WITTY FRENCH COMEDY

Evening Star, Issue 19375, 8 October 1926, Page 3

WITTY FRENCH COMEDY

PRESENTATION BY DUNEDIN CLUB While Dumas, Augier, • and Sardou wrote melodramas with a comic or satriric element, Eugene Labichc, who also belonged to the third quarter of ; the nineteenth century, wrote plays : which rank as pure come<lies, gaiety and wit being supreme. Such a comedy is ‘ Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon,’ a sprightly witty French comedy, full of amusing situations and tonclies of psychological analysis and more than a touch of mild cynicism. The play was presented by the Ceycle Francais in St. Paul’s Schoolroom last night to' a full house. “Blessed is the genius who can excite the hearty laugh,’ ’wrote a French critic of Labiche, who for fifty years, in no fewer than 150 plays, made his contemporaries of all countries laugh and become happy. Ho is indeed a. dismal fellow who could not ho moved to laughter by a Labiche play. Almost exclusively, the characters created by Labiche belong to the bourgeois typo, I generally rich, self-made, narrow, senj tentious, prejudiced, usually with a i wife who is a better man of the two. I Ho is withal an excellent father, a good ! citir.cn, and the backbone of Francs. 1 I Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon ’ was produced under the direction of M. Paul Saldaigne. The production | could not have been other than highly ! successful, for M. Saldaigne has had j long experience of the stage and the i art. The plot is a simple one. Old ' Perrichon goes on a journey with his ; wife and daughter. It is a long-ex- ' pec ted but long-deferred trip to Switzerland. Two young fellows, Armand and Daniel, both in love with the daughter, contrive quite accidentally, but°vcry much on purpose, to travel in the same train, and arrive at the same time at the same Swiss hotel. Then ensues a friendly contest between : the rival lovers. The plot turns mainly on a point of psychology, not the less true because amusing. This is the dislike felt by a man for the person who lias done him a favor. Armand saves Porrichon’s life during an Alpine climb. He soon finds that, instead of gratitude favoring his chances with the girl’s father, the old man becomes irritated at the constant sense of his indebtedness, and every word and gesture of Armand seems patronising. Daniel, on the other hand, contrives that it is he whose life Perrichon heroically saves. Daniel now becomes the fa tiler’s favorite and the selected son-in-law—at least, for a time. A striking success was made of the major character, Perrichon, hy M. Saldaigno who kept the audience laughing'’throughout. Most effective and attractive acting was given by Madame I'.cllugue, in the part of Madame Perrichon. She had taken the part at very short notice, following the indisposition of Mrs Primmer. Miss M'Quoid, as Hcnriette, _ Pcrrichon’s daughter, made a charming heroine. The. rivals, Armand and Daniel, were well represented by Messrs J. Kinncar and G. M. Cameron. Their parts were arduous, hub well carried through. Mr J. Thompson, as Majorin, the clerk, perpetually enjoying his jour de conge and pursuing Perrichon to borrow and to return his loan of 000 francs, and Mr B, Howard as the combatant commandant, wore equally successful in their respective parts. The remaining roles were admirably filled hy_ Hr Arnold (Lo Facteur and Lo Guido), 31 r D. S. Burton (Pomployo), Mr A. D. Treuda.ll (I’nnbergisto), and Mr It. G. ; Ik-lluguo (Porrichou’s servant). Dnr- ; mg the evening Miss Tilbury and Miss .'[‘Lean contributed songs.