THE FRINGE AT THE PLAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 9022, 7 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE FRINGE AT THE PLAY.

The London Star, in noticing a new play produced at the Opera Comique by Mrs. Bernard-Beere, describes a strange scene in which the Prince of Wales played a prominent and a discreditable part. The house which Mrs. Campbell Praed's play and Mrs. Ber-nard-Beere's acting had brought together was one of the mostbrilliant that ever assembled on a first night. There were in the stall and boxes all the celebrities of all classes, together with a good sprinkling of the notorieties, in the good and the evil sense of the word. The attendance reached its climax of distinction when it was seen that the Prince of Wales occupied a box. It was not to be foreseen that this event, which seemed the crown and glory of the fortunes of the first night, was to prove one of the most formidable obstacles to the success of the evening. The piece was in every sense of the word what would be called "Risky." Many of the characters were arduous; the situations were difficult; above all, there was a great deal of conversation, and everybody will know how the difficulties of a play are increased by a large amount of dialogue. The play started with a long conversation, intended to show up a miserable home, in which a disreputable father, a drunken husband, and a wretched wife are the personages. Suddenly, as people were straining every ear to catch every word from the pallid lips of Mrs. Beere, there came from the royal box the loud hum— nay, that is not the word—the loud shouts of conversation. At first even the welltrained audience of the stalls were startled out of its propriety, and looked around with a shock. It was soon seen what was the matter. Before the whole audience the Prince of Wales was speaking not in the natural tone of conversation, but in such a voice as you would expect if he were shouting from one end to another of a large field. As to the people on the stage, as to the people in the house, His Royal Highness acted as if they were all thin air, or as if he recognised and wished to flout their existence. The demeanour of the stalls, perhaps, gave some justification for the open contempt of their future king. The moment they saw who it was that thus rudely broke in upon their enjoyment, they made laborious efforts to pretend that noth- - ing strange or scandalous was going on. But nature is stronger even than snobbery. The shouted conversation was not a momentary outburst. It went on continuously for at least a quarter or half-an-hour, and though it was less audible in the later hours of the evening, it broke out pretty often. On the stage meantime the effects of the conduct of the Prince were painfully apparent. Mrs. Bernard-Beere looked at one time as if her already highstrung nervousness would end in a wild fit of tears or hysterics. She bit her lips to hold herself together, and her brow was troubled. This business was allowed to proceed without any more reproof than a "Hush, hush !" now and again. It were well if the gallery had been able to show that it was no respector of persons, and had bestowed on the Prince of Wales a little of that brutal bellowing with which it assailed hard-working actors or actresses doing their best to please. His Royal Highness laughed when one of the characters spoke of a society for improving the morals of the upper classes. Such a society may be necessary, but possibly the manners of the upper classes, judging from the conduct of their chief figure last night, stand as rnnch in need of improvement as their morals.

The Pall Mall Gazette says the statement in the Star represents pretty nearly what occurred, and adds on its own account: —No one who was present at the Opera Comique Theatre could have failed to be annoyed at the very audible conversation which was kept up at intervals all through the evening in a private box near the stage. In a subsequent issue the Star says:— H.R.H.'s conduct on that eventful Wednesday night has brought to light a hundred half-forgotten stories of similar scenes in private life. He could have done nothing more calculated to lessen his popularity. That occasion has served for a week to come as conversation at all sorts of parties, and it is extraordinary how every knowing person has some hitherto unheard tale to tell. H. R. H. 's visit to Portugal—a country which it is said he will never venture to visit again —is full of material for these anecdotists. Writing on this subject, a correspondent of the Society Herald says :—Another gentleman in the stalls, between the acts, said to his companion, in as loud a voice as he could command, "I wish you would tell those people in that box to hold their noise. They are creating an unseemly disturbance." The speaker was so close to the royal box that the Prince could not but hear every word that he said, and, indeed, he bent over to see who the speaker might be, and then leaning back in his chair relapsed into a louder conversation than ever. That the Prince of Wales thoroughly enjoyed himself I cannot for a moment doubt, although I don't think that his enjoyment proceeded from the stage, inasmuch as he sat with his back to the actors nearly the whole evening, and carried on hie animated conversation with a lady who was in his suite. People are curious as to the " thin, clever-looking lady" with whom the Prince was talking so indiscreetly on the occasion in question. More than one English lady of title has been named, but the lady was not an Englishwoman, for the Prince was conversing with her in German. She was, in fact, a German royal duchess, and she need not be more particularly named. She was not the Prince's accessory, for though she appeared to be answering him freely, she was saying the whole time, " Hush, hush !" The Princess of Wales was not present. She never is when the Prince has dined more bravely than usual.—Star.