PRINCES'S THEATRE.

Evening Star, Issue 8554, 29 June 1891, Page 2

PRINCES'S THEATRE.

«Jocrisse, the Juggle*,' which was produced at the Prinoess'e Theatre ,(5» Saturday evening, drew a fairly numerous attendance, which would have been greater but for counter attractions. The drama, which ifl of tho emotional character, is unlike the majority of flays produced nowadays, inasmuch as.it is not dependent in aby degree on stage effects, but 'resj;s entirely on its own merjtß as a composition. There is in it a commingling of thd humorous an'd pathetio, hut exception might be taken to little portions of the dialogue, which are a trifle broad, and might'very well be omitted without in any degree impairing tbe effect. As Jocrisse Mr Carey has to represent many phases of human nature, and the varying emotions were brought prominently out by this .gentleman j but his greatest success was attained at the end of the Becond and throughout the third act. In the early part he is discovered as the mountebank visiting a country town, making his entrance in a donkey-cart, the animal attached to which, by the way, displayed a strong disposition to lend its not too melodious voice &> the patter carried on by the showman, who js here interviewed by Charles de Vernay (Mr firenfell), who has sinister designs on Julie (Miss Carey). Jocrisse, who is genial and good-hearted but keenly alive to money-making, agrees, for a

i consideration, to personate the dead father ' of Julie, and, preaeatiug himself before the Count and Countess De Lespierre (Mr Steele and Miss Vivian), the former of whom baa substituted the ohild for his own, wbioh had died at his birth, a fact, of which lihe Countess Is Ignorant* claimß the girl as his own and bears her away. Towards the end of the second act—and it waß here that Mr Qarey showed to advantage—he discovers that the girl in whose ruin he would have assisted is his own daughter, and the remorse as portrayed was a powerful pieoe of acting. It was, however, at a later stage, when he, to save his child from the dutches of De Vernay, resigns all claim to her, and denies his true relationship, so that she may resume her position with the. De Lespierrea, that Mr Carey achieved his chefdmuvre in the hiatrionio art. He here speaks out, and Vernay, threatened with the terrors of the law, leaves the oountry. Julie, moved by the dejeoted aspect of the juggler, has an intuitive feeling that he is her father, notwithstanding what he has said to the contrary, and at the invitation of the Count and Conntesß he agrees to spend the remainder of his days with them. The next oharacter in point of importance to Joorisse is that of the designing De Vernay, Mr Grenfell receiving deserved applause for his acting, and being specially marked for i favor on the performers being called before i the curtain. Miss Carey played carefully, as Julie, and Miss Vivian had a character which she fitted in the Countess. The Count of Mr J. B. Steele was a small part, and it is needless to say that it was entrusted to good hands. Mr Scott Inglis, who took the part of Adolphe de Merino (the lover of Julie), had also little to do ; and Jocrisae's faototum in the show line, Toby, was placed with Mr Gribben. Mr Harding was the remaining member of the company appearing in 'Jocriase,' which will be produced again to-night. A farce—' 8.8.,' in which the characters were taken by Misses Vivian and Clithero, Messrs Harding, Grenfell, liartly, and Gribben—came as an agreeable change after the more serious work of the evening, and the comic situations were thoroughly enjoyed,