REPERTORY SUCCESS

Evening Star, Issue 22496, 14 November 1936, Page 11

REPERTORY SUCCESS

‘ A BILL BF DIV&RCEIviENT' To-night the public tfill have its last opportunity of seeing- the performance by members of the, Dunedin Repertory Society of Clemence Dane’s problem play 1 A Bill of Divorcement,’ a fine piece of drama as well as a sympathetic exposition of a social theme. The presentation is among tho best yet given by the society, the members of the cast reaching a very high standard—a tribute both to the capable guiding hand of Miss Bessie Thomson (the producer) and -to tho enthusiastic cooperation of the players. In the play the tragically-broken appeal of tho unfortunate husband, whose wife has divorced him while he has been confined as insane, is a fine piece of writing, and a splendid interpretation of the part is given by Mr .Charles Tobin, who resists any tendency towards overacting, and displays altogether a convincing knowledge of stagecraft. As the wife, torn between a misguided sense of her duty and her love, Miss Shiela Neilsou is well cast, and some fine work is provided by Miss Mollia O’Sullivan as the daughter who _ renounces her own chance of happiness for that of her mother. The other characters are admirably portrayed—Meredith (Mr Alex. M‘Dowell), the masterful lover; Aunt Hester (Mrs Wakefield Holmes), with her tactless and callous moralising ; the kindly figure of the doctor (Mr Maurice Joel), who does not spare the parties concerned in telling them the real truth about insanity and its consequences ; tho biassed stupidity of the parson (Mr Ernest Fish); Kit Pumphrey (Mr Desmond Groenslade), the voung lover; and the maid (Miss Sheila Macdonald). The play is particularly well staged, the setting for the three acts being a distinct credit to all concerned.