PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 9933, 29 December 1893, Page 3

PRINCESS THEATRE.

" THE IDLER."

The first change of . programme" in their' season at the Princess Theatre "was made by the Brough and Boudcauli Comedy Company last night, when they produced, for the first time ■in New Zealand, what a leading Home papef has described-as one'of the most; interesting drawing Toom dramas known to': the contemporary stage. - This was " The Idler," a fouract play by the Australiah authpr,: Mr Haddon Chambers, whose earlier Work, ;" Captain Swift,'' when performed in Duuediu '■• some fe.w years ago by Mr Charles Warner, was at once •'recognised as possessing in-a marked degree the ' attributes of success. .'• The Idler" is a tolay with a history, by reason/of which a considerable amount of interest has always attached-to the performance of it; for not only -was it rejected,' after a, reading; by Mrs tangtry) by whom the'rights had' been bought— : and that lady had to pay'sweetly to •Mr Chambers for having exercised her feminine privilege of changing her mind, and, by a curious chance, the play which she purchased in its stead "proved, a disappointing failure, while "The Idler," produced at the.'same. period by a rival ■ management, was pro* nouncedly successful^but, .Contrary to the: Usual custom and, .in, consequence of Mrs" Bangtry's-fajltoe'lto"Complete'her contract, it was staged 'in New York; before it Was iuttb*. duced to the public in :■ London, and the dihjtt ■ ,'of theheroat St. James's Theatre wasantici^ pated/even by the first production at the Gfarriek Theatre in Sydney, $:nphfitic approval was everywhere expressed concerning* the piece, and the favourable judgment of the iheatrg--goers of1 the great"centres,was unmistakably ratified by the large audience which assembled; in.the Princess Theatre to witness last night's performance.- The story of .the play isa strong and interesting one,-and the plot turns upon the--temptation -to ah' act of despic'&Dle^baSeneßs' undergone, under the impttlse of sudden and! almost overwhelming passion, by a man who,; thou:'gh:n6t wholly bad,- was- unable,"on the 'oppbrtunity arising, to resist the suggestion which an appeal to his better i nature showpd to /be utterly unworthy. Th,e piece is >t times almost melodramatic, and some of the situations are extremely powerful, .but the prevailing tone' is.';; distinctlyf o, ;rsubdued, ' Some ; months before,- the opening '.scene Mark Cross' had: became warmly attached to Miss Merryweather and he had construed her actions £o/mean that his i regard had been reciprocated,* but on his rettfrn to Englandfcpmavi'sit.abroad,wherehe had witnessed the. death pi the woman.whose existence had beenrthe; barrier to the declara-: tiob.' of his love; >he learns^ that the heroine;whom he -had hoped.to find free; is now' the devoted, wife of a former i feomrade, - Sir John Hatding. ■: The latter, before his succession to the barpnetcyj the attainment. of which had introduced him to a: promising parliamentary career, had been associated with Cross in & wild mining district in the United State's,-where ih'a drunken frolic—VEuchre. Jaisk >! .he was.'called': then-^-he had shot 'a in'an, whose brother, Simeon Strong, a millionaire}; has /sworn to bring to justice his murderer; •■' The:b'aro'net,: while, admitting ; thathis flight from the distribt after the occurrence tells against him; insists' that the shootiDg:was acciaental;but.Crow)' now filled.with. hatred.for tfie man upon whom' Misß Merryweather bestowed the/love for which he had-yearned, bears out Strong's assertion that, the dead man yras actually mnrdered. '. Sir John is. tfireatened. with arreat/.but disregards the stigg^stio&that'Ke ehould escape M eipressing his determination "to stand his trial; An exciting interview; between the three men—Sir John, Cross, v and Strong—is interrupted; by Lady Hardiagy. to whom the peril of "her husband's position is communicated by Cross, .and the latter, who had on one occasion saved/Strong's life, indioating to her that it might be within his power to stop the prosecution, proposes a bargain, .upon her acceptance of iwhich Sir John will be saveqV:"The bargain offered i3.one.that is dishonouring to both—ruinous, to; her-^aiid the signal of her acceptance\is to'"-be' the dropping of her bouquet .before.