'TILLY OF BLOOMSBURY'

Evening Star, Issue 17483, 14 October 1920, Page 10

'TILLY OF BLOOMSBURY'

A GOOD COMEDY, ■ ACTED BY A MOST COMPETENT ■ COMPANY, Theatregoers of all classes wore thoi d tmghly entertained at His Majesty’s las night, and must have felt thankful to J C. Williamson, Ltd., for sending acros a very nice comedy in ‘Tilly of Blooms bury’ and employing an expert compan to interpret it. Prom the rising of th curtain to the close of the first act th audience were kept laughing—not th laughter that is as the crackling of thorn under a pot, but true mirth, emanatin; partly from the situations and in a greato degree from the fine speaking ability o the actors. In this connection we note-: with pleasure the good voices of the com pany. Most of them are able'to mak themselves distinctly heard without an; apparent effort to lift the voice, and i was also a pleasure to find, as an aid ii the same direction, that the actors knov the laws of stagework in regard to atti tude, so that we had very little, if any of that lamentable mistake, once nnforgive able, of speaking with the face half turnec away. The second act, depicting th< labored efforts of Tilly and her family to . entertain in their poorly-equippec lodging-house the swell relations of Tilly’; admirer, was taken on broader lines, clos; to the frontier of farce. This, said tc be the most important act of the comedy could be interpreted less vehemently, nn< in the days -when the spoken drama hat full control of the stage this would hav< been insisted on; but audiences of the present time love the farcical method, and they have to be catered for, and a fait way of viewing the position is to return thanks to this company for keeping as well to the old canons as they did. Whatever one may say or think as to the scheme of this second act, it certainly “got” the people, whose sides were shaking the whole‘way through. In the third aot_ comes the note of sadness that artistically contrasts with the fun. Tilly has failed to bring no' her family to the social level of the Maimvarings; she is too proud to accept Richard on any otherterms, and sire grimly resolves to sacrifice herself and give him up. Then follows the real strength of the play, or the part that will be so viewed by beholders who have standards to judge by. Richard plays the man; ho .argues and cajoles Tilly into the belief that kind hearts are more than coronets, and simple faith than Norman blood, and we have a delightfully simple sweethearting scene, beautifully written and charmingly acted, and so sure in its effect as to silence the talkers in the house and stop the rustling of their lolly-bat's, everybody being anxious not to miss° a word. The climax leaves one extolling both the author (lan Hay) and the actors, and profoundly grateful to both for a plav tbat in parts recalls the triumphs of the Broughs, and as a whole has' not been matched on our stage for many years. There is little doubt that now its merits are known it will draw big houses in Dunedin. Dealing briefly with the individual members of the company, it was pleasant to note the ready and warm welcome accorded to Mrs Robert Brough when she came on in tne first act as Lady Marian Mainwarmg, Richard’s mother. Lady Marian takes control of her own drawing xopm, sets the style of the acting, and creates the atmosphere put of which the backbone contrasts have to be evolved. It is a part in which Sirs Brough delights, it being to her quite easy, and the audience were delighted to find her as effective as m the days of ‘Dandy Dick’ and Paula Tanqueray. Mr Thomas Sidney, impersonating the aristocratic husband, played with quiet dignity and the nicest taste' as to permissible flashes of humor. Our old friend Mr J. B. Atholwood had plenty of power in reserve, seeing that he has only a butler’s part. Miss Beryl Bryant played the character of the impertinently-swellish youngster Sylvia without forcing it into undue prominence. Mr Frank Hawthorne created amusement with his impersonation of an embarrassed and intruding curate. He sometimes carried the fun to the verge. Miss Mattie Brown hit off the portrayal of Constance Darner, the friend cf the Mainwarings who befriends Tilly, with fine animation and in true balance. She is clever. Mr Frank Freeman scored heavily right through the leading role of Richard. He possesses all the qualifications for such a lead—the boyishness of the Prince of Wales, a splendid voice, and an agreeable personality—and he never once forced his part into a superior altitude. Miss Dorothy Manville makes a pretty and adorable Tillv. She seems to be quite a girl, but full of knowledge. Her restraint is wonderful, and she makes many points thereby. Mr Pine Bush, cast as Tilly’s irrepressible and larky brother, was perhaps somewhat extravagant in manner. So it seemed to some present. But he carried it through all right on the method he chose, and provoked laughter. Miss Dorothy Seacombe had the small part of Tilly’s sister the slave of the lodging-house, and in that capacity helped towards the general effect. Miss Meta Pelham gave a delightful sketch of the grandma who resolutely refuses to be put on one side—it wyis a clever and consistent impersonation. We thought MrFrank Hawthorne’s doubled part °of an Indian law student one of the brightest and most conceptions in the play. Miss Elsie Manzies presented an admirable picture of Tilly’s mother, the devoted housewife who is in constant trouble over her ‘ h’s and is described by her husband as representing the idea of respectability that consists in laborious solvencv during life and an extravagant funeral after death. Somehow or other one seemed to sec Margaret Ogilvie’s soft face in this dear lady as depicted by Miss Manzies. m-n IZ s, who impersonated Tilly s father, is a fine actor of the standard English type-very reliable, very easy to follow Mr George Blunt’s portraiture of a broker's man was accepted as a remarkably clever example of comedy clowning. It could be played more quietly, but we do not recommend a change of method, for that might mean a loss of consistency. The other member of the company, Mr Wilfred Hilary, came on only once, as a quarrelsome lodger, and made his mark. We strongly recommend ‘Tilly.’ It is to be played again to-night.