REPERTORY SOCIETY PRESENTS ‘THE WIND OF HEAVEN’

Evening Star, Issue 26185, 21 August 1947, Page 11

REPERTORY SOCIETY PRESENTS ‘THE WIND OF HEAVEN’

In staging Emiyn Williums’s ‘ Tlio Wind of Heaven,’ the Dunedin Repertory Society took considerable risk and no little responsibility, for the play is saturated with Celtic mysticism and emotionalism, which culminates in religious ecstasy. In the interpreting of these . qualities there lies danger for both actor and playwright; for either over-emphasis or lack of understanding is liable to result in uupleasing reaction on the part of audiences. And throughout this play there runs a thread of spiritual texture which approaches on occasions very close to the story of the Founder of Christianity.

It is difficult, indeed impossible, in a short notice, to tell the full story of ‘ The Wind of Heaven,’ which deals with a “ wonderful event ” of which the reticent villagers of Blestin, in the Welsh mountains, had premonition, and which develops when a young soldier, fresh from the fighting in the Crimean War, is stricken with tho plague an'd dies, but, by a miracle which is attributed by the villagers to a peasant boy of 14 whom they accept as the New Messiah, is raised from the dead To this boy has been given further miraculous powers, and his influence upon the lives of others is strongly stressed, particularly in tho case of a self-made man, a circus proprietor. who, hearing strange tales of “ a little man in whose presence music is heard in the air,” comes seeking “ the freak,” only to become, when the boy dies, one of his disciples who goes forth to preach brotherhood. WRONG ATMOSPHERE. There, then, is . a brief outline of this unusual stage story, and the question in the minds of those who knew something of the play was: How will this little band of amateurs handle it? One’s answer, after having witnessed last night’s opening performance in His Majesty’s Theatre, is that, all things considered, they handled it very well indeed, though all the pitfalls were not avoided. The chief fault, one thought, was the substitution in the later scenes of an atmosphere of'gloom (it almost reached lugubriousness at times) for spiritual fervour. The fire of religious enthusiasm was not permitted to shine through in the characters affected by the, circumstances, consequently the ultra-solemnity of the, proceedings, lightened only by an occasional flash of more or less ironic humour on the part of the principal character, threatened to become somewhat depressing. The play itself, however, seems to be lacking a sufficiently effective climax to such a stirring situation. Severn theless, the efforts of the players last night were commendable, and reflected credit upon the producer. Miss Kathleen Falconer. ROLAND WATSON OUTSTANDING. The one who portrayed the emotional changes in the most satisfactory manner was Mr Roland Watson cast m the role of Ambrose Ellis. Theatregoers do not see as much of Mr Watson as they would like to these days, and last night he gave an outstanding performance. Ambroso Ellis is a complex character, and his transformation from a swaggering, vain, seifmade circus proprietor to an earnest evangelist was conveyed to the big audience by Mr Watson with rare intelligence Mrs Molly Faulks was Dilys Parry, a Crimean War widow whose grief at the loss of her- husband was a lasting one. Mrs Faulks’s work was sound, though in the late scenes there was that lack of tbility to express the change of heart winch has been mentioned.

Airs Margaret Freeman filled the role of 'Bet, servant of Airs Parry and mother of Gwynn, the “New Messiah,” quite capably, though in the longer passages allotted to her there was a certain monotony of speech Air William Pryor had ins •moments at Pitter, Ambrose Ellis’s manager, and Mr Charles Smith, as Evan Howell, a farmer, was one of those who manifested some of the glow of the mystical fire which was sweeping the village. .

Gwynn, the miracle-working boy, was given no lines to speak and was only ■ vicariously glorified, and Air- Robert Cornish made his entrances and exits effectively. Aiks Betty Johnston was cast as Alenna. niece of All's Parry, and her work was neat. Aliss Betty Dillon appeared only in one scene, filling the role of the worldly .Airs Lake, who endeavours to persuade Ambrose from what she considers to be his'ill-advised resolve to serve his fellow, men rather than make more money. The scene between these two was oue of the best of the evening

Only one set was used, an interior, and the furnishings were appropriate to the period. The frocks were also in keeping. Mr J. A. Wallace’s student orchestra provided the music. ‘ The Wind of Heaven 1 will be staged' nightly until the end of the week.