“THE SENTIMENTAL BLOKE."

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 77, 15 March 1923, Page 5

“THE SENTIMENTAL BLOKE."

AN AUSTRALIAN COMEDY

Messrs E. J. and Dan Carroll presented “The Sentimental Bloke,’’ a comedy in three acts by C. J. Dennis in the Hastings Municipal Theatre last night, to a fairly large audience who thoroughly enjoyed the performance. The story is essentially Australian, dealing with the lives and loves of the underworld of the big cities and showing, underneath all their crudities, theft vulgarities and their drab surroundings, the great sterling human element in thex untilled characters, which found beautiful expression in their earnest love affairs and their loyalty to their ‘ ‘ cobbers. ’ ’ There was no attempt made at embellishment and the various characters were submitted in their native inconsistencies and intractability qualified by a simplicity and a desire for higher things that developed and blossomed under the ennobling influences of a good girl’s love. The rough untutored “Sentimental Bloke,’’ who fell in love with “Doreen,’’ his guiding star, together with Doreen’s mother an excellent foundation for bringing the audience into touch with the home lives of those plain people, their pleasures and their sorrows, and one got to know and to love “The Bloke’’ and Ginger Mick, as well as the gentle Doreen and her comfortable mother.

The scene at the party, given by Doreen’s ‘ ‘ Mar, ’ ’ was exceedingly funny, whilst that chapter of the play where “The Bloke’’ is awaiting, in misery, the birth of his first born’ is very humorously presented, with an underlying role of deep pathos. t Miss Eileen Alexander made an exceedingly captivating Doreen, with a full equipment of the coquettishness of her sex, aud Miss Stella Payter portrayer her mother most convincingly. Mr Walter Cornoek acted the title role effectively, whilst “Ginger Mick,’’ the goodnatured, loyalipe’er-do-well, made a friend of the audience. James Aivey, the retired farmer (Mr E. Landor), Artie Apps (Mr H. C. Walton, and Erb, the farm-hand (Mr Leslie Gordon; contributed the comedy, wqich kept thC house very much amused and the rest of the characters were well cast.

The company conclude their season to-night, when ‘ f The Sentimental Bloke’’ will be repeated.