"THE WHITE CHATEAU"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22721, 6 November 1935, Page 10

"THE WHITE CHATEAU"

A TRIUMPH OF PRODUCTION LITTLE THEATRE SOCIETY'S SUCCESS The difficulty about plays like "The White Chateau," with their abundance of dramatic content and high theatrical quality, is usually to find a producer to present them in an intelligent and intelligible fashion. That, to those who knew the play, must have commended itself as the Little Theatre Society's chief obstacle to an adequate performance of what is generally recognised as one of the finest plays dealing with the war that the English theatre has so far produced. The performance last evening must have proved beyond doubt to the packed house at His Majesty's Theatre that the particular problems presented no terrors whatever to an organisation that had the benefit of the expert services of Miss Madge, Yates. " The White Chateau" was a triumph of artistic production and comprised an extraordinarily good beginning of the society's operations in the realm of fulllength public performances of drama. Written with amazing skill, " The White Chateau " is remarkable for its simplicity of design and object. With the simplest of dialogue and frequently with only a single word, the author contrives to recall whole scenes to his audience, while his power of rousing the couriosity of the spectator is impressive to a degree. The dialogue, like the settings, is entirely and completely natural, and, although in its fundamentals the play should not be difficult to produce, it must have a producer who understands and who realises that the whole production is meant to be a slice out of life, and who does not attempt to find hidden meanings that the author never conceived. The moral of the play is that war is Hell, a subject that has proved a fruitful source of inspiration to post-war dramatists, whose published variations of the theme have far outnumbered actual productions. Several have been seen in Dunedin during the past few years, notably " Journey's End,''' the American " What Price Glory? " and a succession of graphic and, we are told, authentic pictorial records of war. But, however naturalistically they may have dealt with the horrors of the last war or the terrors of the next, it is safe to say that none has come nearer to exhausting the reactions of the drama to abhorrence of war as "The White Chateau." This fact, therefore, makes the performance by the Little Theatre Society one of specinl merit and interest. The society has produced a remarkable version of a remarkable play, and in doing so must have enriched the dramatic experience of its large membership as well as several hundreds of the extensive public it is rapidly gathering round it. The story of the White Chateau is presented in a succession of six scenes, the presentation of which engages the energies of no fewer than 43 players. There,' it may be said, is difficulty No. 1. It requires five separate and distinct sets, which is difficulty No. 2, and as a background for all' these there must be atmosphere, difficulty No. 3. That all these handicaps were powerless to defeat the enthusiasm and skill of the society's players and directors was the unanimous verdict of last night's audience. The average standard of acting throughout was commendably high, with several genuinely impressive characterisations that made a profound impression. The mounting was excellent, justifying in one or two instances the use of an adjective like superb, and what is more, notwithstanding the complete readjustment of the stage necessary between each scene, the intervals were always brief and never tedious. Then to cap everything the atmoL t ,here was almost perfect. One can best describe Miss Yates as an atmospheric producer with a tendency to concentrate on spectacle sometimes at the expense of histrionic detail, but even if such were the case in this instance it cannot be questioned that " The White Chateau " appeals to both ear and eye. The sets throughout the performance betrayed the hand of the expert. The panelled dining room of the Chateau was in perfect taste, and the unkempt appearance of the same room in the second scene when it is used as army headquarters was admirably and unobtrusively contrived Then came the trench breastwork, impressive, in its realism, and giving his first opportunity to Mr Russell Clark, whose skilful treatment of subjects rich in opportunity, contributed so greatly to the appropriateness of the highly effective background of the play. Here, too, theatrical artifice was introduced in a manner which sets a new standard for amateur production in Dunedin, the shelling and collapse of the Chateau which rises bright against the sky being one of the most effective things of its kind seen at His Majesty's for a long time. Scene four, with an attack at dawn imminent, compelled audible appreciation on the part of the audience, and the slowly changing hue of the sky depicting the sunrise put the final touch of artistry to an arresting set. The hospital scene was simple and unadorned and therefore extremely effective, and the final set, in the shade of the new chateau, rising Phoenix-like from the ruins of the old, gave the impression of being just right. Producer, designer and stage manager, the last named being Mr Ernest Griffen, have reason to be proud indeed of the result of their combined efforts.

Coming to the cast it is difficult to particularise and even more difficult to discuss a company whose numbers run into scores. That the society was able to cast such a play speaks volumes for the material it has at its disposal and its methods of fashioning that material into shape. Misa Nell Warren had no difficulty in capturing her audience as Diane, not alone by reason of a good share of the limelight, but also through solid dramatic achievement, which was never better exemplified than in the finale. She speaks well and moves even better, and all because she has a sense of the stage that many of the others have yet to cultivate. With her in the opening scene, Mr Arthur Watson as Van Eysen distinguished himself, with Mrs Ada Watson as the wife and Mr R. Nancarrow as a' very tall and ruthless Uhlan, both doing very well also. MiReynolds Herbert and Mr S. G. Lock carried the second scene between them, the one explosive and hurricane-like in his style and the other suave, polished and altogether the complete politician. Messrs Xancarrow, Harold Bain and L. A. Fisher were also well in the picture, but they, should all pay more attention to make-up. In the third scene Messrs Ken Palmer, Ernest Griff en, L. Hanlon, Claude Grey, L. G. Jack. H. H. Westwood and Bernard Mont presented some delightful dialogue excellently, and in the fourth Mr Gordon Whitta made his bow to the audience and commenced a delineation which was consistently good throughout. His Philip Luttrell improved as he unfolded the part, arid he finished up in good style. Mr W. Donaldson also deserves mention for some good delivery. The honours in the fifth scene rested easily with Miss Warren and Mr Whitta, although Mr L. G. Jack, irascible general, was a delightful contrast and very well played. Miss Warren and Mr Whitta introduced the finale, but it was left to Miss Warren to sheet the performance home, and with

the assistance of Mr Charles Bridges as a voice representing the spirit of mankind to crystallise in a short but succinct conversation the ideas which the author seeks to leave with his audience. In view of the extraordinary success of last night's performance, the eociety has decided to give a repeat presentation on Monday night.