the theatre as a placo to spend a couple of hours pleasantly tile combination of the screcn scene from Richard Brinslcy Sheridan's im- / mortal comedy, "The School for Scanidal," with the racy-Irish farce-comedy, "General John Regan," was a delightful one. To the former tho revival of

tho clover scene from Sheridan's comedy will rccall many memories of other days, to some back to those dear old London days wlicn William Farren most perfectly encompassed, the character of Sir Peter Toazle oil so many occasions,- and to those in New Zealand to tho sprightly performance of the character by the late Mr. Wm. Hoskins. • One excellent performance of the comedy was given here some twenty-five years ago, with Mrs. BrownPotter as Lady Teazle, and Mr. Kyrle Bellow as Charles Surface.J- Later still Miss Nance O'Neil es- | sayed the role, but was somewhat Junoesque' in appearance i and heavy in style for the little butterfly from tho country. She was supported by Mr. Walter Rayhham as Sir Peter, and Mr. Thomas Kingston as Charles Surface. The present generation had not had an opportunity hitherto of witnessing the performance of the comedy by players of note, and must have enjoyed the many delights afforded by tho wholly delightful performance of Mr. Maude as tne old man who marries a young wife. , The English actor has that innate air of breeding that so well becomes the good comedies of tho eighteenth _ century. His crisp, clean imanner, infectious humour and speech, his infinite tenderness, and his complete merging of his own personality in that of tho part ranked his Sir Peter as a polished comedy performance of rare distinction and constant interest. Miss Dorothy Gumming made a very handsonio Lady Teazle, and surprised oven her warmest admirers by her artistic performance. She spoke her Sheridan, trippingly, and gave a faithful rellection of the fickle wife's changing moods. Therewas hardly enough plausible subtlety about Mr. Frank Elliott's Joseph Surface, and Mr. Herbert Hanson's Charles Surface was almost effeminate in its airy effeminacy. Mr. Harry Sweeney was tho servant. The air of lavender and old lace that pervades the Sheridan comedy gave way in "General John Regan" to the sea breezes of a West of Ireland l village of to-day. This play is hardly a play at all, bo foreign is it to ;i !1 known types. In its strange whimsicality it is more; like a racy short story that has reached the stage by accident/ and hardly knows what to do with itself. It was written by "Geo. A. Birmingham," the author of that line hovel' "Spanish Gold," who in private life is Canon Hannay, and who is an authority on the peasant, life of Ireland, saved from mediocrity by an abounding senso of humour of such -whimsical turns and twists that it is impossible to foretell to what ludicrous lengths he is prepared to go. "General John Regaii" is a mytli invented by a live , American visiting Ballymoy to see if there is anyone with any life at all in tho place. 1 He demands to see the statue, of Genoral Regan, tho deliverer of Bolivia, who, he asserts, was born in Ballymoy. Dr. Lucius O'Grady, a Trinity Collego M.D., with humour miming mad in his Irish veins, takes tip the challenge, and insists that .there must he a General John Regan, and having prepared a list of subscriptions; gets Doyle,, the publican, to approach tho American, who actually gives £100, the only real money there is. On this a second-hand statue from a gravestone maker's is secured cheap, and' the Lord Lieutenant is invited to unveil the statue, but at the eleventh hour discovers that there is ho such' person as General John' Regan, and sends his aide to demand an apology. Instead of getting one this inonoclcd satellite is presented with an address and made to deliver a speech by the irrepressible 0 Grady. He even takes off his gloasv hat when tho anaemic village bantl plays The Wearing of tho Green" instead of the National Anthem, which should have been played, and then protests that-it docs not sound a bit like the real thing.- The author has departed from the set riilo that only one character should speak at once. Knowing the Irish all over, there are several places where half a dozen characters are at it hammer and tongs together, and yet it is intelligible, natural, and extremely laughable throughout,. Those who wish to see how committee meetings are conducted in l Ireland should witness tho second scene in this comedy. It commences amiably, drifts from the talkative to the argumentative stage, and finally "the wigs are on the green." Two minutes later they are all shaking hands and swearing eternal affection. Nor does the picco lack a Variety of comedy typos. J)r. O'Grady is as full of invention as an egg is of meat —ono joke leads him to another — untinl he actually does see a statuo. of the mythicul general, erected oil the pedestal of which the American proclaims him a real - live man. Mr. Maude revels in tho. cheerful chater which Dr. O'Grady pours out whenever he is within sight; There is no waiting for points or effects—it is a stream of amusing fact, banter, argument, and and mere' assertion that carries the grinning audience along to the quaint end, where the village constable comes to tho footlights, and,'glaring-out at tile audience, .says: "What are you staring at—go homo wid ycrt" Apart from the gay honhomm and infectious . humour ot tho debonair doctor, there aro other sound performances. An outstanding line comedy character study is given by Mr. Stephen Scanlan. as Colligher, the editor of the "Connaught Eagle.". Ho is one of the "touch and go" Nationalists, to whom England and the English is poison—a vivid sketch this, instinct with vital-humour dramatically pitched. Mr. Robert Ayrfcon was convincing as the hull- . necked publican, and Mr. Edward Lester was well fitted as Major Kent. A capital comedy slcotch was given, byi • Mr. Frank Elliott as tho Lord LietitiT.aiit'n 'inane aide, and Mr. Herbert Hanson was fresh and aggressive as Horace P. Hilling. Mr. A. Turner .as Father M'Cormack was also a very complete study of a parish priest treated in lighter vein. Miss Betty Murray was almost tflo peach-and-creauiy in her prettiness for Ellen Jane: Miss Stella Payten rushed about healthily as j Mrs. de Cnurcy, and Miss Dillon was ( Mrs. Gregg. The double bill will he repeated this ( evening, and to-morrow will be replaced 1 by Tom Robertson's fine comedy, j