CRANE POWER DRAMATIC COMPANY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11563, 29 January 1901, Page 6

CRANE PO WER DRAMA TIC COMPANY.

"A ROYAL DIVORCE." j At the Opera House last* night the CranePower Dramatic Company produced H. W. Wills' famous play, "A - Royal Divorce." The auditorium was crowded in all parts, and the fine interpretation given of the powerful historical drama created a profound impression. It is about two years since the play was last produced here, but most playgoers will remember the lines upon which it is written," arid will-not need to be mora than barely reminded iof its theme. • ■ In it the fortunes and the Ultimate downfall of Napoleon are traced with a skilful hand. His overpowering ambition to strengthen ;/: his dynasty and become Charlemagne— master of Europe, an ambition which induces him to cast to the winds his love for Josephine, and, by a marriage with Austrian arch-duchess Marie-Louise, raise himself a step higher towards his . aim and object; his stern, unbending personality, and his superstitious belief in fate, are all limmed with the pen of a master hand. The play is followed with a tense eagerness right through, until the final tableau shows the broken man, alone in his misery, at St. Helena. Scarcely less prominence is given in the drama to the nobility ,of the Empress Josephine, who, for the sake of Napoleon and of France, consents to be divorced, and yet will hear no evil of her.husband, but remains his devoted friend until the last.

As Josephine, Miss Edith Crane was an j undoubted success. Her conception of the part was such as to make it rank amongst I the very finest of her efforts. She imbued the scenes in which she was called' upon 10 display the most varied emotions, with a reality of pathos, and a fervid undercurrent of passionate emotion, which calls for special praise. Her portrayal of the generous nobility , of character which prompted Josephine to forego her rights was a masterpiece of drajmatic art. In her scene with the Empress Mane Louise, wherein the latter taunts her | with her failure to retain the love of Bonaparte, she made a magnificent effect, her dignified, yet scornful, dismissal of the usurper of her place being carried out with true ability. Later, when she interfered on behalf of this same Empress, , and controlled the mob who were eager for her life, Miss Crane again rose to the occasion and made a powerful impression. : Her pathetic , and futile appeal in the last act for the remission of the sentence of banishment passed upon Napoleon by the allied Powers was a great effort, and won her rounds of applause. Miss Crane, indeed, was never seen to greater advantage. .Vv Her talent was given the utmost scope, and she used very opportunity with somthmg closely akin to genius. Her Josephine will long be remembered by those who witnessed her performance. Mr. Cecil Ward, as Napoleon, excelled himself Added to a perfect make-up, he sustained the character with such fidelity to all accepted ideas of the ambitious Emperor that he entirely, succeeded in giving an exceptional rendering of the role. It would be climcult to name one phase of Mr. Ward's impersonation which' called for more praise than another. ■: As the grim would-be ruler of Europe, allowing nothing to stand in his way, he was both convincing and true to nature. As the antithesis to this phase of . character, he very cleverly betrayed an undercurrent of feeling ■in his scenes with Josephine, which bared his heart to view just now and then. Probably/ his declamatory speech,, wherein he described, the dogged determination of the English soldiers whom he had to face, won him the greatest amount of applause, but at no , tamo, was he out of keeping with the character., He was Napoleon in every detail,_ gesture, attitude, and speech, and his handling of the part was an altogether excellent one. Mr. Tyrone Power as the traitor, Beaumont, might have imbued the character perhaps with a little more fire, but ,i on the whole left little to be desired m his impersonation. Miss Lillian Wheeler's Marie Louise was in all respects a most admirable conception, and deserving of 'no small praise, whilst another Performance of real merit was that of Miss Rose Musgrove as Stephanie, Josephine's cousin. Mr. Cyril Keightleyi as General Augeran, Mr. Arthur Lissant as Tallyrand. and Mr. Oily Deering as Grirnaud, were all very successful. The minor parts were filled with capability. • The play was largely of a spectacular nature, the scenery and costuming being most excellent. Introduced into the drama at intervals were four tableaux, "The Retreat from Moscow," "Waterloo: The Charge and the Rout," and "At St. HelenaAlone.' ' These ; were so skilfully, arranged and presented as to be extremely effective pieces of stage-craft. They proved of intense interest, and were met . with ■ such rounds of applause that they all had to be repeated. A ; pretty dance in the third act, by the Misses Cobb and 'Ascoli, was loudly redemanded. A Royal Divorce" will be repeated to-night. ,