PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 36

PRINCESS THEATRE.

"HARBOUR LIGHTS."

A hearty reception was accorded on Saturday night, on their first appearance in tho Princess Theatre, to Howe and,Spong's Dramatic Company by an audience which filled all parts of the house and included in the dress circle the competitors who took part in the Amateur Championship meeting in the afternoon. The bill of fare consisted of tho five-act Adelphi drama "Harbour Lights," which is not new to Dunedin, having been produced hero some five or six years ago by a company under the management of Mr George Leitch. If, however, there was not the attraction of novelty about the performance, " Harbour Lights" was a capital piece to select for tho opening of the season, inasmuch as there is a breezy sentiment about it and it has a hearty swing which render it exceedingly acceptable to a Saturday night audience. Of its class it is, indeed, a well written and closely constructed drama, and it is remarkably well mounted, under the supervision of Mr W. B. Spong, who has painted several very effective scenes. The opening "set," depicting Radcliff-on-the-Sea, was warmly applauded, and the representations of the deck of a warship and of Radcliff Bay were also admirable specimens of sc9nic art. While the scenery was thus admirable tho mechanical effects were also well managed, and the drama certainly lost nothing by the way in which it was mounted. The plot of " Harbour Lights" has been said to turn more decidedly upon the schemes of the bad people than upon the actions of the good ones, and this is strictly true. There is a wicked young squire named Frank Morland, who, by excesses on the turf, it doing his best to ruin himself as well a*, by his indulgences in other respects doing his beat to ruin other people ; and he has a cousin, Nicholas Morland, who ia more wicked than himself, his desire being to ruin Frank as well as everybody else, although, on being dismissed from the navy for misconduct, he was befriended by Frank One of the squire's victims is a country girl, Lena Nelson, whom, under promise of marriage, he induced to accompany him to London, where he deserted her, and, being in need of money, addressed himself to Lena's foster sister, Dora Vane. The latter being an heiress, a match with her would, from Frank Morland's point of view, be eminently suitable, but unfortunately for him her heart has been given to Lieutenant Kingsley, of H.M S. Britannic, through whose testimony it was that Nicholas Morland had to leave the service a disgraced man. Herein we have a motive for revenge on the part of Nicholas, to whom his cousin suggests that it would be a pleasing way of repaying Kingelt-y if he were to assist in so compromising Dora that her marriage with the lieutenant would be impossible. The squire, having laid bis planp, decoys Dora to tho old hall, wlrch i* about all of his ancestors' estate he has not sacrificed, and s-nds all the servants away, with the intention of keeping the young lady a prisoner until she has consented to marry him ; but this amiable scheme is frustrated by tho intervention of two or three persons— chiefly of Nicholas, who sends Kingsley after Dora, in the fond hope that the lieutenant will shoot the squire and be hanged for the murder, in which case, besides getting his cousin's estate, he will have a chance of courting Dora himself. His plan?, like those of the Squire, "gangagley." for though Frank is shot it is by Lena Nelson s sweetheart that the fatal wound is inflicted, and the attempts of Nicholas to fasten the murder on to Kingsley's shoulder arc frustrated, for the villain is undone, and virtue emerges triumphant from the trial. This is only risht and reasonable, and it is a consummation which is hugely relished by the admirers of the drama of the Adelphi Theatre. The situations are devised so as to arouse the enthusiasm of the audience, while many humorous incidents dealing with the courtship of Peggy Chudleigh and Tom Dossiter are introduced into the drama. There were some traces on Saturday night of hurried preparation for the performance, but the production waa received with every manifestation of batisfaction, and the principals were called before the curtfiin on three or four occasions. In the character of the heroine Miss Hilda t-pong, a youcg Auttraliau actress, made her first iiope ir.anco in the Princess Theatre. She was cordially welcomed, and she speedily gained the favour of the audiuncc, who were charmed with her winning stylo no less than by her graceful presence. Mi<<sS)>o»gi.-> "divinely tall and mo3t divinely fair," with a lithesome figure, every movement of which is graceful, bhe is blessed, moreover, with a musical voice jvnd with a merry, rippling laugh of a contagious kind, of which she made excellent use when the heroine was writing and trying the effect of the name she was to assume after her marriage. Miss Spong' a

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Impersonation of the character in which she was Cast was thoroughly acceptable, and there were several natural touches about it which were exceedingly effective. Miss Fitzmaurice Gill, another actress new to Dunedin, appeared as the unhappy girl Lena Wilson, in which she revealed powers of emotional acting of a high order. Apparently she has great gifts in the way of ability to modulate her voice, and she employs these very effectively in her representation of the part with which she is entrusted. Miss Flora Anstead, one of the old favourites in the company, was, as Mrs Chudleigh, provided with a low comedy part, of which she made the most, and Miss Edith BarroWi who has also appeared here before, lent able assistance in the part of Peggy Chudleigh. Mr Walter Howe secured to himself — anddeservedly secured — Buch a large measure of popularity on the occasion of the visits he paid to the colony as a member of Mr Bland Holt's company, that it goes without saying that the reception given to him on his first appearance here in the dual capacity of manager and actor was of a flattering description. He is peculiarly well fitted for the portrayal of such a character as that of David Kmgsley, having an undeniable capacity for expressing the generous feelings and bree2y enthusiasm which, on the stage at all events, are regarded as characteristic of the typical British naval officer. Mr Scot Inglis, whoße method shows improvement on each successive visit he makes to this colony, invested the part of Frank Morland with the necessary malignity ; and Mr A. E. Greenaway, who visited New Zealand as a member of Mr Bentley's firet company, satisfactorily fulfilled the requirements of the part of Frank Morland, though it is not a character of the class best suited to his style. Mr James Cathcart. a capable actor of the old school, who was warmly received on his reappearance in Dunedin, did justice to the part of Captain Nelson ; and Mr C. Fabert, who made Tom Dqasiter a rollicking fellow with a thundering voice, was well cast, successfully supplying, with Misses Anstead and Barrow, the comic relief of the play. The other characters call for no mention.