ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13390, 19 January 1907, Page 3

ENTERTAINMENTS.

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE,

"THE LITTLE STRANGER." J It is hardly possible to conceive that any* ' tiling funnier lias been produced by tl>e pen , of the clever writer, .Michael Morion, than i the farcical comedy, "The Little Stranger," which wm staged in the presence of a larg» I audience, at His Majesty's, last ovcuing, un» dor the. management of Messrs. Meynoll, (Jnim, and Varna, It is one of thoso delightful pieces in the witnessing of which one has not to think, .simply to look and laugh, and as a farcical comedy it is really a- funny as "Charley's Aunt," which somehow or other is always set up as the standard of funny pieces. Were it necessary to enter upon eloso analysis it might be said' the piece is not without fault, it has a tendency to drag somewhat towards the end, and the third act partakes of tho character of an anti-climax, lint still it is scarcely ever necessary to enter upon microscopic examij nation of a farcical comedy, and whatever ! fault this one may have is readily lost sight j of in the general merriment and tlio exiclient nature of the '1111 provided. In ! fact, the baby and tho audience wore .soon j firm friend*, and from first to' last tho | "youngster" had a. royal time, and the- spec | tators laughed till they were tired. Tho | main idea is an original" out*, and while it is a satire on the gullibility of the general public, it is so surrounded with humorous phases and comical incidents that it would be difficult to find a theatregoer whe could discover nothing in it. to laugh at. Tliero is no attempt at disguise, the pieoe front the rise of the curtain to the end is frankly and unblushiugly the purest, farce, and, therefore, runs riot through all hoary dramatic tradition, requires no plot, and is full of refreshingly new and humorous dialoguw and incident, bright and (lever throughout. Running through the mere is a humoroua indictment of the charlatan spiritualist.' There is a society known as the Soul Hunters, child of which is a bilious Rus-t-inn nihilist sort of person named, Paul Vrons'ky. A Mrs. Alienor, wife of Captain Alienor, has a baby who cannot, talk, although three years old, and Mrs. Allenby is devoted to spiritualism and worships Vronsky, much to her husband':', disgust. A friend induced tho husband to theoretically drown hmsclf and the baby in tho Thames, and then the friend introduces "The Little Stranger," Tom Pennyman, a boy prodigy, in the clothes and place, of the three-year-old. Then the fun opens out in real earnest. The mother and or hers think the baby has been bewitched, but the baby calmly explains that tho soul of his drowned father has entered him. and then the " baby" proceed* to lake the play in hand and "run" it to further orders, bis antics causing most hearty merriment. Tho "Little Stranger" is a. walking, talking, swearing, smoking, whisky-drinking wonder, and tho mother and the numerous relatives who attempt, to talk baby to it experience some wild and extraordinary receptions from the "possessed child," who finally completely routs Vron c and the ghost cit Allenby appears to complete the denouement and frighten the Svengali, Vronskv, into confession. A clever voting actor, in the person of Master Willie Parke, took the title roie. and played it- in a manner that left very little to bo desired. His performance was an admirable impersonation, and his utter composure of an experienced comedian was in itself most acceptable. The enthusiastic reception of the piece was ill very great measure due to his exceptional talent; ho aped the precocious child to a nicety, was agile in limb, smart in tongue, and he managed, with a very fine degree of artistic skill, to preserve the impersonation within an impersonation, of fch* baby with an adult spirit taking tho place of a more ordinary baby and with a mission to euro adults of spiritualistic folly. His headlong dive into a coalscuttle, his pranks with grave and portly persons, his whisky-drink-ing propensities, and his reception of tho butler and Vronsky, were some of tho many screamingly funny incidents. Tho • other parts were of the character designed to " play up" to the, principal, and do not call for much in tho way of special mention. Mr. James Lindsay put in some good work 08 tho friend, the Hon. Alec Howard, and Mr. P. Murray made a satisfactory Captain Dick Allenby. Mr. Harry Hill had a somewhat complex part as Vronsky, but handled it; well, particularly in the scene where he has to maintain the attention and credence of the "Soul Hunters'' whilo tho "Little Stranger" is creating a scare by "manifestations" from the interior of a big hanging lamp. Mr. .11. Ha Hey was responsible lor a considerable measure of the humour as Sir George Peacock. Miss Violet, Dene as Mrs. Dick Allenby played a careful part, and Miss E. Guilford-Quin contributed a, good piece of work as the nurse in iiysrterics. The other parts were all .veil filled, and tho winding up, when husband and wife aro reconciled and Vronsky is kicked out, was very well staged. The piece was preceded by a curtain-raiser, a laughable comedietta, entitled Wig and Gown," in which the parts were taken by Mr. P, Hawthorne, Mr. J. W. Dcverell, Miss Helen Russell, and Miss Violet Done, the latter contributing the real humour of the piece. "The Little Stranger" will be staged again this evening.