*'her departure -from rpreoeption -; thai; " oven-? ing. Having ineffectually < pleaded' at' lengths with Strong, Lady, Harding drops the bouquet, and the villain performs his part of the compact by inducing,!'the:millionaire to write a letter agreeing to" abandon all idea of a proiiecntion-rCross .demands the :life of Sir John Harding in return for .that which ■ he gave Strong—but, after sh exceedingly iatipassioned scene, Lady Harding prevails upon her would-be betrayer to forego his evil purposeand let her depart. Just;,; however, as Vhe is abouY; to unlock the door of Cross's iphambers a step is heard, outside,°and,' the. voice of the intruder being 'recognised ;as: that of her husband, she' .retreats' to the balcony at -the; back of the room. .She' has", inadvertently' left her-; fan'- on ' one; of the , chairs, and this is rpicked up by Sir Johnj" who, placing the worst construction- on .''the' discovery, Accuses Cross of ;a .shameful intrigue with his/.wife.' Hiciwprst fears are confirmed by the appearance of Lady Harding, to -whose denial of his accusations he refuses to; listen, andwith hard words Ke casts her.frbm: him. '. In the last act Sir John calls upon Crosß at the latter's rooms and demands a duel without seconds, but, after. Strong has vainly interposed, the baronet is forced to hear and accept an explanation from his wife, who opportunely. arrives. He leaves with heri ;and Cross', left alone," meditates suicide^, but _6heckg himselff-iri: his thought of self-destruction and resolves on.' joining 'an exploring expedition, organised by; Strotfg, He bids his servant accordingly to' pack! up bis thingS.for a. long.journey.. <(\Vhere' to ?" the man ventures to ask,; and the answer is "To the North Pole," which Jare. the concluding words of the play.; An nn;clerplot': deals with the love concerns; of Mr Merryweather, a twice-married man, and Kate, his going -to-be-married daughter, and provldessome delightful comedy: Cast m a part very;different from that in which' she appeared in the previous/production, Mrs Brough completely won the sympathies of the audience by her delightfully womanly embodiment of Lady Harding. Tho representation ( was generally .marked by tenderness of "feeling and delicacy of touch, but in the scene in which the villain proposes his infamous compact, Mrs Brough exhibited great intensity bf power, and in the subsequent interview between theheroine and Mark Cross, the eloijueiit appeal, to the I latter s generosity and bettei: nature was remarkably effective. Throughout the play Mrs Brongh .rendered a difficult character with consumate:; skill, and much, thoagh N her impersonation of the, slangy racecourse habkuee' m the previous bill was relished, it is evidently in parts in which the lovable qualities of a pure and true woman have to be expressed that we are to see the actress at her best.;' Miss Noble wasbrightand amusing inner representation of Kate Merryweather;. Miss Rpmer was wholly equal to the dramatic requirements of the part of Mark Cross's mother; and Miss Major did full justice to the part of a gossiping .woman named Mr Glyn-Staninore, who appears/ to be dragged rather unnecessarily into the play, Mr Titheradge, by his impersonation of Mark Cross, added another; convincing proof to those examples ho has already given of his sterlinc abilities.as an aptor. He: knorfs . his art too well to tear his passion to tatters, and by the judiciously restrained force and the. admirably, calm, earnestness which he'showed in his portrayal of the plausible villain's character he was exceedingly impressive. . In the impasBibDed scenes between Lady Harding and Mart Cross he acted with intense power, and it is hardly possible to conceive of anything better in its way than the method adopted by Mr Titheradgein expressing the unspoken thoughts of the man when suicide is in his mind. Mr Ward was vigorous.and vehecoent as Sir' John Harding, and in the principal scenes played very eSectively, while Mr Boucioault's representation of Simeon Strong wa3 notably consistent, his assumption of an American accent being particularly worthy of commendation in the respect that it was e.o free from aggressiveness as to be admirably natural. Mr Brough made as much as it was possible to make out of the somewhat sketchy part of Mr Merrvweather, and Mr M'lntyre, in the part of a servant, completed a. singularly even cast. "The Idler" is announced i;or repetition fco-nigut, bub will.be replaced iio-morrow by "Sophia;" .••.., J