AMUSEMENTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 770, 3 December 1886, Page 12

AMUSEMENTS.

“THE FLYING SCUD.”

Boucicault’s sporting drama, “ The Flying Scud,” was produced by Macmahon and Leitch’s company at the Opera House on Saturday night. The production of the piece during the racing season was a happy idea, and the audience on Saturday night was a large one, especially downstairs. _ The drama was very well played, and capitally staged and mounted. In the Derby scene especially the stage effect was very fine. The central character —that of Nat Gosling—was played by Mr George Leitch, who played it very honestly, and gave on the whole a good representation of the old jockey, with the instincts of his business as strong within him as ever. In the last act, his song and hornpipe were an immense [success, and the audience tried hard to get it repeated. Mr Harcourt’s Bob Bloater was an excellent performance of a character part, and may be ranked with Mr Leitch’s Nat Gosling. Mr E. B. Russell’s Colonel Mulligan was one of the best played parts in the piece, and Mr Vernon’s Moses Davis and Mr Montgomery’s Grindley Gooch were also well played. Mr Berkely made a good deal of the unsatisfactory part of Lord Woodbie. Miss Flora Anstead was a fair Julia Latimer, and Miss Ida Herberte, as Kate Rideout, looked nice and acted well. The other parts were all well filled, and Miss Docy Mainwaring is entitled to praise for her sprightly acting-in the Derby scene. During this scene Mr J. W. D. Foley played a solo on glass bottles, and in response to a most enthusiastic encore danced a jig capitally, in spite of a wretched accompaniment. On the whole the performance was a oapital one.