Miss Carrie Swain's Dramatic Season.

Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 31, 8 February 1888, Page 3

Miss Carrie Swain's Dramatic Season.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin," than which, probably, no prose work ia more familiar in English-speaking 1 communities, seldom fails to attraot large audiences when represented on the stage, and its production at the Opera House last evening, by Miss Carrie Swain's company, proved no exception to the general rule. All the accommodation in the lower parts of the building waß taken up, and the upper oirole was well filled. The version followed by the company differs in some respects from those we hare been accustomed to see in the colonies, and though various opinions may be entertained as to whother or not the work haß been improved upon in dramatisation, it will be agreed that the members of the company certainly make the best of the material at their disposal. Misa Swain's Topsy is a very clever characterisation, and the grotesqueness of her reading of the part made an excellent foil to the sombre tone of other portions of the play. Several musioal items and dancea aro interpolated, including tho duet "Of Fairy Wand, from " Maritana," which Miss Swain sings in company with Mr. Ford, with a not very agreeable spice of burlesque. Mr. D'Orßay Ogden gave an extremely natural portraiture of the character of Uncle Tom. The feature of the oast, however, is the cleverness of the little mite, Nellie Ogden, who appeared as Eva St. Clair. The child acts with an extremely intelligent conception of the part she represents, delivers her lines with oapital expression, and appears altogether to be a perfeot infant phenomenon. Her singing of a pathetio little song last night fairly bronght down the house. An emphatic encore was the result, and the frequent resort to handkerchiefs in this and the death scene showed that the pathos had not failed in its effect upon the gentler portion of the audience. Mies Fergus doubled the parts of Miss Ophelia and Cassy. Fhineas Fletoher was capably impersonated by Mr. George Leopold, who made no small amount of fun out of his part. The remainder of the characters were oreditably represented. Two "apotheosis " scenes were introduced, at the death of Eva and that of Uncle Tom, and the scenio effects were on the whole well arranged. "Unole Tom's Cabin " will be repeated to-night and tomorrow Light, but the company will be obliged to leave for Napier on Friday.