HERR BANDMANN AT THE TOWN HALL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 126, 29 June 1881, Page 3

HERR BANDMANN AT THE TOWN HALL.

Herr Bandmann gave some Shakspearian readings at the Hawera Town Hall on Saturday evening, and was assisted by Miss Beaudet and Mr. Cathcart. The day was cold and showery, and continued so up to a late hoar at night. As might have been expected under such circumstances, the attendance was not very large. We all profess to admire Shakspeare, but few of us are prepared to leave the cosy fireside, and journey through the mud and elusb, for the purpose of hearing Desdemona'B love-tale, or Hamlet's soliloquy, even from the mouth of a clever and pretty actress, or from that of an actor with a world-wide reputation like Herr Bandmann. Some ten or eleven yeare ago Mr. Bandmann visited the colonies, and we remember that his advent on the Melbourne stage gave rise to some lively discussion amongst the critics. Since that time Mr. Bandmann's accentuation has considerably improved, but he still adheres to the same style of acting. Whatever may be his shortcomings, he cannot be accused of being a copyist — no mean virtue in these days of affected originality. Candidly, we were never able to admire his Shakspearian acting, and the dull weather, and the gloomy surroundings of an empty 6tage, did not tend to change our opinion on Saturday night ; but in spite of these drawbacks, there were one or two passages delivered in splendid style, and with all due appreciation of the sweet bard's injunction to the players. An original actor like Mr. Bandmann does an immense amount of good, and very little, if any, harm can those who differ with him accuse him of doing. Acting like his sets the intellectual world a-thinking, and British people begin to be ashamed of their want of appreciation when they see the way that their great poet has been studied by a distinguished foreigner, whose professional reputation is not confined to either hemisphere. We freely acknowledge Mr. Bandmann's great ability, although we do not appreciate his Shakspearian delineations. Miss Beaudet is pretty, and her acting, co far as we could judge on Saturday night, would generally secure for her, if not a first, at all events a second place, in a great many theatres. In the balcony scene from " Romeo and Juliet," 6he did not show to any great advantage; but what actress could, in such a dimly-lighted and unarti6tic stage as that at the Town Hall ? In pourtraying Ophelia, Miss Beaudet appeared more at ease, and the mad scene was cleverly and artistically gone through, a sweet voice being of no mean assistance to the successful rendering of poor loveforsaken Ophelia. After the readings, and before a comedy, Miss Beaudet Bang two songs very nicely. Mr. Cathcart belongs to that good old race of actors, now slowiy but surely fading away — able and willing to take any part assigned to them, and knowing Shakspeare, and all authors worth knowing, from cover to cover. Mr. Cathcart comes back to many people like an old friend, and we rejoiced to see him looking so hearty and well. Pleasant may his autumn be. He has had a long and not inglorious summer.