BEDROOM COMEDY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 15, 18 July 1923, Page 3

BEDROOM COMEDY

MISS DUANE. IN "SCANDAL."

"Scandal,", the daring comedy of Cosmo Hamilton, was revived" at. the Grand Opera House.last evening by Mr. Harry Cohen's Dramatic Company. ■ The production inevitably invited comparison with" that in which Miss Maude Hannaford and Mr. Frank Harvey were-cast in. the principal-parts.".' In the' instance of Mr. Cohen's Company, those parts, were allotted to Miss Doris Dua:ie and Mr. Eric Harrison, who gave their own readings of the parts, individual read-' ings, not mere parrot-like . invitations. Both principals were nothing if not con scientious in their endeavours'""to present" perfectly natural people,'and showed ho-.v they might behave in the untoward circumstances in which the comedy places them. ' The story of "Scandal." for the benefit of those who may not know it, -is simply of the complications that wouldlai-ise from a girl, in a dilemma, declaring a man to be her husband by a. secret marriage, and the man accepting the situa-tion-and giving her ,i severe but "salutary- lesson by insisting (up to" a points in exercising a husband's traditional rights. . This involves a bedroom scene, which is of the. sort to, cause—as it did last ni s ht—the larger part of the audience to catch its breath and. most of the vomen in that audience to gi«-n-le hysterically at certain passages ancT actions all connecteJ with the sanctity of the bridal chamber. This bedroom -scene is the one great-scene in the plav,--but there ig much, comedy in the urst"and third, the.final act. The play was well and carefully staged last evening, and the cast : in. every instance was letter perfect. Some of the wittier and'aioS sarcastic passages in the play were perhaps spoken with over-emphasis, last night, and their sparkling character was lost; but, on the whole, the performance was very satisfactory. It was "wholly acceptable to the audience, which,, applauded with spirit and insisted upon "curtains" for Miss Duane and ■' Mr. Harrison at the close of the senationai second act.

The cast was capable and very even in quality.- Miss-.Grahame Newton as Jwss Honona Vanderdyke was fitting, ly imposing in her interpretation of tn» part of the fussy guardian of a par tieularly wilful girl; Mr. Arthur Orbell was quaintly, humorous as Mayor Thatcher joint guardian of the.difficult Other parts were safely 'entrusted -to Misses iucie Carter and Maty M* Rrcgor. Messrs. John ■ Galway, a Broi^ H. Moran, and A. Adams Scandal" will .'be reputed this evening-j it'shouW W^ ;g .eat attraction thI tSo^