MR WALTER BENTLEY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 9646, 11 February 1892, Page 6

MR WALTER BENTLEY.

“THE FOOL’S REVENGE.” There can be few relays more exacting for the artist who impersonates the leading character than The Fool’s Revenge, which was produced last night at the Theatre Royal by Mr Walter Bentley, who took the role of Bertuccio. The story is that which forms the libretto of the opera Bigoletto, and is tolerably familiar to most playgoers. It is not a pleasant story, but it is one which offers great opportunities for powerful acting, at least to the artist who represents the Jester. In Mr Bentley’s hands those opportunities were fully used. His jests were biting, but in his laugh there was no merriment. His one idea, while playing the fool, was to wreak vengeance on the order from a member of which he had suffered the deepest injury. Reckless of consequences his poisoned shafts of wit were aimed at the very highest personages who were made to wince from the smart thus inflicted. There was a fiendish exultation at the fancied success of his deep scheme of revenge, only less terrible than the despair and exasperation caused by that scheme’s utter failure. But in strong contrast with this side of the character was the intense affection of the father for his daughter. This was shown in many exquisite touches of consummate art, and made the audience realise all the more fully the hideous wrong which had so warped a naturally loving disposition. Nothing could well be finer than the scene in which he discloses to his daughter the fate, worse than death, that had robbed him of her mother, but it was excelled at the close of the play when, moved by his daughter’s eloquent looks, he stifiea the half-formed curses and forgives the object o! his long-cherished hatred. Mr A. C. Alderson was the licentious Manfredi, but made the part as little revolting as it could be. Mr Russell Craufurd was Torelli, a detestable character, which he made tolerable by the amount of humour he threw into his impersonation. Messrs Holloway, Stephens, and Hill were the somewhat colourless Ordelaffi, Ascolti and Ascaino. Mr A. E. Greenaway was very happily cast for the poet Dell’Aquilla. His elocution was noteworthy for the smoothness of his diction, and the gracefulness of his action. Eis reading of the part fairly “ brought down tbe house ” ou several occasions. Mr Lachlan M'Gowan was a dignified testa. Miss May Thorne was Genevra, a character that certainly affords little scope for acting. Miss Alice Holbrook had her face wonderfully made up for the mature Brigatta, but the part was altogether too old for her, and her sprightly manner betrayed the fact all too plainly. Miss Alice Deorwyn was remarkably good as the Duchess, playing the role with great feeling and well-con-sidered force. Miss Laura Hansen, as Fiordelisa, the Jester’s daughter, spoke and acted with all the simplicity appropriate to the character. She, however, displayed abundant emotion where emotion was called for. Dutiful affection, maidenly love, terror, indignation, horror, each in turn was depicted naturally, but none the less effectively. The morality of The Fool’s Revenge is questionable, but of its moral there can be but one opinion. That moral is that “Vengence is the Lord’s and He will repay,’’ and the truth of this is enforced in a decidedly striking manner. To-night Mr Bentley will appear as Shylock, in Shakspece’s Merchant of Venice.