ISLAND HOLT COMPANY AT THE PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2171, 3 October 1895, Page 37

ISLAND HOLT COMPANY AT THE PRINCESS THEATRE.

"THE SPAN OF LIFE."

Mr Bland Holt can always reckon upon a cordial welcome from the public of Dunedin, and, indeed, he can reckon on such a welcome from the public in each of the four largo centres in the colony. It would betoken tank ingratitude on the part of our theatre goers if they did not extend to Mr Holt the he»rtie*t of greetings upon his periodical visits to us, for tht>y are indebted to him for producing hero the melodramas that .have proved most successful in the old country, where the patrons of the drama perform for their antipodean cou»ins tbe useful function of stamping with ihe hall mark of their approval those pieces which arc iuttinfcically ini'ritoiious aud of datuniug those which are of indifferent quality, so that we in the c^ony s c enly tho best of the dramas that are presented in Great Britain. To tbe enterprise of Mr Holt we owe it that those melodramas which, being the fittest, have survived in tfco fttniggle for popuUr favour at Home are produced in tbe colonies while the novelty is still upon them, and the public willingly acknowledge also that Mr Holt is invariably careful that the plays in his r&pcrtoin are mounted in the best possible manner. Tbe effective moimf ing of some of the pieces introduced by him to the New Zealand public is a matter involving heavy expenditure and a great deal of trouble — more especially as the tUga accommodation in moat of our theatres U distinctly limited,— but it takes a great deal "taore than trifles Io disconcert Mr Holt. He understands more fully than most men th« value of giving to a melodramatic production all the aid that can be secured from ecenic accessories, and there is never a detail found wanting in the mounting of any ( of tbe pieces performed under his auspice.*. The theatre-going public recognise all thvs and they admire the thoroughness shown by Mr Holt in his dramatic representations, not oily by staging his productions with the most effective completeness, but aho by engaging and retaining tbe services of competent actors and actrtsee-i. It would be matter for surprise under thc^e circumstances were Mr Holt not to be, on the opuuiujr night of each Reason played by him in puuedin, tho recipient of a cordial and enthusiastic welcome from the patrons of the theatre. On Saturday night, when, after an absence of ab<<ut two years from this city, his company reappeared at the Princess Theatre, they were greeted by an overflowing audience. The stalls and pit were crowded to oxcees long before the hour appointed for the r»i*ing of the curtain, and shortly after half-past 7 the only seats which were not occupied in" the dress circle were those which had been referred beforehand. Kxtra teats were btought in and placed where thero wai room for them, Imt these did not accommodate many, and a large number of people had to turn away from the theatre, disappointed in their detire te obtain admittance. Those who had sained places waited patiently for the appearance of the capital (orchestra, conducted by Mr Percy Kehoe, who performed an admirable selection of pieces (the majority of them arranged by the conductor), and the audience even witnessed without protest the displaying of a now and mot objectionable drop curtain, which is nothing more nor lew* than an Advertiting sheet. 3 hen, when Mr and Mrs Holt •fere, upon the curtain being raised, discovered together upon the stago, the esteem in which they ire held by the public found expression in a loud burst of affectionate applause, prolonged for over a minute while Mr and Mrs Holt were repeatedly bowing their acknowledgments to the audienco. The company Bupporting MrHoltalwayscontainsa large proportion of familiar faces, «nd the consequence is that a " first night" is the occasion of a terica of ovations, the most hearty on Saturday

