"THE TICKET OF LEAVE MAN."

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10589, 5 September 1896, Page 6

"THE TICKET OF LEAVE MAN."

Probably the most successful performance given by the Roscius Amateur Dramatic Society, which has now been in existence for about two years, was that of last evening, when Tom Taylor's .-'Ticket of Leave Man" attracted to the Prinoe.ss. Theatre an audience which filled every available corner in the Building. Half an hour before tha rise of the curtain nearly every seat had its occupants,.and toe number of those present was augmented by ■streams of people constantly flowing in" during the next three-quarters of an hour. - No doubt the fact that the results of the performance were, to be tendered to Mr Stephens Marks, who has had the misfortune to be an invalid for two and a half years, wai accountable in a marked degree for the extraordinary attendance, but the charitable instinct of those present had uo doubt been quickened by the anticipation of witnessing a creditable display of. acting on the part of the members of the Roscius Society. This anticipation was quite realised, because, as already stated, the parfiinEsnes was oue which reflected great creoifc oa thc membere, and that they "have advanced as a body i3 incontestable. The presentation ot the piece was-remarkably free from .the .hi tones generally associated with amateur productions, and for this uO doubt mosfc ol" the credit is due to the fact thafc the services of Mr Brandon Cremer as stage manager had been secured. A tribute of praise must also b2 paid to t«e scenic artiste, whose efforts met with due recognition throughout the evening. Thc story j of " A Ticket-of-Leave Man" is too well known to theatre-goers to require recapitulation | here, and it belongs to a class of dramatic work which renders its production very suitab.a to the capabilities of the members ot the Bocieoy. The character of Mav Edwards (a street singer) was allotted to Miss Rose Blaney. Her actions on the stage were characterised by freedom and grace, and her lints were deliveied with admirable effect. Her singing in the first act also wan for her a very pronounced tribute ot praise from those present. Miss Ada Matheson &.i Miss Evremond appears to have almost quite divested herself of the sfcsgy stiffness which in Che past marred her performances. Sho gave a clever representation of the ballet singer, and her song in the fourth act elicited an emphatic encore, although the dance which interpolates the number was not of a character which would stamp the executant as a premiere danseuse Misi Emily Moss presented a highly natural study of the old lodging-housekeeper, and she achieved distinct success ia the parfc. Another lady who should be singled out for a special meed of oraise isMiss Nellie Jarvis, who enacted tha character of the boy Sam Willoughby. fisr actiug was marked by considerable skill and spontaneity, and she,made the most of all her opportunities. As the ticket-of-leave man, Mr E. P. Wilcocks deserves to ba spoken of in terms of commend-ition, though bis performance was not, of course, free from blera'sh. His acting was at times somewhat forced, wails his enunciation was somewhat ' defective ;. but. generally speaking, he contrived to enlist the sympathies and interest of his auditors all through the piece. And it might here be added thafc in the delivery of their hnei, the male members iu the early part of the evening failed to gauge the size of the building, and thus, together with imperfect enunciation, which was the most pronounced defect iu the whole production, teDded to reader portions of the dialogue inaudible Bave to those in fche front. As the "Tiger," Mr W. J. Fitzpatrick, although ce ■ has unquestionably imoroved his sfcyle of acting, has not yet apparently freed himself from fche peculiar intonation which is a characteristic of his mode of address. His delivery unconsciously conveys tbe impression of a recitation loftily declaimed rather than of the natural method of speakiug adopted by* mosfc individuals. Apart from this, however, his acting, especially in the latter part, of the, pUy,-was effective. Mr E. K. Siacock placed the character of Hawkshaw (tho detective) in prominent relief, and his performance may certainly tie classed amongst the most successful features of the production.- Possessed of a strong voice (which he has afc last evidently succeeded in getting under thorough-control) and of a good stage appearance, he acted consistently throughout aud made every oointi quietly though effectively. As Moller Moss'(the Jew) Mr J. Swan has evidently set up Mr Bland Holt, as his standard, and although, of course, Mr Swan's efforts suffered badly by the comparison, he lent efficient aid to ths success of the . play. Mr H. M'Cormacfc (of whom the last thing thafc could be said is that he suffers from nervousness) instilled into the part of the dnde any amount of spirit and vigour, and a little of chat commodity iE imparted to Mr H. Daniels's acting would contribute gr-iatly towards making his charaofcer (Mr Gibaon) more like a bein*,* imbued with life and leas like an automaton. Mr F. J. Mouat, as the waiter, seemingly met with fair success, for he received a round or two of applause from those sitting in the front seats, bufc to those behiud he waß inaudible. Other parts were taken by Messrs B. Shaw and J. M. Samson. To-nighb the piece will he again staged.