GUY BATES POST

Evening Star, Issue 19198, 15 March 1926, Page 11

GUY BATES POST

■THE GREEN GODDESS' Tlie final performance of ‘ The Green Goddess ’ took place in His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night. The play was written by the late William Archer as a challenge to statements made hy numerous playwrights who had come under his criticism. It centres about the Rajah of Rukh, the ruler of a small State in the Himalayas. The rajah had been educated at a large English university, and the veneer of civilisation covers a cruel, barbarous nature. His hatred of the English is increased to loathing when he hears that his brothers are under sentence of death by the British Government. When an aeroplane containing an English officer, his wife, and a friend are forced to descend in his domains he regards it as a heaven-sent opportunity for revenge. Ho entertains his visitors lavishly in the most approved western style, hut each one suspects some underlying motive. The succeeding denouements keep the audience in a fever of excitement till the climax. Mr Guy Bates Post gave a splendid portrayal of the Rajah, and Mr Wilmington Barnes portrayed his part of the drink-sodden Major Creppin perceftly. Miss Eileen Sparkes, Mr Jarry, and Mr Eric Maxon also gave excellent representations. At the conclusion of the play, in reply to prolonged applause, Mr Post briefly returned thanks for the reception that had been given to his associates and himself. ‘THE BAD MAN' TO-NIGHT This evening, at ten minutes past 8 o’clock, and to-morrow-night, Mr Guy Bates Post and his brilliant supporting company will make' their farewell appearances here in the first production in Dunedin of the famous Mexican romantic comedy-drama, ‘ The Bad Man,’ which recently attracted record audiences in Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington, and which held the boards in Sydney for upwards of three months. The initial representation of ‘ The Bad Man ’ in Auckland will he remembered as the greatest night ever known in that city, _ As the play proceeded so the enthusiasm grew, and at the final fall of the curtain the audience stood up from their scats and cheered Mr Post again and again, and after no less than ten curtain calls the actor had to respond to insistent demands for a speech. On the last occasion 1 The Bad Man ’ was staged in Auckland fully 1,000 people were unable to obtain admission, so great wns the demand for seats. Sinooth-toiTgUed, oily, alert of brain, despite his lounging attitudes, lazy,, care-free sentiments. Pancho Lopez, the bad prides himself that when ho kills he does humanity a service, for he “kills only evil men.” “I never knew a dog could bo ’arf as yellow. No, I not do it. You shoot ’im, Pedroand Pedro shoots. Swaggering through two acts, dominating the whole of the action. “Mr Post,” writes a critic, “was a bad man to his finger-tips. Ho ate spaghetti with a knife, shot a man with a revolver held loosely in his right hand while ho lit a cigarette from a candle raised in his left, made Jove to a beautiful woman in traditional outlaw style, and terrorised everyone, including his own cut-throat _ gang, while between times he. soliloquised on the futility of the conventions of an effete civilisation. It was a part demanding great personality, and ?s such Mr Post displays his genius, in both comedy and drama, at. its very best.” Mr Post is supported by a particularly powerful combination of comedy and dramatic artists, inrlnflfnc the Misses Eileen Snarkos, Cecil Haines, Eric Maxon, Winnington Barnes. Ashton .Tarry, Leslie Victor, Gerald Pring, William Passmore, Arthur Watson, Cvril Weuder, and F. Francis. Features of the production are the scenic and lighting effects. Positively only the two representations can be staged of ‘The Bad Man,’ as on Wednesday morning the company will leave, for Timnm. and after the performance there they will join Jhe Maunganui on Friday from "Wellington for Sydney.