OPERA. HOUSE. The programme that, has been so popular this week was given for the last time last night by Fuller's Vaudeville Company, when every artist was well received. To-night ai* entire change of programme will be given, when the Polios will appear in a new musi-1 cal sketch, "A Misunderstanding." ■ "SI acta Murray will sing "His Only Child" arid "My New Pal." Lee so ami Roberts will introduce new juggling feats; Lucy Lavinit, the dainty coon cantatrioe, will ping "Hello, Little Girl, Who Are You?" Amy Blaclrlo will sing a new ballad, " Good-bye, My Rosebud." The Lewis Sisters, Sam. Wilson, Eileen McLcod, Andy Roberts, and ArthurTaucher will also appear. Some new films* will be shown by the Warwick bioscope. , THE FIJIAN FIRE-WALKERS. The fire-walkers have decided to give m final performance, at Alexandra Park, Epsom, this afternoon. Besides giving thoar' fire-walking display, they will show themselves as. all-round athletes. The management have extended an invitation to tho Orakoi Maoris to be present, which has boon. accepted, and Iho Fijians arc going to talce advantage of the occasion, and challenge, them to various outdoor competitions, including a lug-of'-wur, 100 yds scratch ra*e, high and long-jumping, obstacle race, tack races, etc. This will lie the last appearance of the fire-walkers in Now Zealand, and They intend to make the occasion a memorable one. The gru<vs will open at. two p.m., and! the performance will start at throe o'clock. Captain (Jaunt and the officers of H.M.s. Cambrian have signified their intention of being present. ROYAL COMIC OPERA COMPANY. The advent of Mr. J. C. Williamson's Royal Comic Opera Company is an, occasion for much pleasurable anticipation' amongst theatrical patrons. Of the many admirable combinations which the Australian entrepreneur sends to this colony from time to time, the one which will appear at His Majesty's Theatre'on Friday evening next easily holds pride of place. .Musical comedy of to-day gratifies a wide public taste, henoe it is that a reason of musical comedy invariably spells success. Of "The Orchid,'* which is to be the initial production of the Auckland season, it is said there can be no diversity of opinion. lis dominant characteristic is said to bo gaiety and animation. The comedians are admirably catered for, and the vocalists have many opportunities to display their respective abilities. The piece is also said to afford a glorious occasion for tho ccstttmicres, scenic artists, and ballet mistress to exhibit the results of their creative skill, and as a spectacle " The Orchid" has, perhaps, never been excelled on the Australasian stage. A delightful actress. Miss C'ara Clifton, will make her first appearance here, as also will Miss Connie Milne, Miss Alma Burlier, and other*. Tho public will also renew acquaintance with many old favourites. The. box plan for tins first six performances of " The Orchid" will be opened at Messrs. Wildman and Arey's on Monday morning, at lime o'clock. A very heavy booking lor this brilliant musical production is anticipated, and arrangements have been made to obviate unnecessary crushing. ...--.