WILSON BARRETT DRAMATIC SEASON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12243, 6 January 1902, Page 6

WILSON BARRETT DRAMATIC SEASON.

"THE MA..XMAN." I It is undeniable that many sidedness ia a valuable trait in a great actor, and it is a matter ' {or congratulation that Mr Wilson Barrett is giving the public of Dunedm such ample opportunity of judging of his powers by displaying his versatility. On Saturday night the third piecc of Mic season was put on in the shape of Mr Barrett's own dramatised version of Hall Caine's most powerful and pathetic of novels "The Manxman," performed for the first time in Kew Zealand. Thr? work is widely known, and without doubt a masterpiece, but m its original form the romance is, to say the least, unwieldy, and the popularity of " The Manxman" as a play is founded largely upon the skill with which the dramatisation hus been effected. Headers will be surprised to see how much the dramatist has contrived to omit while at the same time leaving out nothing important that boars on the relations between Philip, Kate, and Pete. The character of-Pete has been worked out with consummate skill, but the for rapid action has left both Kate flnd- her lover somewhat in the shade. Pete, in fact, becomes the central figure of the play, and the sufferings of the deceived husband are dwelt on in a way that make* the sufferings of the lovers, but lightly touched on, sink into the background. In the book itself 1 his is otherwise: the sympathy of the reader is with Philip and Kate more than with Pete. 'Hie play, however, will have none of this, and • from a stage success point of view the advantage is evident. It is probable that considerations of this kind were uppermost in Mr Hall Cable's mind six years ago, when he persuaded , the actor-author to write a second drama cn the same subject with Philip as the hero. Mr Barrett did so, much against his convictions, and the new piecc was uroJueed nt the Shafles- ■ bury Theatre on November IS, ]S!)5. The public, however, objected to Philip's conduct being ex- ( , ciuised in any way, and, as the dramatist had ; foreseen, the piece was not a success?. In aj- I dition to the above-mentioned difference in bonk | and play the ending has been also modified, i ; The public opinion of Mr Barrett's audiences j elsewhere has gone far to establish " The Manxman" as one of the most popular as well as I

one ot the best acting plays in his repertoire, and that opinion the large audience that witnessed Saturday night's production evidently heartily endorsed. Not to see Mr Barrett as Pete QuiNium would be to miss what is without a doubt one of his finest parts. As Marcus he was impressive, as Virginius he was terrible, but as the simple, honest, rough, manly, and trusting Pete he, as it were, conies down from the clouds -.vherein the ancient heroes dwell, and u* a plain fisherman of our own (lay touches Hie heart unfailingly with the sweet simplicity of his rugged nature and wonderful patience. Ml Barrett eculd not have wished for higher praise than that which came from Ha!! Cainc when he wrote:—" WLUou Barrett absolutely realises my ideal of Pete. He does not act Hit character, he licves it." This is so in truth, tho actor being altogcthei merged into his part. The story is familiar enough. Pete simply worships Kate Cregecn, but Kitty, who is a little above her position, does not care for a slave as lover, but would prefer a master, and inclines towards Philip Christian, who is above her and Pete in the social scale, and is one (lay to become Deemster- of the Island. The old hypocrite, Ciesar Cregecn, father of Kitty, does not approve of Pete as a son-in-law, so Pete goes away to seek his fortune across the sea, confiding Kate to the care o! Philip till he comes back to marry her, an-d Philip swears to keep the gir! from all harm. In Pete's absence of two years these two arc thrown much together, and love not widely but too well. Philip's ambition keeps him from marrying beneath him, and when Pete icturns he keeps silence, and Kate, in despair, marries Pete. The awakening conies inevitably. Kate has too much nobility in her to live on what is a hideous lie, and ends by flying from her home to Philip's house. Then poor Pete, who writes letters to himself to silence the tongues of scandal-mongers, learns on his wife's return, and from her own lins, tli-i terrible truth that Philip and not he is the father of the child on whom he has doted. A great paroxysm of rage and desire to kill Philip sweeps over hjm, but it passes, and tlie hero, with the bequest of a magnificent pardon to the two erring souls that have blighted his life, passes out into the night bearing his cross. In Mr Barrett's delineation o[ the character of Pete (here is not one trace oi inconsistency. Whether he is fiddling or nursing the baby, or beating the drum :n the band, or denouncing old Caisar's hypocrisy, he is always the same loyal, honest, modest crc>.- , in-; -.;«' !i' : nd !o his own defects, bui hlini

