AMUSEMENTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 916, 20 September 1889, Page 13

AMUSEMENTS.

The Theatre. “ OUR GIRLS.” There is always the cbarm of freshness about the comedies written by 11. J. Byron, no matter how often they are produced. They are full of sparkling wit, eccentric situations, and a broad fund of humour, and it is to Byron's credit that (unlike his namesake, the poet) he carefully avoided objectionable passages. Byron’s comedies are beyond reproach in this respect. Perhaps the moat happy of all his conceptions is the comedy of “Our Girls,” produced at the Theatre Royal last Friday. It is a sketch not altogether improbable of modern life at the present time. It affords in the various characters plenty of opportunities for a display of histrionic talent, and we may say this was taken full advantage of last Friday. Unkind critics have said that Byron's plays are of the one-horse variety. But that may indeed be said of almost any play. There is always one character which stands out in prominent relief to the others, and in “Our Girls,” Captain Gingah is the particular star. Without the gallant captain “Our Girls’'would be as flat and uninteresfcing as an Adamless Eden. The comedy on Friday night was charmingly played. Itwasia the first place staged far better than we have seen more pretentious pieces. The first, a garden scene, with its bright splashes of colour and warm summery tint prevailing, was one of the prettiest “sets” ever seen in the Theatre Royal, and drew forth loud applause directly the curtain rang up. The second and third scenes drawingroom sets were splendidly mounted, and the management are deserving of great credit for their liberality in this respect. The dresses, too, were very good. The plot of the piece is familiar to all play-goers, and need not be repeated here. Mr Harry Marshall p aycd Captain Gingah, an impecunious officer of the Bungleshire Buffs. From his first trip on the stage, with his jaunty step and his queer little cough, he became the great centre of attraction, and throughout the whole of the piece was loudly applauded. Mr Marshall has in other pieces proved himself an actor of great talent. His forte evidently is character-acting, and in Captain Gingah he scored a success equal to his Boatbuilder iu the “ Guv’nor.” Miss Helen Fergus, as Helen Gaythorne, had a part eminently suited to hsr emotional nature, and the character was most carefully and successfully carried out. The Doctor Fleming of Mr H. Saville, and the Fanshawe of Mr Dunbar, two capital studies, were very well played. Mids Maitland was a very good Mrs Gunn, and Miss E. Dawson played Lilian in a satisfactory manner. Mr J. Smith was very funny as Tipkius, and Mr Godfrey made a fair Medwyn. The comedy was repeated on Saturday night very successfully. The company have been playing at the Wairarapa this week, and appear at Pahiatua to-morrow.

Opera House. —Tom Taylor's well-known four-ac* drama, "The Ticket of Leave Man," was produced at the Opera House last night week to a fair audience. The east was a strong one. Mr J. W. Foley made an ex--cellent Melter Moss, Mr Harry Power was a good Bob Brierly, while Mr E. Alexander acted well in his impersonation of Jem Dalton. The character of Hawkshaw was exceedingly well played by Harry Hall. Miss Lena Robinson as May Edwards played her part carefully and well, and Mis 3 Rosa Beaufort as Sam Willoughby scored quite a success. Mrs Foley did fairly well as the garrulous Mrs Willoughby, and the minor parts were well sustained. The drama was excellently staged, and run smoothly throughout. Frank Lincoln. —The season in Welling, ton of this inimitable humorist closed on Saturday night, when another large audience attended to have their risible faculties tickled—perhaps.to be abnormallydeveloped. Mr Lincoln had apparently recovered from his recent indisposition, for he appeared to be in capital voice, and created roars of laughter by his somewhat trying if grotesque mimicry of certain operatic singers. To say that Mr Lincoln is the raciest humorist who has ever favoured this Colony with a visit is to pay him but a poor compliment, for we have never before had amongst us a humorist pure and simple ; but it may be said without hesitation that Mr Lincoln has set up a standard here by which all future lecturers of his class will be judged, Mr Lincoln is announced to appear at Palmerston North to-night, and thence visits all the towns on the West Coast of this Island.

THEATRICAL NGTLS. Mias Jennie Lee ia playing in Melbourne a sketchy piece called ‘Jack in the Box,* which la said to have been ‘ slung together ’ by Clement Scott and G. R. Sima, The critics say the piece is awfully thin, but Jennie Lee gets a great deal of credit for her sprightly acting, Mr RobertMcWade, an American character actor, has arrived *n Australia uuder engagement to Mr Dampier, and was to open in his own version of * Rip Van Winkle.’ ‘ Faust ’ was recently played by Solomon’s Opera company in Sydney, with Miss Tree as Marguerite, Miss Granpner as Siebel, Mr Stockwell as Faust, Mr Gilpin as Valentine, and Signor Buzzi as Mephistophele3. Miss Katie Putnam, the American actress, played Nell in * The Old Curiosity Shop ’ at Sydney the other day. Mr A. K. Lawrence, who was here with Wybert Reeve and Genevieve Ward, gave a very fine representation of Quilp. Mr Fred Maccabe began a season in Christchurch last week. The Press says of his show ; —‘Mr Macfcabe at once puts himself en rapport with the audience, and his sketches are so much the more enjoyable. The prosy old gentleman at the dinner, with the masher who talks the usual bald society chat, were both well-drawn characters. One of the most successful delineations in this part of the entertainment was a reproduction of Henry Russell, the well-known song writer.

The peculiarity of the composition of the song and the ornate pianoforte accompanimeat were both admirably done by Mr Maccabe. His veutriloquial feats were also capital, showing wonderful cleverness in throwing the voice to various parts of the stage. The first part concluded with the sketch of the itinerant musician with the fog horn cough, with which Christchurch playgoers are pretty familiar. Though the impersonation is a well-known one, still it was received with as loud applause and as much laughter as though it had been given for the first time. The second part comprised what Mr Maccabe called a comedietta, whioh served to introduce Mdlle. Minnia, a lady who danced a Spanish dance and a Highland fling with much grace and deftness. Both dances were encored. She was also very good in the statue scene, iu which she impersonated very well indeed the figure seen outside the cover of the well-known journal Truth. The Payne family have been doing well in the vicinity of Auckland, and were to be at Waitara on the 23rd inst, Hugo's Minstrels began a season at Auckland last week. * Paul Jones ’ is said to be the most popular comic opera now being performed in Loudon. Mr Stanislaus (who was here with Brough and Boucicault’s Burlesque company a couple of years ago) is conductor, and Miss Phydis Broughton is in th 6 cast. Mr Charles Wyndham, on whose name additional lustre is shed on account of his having played * David Garrick ' before the Czar of all the Russias, was about to take his departure for America with a company when the mail left. Mr Haddon Chambers, author of ‘ Captain Swift,’ has finished a new play for Mr Beerbohm Tree. Bland Holt’s company were to open in ‘ The Union Jack ’ at Christchurch on Tuesday evening. The Auckland Star states that amongst the passengers through for Sydney by the mail steamer Mariposa from San Francisco are the ‘ Little Lord Fauntleroy ’ theatrical company, consisting of Miss Ollie Berkley—a pheno r enal little nine.year-old lady, who takes the title rdle—Miss E. Winthrop, Mr Berkley and Mr Harry Edwards. Abtolycus.