PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Volume 02, Issue 2420, 2 August 1900, Page 55

PRINCESS THEATRE.

"THE CHRISTIAN." After an absence of some three or four months, Mr Walter Bentley and the Ancelon Dramatic Company made their re-appearance at the Princess Theatre, on Monday evening. The piece presented was an adaptation from Hall Game's celebrated work " "Hie Christian." A play which possesses a strongly-marked element of religion in it appeals to a large section of theatre-goers. The propriety of associating the church and the stage in this manner has oftentimes been discussed, and much has been said on either side. The mutual relationship of the chuTch and the stage is a subject upon which Mr Bentley, as is well known, holds well-defined views, and if his course in staging a drama the essence of which is a conflict between the spiritual and human sides of an extraordinary man, and in the story of whose life sidelights are flashed upon certain religious 'tendencies of the age, doubtless Mr Bentley will be found ready enough to take up the weapon of defence. In this notice it is only necessary to indicate the lines on. which the production was worked out. So far as the play itself is concerned, it follows closely Hall Caine's book of "The Christian." From the first chapter, it will be. found, is constructed the prologue, which mainly consists of the departure of John Storm and Glory Quayle by the steamship Tynwald from the pier- of Douglas,- in the .Isle of Man. Added to Ijhis is the Rev. Mr Quayle's regret at losing his grand-daughter, John Storms enthusiasm _ on embarking on his new mission of Christianising the poor of London, and the various incidents connected with a steamer's departure, and the prologue, which merely serves to give an introduction to the two principal characters, is complete. The audience sees the two persons around whom the subsequent story of the piece revolves.— John Storm and Glory Quayle — au naturel, if the expression may be used. They learn- that John is about to become the chaplain of a hosmtal aa a. part of-his parish in

London, and in that hospital Glory Quayle is to become nurse. When the curtain rises on the first act the two are found installed in their -respective positions. Six months have elapsed, and the monotonous, soul-killing drudgery of a nurse's life m a great city hospital is a thraldom that the spirited girl hardly endures, and in her attempt to seek that freedom and social intercourse to which she had formerly been accustomed, she makes acquaintances both inside and outside the hospital which, in John Storm's eyes, are not desirable for a young and innocent girl, who has been entrusted to his care. In his solicitude for her welfare there is a force at work of which he is not yei conscious — a love for Glory, — and she in turn cherishes a secret affection for John much more intense than the ordinary friendship of life ; but the highly- . developed spiritual side of his life is a con- ' stant barrier to their mutual love being re- ' vealed. When John discovers the nature of ! Glory's acquaintances — men who spend their hours in the company of women who have succumbed to the alluring glint of gold, and the material pleasures it commands, — he makes a passionate appeal to her better nature. He pleads with her and denounces her in dictatorial terms in turn, but to no effect. Glory, who in reality yearns for one touch of love from him, declares she will not sever the doubtful connection she has made. She asserts she can take care of herself, and they ' part in anger. Immediately after this the ' meeting of the Hospital Board takes place — the famous board meeting before whom one of the nurses is arraigned for misconduct. Canon | Wealthy is the principal speaket at the meet- , ing, ' and his hypocrisy and pharisaism are | made very clear and distinct, to the intense < disgust ot John Storm. The sobbing delinquent, however, finds a defender in Glory Quayle, and when the two have retired John Storm demands equal justice meted out to the man, who turns out to be one of the directors, Lord Robert Ure. The board openly screens the male offender in the case, and, amidst the scathing denunciation of John Storm, the proceedings break up in confusion. One of the patients of the hospital is Brother Paul, a member of the Gethsemane lietreat of Anglican Monks, in Bishopsgate street. Father Lamplough, the superior of the monastery, arrives to take the convalescent brother home. I Finding John in a 1 despondent state, he advises him to leave the world and come into retreat. Mentally racked with conflicting thoughts, swayed hither and thither in his efforts to follow what he conceives to be the call of God, John eventually resolves that in the solitude' of the cloioter he would alone find that peace the world cannot give. He takes his vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and lives a life of mortification and extreme self-abnegation; but, amidst all the ; hours of his penance, in the long gloomy vigils of the night, through the incessant periods ! of prayer, the vision of Glory is before him," the human side of his nature in its craving for { the satisfaction of an all-devouring love, tempts John to a degree that, despite all his agonising j spiritual conflicts, causes him to finally sue- j curab, v and he is forced to confess that" to stay longer in the monastery i would be persisting in a life of deception. So* 1 * John once more finds himself 311 the streets oi London. Meanwhile* tlte audience is introduced to the sreon room in the

