"TRILBY" AT THE PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2215, 13 August 1896, Page 39

"TRILBY" AT THE PRINCESS THEATRE.

[ Trilby, about whom we have heard much and almoit daily for the pa9t 18 months oreo-she, the blanchisseuse de fin, the artist's model from the Latin Quarter, the Trilby with a present as well "as a past, she of the matchless feet,— is now with us. She is not quite the Trilby that Dv Maurier drew, but, though a comparatively proper young person in her stage guise, not so very different from the Trilby about whom a quarter of the Eaglish-speakiug public ha.ye read and a half of them have debated, aud she is * Trilby who may be cxpsrted to bring alar^e proportion of the adult population of this colony to her feet just a3 she has dono in America, England, and Australia, aud just as the Trilby of the novel, in whom Svengali— by means that need not be discussed here— discovered il bel canto, did' in the capitals iof Europe: Mr Paul At. Potter, who ha? written the stage version of the celebrated novel, has not followed very closely, in the lines of the 'hook.' Had he done so he would probably have failed in his task, for, as has repeatedly "been observed, there w*u nothing in the book to suggest any .special' fitness for . adaptation or any likelihood of effectiveness on the stage. He has taken a junk her.c and a junk there from the novel and he has wrought thttn together in such a way, special prominence being given to the melodramatic plot, as to produce a reasonably coherent story and to preserve the more striking situations. The dramatic version is psrhaps not one that will command general approval, although Dv Maurier ha 3 hiinsjlf, so fir from shedding tears of b!ood ova- it, a» it was suggested he would do, expte-sed his unqualified satisfaction with it, but with the general effect of the produc- i tion which was witnessed at the Princess Theatre during the week there can hardly be room for any difference of opinion. The audience went to tho theatre expecting to be interested. They were at first possibly a little dUappointed, but as the play developzd and the actors' powers were deve'oped thay weie fascinated In the second act they were driven into roars of laughter by the Christmas jfive revels in the artfsts' studio in the Latin Quarter ; in the third act— the most dramatic one of tha piece, that of Trilby's success and failure at the Cirque dcs Bashi Bazoucks and of Svengali's death— they were faiily riveted in their seats until the curtain was lowered to the accompaniment of thuuderi of applause that were renewed t-gain and again ; and in the fourth act they were touched by the cloßiug incident? in Trilby's life. The triumphs achieved on the other side by Messrs Palmer and Brady's American company, whom Messrs Williamson and Musgrove have introduced to New Zealand, • were, it. is recognised, thoroughly well deserved, and the first production of "Trilby" in this colony will be long remembered by those who enjoyed the privilege of witnessing it. ' Tha pineipal character in the play is that of Svengaii, the greasy, unkempt, fantastic Jow, who, with all liis marvellous abilities as a > niusic'ua an IhU weird powers as a. niMmerist, is '"about as bid as they make 'cm." Ii the present tour the New Zealand pub.ic have the advantage of seeing the part plajed by Mr Reubin Fax. who took part In the original production of "Trilby" in America and has long been associated with this particular character, and his performance must take rank as one of the finest dramatic efforts that have ever been seen here. In his make-up and in his representation of the part Mr Fax strikingly realises the force of Trilby's summing up of the Jew when she says he " reminds me of a big hungry spider and makes me fe«l like a fly." Th« diabolical expresaion,

the harsh, grating" voice, and the hordble laugh - the latfcor being n .vocul work of art, if tho phrase may be permitted —were faithfully presented, and every phase in the man's mauysldeJ character was depicted with picturesque skill aud rare effect— the grotesque and the tragic being suggested with equally remarkably power. The . death of Svengaii, which in the play takes place not in a box of the Druty, Lajie Theatre in London but in the foyer of a theatre in Paris— and without his haviufj previously been wouuded by' Geeko —wan an artistic piece of acting on Mr Fax's parr, and a fitting climax to a powerfully realistic and suggestive performance. After Svengaii, the next most prominent character in tha drama is the model "for the altogether" — pauvre Trilby, la helle tt bonne tt chire. This was played by Miss EUth Crone, who brings to hor representation of the part of the toue-de*f girl great natural advantages. In the first act, in which Trilby appears in her mixed attire "of military overcoat and female petticoats and nothing elso," it may bo doubtei whether in Miss Orane there was realised the freshness of the heroine of the book ; but the representation of the part, which was always delightfully full of picturesquenesß, gte.w upon one as the play -proceeded, and there was distinct power in the way in which later on Miss Ci'ane expressed the varying phases of the unhappy heroine's character, the actress claiming indeed a lar«e share of the honours of the production. Another part which was played with conspicuous ability was that of the bustling landlady, tfme. Vinard, which was presented by Miss Reiffarth with effective briskness. The partß of the " three musketeera of the brush" were respectively performed by Messrs Herbert Cavr, Charles Oauneld, and George Wobßter. Mr Carr, .who has the necessary Titanic proportion and a fine-speaking voice to boot, represented with capital effect the geniality of the muscular Taffy. Mr-Cunfield acted tha part of tho light-hearted but c*nny Laird with ability, but even in the Latin Quarter of Paris exception would probably have been taken to his Scotch, which was somewlnt remarkable. Mr Webiter surpassed expectations m Little BOlee of the clouded heart, for the character is a thankleas one and does not lend itself to a forcible performance. Admirable character studle* were given by Messrs E. W. Morrison and G. H. Trader— the former as Gecko, the violinist, playing tho part with fidelity and revealing undoubted dramatic powers in the third act, aud the latter giving a mercurial and entertaining representation of l'Zouzou. Mr H. R. Harwood, the veteran Australian actor, who received a cordial greeting, appeared in the small part of the Rev: Thomas Bagot, Mr George Majeroni as Antony, Mr Frank -Sceats as Dodor, Mr D. Glassfoi'd as the manager of the Parisian theatre, and Miis Dooy Stewart at Mrs Baprot, and each played efficiently. Misses Oamille Cleveland, Male Saqui, Jenny Bre'jiian, and Millie Osbornu wero also included in the cast and contributed to the riotous revelries ia the studio festivities in the second act. The play, which was received with enthusiasm, was mounted in the complete style that is characteristic of the entrepreneurs to whom we are indebted for Ha being staged here. The singing of Trilby's Rong "Ben B>lt"inthe third act, it fthould be added, evoked loud applause, and an enore would have been desired, if possible. It is ho revelation of stage secrets to say th*t the unseeu vocalist 13 not Mis 3 Crane but Miss Nagel f whose name does not appear in the cast and who is the possessor of a rich contralto .voice, which is heard to great advantage in the song.