AT THE OPERA HOUSE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7055, 17 February 1910, Page 7

AT THE OPERA HOUSE

"A COUNTRY GIRL"—MUCH CHANGED. (By IVauk Morton.) It is some fcimo now since “A Country Girl” was staged in AVoUin.gtxm, and its revival last night introduced us to a new cast. It cannot be pretended that, at all points or at many, the now oast was as good as the old; but the new folks lire bright and industrious, and they really did very well. “A Country Girl" is true musical comedy: if musical comedy can. truly be said to be anything in particular. There is about it, with the occasional soia.ee of tire true whimsical note. The Rajah of Bhong, slender and fragmentary person though ho be, would alone serve to lift the tiling a stop out of the commonplace. Among other new tilings wo lust night had a new Rajan of Bitong. Mr Victor Prince has played I don't know how many parts of one sort and another, mostly twopenny; but what little' the Rajah of Bhong has to do. Mi- Price did well enough to prove that there is genuine stuff and quality in him. Ho can be extravagant IntcdligeiiiUly—a rare gift, and passing rare in this company. As the Princess Mohelaneh, Miss Olive Godwin was distinctly more acceptable thou she was os the impossible Cuban girl of "Havana." This princess is a frank grotesque and figure of farce, but at odd moments Miss Godwin made her real—or, at any rate, realistic; which is the next thing but nine hundred. It is a part that suited the actress's somewhat raucous and flamboyant personality. Some parsonage, not Paul, has.left it in the record: And now abideth faith, hope, temperament, these three, and the greatest of these is temperament. Miss Godwin lacks many things, but some saving grace of temperament she has. Particularly pleasant and natural was Miss Ivy Scott as Nun. In this realm of musical comedy one must expect at most a daintily millinered pretence of. rusticity; bat Miss Scott succeeded in. presenting a human and kussable girl; and X spent half my night looking round on the chorus and obstrusivo male accessories, wondering how she did it. It is a great and precious gift, this gift of scorning natural on the stage in artificial pot-pourri. Hiss Scott seems to have it. Her wholesome wTnsomeacss J n this part differs essentially from the crisp wmsomenoss of Hiss Lottie Sargent, who one© again justified, herself as the most accomplished aotress v in the cast. She does' everything just-so, this one. If I and the other old gentleman about the house were not perfectly respectable grandfathers of. families and things like that, ft is Hiss Sargent that would make dismal wrecks of us. Hiss Dorothy Court is gentle and sweet* omoo more, and not nearly bo likely to tear hearts to tatters. ’ We may pass the other Indies in considerate silence, _ merely slipping in a word of i-ecognitian of Miss Stevenson s really delightful dancing, a/nd repeating the statoiment of our pleasure in ' the pcrdormninjco of the flappers. The "Hiawatha" item (X don't know why "Hiawatha," nor do you; but it doesn't matter 1 in tho slightest)—-th© ''Hiawatha" item was rendered, or whatever you like to call it, quit© admirably. There's nothing like genuine girlish grace . and vim to make a show go, and when ho' took on these flappers, Mr Williamson know what h© was at. It was a daring inn ovation, of course, for your flapper must be a very young girl, not less than, rtixfefn, nor more than six-and-twenty; but Mr Williamson had recourse to his magic arts,’ and the juveniles were discovered. Mr Hcrbe-t Clayton was better as Geoffrey . Ohalloner than ho has been as anything else; Hr Arthur* Lisaant was passably amusing ns Sir Joseph Verity; and Messrs J. R. Hogue., Frank Stirling, and P. Bracy attracted notice as perpetrators of performances almost incredibly poor. Mr Gilbert was out of the cast, but the peculiarly and surprisingly bright and telling work of Mr W. S. Percy atoned in some notable part for the* bigger comedian,'s absence. Barry is an impudent little rascal, and Mr Percy made him live. Mr Percy was, indeed,. in his best form, and we oil like Mr Percy when. ho is in his best form. Of the music little need be said. Mr Ptarcy amd Mias Sargent sang their merry little songs well. Mr, Clayton v was in good voice. Miss Court sang sweetly, and stuck to the key quite well; on. the whole. Miss Scott warbled pleasanrfcly. The orchestra* again did admirable work. And it must be added that the ballets wore .so good that one could only regret that ’ there'was not more < of them. ScCtnory and costumes charming and ajypvopriate, the costumes in some oases almost exquisite. Miss Godwin's robe in the first act was charming:. A more mam. carihdt explain theso things; but I've seen and been disappointed in so maniy nautoh-dancers, mysterious •damsels, fidher-girls, ICashmfclau diailiusionists, and other incidents of the evening between Calcutta and Bombay, that I really know something about. womiem'e clothes in India. There is a queer trick of the skirt j an indescribable full ■pindhinesß in to the knees. . Mies Godwin's costume hod. that. ■