THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Evening Star, Issue 7362, 7 November 1887, Page 2

THE PRINCESS'S THEATRE.

Those who patronise the shilling and halfcrown seats assembled in force on Saturday night to witness the reproduction of " The World," the trump card of Bland Holt's previous season. Regular theatre - goers being well acquainted with this play, it is simply our duty to say a few words as to the manner in whioh it is put on the stage. Our task is not an oppressive one, for we can with blameless conscience assert that the mounting is as complete, as costly, and as effective as could be devised by those who yearn for sensational situations; in short, the drama is put on with quite as much attention to detail in regard to scenery and mechanism as when it was produced five years ago. The explosion of the infernal machine ; the struggle on the raft for the last drop of water ; the murder in the hotel; the goading on of the alleged madman to commit an act of violence in the presence of the commissioners iu lunacy ; the fall down the lift these and the minor episodes of the drama were bedecked with all the accessories that Mr Holt and his staff can command, and the result was the presentation of a series of stage pictures which could not fail to interest an audience. In these spectacular dramas it would be unfair to judge the acting by a very lofty standard, for it can be easily understood even by those who know little about the profession that an actor has some excuse for being discouraged and for becoming careless, wnen he finds that, whatever pains he may take, he is compelled by his environment to play second fiddle to the mechanist; and we are therefore not disposed to hastily condemn one or two members of the company who on Saturday night appeared to have insufficiently studied their parts. Besides, Saturday was the first night of the piece, and some latitude is always allowed on such occasions. And though we have given it as our opinion that the acting was not in all cases free from reproach, we do not wish it to be inferred that the company as a whole is unequal to the task undertaken. On the contrary, the representation left little to be desired. If a. point was occasionally missed, abundant compensation was made in the conscientious acting of the majority of those in the cast. Mr Holt, as Moss Jewell, scored an unambiguous success, and drew so freely on his stock of humor that the audience were in roirs of laughter whenever the representative of the cunning and unclassical son of Abraham opened his mouth. We never saw Mr Holt in such " form " as he was on Saturday. Mr Howe, though sometimes inclined to be "preachy," may be congratulated on making a hit as the rather goody-goody hero, Clement Huntingford; and in the scene in the lawyer's officehe rose to the occasion, giving a most telling delivery of the lines of his part. Mr Glover figured as the villain, Martin Baßhford. It is a sudden jump from the opulent, virtuous gentleman of the two first pieces of the season to the hardup low blackguard of the third; and we think that Mr Glover deserves credit for acquitting himself satisfactorily in a part so widely different from he is accustomed to. His appearance, his manner, and his voice were completely altered for the occasion, the disguise being well-nigh perfect. We suspect that Mr Glover haß played the villain before; if not, he is entitled to even greater praise. Mrs Holt assumed the not very onerous part of Mary Blyth in her usual pleasing manner; and Mrs Hill did her small share of the work in such an acceptable style that the audience regretted her early exit. " The World " will be repeated to-night.