‘THE LATE CHRISTOPHER BEAN’

Evening Star, Issue 23123, 24 November 1938, Page 1

‘THE LATE CHRISTOPHER BEAN ’

A MERITORIOUS PERFORMANCE A meritorious presentation of the three-act comedy, ‘ The Late Christopher Bean,’ marked the twenty-third effort of the Dunedin Repertory Society during its six years of existence. It may be that the society has done slightly better things on some former occasions, but that is largely a matter of taste, and the audience, which almost filled His Majesty’s Theatre last night, obviously enjoyed the performance immensely. There is, by the way, one matter regarding the method of easting which has been adopted by the society of late which should be mentioned, and that is the fact that the committee is giving opportunities to a much larger number of members than has been the case in the past; a very commendable line of action.

The success or otherwise of the play under notice depends to a large extent upon the convincing portrayal of the metamorphosis brought about by the arousing of the spirit of greed and cunning in breasts which had hitherto been free from such taint. This change begins when the Haggett family realise that in a young artist whom they had more or less befriended, but of whose genius they were blissfully unaware—so much so that they use a number of his pictures which he gave them for the purpose of patching leaky fowlhouses — they had entertained an angel unawares. As frequently happens with artiste, Christopher Bean’s genius was not recognised until after his death, and it is when dealers drop in on the Haggitt household and endeavour, not always by fair means, to get possession of the masterpieces, that the panicky struggle for money and possession begins and the comedy is at its height. This play, which has been adapted from the French of Rene Fauchois by Emlyn Williams, has been fallaciously announced as “ an hilarious comedy.” It is not at all the kind of .comedy which is guaranteed to be responsible for “ a laugh a minute ”; it is much better than that kind, the humour is more subtle and the shafts of wit more frequent; though, as a matter of fact, there are quite long intervals during which comedy gives place to clear drama, and once or twice to longish periods of “ explanation.” The laughs, therefore, are comparatively speaking, few, characterisation being the more important consideration. And there are three or four finelydrawn characters in the play. Dr Haggett, the simple country medico, his ambitious and “managing” wife, and Gwenny, the Welsh servant. It was by forgetting now and again in the later stages of the play that characterisation and not sheer comedy was the more important, that Mr H. H. Westwood lost marks, so to speak, in an otherwise particularly good presentation of the part of Dr Haggett, and it was by keeping constantly in mind the same essential fact that Mrs A. C. Stephens made Gwenny a real living person. Mr Westwood was excellent in the earlier acts, when, as a struggling country practitioner, he was continually trying to make ends meet and to ward off the demands of his wife and elder daughter for holiday trips and other luxuries. The family bickerings at this stage were highly amusing. Later, when the doctor was carried off his feet by the prospect of fabulous wealth, his agitation, and particularly his movements indicating that agitation, were a little over-emphasised. Nevertheless, a particularly good presentation of a character not easy to sustain. Mrs Stephens was wonderfully consistent in her part. Gwenny, of course, is not the kind to become excited; she is a model of poise in the midst of the turmoil. The faithful family retainer who is leaving after 15 years of service “ because it is God’s will ” that she should go to some relatives who needed her, Gwenny proves at the finish the most important person of them all. Mrs Stephens not only acted the part splendidly, but she looked it, and she held the sympathy and admiration of the audience throughout. She was wise enough, too, not to force the Welsh accent in her speech. Mrs J. L. Anderson’s Mrs Haggett must also be set down as one of the successes. She handled the various phases and emotions through which the Haggett family passed with great skill, going from the masterful stage when she “managed” the doctor with determination, to that of Jiumiliation when she had. to confess she had burned the valuable masterpieces as rubbish, without undue exaggeration or loss of effect. She made her points distinctly and most effectively. A well and smoothly played part was that of Susan Haggett, the sweet-tem-pered and kindly daughter of the house, who naturally ’ gravitated towards the poiseful Gwenny, and whose_ elopement with another despised genius, _ Bruce M‘Crae, is interrupted by the climax of the play, which,, by the way, is too good to give away. Susan is played by Mrs C. W. Adamson, and she does it very satisfactorily indeed. Mrs R. Jones is cast os the other daughter, Ada Haggett, who, in the story of the play, is a disgruntled, rather “ catty ” individual, jealous of Susan and most others, but nevertheless the favourite daughter. Mrs Jones, while playing the part conscientiously, made Ada just a little too childish for a woman of her temperament and age—which, as Dr Haggett discloses, is 26. On the other hand, Mr Ken. Donaldson was a manly Bruce M‘Crae and adequately conveyed the impression of a Scot who knows what he wants, and “ goes to it,” very well indeed. Mr John Hayward as Tallant, the crooked dealer, perhaps concealed his crookedness just a trille too effectively at first but was otherwise quite good. Mr Ernest Fish made Rosen, another shrewd picture dealer, an amusing Hebrew type, and Mr D. S. Chisholm was sufficiently benevolent as Davenport, the art critic. There w r as once more abundant evidence of masterful production, and in this connection Miss Ngaio Marsh is entitled to high praise. There is but one scene, the living room of the Haggett household, and this was arranged with every care for detail. ‘ The Late Christopher Bean ’ will be repeated to-night and on Friday and Saturday nights. Decidedly it is worth seeing.