"THE GREEN GODDESS."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19218, 6 January 1926, Page 7

"THE GREEN GODDESS."

DRAMATIC CRITIC'S FLAY. When William Archer, most noted of English dramatic critics, turned his analytic pen from more or less destmc- | tive paths to the constructive task of writing a play, he entertained no delusions about popular dramatic taste. He is reputed to havo wntt-en " The Green Goddess " to confuto the almost universal suspicion that a dramatic critic cannot possibly write a play that will be a stage success. It is quite obvious, from the first performance of this play at His Majesty's Theatre last evening, that the last thing he had in mind was to write a play that would please the " intellectuals," who are supposed to thrive on philosophy, dullness and classicism. At any rate. " The Green God- | dess" is plain melodrama, whoso fear- ! some thrills and sentiment are partly off- ] sot by erudite dialogue and a saving grace of humour. The Rajah of Rukh, splendidly played by Guy Bates Post, is a man whom i every schoolboy will worship. An Inj dian potentate, who has received a pol- | ished European veneer through a univeri sity schooling in England, ho nurtures j in his heart a smouldering desire to revenge himself upon the English for the death of three of his brothers, executed in India for their complicity in a political murder. Deep in the Himalayas he lives in lavish state in a wonderful palace, that is a blend between the Orient and the Occident. He is surrounded by Indian troops and retainers —there are a score or so on the stage in some of the scenes—and, when not reading Bernard Shaw or Anatole France, he drinks old champagne and expensive liqueurs, plays tennis and billiards, speaks faultless English to a Cockney valet, and, so we aro told, entertains beautiful Parisian ladies who enter his remote kingdom by way of Russia. Into the clutches of this dangerous gentleman ccme three English aviators, one of whom is a woman, and it is ci' their captor's scheme for killing, I'them —the two men at least—that four ! stirring acts are written. I For the playgoer in search of thrills, " The Green Goddess " may be commended. Excitement runs high during j the third scene, when hogns messages are j being transmitted from a substantiali looking wireless station, and the feelings | of tlje audience are not further composed when the good old major is shot dead on the stage and the disagreeable valet is thrown bodily out of the window to a certain doom hundreds of feet below. But this is nothing to the thrilling rescue at the end of the play. With all this excitement go some exquisite stage settings, embellished with beautiful furniture and picturesque glimpses of the snow-clad Himalayas through the open J windows of the rajah's palace. In fact, i the play is produced on quite an expensive scale. Mr. Guy Bates Post gives another fin- | ished performance as the rajah. He is j the suave, courteous Indian Prince to ; perfection, bringing home the full effect of his meaning as much by studied silences* as by volubility. In a variety of attractive costumes, some Oriental, some curiously suggesting both the East and the West, he cuts a very fine and conveys just that air of mystery and languor about his every movement that is supposed to be the heritage of the East. Miss Eileen Sparks has further opportunities to show her worth, and does some exceptionally diverse acting—some of it, however, too emotionally robust to carry with it the semblance of truth. Mr. Winnington Barnes ha,° a most attractive role as the major, and does some very likeable work. Finally, there is Mr. Eric Maxon as Dr. Treherne, and Mr. Leslie Victor, the latter a tremendous success as the amusing Cockney valet. " The Green Goddess " will be repeated each evening up till and including Saturday.