THEATRE ROYAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12423, 12 February 1901, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL.

" ELIZABETH, QUEEN OF ENGLAND." If Miss O'Neilrequired any further justification than she has already given the ■Christchurcb theatre-going public, she pro-vided-it last night,-when Giacommeti's historical play, "Elizabeth," was produced, with the star in the titles role. The Italian's version of English history, at any rate as translated, is not in strict accord with the accepted versions of to-day; but,-still, the play follows the story of the Virgin Queen with quite sufficient fidelity to permit of a little dramatic license occasionally, in the interests of effect. - 'And at least the character of the time is excellently preserved. Contemporary criticism was not far wrong when it characterised Elizabeth as on© of Miss O'Neil's strongest representations. She possesses the initial advantage of a stage presence singularly suited to the counterfeit presentment of the historic acceptation of her Majesty. She is a. past mistress, too, in the art of majestic posing—it is a pity that she does not walk a little better —and costumed with brilliancy and historic accuracy, she succeeded in fixing an impression of, in many respects, England's niost picturesque. Sovereign much -mote vividly than any effort of literature could hope to do. • Her characterisation, too, was masterly. "Asa Queen, an eagle; as a woman, now a butterfly and'now a viper," is Burleigh's of his Queen's character. This was the key-note of Miss O'Neil's interpretation, the Nuances; of which were shaded with a nice appreciation of the consistent inconsistency of femininity, of which the Queen was so remarkable a type. ' Vain, jealous, cruel, proud, loving, intensely egotistical, and yet wonderfully human, the character lived in Miss O'Neil's interpretation as no other character she has yet.given us has lived. That voice of hers, with its singularly elusive quality, seemed, too, to fit the passionate, querulous woman, the complexity of whose emotions have set even the historians fighting. The open, unrestrained passion in the scene where Essex throws defiance at her until she strikes him across the face with her glove (history re-lates-that she boxed his 1 ears); the stifled emotion where love striveswith pride as she signs his death warrant; and the stern, determined self-containment of the old Queen, haunted by bloody l horrors on her deathbed, were each depicted with a nicety of discernment, and <t> fidelity of genius grown almost brutal. One would like to see. Miss O'Neil now play that other Queen —Mary, in Swinburne's tragedy of " Chastelard," which is .waiting in all its sensuous magnificence for some Nance O'Neil to immortalise. Again Mr Thomas Kingston carries off the second honours of the piece, for even in the face of a disability of presence fhr the part of Essex, he played with such tempered force and judgment as to quite a-bsorb the audience in his defiant scene. His representation of the character of the unfortunate Earl was also wonderfully akin to that of the historian. For the rest, the same general evenness which, has characterise? previous productions by Miss O'Neil's Company was again apparent. Mr Walter Bayn.nam's "Lord Burleigh," and Miss Fitzmaurice Gill's " Lady Sara Howard," stand out for special mention for many quiet excellences ; whilst, perhaps, Mr Bernard's " Sir Francis Bacon," and Mr George Beck's " Sir Francis Drake," were the least satisfactory interpretations of two historic characters. The play was magnificently staged and dressed. "Elizabeth" will be repeated to-night, and to-morrow Divmas's "Camille" will be produced.