THEATRE ROYAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIII, Issue 4666, 27 October 1876, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL.

Thx new drama produced last night, en--tUteA. " Rose Michel,» is nearly a liteial

aHigWf for the English stage, the late Mr. Robson "having inaugurated one of his seasons at the Olympic with! a\ partionlar.formrof it, ant by huvown extraordinary an immense success. The adapter in the present jinstance r( is,.Mr.., Geprga Fawcett Rowe, who "was'highly populax here some ; years ago as acting manager and lessee of the old Duke of Edinburgh" Theatre. The story is intensely tragic, but there is nothing like the vulgar sensationalism -which exhibits violence actually upon the stage. There is crime enough in it, but, like the murders in "Macbeth,"they are done out of sight. What the audience is,permitted to see are the ravages of the fearful passions which precede and follow them. Pierre Michel, a former gamekeeper to a noble family, has become publican and miser, and, suspected from his misanthropic habits, of some secret crime. It is the silk-weavers' of Lyons, who elect their warden, and his daughter is engaged to be. married to the warden's son. : His wife, Rose Michel, asks for 200 francs to buy the trousseau, which he refuses. • She has contributed largely to his store, and haying discovered his.treasure, takes the required" amount. He half strangles her, when'a knock is heard, which proves to be that of Baron Grandohamps, a scapegrace noble who has bartered his right to protect his wife, for ..100,000. > francs. Pierre has been concerned with this person/in a former crime. The Baron asks for a lodging, which is given him. An opportunity presents itself to Pierre to rid himself of a dangerous! friend and gain 100,000 francs,' and two overpowering motives—self-preservation and the greed of gold:—suggest the murder of his guest. Whiter he is about the deed, Rose Michel has recovered from her insensibility, sees the knife, and hears the stroke. is alarmed, and threatens her with "vengeance upon their daughter if she" discloses anything. The Count de Bussy, who gave the 100,000 francs to Grandchamps, is suspected of the : , murder. Rose Michel has found the money and she restores it to the original giver by placing it in his drawer. This was the one link in a chain of 'evidence to confirm the, guilt of De Bussy. The Prefect' <>i ■ Police ■ finds the money where Rose had placed it.',° Her position iB one of intensely conflicting passions.' . One, life depends upon her speaking all she knows; her husband s. life depends on keeping silence. Meanwhile, Pierre is working to confirm the suspicion on the innocent man, and a blundering servant of his is curioustb discover Pierre's guilt, which he suspects. Mr. Hall, as Pierre Michel, afforded a really fine example of his power to delineate the darker and deeper forms of passion. He made of his part an elaborate and most excellent study, Mrs. Hall, as Rose Michel, does not, impart to the character all, the strength of which it is capable, but she gives to it an emotional intensity which is touching, and marked by sustained pathos. Miss Laura ' Wiseman, as Louise" Michel, played a pretty and delicate part with much simplicity and effect. Mr. Searle as Pere Barmard, and Mr. Glover as Gilbert Barmard,- Miss Jessie Raymond as Countess de Bussy, Mr. Holloway as Count de Bussy, all played with remarkable spirit and effect. As an artistic work efficiently represented, this -play is well worth seeing. It is capitally placed upon the stage. The scenery and .appointments are all good. It affords an excellent opportunity of exhibiting how vastly superior'is the French method- of representing the vicissitudes of domestic life and the details .of tragic occurrences through their consequences as compared with the English, fofm; of exhibiting horrors to the very eyes of the audience. There is no denying to this play a very high rank as a drama. It preserves the unity of circumstances completely, and departs very little from that of time or place. Of its particular, kind it is one of the best plays that has been put on the stage here. It will be repeated this evening.