to his undoing before his marriage, and full of admiration for his friend Philip. The demands on Ihe actor who takes Pole's part arc very considerable. Except for a few brief intervals the tragedy of the piece is intense, and Pete bears Ihe burden of it. The greatest scene of all is that ill which the returned wife strike,! Pete down with Ihe words, "It is not your ohild." It is no exaggeration to say that there were few present who did not feel the strain of the scene becoming 100 intense, and did not feel it tl relief when the curtain fell and they could vent their feelings in a burst of unrestrained and continued acclamation, probably unsurpassed ill our theatre for its warmth and deservedness.- The character of Pete requires the most delicate handling, and, needless to say, receives it at Mr Barrett's hands. Pete is so roiißh and ready, with likewise the presumably broad accent of a Manxman, that unless the character is sustained with the greatest dignity and consummate skill a drop into the i ludicrous would not be impossible. This is impossible with the Pete of Saturday evening, lie is dignity personified, and the'one true gentleman of the piece. He is fine all through, but next to what has already been noted should be remarked the striking scene between Philip arid Pete, where the latter asks Philip to write a letter for him, and persists in his attompt to keep his wife's name unsullied, and his final exit when he strides out into tho night with his face set boldly to the unknown future and ' [ a triumphant shout of " Farewell" on his :ips. j There can be no doubt that the play did and could not fail to create a profound impression, and in its irreproachable tone and sentiment is a magnificent instance of the tragedy of human lile and a lesson irresistibly enforced. As the wilful, light-hearted, charming Kato of the fust act and the suffering woman of the rest ol the play Miss Lillah M'Carthy further established her reputation as an actress of high ability. Especially was she effective in the highly dramatic scene in tho second net, where she drinks to the "-Faitlilul Philip Christain," and dashes down the cup in furious despair, and later in the many lender, emotional, and intense passages that foil to her lot, and while never overdoing the part, her acting was full of an earnestness and force that held her audience throughout. Except for her brief opening of sunshine the lot of Kate is a miser- . able one, and Miss M'Carthy makes a. great deal I of the part. As Philip Christian, Mr Frank Oheen had. a somewhat important part, which he represented with a large amount of credit. I The character is not a very inviting one. I Pbiliu cuts a very sorry figure at the best, und Mr Gheen managed to hit the happy medium, not making the character too repulsive, but giving it the quiet dignity of a man who kno-vs he has done wrong but is ashamed, and by his very lack of excuses provoking them. The one real touch of humour in the play is provided by the canting hymn-singing old hypocrite Cscsar Cregeen, text quoter and mercenary publican and preacher, and in this part Mr ' Ambrose Manning gave a perfect piece of character acting. The character is splendidly drawn, and at Mr Manning's hands suffered nothing in the. representation, the result being entirely satisfactory. It cuts the old man to the. hpart to think his daughter should have acted bodly after he had wasted so many texts upon her; but money will alone soften him. Specially good is ho in the scene where the i old man goes to Pete's house to inquire after his daughter. As Boss Christian, Mr Horace • Hedges made an excellent blackguard, and the | other members of the worthy trio were satisj factory. Mies Daisy Bclmore as Nancv, the I buxom, good-hearted servant of Pete, gave o, convincing and praiseworthy representation of I lilt part, and the other characters in the somc- ! what small cast were all adequately sustained. | The scenery and stage dressing generally were, it need hardly be said, on tho company's usual I splendid scale, and the orchestra not undeserv- ! j ing a word of praise. Altogether no more favourable reception could have been wished for any play than that accorded "Tho Manxj rain" on its first production here. "Tho Manxman" will be repeated for this evening only. 1 On Tuesday and the two following evenings tho highly popular melodrama " The Silver King " wiil be staged. This production will be ren- • dered specially interesting, as Mr Barrett will be seen in the splendid part of Wilfrid Denver, • which was written for and created by him in the original presentation at the Princess ■ Theatre, London, when the piece ran for over , 700 consecutive nights.