REPERTORY THEATRE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 83, 5 October 1933, Page 7

REPERTORY THEATRE

A LONDON COMEDY

The .'Wellington Repertory Theatre gave a: remarkably even performance of "London Wall" (by John Van Druten) last night at the Town Hall Concert Chamber. : The play' is ; one possessing eomc local interest in that Miss Marie Ney, a Wellington girl;'made a hit in London as the outstanding character, the principal typist in a London solicitor's office. ] Thp scene-is laid in a weH-known business thoroughfare in the City of London, from which the play derives its naniejbut the idea of the playwright appears to have been to raise a protest against the monotony of the' life led by countless young women—and young men, to<j—immured in' London. And not only London. The curtain rises on the solicitor's office ( and introduces his office boy and some of his.typists; also Mr. Brewer, his chief clerk. Interest is at once aroused and | held to the laet iv Mr. Brewer's attempts to master a young girl, the latest recruit to the staff, and in the endeavours of Miss Janus, the chief typist, to frustrate those .attempts. The play is provocative of many questions, one of which is the employment of women and men together, but these need not bo raised in notes on. the per-1 formance. What "London Wall" as a play ! does drive home ■is the deadly ; influence on tho young body and mind of routine living, with its back and forth by train, tram, or tube, its meals in a tea. shop,' its pokey little room to eleep in, its dinner cooked on a ■ gas ring. But how to change all this?, .There's the rub. It is all so-pitifully exposed in "London Wall." ■ •■•-■. ■ The cast of-the" play as produced last night was wisely- selected. Miss Pauline Shotlander, one of the safest and most capable membord of the Repertory Theatre, played tlie part of Miss Janus, the head tj'pist. She' was expected to make convincing .the character of a young girl not' without , a touch-of romance in her life', enclosed, for the best part of ten years, or more, within London's grimy and pitiless, walls. • Miss •Shotlaudev reflected credit on the society; fully justified her' selection for the part, and caught and held the sympathetic interest of her audience. She spoke her lines, clearly in a low and agreeable voice, and acted naturally and at times with admirable restraint. Mr. i\V. J. Herlihy, as Mr. Brewer, was excellent. The part was a facsimile and true to type, and evidently | in keeping with Van Druten's idea of hoy? it ought to be played. The artless little girl, aged 19, to whose undoing Brewer directed his attentions, was played by Miss Sheila Kissel, who kept safely within the bounds of probability and made the character stand out with lifelike fidelity. An.elderly, litigious, and eccentric client of the firm by the name of Miss Wellesden was beautifully played by Miss M. 10. Ahem, who- - frequently displayed flashes of genius in tlie part. The differences in the characters of the typists, Miss Buffton and Miss Hooper, were well defined and admirably presented by Misses ( Kffie Bruce and Kathleen Smith.' The prurient and. objectionable office boy, IJerlsinshaw", was cleverly played by Noel Cathie. .Tlie email part of an ; infatu-| ated shipping clerk very much in love was capitally handled 'by Mr.. Ulrie Williams. Good ajul careful-■ work was put into tlie depiction of the part of Mr. Wai- j ker, head of- the legal firm in, whose oliice the play tukes place, by Mr. Hugh Herd. Discriminating playgoers should on no account miss "London Wall." It will be repeated every evening this week. The play is one not only well within the compass of the Repertory Players, but is conspicuous -for the genuine talent of the cast and the . finished work ■of the producer, Mr. W. S. Wauchop, who deserved all the applause he received last night when called before the curtain. Playgoers must not be shocked if they hear now and again that old adjective Mr. Shaw put into the speech of Eliza, in his play "Pygmalion"; it all seemed so natural in the stressful moments experienced by some of the characters in "London •Wall/ .