MB KIGNOLD'S COMPANY.

Evening Star, Issue 10332, 4 June 1897, Page 2

MB KIGNOLD'S COMPANY.

\ fbamn $t pwjgramme jot**-? duoed galled Back,' With Mr Kignold as MaoatL.., M*,ay of those Who atteudecjk on tbe xeinemhered -With pleasure the thoughtful and original Impersonation of the spy winch Mr Riguold t presented here eleven., years ago, and by ' general consent the revival fulfilled expectations. It is the exception for such oorapariIsons to pan out satisfactorily. A space of | eleven yean is long enough to acoount ordinarily for a falling-off on the part of an actor, and often,- even though there is no depreciation which pan be measured and defined; and when the actor 1b admittedly as good as ever, his repeated impersonation will fall fiat, perhaps for the reason that the particular play.in which he is appearing has gone out of fashion, or because old friends in the audience have grown cynically critical, and the applause is left to younger persons who have no reminiscences to form a basis of appreciation. These are some of the leading influences which tend to prejudice revivals on the stage, and it must be a good play, with good acting, that can be assured of a hearty reception after an interval such as we have in the case of' Called Back.' Happily, these elementary desiderata were present last night* The drama was nicely staged—a special feature in this department being theelegint -satin hanging curtains which were used to cover up the front of the stage while each new tableau was being prepared and, though it cannot honestly be said that the cast was all round as strong as could be wished, some of the leading parts were very cleverly sustained. In this category Mr Rignold's playing as the Italian spy ranks first. A foundational weakness in regard to the construction of this part for stage purposes is that Macari is so obviously the Judas of the band of revolutionaries that one finds it hard to understand why his perfidy is not discovered at the outset. Bnt Mr Rignold is to be commended for keeping this defect, which is not of his making, in the background as muoh as possible; and as to the positive merits of his impersonation, they are manifold and patent to the merest novice in regard to stage performances. His Macari has all the sinuousness and greasiness and plausibility which British tradition attaches to the foreign spy; and, while-the conception as a whole is consistently able, there are scores of detailed points with respect to which one must see the acting for hi*ns.eif in order to do the actor justice. N > further comment is necessary in regard to Mr Rignold's impersonation enough having been said to induce a hope that there will be a large attendance at the theatre this evening, when 'Called Back' will be repeated for the last time during the season. Those who accept our assurance on the point will probably take advantage of the opportunity and see the play fpr themselves; and as for those who neglect the chance, there is no need to labor the effort to convince them. As we have said, some of the subordinate parts are ably sustained. Prominent among these was the part of Pauline, the unfortunate sister to Anthony March, who becomes an involuntary witness of the murder of her brother, and in consequence loses the sanity which is subsequently " called back." Miss Emilie Hughes undertook this part, and, while at the outset there was not much promise in her impersonation, the audience fearing that a mechanical representation was in store, it must in fairness be said that as the play progressed this lady woke up to the situation and presented a distinctly graceful, thoughtful, and harmonious reading of a part in which many actresses would probably come to grief. We also liked the acting of Mr Frank Crossley, the Anthony March of the cast, on his first appearance, this being invested with dash and spirit. Mr Frank Hawthorne did not altogether please the audience with his playing of Arthur Kenyon, the friendly doctor, his ideas regarding the character being too much governed by rule of thumb ; but everybody seemed satisfied with Mr Stirling Whyte's representation of the important part of Dr Ceneri, and Mr Diver was fairly well suited in the part of Gilbert Vaughan. Miss Watts-Phillips, as Mary Vaughan, was also well placed, and the subordinate parts were carefully attended , to by the company. Some very fine scenery provided an extra attraction to the piece, the scene of the Siberian mountains being a . perfect work of art.