“THE RINGER.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20431, 11 June 1928, Page 11

“THE RINGER.”

A DETECTIVE “THRILLER.” The following is from the Sunday Sun, Sydney, commenting on the opening production, “ The Ringer,” of Maurice Moscovitch and company at His Majesty’s Theatre on Thursday next: —■“ Edgar Wallace turns out two or three mystery novels a year—and good mysteries, too. One recognises his touch at once in “The Ringer,’ a detective play put on very successfully at the Theatre Royal last night. With the enormous vogue of detective yarns, it is a wonder there are not more of them dramatised. This one chronicles the story of a criminal with a hobby of murder. Most of the folk he murders seem to deserve it, but, still, Scotland Yard frowns on his noble efforts, and enlists the help of a doctor who is an anthropologist, and picks criminate by the shape of their cars, and speaks Scotch and smokes a large pipe, and looks a fay bigger fool than he is. Mysterious red lamps light themselves, mysterious hands come out of secret panels, and mysterious faces look in through the windows of the bouse of Maurice Mcistcr, the crooked lawyer and ‘ fence.’ It may be absurd and far-fetched, but it brings gasps of pleased terror from the ladies in the audience, who thank heaven that such things do not happen in their own homes. Who is ‘the Ringer?’ Well, he is—but one had better go to the play and all will be revealed. Mr Moscovitch, as the villainous lawyer, is positively ‘slimy’—as his convict servant says—the snakes in the Zoo take off their hats to him. He is certainly a fine character _ actor, he makes an impossible part convincing. Dr Lomond, the Scotch anthropologist-detec-tive, is also an excellent bit of acting by Mr Patrick Curwen. Mr Nat Madison, as an ex-convict, would have got six months from any Bench of magistrates on any charge any policeman liked to bring against him. A capital piece of comedy acting and another bright and amusing study was that of Mr George Blunt as the Station Sergeant taking the particulars of a lost dog over the ’phone. _ Anybody who has seen a police station at midnight will recognise it as from life—a bit of real observation.” The company will stage for two nights only another Edgar Wallace drama, “ The Terror,” whilst for the last three nights of the season “ The Silent House, another thriller, will be played for the first time in Australia or New Zealand. The box plan arrangements arc advertised.