night, After the preliminary one, being those extended to an old favourite in Mis 9 Flora Anstea I and to a deservedly popular actor in Mr W. E. Baker ; but this time the company includes also a new leading lady in Misa Klizabeth Watson, who is a recent acquisition from the old country, and she too was accorded a warm reception. The piece selected for tho inauguration or the season was a stirring melodrama entitled " The Span of Life," which was written by Mr Sutton Vane, and embraces four aota. It was enormously successful in the profitable seasons recently played by Mr Holt in Sydney and Melbourne, and will, if the impression it created upon Saturday night's audience may be taken as a test, doubtless prove very successful in this colony. To account for the triumph of a play like "The Span of Life" is less eacy than to record the fact of tie triumph. As a literary production it is certainly not superior to the average melodrama— being an ordinary story of cupidity and revenge. in which the villain, who is an uncommonly " bad lot," is especially favoured by fortune, accomplishing his Machiavelian designs in being enabled to make hairbreadth escapes from perilous situations, and eventually in being arrested on a charge which, since the death of the principal witness, there is not a title of legal evidence to support,— but the author has shown his perspicacity in crowding exciting incidents into the piece and by terminating each act with a striking situation. There is an abundance of life and movement about the drama, and in the contemplation of the spectacles thus afforded ono is apt to overlook the improbabilities and the inconsistencies of the story itself. The plot of the pliy has been already told, and it will suflice here to say tliftt the chief Interest derends upon the Echeming of n worthle"s fellow named Dunstan Leech, supported to a certain extent by his mother, to bring about the ruin or death of one Richard Blunt, who has c>me between him aud an heir«.«s, Kate Heathcote. Tbe latter character was played by Miss Elizabeth Watson, to whom, however, it did not svfford much opportunity. Kate Heathcote is a young girl of spirit and determination, and Miss Watson so portrayed ther^e as to completely enlist thasympathies of the audience. The now actress pluycd with intelligence" and force, and created a favourable imprcsion. Misi instead, as Mrs Jelf, a twicewidowed lady, who in endeavouring to assist Dunstau Leech, her son by her first marriage, displays a not too rigid sense of honour, did full justice to the part entruttod to her. Mr J. Cocgrove was cast as tbe villain, and succeeded in giving a decidedly s*tis factory rendering of ft heavy part. Dunstan L«ech is »n uns rupulouf, calculating, ill-tempered individual, who would brook no opposition to his own plane, would stop at nothing to accomplish bis own ends, nud wuiil<4 suffer even bis own mother to endure disgrace aud ignominy if it would conduce to his own tempoiwy benefit that she should do so. Mr Cosgrove give all through an effective representation of the character, not the least commendable of his work bsing in tbe last act in which Dunt-tan Leech, liko another Rlcbaid 111, is subjected to fearful prickings of conscience thmugh the thadowd of his past crimes rising up against him. Mr Baker appeared as Richard Blunt, who is introduced to the audience in the first place 03 tutor to Mrs Jelf's weakly sou (by her stcoad marriage), and subsequently becomes a lighthouse keeper, and later on a digger and mine owner in Zambesi. The character is one of a kind which Mr Bnker possesses every qualification for successfully filling, and he gave a manly and consistent impersonation of it, the best features in his performance bsing probably a charming little bit of comedy- acting in the flrht act in a love sceue with Miss Watson, and his dramatic description of a hideous dream in the second act. Mr Charles Brown gave a fiuished character stuly, complete in every particular, of the part of Joshua Gurnet, a bibulous lighthomekeeper, and the merits of the representation wcro freely recognised. The c >medy element was sustained by Mr and Mrs Bland Holt, who wer£ abundantly successful in provoking the merriment of the house. Mr Holt appeared as one Nutty Biown, a person who in his time played nuuy parts, starting with being a member of an acrobatic company, then falling from being "an 'aughty gymnast to 'orticulturo," and subsequently being engaged in other humble but useful ocpupations. Mr JHolt'a humorous method wa? admirably employed in this part, aud ho got off with good effect the numerouß quips which he was called upon to deliver. Mrs Holt, in the part of a young woman who was known as Shrove Tuesday, so called because, a foundling, was discovered on the steps d a workhouse on that particular day, and who had achieved a reputation for consuming pancakes, ably supported her husband. Shrove Tuesday is an impraasionnble young person who is indifferent as to the use of tha aspirate letter, but is by no nieanu indifferent to th« glories of the acrobatic profession, and even confesses that Bhe would "lovo to marry a circus." Mts Holt filled this character very effectivelyand acceptably, and contributed considerably to the enjoyment of the audience. Miss B'igh tie Smith scored heavily in the email part of Cecil Jelf, a ddicata and old-fashioned boy, aud a host of minor characters were adequately sustaiDed. The completeness with which Mr Holt presents a piece is exemplified in the ca<»o of •' Tec Span of Life " by hia engagement of the L°onard family of gymnasts, who give, in the course of the second act, an exceedingly creditable, and, indeed, clover acrobatic performance, and who further are prominently concerned in the principal sensation of the evening. This is at the close of the third act when Blunt and his wife and child, fleeing from the Arabs, with whom Dunstan Le>ch has allied himself, find that a bridge » cress a yawning chasm has been hewed away, and that, with their pursuers closo upon them, thoir means of escape has been cut off At this juncture Nutty, who had before the bridge was cut down crowed in safety to the opposite sida, recollect* an old feat of his tlnee comrades who vised to bo known as "the elastic trio," and making a practical us>e of their acrobatic prowess, they form a human pedestal, three ruon high, and throw themselves over the gulf so as to constitute a bridge, across which the fugitives m*y pass. This nensation was admirably worked, and it evoked tmnultuonß applause, tho Leonard family receiving a special tribute of commendation upon their appearance before the enrfain. Tho climax to the preceding act is also exceedingly effective, a steamer, which has been warned by the f jgbell of the proximity of the Coflin Hocks lighthouse, being seen to turn from the threatened danger nnd to steam safrly away. In this scene the electric lieht which has been introduced on the statte by Mr Holt was used to advantage. The tcenic effectH throughout were di-tinctly lino, but special mention must undoubtedly be made of tne repvestntation of the forest in Zambesi, which ig ono of Mr W. B. Spong'B happiest efforts. The production was received witn great enthusiasm, and there were undeniable calls for the principal performers at the close of each act. "The Span of Life" will be repeated till further notice.