"THE HOUSE OF TROUBLE"

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 117, 20 May 1930, Page 5

"THE HOUSE OF TROUBLE"

A PETONE PRODUCTION.

. The first presentation of "The House o£( Trouble," a comedy in two acts, written and produced by Mr. H. H. Blake, of Petone, was given last night m the Lmmie Theatre, Petone, by the.Petone Comedy Players. The play deals with a wife, Flora- Barndoor, who is suspicious oE hoi husband, Charles, because she believes him to be interested in an "actress. Another married couple staying with the-Barndooiß take sides, Barry Gleesop with Charles, and Dora Gleesop with. Flora while the plot is further complicated by the arrival of a Major Mumbleby, a veteran soldier with plenty of talk, a deaf aunt, Matilda Spooner, and her son, Gus. Charles Barndoor learns from Jane, an inquisitive maid, that his wife has a lOver locked in the bathroom, but the tangle is straightened out when both husband and wife produce the objects of cacli other's suspicions, lhe lover is merely an artist, Monsieur Jjaroche, whom Flora has commissioned to paint her picture as a surprise for her husband, while "The Actress" is _ nothing more than a racehorse. The plot is rather tenuous in parts and is never exciting. Humour there was in plenty, some ot it weak-but much o£ it good. The cluet honours were carried off by Mr. Cecil v. Browne, as Major Mumbelby. He was the typical-retired military man of the stage, the self-made hero of many battles, with a stock of yarns to rival Munchausen. Mr. Browne's1 voice was good, his delivery natural, and altogether his was a strong part well played. The other chief male parts, those.of Charles Barndoor and Barry,Gleesop were not so attractive, but were well portrayed by Mr. Erie Stanford and Mr. Sidney Woodroff respectively. The author of the pla_y, Mr. H. H. Blake, was the French painter, Monsieur Laroche, and he handled that difficult character very well. Gus Spooner, the boastful young man, was played by Miss Mollie Bradstock. Much of the humour-was provided by the inebriated butler, Stevens, played by Mr. Harry T. Peat. Miss Mary Huskisson, as Flora, was the best of the female characters. • She spoke clearly and acted with expression, in constrast to the other girls, whose words and actions were too subdued, especially in the first act. Dora was Miss Bertha I. Stanford, while the part of Jane, the prying maid, was well acted by Miss Jean Huskisson. Matilda Spooner the deaf aunt, was played by Mr. Albert h. Newlyn. As an example of what can be achieved by purely local talent and effprt the play is worth seeing. Any weaknesses last night could well be put down to firstnight nervousness. The performance will be repeated to-night.