ENTERTAINMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14807, 10 October 1911, Page 5

ENTERTAINMENTS.

" THE WOMAN IN THE CASE."

A rowKitFTJL play,! which .begins to grip the interest of the serious-minded onlooker early in the first act, holds it through the second, and" intensifies it to the pitch of excitement in the third. That the final act is anticlimax, and, as such, clashes with the canons ,of dramatic art, possibly matters .very little. Such is "The Woman in the Case," the Clyde Fitch drama, presented at His Majesty's Theatre last night for the first time in New Zealand by Messrs. J. C. Williamson., Limited, in conjunction with Mr. Geo. Willoughby, before a largo audience.

An analysis of the play shows little to find fault with on the score of technique or constructional ability. Both are plainly in evidence in the deft 'manner-in which the situations'are built up* and in which the gradual unfolding of the plot arouses ever-increasing anxiety to know the .end. As the theme grows, so the thrall grows, until, at the ultimate climax, the tension .is pronounced. It would have been a better play still had it been less " wordy," and had the dramatist laid clown his pen at the conclusion of the third act. Nevertheless, its power is undoubted; and its dialogue, though erring on the side of quantity, is forceful, straight to the point, and free from obscurity of phrase. This aids the action, which is slight, and sustains the attention to the point where interest . ceases, and mere sentiment ends the story. The material used by the playwright for his theme is. the great, self-, sacrificing love of a woman for her husband. Clyde Fitch was not only gifted with the dramatic instinct, but was able to strike the human note, his insight into the emotions being remarkable. In " The Woman in the Case" he used that instinct and that insight well in the drawing of the character of the wife. Against her, however, to obtain the contrast which dramatic exigencies, of course, demand, he chose to poise a character that _ must always be repulsive—that of a demi-mon-daine, brazen, unblushing, coarse, and utterly unscrupulous. It seems a pity that even the best of writers will persist in dragging this sordid type into the glare of the limelight, there to . flaunt her vulgarities and her contempt for all tho virtues. The idea of a pure-minded wife, a woman of refinement, electing, even to save her husband from the gallows, to call such a woman as Claire Foster as she is drawn in this piece her own familiar friend, to seek, intimacy with her, and to appear to live and like her life, will not ■ appeal to all tastes. The realism of it : all may shock not a few. At the same time, it has to be admitted that this motive makes for as strong and, tense a situation as few other modern plays can - boast of. For that reason it may be accepted as dramatically good. "The Woman* in the Case" is to a. large extent -"a duel of wits between the two principal female characters. For its entire success these should be in the hands of exceptional artists. In the production under review neither part is. sustained with that full measure 'of power and ability that the exacting- might -demand. None the less, if genius be. lacking, each is portrayed with a certain amount of ability claiming recognition. Miss Mabel Trevor, as Margaret Rolfe, the loyal wife of a man wrongly accused of murder, has a strong emotional rrle. Her conception at the outset is convmo . ing, but in the : scene of the arrest at the end of the first act her change from blissful happiness to horror and revolt is too abruptly hysterical. Were she to convey the slow dawning of the -.rath and a more gradual realisation of the situation, this scene would be much more impressive. As it is, the sudden revul ; sion may cause Ifrivoloms onlookers to titter, *as some of them unfortunately did lrfst night. In the second act Miss ( Trevor's work is more natural and subtle, and consequently more effective, whilst in the- third act her share in the big scene ; between the two women is well carried out. She succeeds in showing the agony, and impatience of suspense ; remarkably vividly, and at the long-striven-for con • fession of 'the other woman she is strongly dramatic. Miss Elinor Foster, as Claire Forster. has an admittedly hard task. Her weakness is a want of subtlety. She abandons herself over-much to < the accentuation of the coarse side of the woman's nature. This has tho . effect of making Claire Forster repellant, whereas', she should*also be alluring, and after a man-, ner fascinating. Miss Foster is at -hei best in the climax in the third act, when she is called upon to simulate intoxication and blurt out her secret. The' urnpleasantness of the environment, is certainly minimised by her somewhat striking work at the crisis of the play. Mr. . Hugh C. Buckler is distinctly, fine as the lawyer who strains every nerve to get to the bottom of the mystery for which Julian Rolfe bids fair to suffer. His work is impressive to a degree, working up to a powerful piece of acting in the prison scene. Mr. Gerald K. Souper is natural as Julian Rolfe, and Miss Nellie Mortyne plays in excellent comedy vein as Margaret mother. Bright girl parts are well played by Misses Violet Paget, Jennie Pollock, and Florence Gretton, the first-named lady having a good scone in the last act. Messrs. Arthur Cornell, Harry " llalley, John de Lacey, and Mar. tyn Keith are seen to . advantage, in minor roles- '~..'. . The play, which is well mounted an J handsomely dressed, will bo repeated each night this week. k-/-^

. COMPLIMENTARY CONCERT. A complimentary concert was tendered to Mr. J. Colin Muston at the Choral Hall last night by the members of the Auckland Orphans' Club, Mr. Muston being the honorary conductor of the club's orchestra. Nearly all the seating accommodation in the hall was taken up, and the programme presented was. a most enjoyable one. The orchestra contributed the selections "Rosamunde" (Schubert), "Sullivan's Songs" (arranged by Wm. Henley),' and the tone poem "Finlandia" (Sibelius). The remainder of the programme was as follows':—Song, "In the Heather, my Lads" (Lohr), Mr. ,0. E. Farrow; dramatic recital, The Ballad of the Bolivar" (Kipling), Mr. F. S. Gardiner song, " Across the Far Blue Hills, Marie" (Blumenthal), Mr.' John Fuller; instrumental duet (flute and horn), "Serenade" (Titl), Messrs. C. G. Swallow and H. Benu; song, "Nivana" (Weatherly), 1 Mr. Fred. Bourke ; recitation, Mr. T. Harris ; song, "I Am a Roamer" (Mendelssohn), Mr. J. W. Atkinson ; vocal quartette, ' " The Sailors' Chorus" (Parry), the Unique Quartette ; song, "Love's Dawn" (Loewe)", Mr. A Ripley; vocal duet, "The Battle Eve" (Bonheur), Messrs. T. 'M. Johnstone and C. Cutler ; humorous song, "I Put on My Coat and Went Home" (Hargraves), Mr. Fred. Blandford. J

PRINCE'S RINK. V The attraction of the Prince's Rink continues unabated, and all the sessions yesterday were,well patronised by skaters.