FLORENCE ROCKWELL

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9618, 26 March 1917, Page 7

FLORENCE ROCKWELL

IN A POWERFUL PLAY “THE LAND OF PROMISE.” The Grand Opera House was crowded in every part on Saturday night, the audience including His Excellency the Governor and Lady Liverpool. The performance of the new piece “The Land of Promise” was of a character which confirmed the good , impression already formed of the Florence Rockwell Company. As the play went on the interest increased and at the end a considerable degree of enthusiasm was aroused in the auditorium.

Though this play of W. S. Maugham, in its main attributes, must be recognised, as a powerful one, ifc may still be criticised as rather an odd Concoction. For the purposes of the plot the first act is quite unnecessary. All that is evolved could he explained in two or three sentences put into the mouth of one of the characters. It is in the nature of a prologue after the style of a "Family Herald" story. Ail that it relates is that /an English gentlewoman, Norah March, has sacrificed her youth in looking after a crusty old wealthy Miss Wickham, who in a most unaccountable fashion neglects on her death to provide for the young lady in her will. That she intended to do so is a matter (of donuuon knowledge and ono is led to expect that matters ultimately will be put to fights by the discovery of a second will, but this does not eventuate. We have simply tnc fact that Norah Marsh is left lonely m the world without resources and no friend save a brother who has gone to Canada. Korah emigrates from England to Canada and joins her brother, Edward Marsh, who has a farm at Ever, in Manitoba. Edward has chosen as a wife a suitable helpmate for pioneering farming work in a young woman who formerly was a waitress at Winnipeg. She has true grit arid when things went wrong at the farm she turned out with her husband as a,hired hand to scrape together the wherewithal to make a fresh start. It is unfortunate for Norah that she has .knglish refined ways and a fcouoa of oism that do not appeal . the rough Canadian wife. Moreover, when Norah bad heard in England of her brother s match with a waitress had written to him trying to dissuade him from entering into a union which khe deemed unsuitable. This letter the brother foolishly shows his wife. When the re-, fined Englishwoman and .the rough-and-ready Canadian come in oontact.it is like trying to mis oil and vinegar.. Gertrude Marsh, the wife of Edward, feols that she is treated a* a social inferior by the other womanjuad taltetes in a brutal fashion. Wrangling over nothing at all she demands an apology from Norah in *be presence of the hired farm hands before whom she declares she has been insulted, after a kitchen meal where the whole household were in the habit of assembling. Norah, finding her position to be intolerable, elects to take a taste of rougher Canadian backwoods life as the wife of Frank Taylor, who has but a shack at. Freritice,. Manitoba, to live toThe third and fourth acts resolve themselves into a modern version of trie, Shakespearean comedy, Katherine oi Potruonio" or "The. Taming .of the. Shrew." The primitive conditions obtaining in the backwoods of. Canada are vividly revealed and the manner to which the woman is forced to submit to the will of the man is painted wit? forceful touches. On ttorwhola a capital play is presented with any ■.amount of colour"' and some quaint' characterisatlThe only fault to be found with. Miss Rockwell in th© part of Marsh was that the American accent which occasionally obtruded was manifestly out of place. Its can be understood that in ber case it was a fault very easily commatted. It is hard judeed for an American woman to disguise her natural tongue. As to her acting, it was ma 2 - nificent throughout. She was called, upon to portray various shades of ' emotion and sudden explosions of feeling, and never once did she fail, in living right up to her part. Her impersonation altogether was a most entertaining study. Mr Frank Harvey was particularly forceful as Frank Taylor, his exposition, of the frank, good-natured, dominant primitive man being truthful without one whit being overdrawn. Mr Arthur Styan exemplified well the awkward situation of Edward Marsh, the man who has to act as peacemaker between sister and wife, and Miss Gertrud© Boswell aa the latter showed' how particularly disagreeable a woman can make herself wihen she likes. Her characterisation was imbued with the utmost virulence Mr Leonard Stephens and Mr Frank Harcourt infused any amount of comedy into their parts, and Messrs Boyd Irwin and Miss Alma Phillips figured somewhat curiously in the first act as the lucky hut mean-spirited relatives of the late Mies Wickham. Minor characters were well sustained by Misses Maggie Knight, Rita Aslin, Maude Edwardea, Messrs W. Lockhart and W. Hart. “The Land of Promise" will be repeated to-night.

“THE LAW OP THE LAND.” For the last three nights, of the season the attraction will be “The Law of the Land.” This is reported as being a very strong play in which Miss Book•well again demonstrates her exceptional abiliiv and consummate art in the painting of difficult and complex characters. Miss Rockwell has won many admirers by her fine work during the present season, and in the character of Mrs Harding the public will have opportunity of further judging her versatility. Mr Harvey is also credited with another of his strong character creations, while the balance of the company are reported as giving a fine and finished performance of a delightful play. The three performances of "The Law of the Land” will constitute Miss Rockwell’s farewell to Wellington, as she returns to America at the close of the New Zealand tour to fulfil an important engagement in New York.

engrossing interest, and the great sacrifices i made by a woman for those she loves must carry its appeal to all. The first copy of the film bition” was destroyed by fire in Auckland, but realising wdiat a remarkable picture it was, every effort was made to secure a fresh copy. Picturegoors are' fortunate in having an opportunity of now seeing the picture at the Crown Theatre. There is an excellent supporting programme, including a very interesting copy of the .latest Gazette. The incidental music is of a high standard. The programme will be repeated throughout the week. Tho excellent organ recitals given by the city organist are rapidly winning public favour. It is true they are not so well patronised as picture-shows, classical music being ‘caviare to the general,’ but musical tasto .i« being formed by Mr Page. An audience of respectable proportions listened with appreciation to his exposition of the noble music of Cesar Franck, a modern master whose fame is under tho clouds of misunderstanding at present. Me must be dull, indeed, who fails to respond in some degree to Mr Page’s efforts to reVteal the soul of this master. The piece selected was the symphony in D Minor, repeated by special request. The second half of tho programme provided a pleasant contrast, comprising graceful summer tone sketches by Lemare. with a finale by Wolstenholme.