"THE DOUBLE EVENT."

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7383, 5 June 1895, Page 2

"THE DOUBLE EVENT."

Writing of the first production of this piece, with whioh the Darrell Dramati) Company will open their Napier season on Friday night, an Auckland contemporary says:—Appropriately enough, thsfiistproduction of tho George Darrell Uramatio Company at Abbott's Opera House on Saturday night was a racing drama, and redolent as it was of the turf and the racing .table it appealed strongly to the predilections of a large proportion of the audienco, who had braved the rain to watch the Takapuna races that afternoon. The audience was very satisfactory in point of numbers, eonsidaung the uninviting weather, the stalls and pit being packed and the dress circle fairly well filled. Amongst those present were the officers of H.M. 3. Eingarcoma. The drama produced was " The Double Event,'' a racing play in four acts, writt.n by Mr George Darrell and founded upou the incidents from the novel of that name by "Verax" (Nat Gould). Mr G. Darrell has skilfully used the most striking incidents in "Verax's" novel, and the manner in whioh the drama has been adapted does him credit as a playwright in as great a degree as bis acting invites favorable criticism. The strong situations are the mainstay of tha piece, and tho realistic scenery, by Little and Grist, accentuates in an admirable manner the many exciting events which occur in the course of the production. 'The first scene in tho first act represents the interior of the Victorian Club, where the three " rooks " are intrcducod to the reader and the last scene in this act concludes with " the gambler's revenge," in whioh Tiger Fletcher, the chief villain of the piec6, attempts the life of Daisy, who has been his "decoy" for some years. In the second act, the first _c.ne of which shows the interior of Mayfield House, Toorak, the blackmailer ia saen at his work. Ihe third scene iv this act shows the exterior of the training st ibles at Flemington, where the " nobbling " of the colt Oaloola, tho prospective winner of the Melbourne Cup, is attempted by Tiger Fletcher, for strong pecuniary reasons. In the third aot the audience ara shown a realistic representation of the Flemington racecourse on Cup Day, when Caloola, in spite of the dastardly attempts made to disable him, wins the Cup amidst great excitement. The applause with which the noblo "thoroughbreds" were greeted by the audience must have persuaded Mr Darrell that the Auckland publio dearly loves a horse. The finish of the race, with a furious procession of real live horses and jockeys, was as oxoiting as the most enthusiastic futfito could have detired. In the last aot the villains are brought to iustioe, after having gnashed their teeth and worked their evil will for over two hours, and the scene entitled " the rogue's reckoning" gives the audieuce an opportunity of treating in the orthodox righteous manner the diseorafit.d scoundrels. All through the drama is interesting, for the exciting events follow eaoh other too rapidly to allow the audience time to get tired. An attractive feature in the final scene is the Caloola Ball, in whioh is introduced the latest London sensation, the society s.iri dauco, which is very cleverly given by Mies Bessie Oohille.