.o'liy Theatre, where are to be found G-lory Quayle, Lord Robert Ure, and his companion, Sir Francis Drake. Glory has taken to "the stage as a new profession, and is presented with the manuscript of her part. A spirited scene ensues when she learns that the new theatre was formerly John Storm's chapel, which was bought over his head by Ure, and Glory, realising the baseness '-of the transaction, throws her manuscript down and declares that she will have nothing further to do with such an institution. The next act begins with a dinner given by Sir Francis Drake oa the occasion of his horse having won the English classical race. Glory Quayle is the principal guest, and amongst the others is Lord Ure. At the time the jests and merry banter are running round the festive board John Storm is on his way throiigh the damp, dark, murky streets from the monastery to the hospital to seek Glory. He is told she has left the institution, and for information a3 to her whereabouts he is directed to Lord Ure. Calling at his chambers he is informed that his lordship will be found at the Corinthian Club, the fastest club in London, and, proceeding thither, he comes upon Glory in her compromising surroundings, supping with men and women of the world, who were toasting her in bumpers of wine. His faculties numbed at the sight, he slowly elicits the truth that Glory has become an actress, and has found her pleasures in life in such dangerously alluring pursuits. When John Storm overcomes his emotions sufficiently to jjermit hira to speak, he endeavours to take Glory away from such company, but she inflicts a deadly indignity upon him by openly flouting him, and walking off with one of the guests. Left to himself John, in the frenzy of fanaticism, gradually becomes convinced that the only way to save her soul is to kill her body.. Seized with this fierce conviction he gee 3to her rooms, and, in the dead of night, suddenly confronts her. The mad gleam of a religious fanatic, imbued with the instinct of a lieaven-born mission, lights . up Ms eyes, and she, with unerring intuition, reads the danger which threatens her. The scene which follows is the scene of the play. At a, first glance one might come to the conclusion that the scene is overdrawn and xmnatural. When one, however, conies to analyse the working of the human heart, an intensely human heart, in this case, mingled with the working of a markedly spiritual nature, and the fierce combats which ensued between the two, one can well appreciate the final culminating conflict terminating in John's mental energies becoming so enfeebled that he is deluded with the idea that it was a divinely appointed task he had to fulfil to murder the being whom, of all things in the world, he loved best. How Glory, with alluring artifices, and with her efforts to awaken the memories of a revered' past, turns John's thoughts once more into the channels of love, and thtis save her life, and doubtless his reason, is all told ill the concluding part" of the scene. The final fate of the two is depicted in the last stages of the piece, where John has fallen a prey to the cruelty of a mob who had been deceived by the false prediction of the end of the world, and sold their goods for next to nothing, and in his dying moments he is united to Glory, who is once more arrayed in her hospital robes. The creation of a character such as John Storm, and the incidental phases of life in the great metropolis, which are depicted in the pages of The Christian " have been discussed from many standpoints, but it is not necessary to deal with the subject in any controversial spirit. Suffice it is to say that the play as presented by Mr Bentley and his company is a close adaptation of the novel. Probably in few other characters has Mr Bentley such opportunities of displaying the histrionic gifts with which his name is associated. H>s study of tlrte life of, an idealist, who possesses all the Christlike virtues so strongly allied to human sympathies, was a remarkably thrilling one, and at times the attention of the audience was held in almost painful suspense by the emotional scenes in his acting. From first to last he carried the audience with him, and he was made the recipient of applause of the utmost cordiality. As Glory Quayle Miss Ada Woodhiii at once placed herself en rapport with the audience. From the inception of the play, when she appeared as the frank, ingenuous, spirited girl, through the stages of

her subsequent career when piqued by the unresponsive nature of John, she axtfully kept oa in pursuit of dangerous pleasures, till the closing scene, when her better nature again asserted itself, the character of Glory was, in the hands of Miss Woodhiii, a perfect and thoroughly artistic study, full of delicate touches and suggestive and powerful acting. Lik3 Mr Bentley, Miss Woodhiii was frequently and warmly applauded. Mr Johnson Weir's Canon Wealthy, the wordly-minded cleric, who only looked to the material "side of his sacred calling, was a distinctly meritorious performance. Mr Cyrus Hales acted well as the austere and ascetic superior of the monastery. Mr Orlando Daly was occasionally effective as Lord Robert Ure. Miss Lynn Lyndsay made the most of her few opportunities as Nurse AlKorthy, as did Miss Ethel Hunt as Polly Love. Miss Helen Gibson as Mrs Callender, Miss N. Watson, Mr Wilton Power, Mr C. Blake, Mr H. Hannell, Mr E. Hume, and the other members of the company.