THE MYRA KEMBLE COMPANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8890, 28 May 1892, Page 5

THE MYRA KEMBLE COMPANY.

"BARBARA" AND "JANE." The clevor company now nightly delighting large audiences in the Opera House presented a double bill last evening, the ! first item being a charming little one-act i drama, entitled " Barbara," by Jerome K. I Jerome ; and the second a farcical comedy, in three acts, called " Jane," by R.*Nicholls and W. Lestocq. " Barbara" is a somewhat unique dramatic production in several ways, for while the plot is extremely slight and simple, and the dialogue, though clever, is almost wholly explanatory, yet both are calculated to create and sustain the most lively interest. Another of its peculiarities is that it does not seem to be constructed upon any orthodox stage system. The story is developed through the instrumentality of quiet conversation alone, and yet it is in a sense dramatic, and unquestionably effective. The leading idea is the sacrifice by a woman of worldly advantages to secure the happiness of two j lovers, her friends, and that though these advantages are offered when she herself is in anything but affluent circumstances. The play ends just when the sacrifice is made, and curtain falls not upon any stereotyped or striking situation, but upon a group quite naturally and unaffdctingly employed. If only for its utter disregard of dramatic conventionalities Barbara "is a decided acquisition to stage literature, and will probably have many admirers wherever it is capably produced. The leading character is, of course. Barbara herself, a character which Miss Nellie Lyons represented, and in which she appeared to very great adadvantage. It is perhaps the most exacting part that Miss Lyons has yet appeared in in Auckland ; and it speaks volumes for her ability to find her so well able to do it justice. Miss Clitherow was very good as the pert and tantalising Lillie ; while Mr. Diver as Cecil and Mr. Walsh as £ inikim acquitted themselves more than creditably. These four are the only characters in this petite comedy drama. "Jane" is a farcical comedy, not quite so uproariously funny as "Dr. Bill," but yet with more in it. It is better constructed, better written, and while the plot is not altogether a reasonably possible one,_ it does not attain the heights of wild improbability to which Dr. Bill" ascends. The facts of the case as set forth in the comedy may be briefly stated. A young bachelor, Charles Shackelton, having represented himself, for financial reasons, to his guardian as a married man, receives intimation of a proposed visit from the said guardian, Mr. Kershaw, and finds himself in a pretty predicament, it being necessary to provide himself with a wife at very short notice for presentation to the old gentleman. He makes one or two futile effort.® to accomplish his purpose, and eventually bribes his housemaid, Jane, to assume the character of Mrs. Shackelton for '24 hours, so as to deceive Mr. Kershaw and obtain much-needed monetary assistance. At the same time a widowed aunt of Shackel ton's, Mrs. Chad wick, becomes aware of his difficulties, but not of the arrangement between him and Jane, and causes considerable confusion by pretending to the old gentleman that she is the young man's wife. In this manoeuvre she is also animated with the hope that she may secure Shackelton's heart and win him for her own. More trouble arises through the guardian's demand to see the child which his deceitful ward had mentioned in one of his letters, but which ho had afterwards forgotten all about, and a baby has to be borrowed to carry on the imposition. And all this time Jane is secretly the wife of the serving-man William, whose emotions on witnessing the endearments continually passing between his better-half and his master cause a great deal of the merriment which almost every line and every incident of the comedy provokes. Other minor elements are introduced to complete the amusing mixture, and the perplexities and blunders of the bogus man and wife in their efforts to sustain the deception they are practising are comical and laughable in the extreme. " Jane "is freo from any approach to riskiness, and its fun cannot be said to be in any way objectionable. It was received with the greatest favour last night, and was accompanied throughout by continuous hilarity and frequent bursts of applause. Miss Kemble gave another proof of her versatility in the character of Jane, playing it vivaciously and spiritedly, and attending with scrupulous care to the idiosyncracies of speech and deportment which are supposed to be characteristic of the average servant maid. As in her previous delineations here Miss Kemble's personal charms and grace lent a great additional attraction to her performance, and completed what was a very delightful picture of feminine cleverness and feminine witchery. Mr. Walter Hill was excellent as Mrs. Chadwick, and Miss M. Corcoran made a most captivating Lucy Norton. Mr. E Lester excelled himself as William Lipsoti, Jane'strueand lawful husband, and secured a large share of the honours of the evening. Mr. Leopold, as the fussy old guardian, played as he always does, that is to say he made the most of the part, and succeeded in being highly entertaining. Mr. Harris' reputation as an actor who brings intelligence and animation to bear upon all his work will not suffer by his impersonation of Shackelton. The others in the cast had little to do, but managed to make that little effective.

" Barbara" and "Jane" will be repeated this evening, and there ought to be a crowded house to enjoy the really capital programme.