ANDERSON'S DRAMATIC COMPANY. "THE LADDER OF LIFE."

Evening Post, Volume LXXI, Issue 143, 18 June 1906, Page 6

ANDERSON'S DRAMATIC COMPANY. "THE LADDER OF LIFE."

"'"There was a. large audience at th' £_>era r House on Saturday night, for "Th Ladder of i.ue" is not unknown in Wei lington, and, judged by the standard! 9JU melodrama, it is a tirst-rate produc tion. -To *■ judge from any other stand point- would- be- idle, for there is lit'tli atfunrpfaf unity or, coherence in thi plot/ *nd- the- state of military dLsciplini it discloses, among the. gallant Gordoi Highlan4ers is. compar-ble only will that, on board H.AI. ships when Sii Joseph Porter was Kuler of the Queen; Navee. But there is every "quality o - the best type of melodrama — the high minded -but credulous* old gentleman wife alters his,. will and disinherits hi; son on the unsupported testimony oi the next-of >-kia ; -the blameless hero- anc Heroine, * traduced and persecuted, win pasa'lhrdugii great tribulation, the one narrowiy escaping the death of a traitor. *he> other pining us a garret ; the cold, calculating, " remoiasless vLkin, whose disguises are always impenetrable, whose forgeries are faumess, and whose word is always unquestionably accepted ; hu wronged, victim and reluctant accomplice, and * the ' mysterious foreigner, who describes himself as the "Russian Ambassador.," in England a nihilist on a Vniseion *of vengeance, in India a Russian political agent. For comic relief the lively servant-maid, Mary Jane Jolliboy, her' bbuid lover, the policeman, and the three kilted cockney acrobats of thi Gordon Highlanders — so full of animal spirits, 'that they throw somersaults in th» ranks — should, be sufficient for the most exacting. Too much can hardly "~ be said in praise of the scenery and stage-effects — notably the da^n in the Indian defile in Act 11., and the practicable Aaisinyth hammer in Act 111. r ..The j>iece throughout is full of life and movement. To a great extent it is "written round" the thiee acrobats, the Silvenis, and 'no" ordinary actors could undertake the great -sensa. tion scene of tho piece, in "which, forming a living c&ain, they hang head-downwarda, ana fling Olga (Miss Helene Burdette) from the anvil ; just as the giant hammer is pa^the point of descending. David Gordon, -the 'hero (Mr. Walter Dalgleish), N maintained his integrity in manly fashion, and Meg Merriiees (Miss Daisy Strathmore) refrained from, the hysteric violence which, tears a passion to tatters, and- was as convincing as was possible under the .circumstances. The most dilfigalt,- as- well as thankless, parts in the melodrama, which is always perilously near-to burlesque, are those of the characters who .have .to be taken seriously. Mr. Harry Divert as Fergus Gordon, ~waa an idear villain, and the foreign part t of JMga ;(Miss Helene Burdettj — ti very "exacting' one— was" n-irked by carefnl and, conscientious study. Mr. Max Clifton, sustained the complex character of the spy with great effect, and the -lass-conspicuous roles -of General Gordon (xUr. Stirling"^ Whyte) and Colonel M'Gregor (Mr. Crosbie Wardj, were well .filled, . .while little Elsie Suvem unaffectedly* sustained the child part, her ■enunciation being noticeably clear. The lively by-pky of i Mary Jane - (Miss Masie Maxwell), and Sergeant M'Dunald j (Mr-.3?raak Reis) contributed no little j to — the — success— of -the piece ; but the crowning-a ttraction was the vigorous engagement on" the Heights of Dargai. „ the .curtain fell on the sec-tmd-act in the midst of a violent fusillade, the gallery was almost delirious | •with joyVfThe' piece will be rspeated topflight -and to-morrow. ANDREW BLACK CONCERTS. ' The re-appearance of Mr. Andrew Black, , the distinguished 'baxit one, in two ccincesrl's,at..ta"e i '_,l\fwn Hall, to-night and Wednesday evening jnext, should prove a musical "treat. . Mr.' Black has just com-sleted.a-mo3i,snccessful tour of the North ssiand,-a_d is pushing on to Australia to -'fulfil engagements at- several oratorio concerts in Sydney _nd Melbourne. In to-night's programme Mr. Black has selected N many g«nis from his extensive repertoire. "There is a Green Hill" and '"1 lowers of the Forest" are appropriate numbers at the present sad juncture. Jliss- Sinclair, the-violiniste of the party, ■who created, such, a favourable impression -with ' her talent-id treatment /of studies which are more generally chosen by players of more mature experience, will reappear, and Mr. ' Adolphe Borschke, the brilliant yxrang pupil of Letchetezky, will be heard in the "Marche Religieuse," from Wagner's Lohengrin, and several other excellent pianoforte numbers. Mr. Horace Gleesonwill accdnipany; and *a highly enjoyable evening's music should result. -iThe box plan, is at the Dresden. 7T:J -U >SAMSON. lf ■■ _To-mprrqw njght,_ at >he. Town Hall, the "public will have the -^opportunity of hearing Handel's great sacred oratorio, ."Samson," under the most impressive circumstances: • The Wellington- Choral Society is giving ' the work as an In Memoriam to the late Premier, and both the. words and music lend themselves to the sad occasion. The fact that Mr. Seddou's funeral does not take place till Thursday -does not in any way make the hoia&g of the performance" of Tuesday out of place. Daring the playing of the Dead March both audience and chorus will stand as a mark of respect to the memory of Mr. Seddon." ;<THE FATAL WEDDING." — The advent of Messrs. Meynell and Gunn's company with the successful production, "The Fatal Wedding," is being ( awaited with interest. A Sydney writer referring to the first performance in Sydney remarked : — "It is very questionable if the Criterion Theatre has ever been so crowded as it was on Saturday night, wheii Messrs. Meynetl aDd Gunn presented 'the Fatal Wedding.' Expectations ran high as to what the new play — the reporls of which had been so glowing — would be like, and it had not been long in progress when its dramatic merit w;is apparent. The dominant feature of the play is the introduction of a child character, which is> cleverly drawij, and which it ,-idmirably acted. Ihe iuipei-ionatoi 13 little Maisie Poener, a child of about ten years old; and her conception of the part is undoubtedly clever. She speaks her lines clearly and intelligently, and her movements ar.e easy and unaffected. In her scenes of pathos, no less than in her lighter moments, she was equally at home, and the audience was not slow in recognising her excellent character study." The musical interludes and the children's acenes, which are said to be important factor ;n the play, will be presented by over thirty trained children. The boason will commence at the Opera House on Tuesday, 26th June, and is limited to a few nighU only. '1 he plans are announced to open on Wednesday next, at 9 n.m itt llie Dresden. 'i'h- Wide-World Pantascope Company gaw its final performance in the lown %1 on Saturday night. The animated pictures of life at Rotorua were cspecialy well, icceived. -~TLe 'sb"cial gathering and dance which vas^to'-haTe been held' in 'Ngahauranga Hall on Wednesday, 20th June, has been postponed until the Friday following. • The Wellington Schools' Choral Union ioncert" has- been postponed from next Wednesday until Thursday, sth July. The anniversary tea at /the Salvation Army Citadel has been postponed until the 27th inst.