J. C. WILLIAMSON'S COMPANY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17429, 25 September 1918, Page 6

J. C. WILLIAMSON'S COMPANY

" Romance." The success scored in other cities of New Zealand by tho J. C. Williamson Company in " Romance "—an emotional play in tnree acts, willi prologue and epilogue —was repeated hist n.ght in His Majesty's Theatre, it was not just a lull house tiiat the company played to, but tiie attendance was nevertnuioss it large one, and tho intense silence that prevailed in the theatre very iorcibly conveyed the conviction that "■Romance" had seized hoid of those present in a way that not many dramas do. "Romance" belongs to the class of play that appeals most readily to those ot aesthetic taste, and ought to gain the good opinion of aIL It is written on iiigher lines than much of tho modern drama, and the author (Edward Sliieldon) has handled a diflicult and delicate subject very cleverly and very skilfully. There is nothing commonplace about anything the characters have to say; ideas and motions being well expressed, and in some instances even elegantly expressed. Whether many men, under the conditions outlined, would, with such a passionate, sweeping love, have acted Ji Liie ivuctor ol tit. Giles iud, knowing that . -Ylarghcnta Cavallini responded to his love, is perhaps a httle doubtful. It would certainly require a will of iron and an im- . mense amount of restraint to act as he does. , "Romance" is distinctly a pretty play, full of touching sentiment and deep emotion. , -the situations in many instances are power- . iully conceived, and conveyed with great ; torce and eiiect to the audience. There is to a certain extent originality of idea in the i drama, which opens with a prologue in which Bishop Armstrong relates to his I grandson Harry, who wisnes to marry an actress, the great experience of his life, i and that experience constitutes the play itself. The story is told with the object ; of dissuading Harry from proceeding any ; -urther with his love affair, and, as the sequel, or epilogue, discloses the object is i not by any means reached; Harry being ; more determined than ever to marry the i lady of his choice. The bishop in his younger days has been tho rector of St. Giles's, and has como in contact with a most fascinating Italian i singef, who is placed in the same category I as jfatti. Her nama is Margherita Caval- | iini, and her wonderful vocal powers have taken tho world by storm. Apparently the , signora has not led the most immaculate of lives, and there exists a very ripe friend- , ship between her and a banker named Van t i'uyl at the time sho meets the rector. , liut Margherita is not unlike the heroine ' in one of Dumas's novels, and light though she may be possesses anything but an ignoble nature. At first she plays upon tiie feelings of the rector, and trifles with ; aim, but finally becomes as much enslaved : by affection as he is. The obstacle to their union is her relationship to Van Tuyl, whom she utterly discards in the end. The most powerful scene of all in the play is ; where the rector visits her with the object ! of reforming her. Here his love gets the batter of him, and it ie the woman who has to check him and place a barrier between them that is never removed. That is their : final parting. In the epilogue the audi- ' once finds that the story has bsen told .\n vain, and the bishop learns that Margherita, 1 who has lor years retired from the stage, I is dead. There are really only three characters in 1 the drama: Margherita, the Rector, and > Van Tuyl. The first was, of course, eiis- ; tained by Miss Kathlene MacDonell, who : pictured the petulant, tempestuous Italian : singer with, splendid effect The rapid ■ utterance and broken English made it a little difficult to catch all that was said, I but that could hardly be avoided. The I sudden outbursts of Margherita when acting under strong feeling were delivered with • telling effect, and in moments when she > was swept by deep emotion Miss MacDonell i quite carried her audience with her. It ivas, in short, a very fine study of a diffi- > cult character. Mr Charles Waldron played i the part of the Rector in a perfectly satisr factory manner. There is much emotional i acting required as the drama proceeds, and Mr Waldron never fell short of requirements in such cases. Mr Roy Redgrave ; was quite equal to filling tile part of Van i'uyl, which he presented most successfully. There are some 20 other characters, which I were satisfactorily taken by the remaining ■ members of the company, but none of them is at all prominent. " Romance" will be played again to- . night and to-morrow night, and on Friday ; evening "Tho Cinderella Man" will be staged, and will give place on Saturday evening to "Daddy Long Legs," with which the season will he brought to a close on , Monday.