ABBOTTS OPE RA HOUSE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8425, 28 November 1890, Page 5

ABBOTTS OPE RA HOUSE.

MR. J. L. TOOLE. There was a very large audience at the Opera House last night to witness the first production of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Merivale's three-act comedy, "The Don," the lower portion of the house being literally crowded and the dress circle fairly filled. The comedy is comparatively new, and was first produced in March, 1888, so that it is one of the latest, if not the latest, additions to Mr. Toole's repertoire, and the selection is certaiuly a judicious one, for it is full of sparkling fun, in addition to which it is cleverly written and affords ample scope for the class of acting which Mr. Toole has made inimitable, as well as giving the other members fcf the company excellent opportunities for the display of individual merit. Prom first to last it went with marvellous smoothness, and kept the audience in roars of laughter at the queer and comical situations which it presents, and its illustrations of the foibles to which human nature in and out of college are liable. It has also another merit in the originality of the materials of its construction, and the humour, although sometimes farcical in its development, is never Vulgar or other than entertaining, and an air of probability is given to most improbable circumstances, which is only due to the excellent skill with which the play is presented. A brief sketch of the plot is necessary to enable those who were not present to understand the merits of the performance as well as of the play itself. The central figure, Mr. Horace Josiali Milliken, M.A., a dean of St. Mark's College, Gamford (Mr. Toole), is well advanced in years, and bears an irreproachable reputation, as well as that of a confirmed bachelor, if not a woman-hater. He was, however, in his youth of a very susceptible disposition, and the appearance of his > old flame, Mrs. Coventry Sparkles (Miss ElHe Lis ton) as a widow, and a sister of Mr. Pappeadiok, M.A, (Mr. Billington), a brother tutor of the college, again captivated him. She was accompanied by her niece, Kitty Maitlaud (Miss Alice Deorwyn). A nephew of the Don, who is also a full namesake, is an undergraduate in the college, and has been secretly married to Dora (Miss Irene Vanbrughj, another niece of Mrs. Sparkles. The Dean, Mrs. Pappendick, the widow and Kitty Maitland, met with young Horace and his friend Mr. Lionel Dallas, in the undergraduate's room, and Kitty at once found congenial company in that of young Dallas, whom she had met previously at the same that Dora and Horace made acquaintance. After the tea-party, an adjournment is made to a concert, and the Don , who is last to leave, had a most ludic- I rous interview with Mrs. Kimbo (Miss Eliza •Johnstone), who was formerly his housekeeper, but now a widow and the proprietress of the Bull and Mitre inn, and she mistaking his amorous expressions, imagined herself to be the object of his affections, threw her arms round his neck, and in this perplexing situation ho was discovered by his nephew. Meanwhile, Dora, who had escaped from school, came to young Horace's room in an undergraduate's gown and hat, and is found there by her husband on his early return from the concert. He thought her penniless, and was astonished when she proclaimed herself a wealthy heiress, and horrified him with the further information that she is a ward in chancery. A number of his college chums came to Horace's room to have a night of it, and Dora having resumed her college apparel, is introduced to them by Horace as his cousin, and most comical situations arise in consequence, for the graduates being half intoxicated, were not only familiar but inquisitive regarding the stranger, and her answers assisted the comicality of the situation. The noise of a dance in which all engaged, brought the Don on the scene, and he proceeded to take the names of all present, to report them, but when he came to Dora, she boldly discarded her gown and appeared in her proper character, greatly to the horror of the amazed Don, who knew that as a result his beloved nephew would be expelled from college, while she feared that if she acknowledged her marriage, he would be sent to gaol. To avoid the latter contingency, she decided to fib, and when discovered by the jealous Mrs. Kimbo and others, she boldly avowed that it was the elder Milliken she had come to see. The Don had made violent love to

Mrs. Sparkles, greatly to the amusement of her brother, but at that time she only knew that Dora had escaped from school, and did not know that she had reached Camford and that she was actually staying in the same hotel. The plot became more and more complicated as the situations crowded, and finally Mr. Milliken, sen,, the Don of the College, was arrested on the charge of contempt of court by having married a ward in chancery. Other complications arose on account of the identify of the names of the husband and nephew, but finally matters wore satisfactorily cleared up, and it being discovered that Dora was married beore she was made a chancery ward by her aunt, no one was sent to gaol, and all ended happily. This brief outline of the plot will give some idea of the possibilities they afford to such a company as that which now occupies the Opera House. Mr. Toole, of course, is the central figure, and his wonderful versatility and mobility of countenance in the various perplexing situations in which he found himself were worthy of his reputation as one of the greatest cqmedians of the day; and he kept tiie audience in roars of laughter while he occupied the stago, and the applause which greeted him throughout each scene, as well as the calls to which he had to respond, showed how thoroughly he had carried his delighted audience with him. Mr. Billington, whose first appearance this was in Auckland, was delightful as the rollicking, jovial M.A., the brother of Mrs. Sparkles, and the friend of the Don. Mr. C. YVilson gave a fine representation of the role of the junior Milliken, and showed himself to be a capable comedian, while Mr. Lowne, . as his friend Lionel Dallas, made a leading feature of the part by infusing into it a thoroughly characteristic naturalness, which earned for him warm expressions of appreciation. Mr. George Shelton finds a part which thoroughly suits him in that of the college servant, Harris, and made every point tell effectively. Of the ladies also we can only speak in terms of the ! highest praise. Miss Effie Liston as Airs. Coventry Sparkles, played the part of the matronly widow to the very life, for while dignified and natural she infused into the whole a quiet humour, which was most effective. Miss Irene Vanbrugh is eminently at home in the role of Dora, and was simply delightful in her naivete and wit, while Miss Alice Deorwyn is charming as Kitty Mainland, but there was no finer representation throughout the performance than that of Miss Eliza Johnstone as Mrs. Kimbo, the erstwhile housekeeper to tho Don and the proprietress of the mil. The whole performance was remarkable for the smooth evenness with which it was played. There was not a weak part or character in it, and there were at the close of each act bursts of most enthusiastic applause. The dialogue of the play is excellent throughout, and " The Don" achieved a most perfect success on his introduction to the Auckland public. He will reappear tonight for the last time, as we notice that for Saturday and Monday nights the comedy, "Dearer than Life," and the farce of "The Steeplechase," are underlined. In the former, Mr. Toole appears as Michael Garner, and in the latter as Tittums.