PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2443, 9 January 1901, Page 55

PRINCESS THEATRE.

"'A SOLDIER AND A MAN."

After a very successful run the Stanford Dramatic Co. on Thursday evening withdrew "The Power and the Glory" in favour of a fouract military drama entitled "A Soldier and a Man." The new piece is from the pen of Mr Sen. Liandeck, and the story it tells is one which is interesting' throughout, and in parts absorbingly so. In the first scene the audience is introduced to the principal characters. Harold Sinclair, a young officer who has wasted a fortune, yet has always maintained to the full "the principles of a gentleman, is found to be marked out as a victim by an unmitigated scoundrel named Hubert Walgrave. A card party in Sinclair's rooms is proceeding, and Walgrave has substituted a marked pack of cards for the ones usually utilised. Sinclair is charged with card-cheating, and is unable to clear himself. He loses his commission in his regiment, and is thrown out into the streets. He goes down to a quiet old Devonshire farm, where a young girl named Rose Melbury lives Tsvith. her aged parents. The farm belonged to Sinclair, and he promised it as a home to the old people during their lives. When overtaken by financial troubles he sold the place to Walgrave, who promised that the occupation of the old people should not be disturbed. But Walgrave has designs on the young girl himself, and to secure her is the object of his scoundrelly schemes for the ruin of Sinclair. The latter appears at the farm with the news of his disgrace. His father wanted him to marry a girl with a fortune, and because he refused to obey bim help from that quarter is cut off. In the presence of "the family Sinclair declares that Kose is his wife, and he sets off with her to London to retrieve his fortunes. The gambling spirit is still upon him, however, and the pair, together with a faithful servant named Jim Farrow, sink into the depths of poverty. Sinclair takes to drink, and he is only awakened to the depths of his -degradation by his wife PTetending that she likewise would resort to the ephemeral happiness and the brief oblivion promised by the drink fiend. The trio tet off to seek shelter at the old farm, little taiowing that the arch-villain has driven the aged couple to the workhouse, and razed the picturesque old English home to the ground. When they reach the place they are just in time to see Rose's mother die amongst the ruins. A rich South African farmer, Rose's uncle, comes to the rescue, and takes them all to South Africa, where Sinclair enlists as a private. Walgrave, being a South African mining expert, is also there, and still continues to pursue his victim. The Zulu war is raging, and WalgTave, through the help of a Hottentot, has Sinclair arraigned on a charge of treachery. Sinclair had left the camp without leave to see his wife, and whilst there an officer who was flying placed a written confession in his hand declaring that he and Walgraye had trumped up the charge of cheating against him. The Hottentot steals the paper, however, and Walgrave has Sinclair arrested as he is slipping 4>ack to camp. He is ordered to be shot, but is allowed six hours' grace, during which time this faithful servitor, Farrow, cuts his way through the enemy's lines to seek evidence of his innocence. Just as the rifles are levelled against the doomed man Farrow returns with the Hottentot and the confession. The Kaffir tells the truth of Walgrave' s infamy, and states that he is then leading a Zulu attack against the farm where the women were located. Sinclair, wearing his father's sword (which that officer, intensely moved at his terrible trials, presented to his son), and leading a band of volunteers, rescues the beleaguered garrison just as their last shot has been expended. The villain is captured, and, despite his passionate entreaties for mercy, is hanged on the nearest tree. Harold Sinclair's innocence being thus re-established, all are united on a footing of permanent happiness and prosperity. The piece was staged in a remarkably effective manHeir. The mounting and scenic accessories generally were on quite a lavish scale, and the principal sets were received with loud and appreciative applause. The view of the Devon«hire farm was a capital and realistic representation of English rural felicity, and the scenes depicting various incidents in the war, especially the tableau representing the battlefield after the fight, were a very fine series of stage pictures. The acting of the members of the company who took part was also highly satisfactory, and in this respect the piece went yriih commendable smoothness throughout. As the much-to-be commiserated officer whose goodJiature and high gentlemanly instincts pre.vented his seeing evil m others, and thus made him an easy victim to the plots of the villain, Mr C. R. Stanford acted with admirable skill. In the scenes where the wretched man had been vanquished by the demon of drink, which had brought himself and his wife to the verge of starvation, his depiction of the harrowing emotions of grief and despair and compunction was imbued with an intensely pathetic live, so much so that the more impressionable members of the feminine sex were to be seen OVQK $fti a&jfi imtivelj f^ealing they pocket-

handkerchiefs to the corners of their eyes. His movements and general bearing when charged with card-cheating and with treachery as a soldier were also instances where skilled expositions of the dramatic art in its highest forms were displayed. Altogether Mr Stanford gave an eminently satisfactory portrayal of the character, and his efforts frequently evoked favourable demonstrations. In the thankless part of the infamous Walgrave Mr George Chalmer. achieved undoubted success. His acting was characterised by admirable consistenpy, and certainly was a feature of the production. Miss Ida Gresham invested the character of Rose Melbury — Sinclair's wife — with all the womanly grace and gentleness, and constant devotion to her husband in adversity that an adequate representation of it demanded. At no time did she fail to rise to the occasion, and the calls that were made upon her skill and resources as an actress were neither infrequent nor insignificant. Her performance was deservedly greeted with popular expressions of approval. As Sergeant Wicks and Sergeant " Jane " Mr J. P. O'Neill and Miss Katie Towers were responsible for the comic element, and that they succeeded in supplying this was testified to by the outbursts of merriment with which the piece was freely punctuated. Sergeant " Jane " acompanied Wicks on his travels, and whether it be in enlisting recruits or keeping Zulus at bay she proved herself a typical " daughter of the regiment." Mr J. F. Cathcart had a few chances as the old Devonshire farmer who was cast into a workhouse in -the shadow of life, and he took full advantage of them, winning for himself plenty of arplause. Miss R. W. Phillips was distinctly effective as tHe farmer's wife; and Mr Hawthorne as Sinclair's faithful follower (who rescued his master in the direst extremity), Mr Edwin Gampbell as the South African farmer, Mr S. A. Fitzgerald as Colonel Sinclair, Mr W. Taite as Colonel Westerton, Mr J. Ashton King as Captain Pelham, Miss Rose Holloway, Mr Frank Harcourt, and the other members of the company lent adequate assistance.

"WHEN LONDON SLEEPS."

Mr C. R. Stanford's Dramatic Company presented anothei change of programmo, on Monday evening, when, m the presence -of a numerous audience/ a highly sensational melodrama, entitled "When London Sleeps," was staged. During its season here, which has been a markedly successful one, the company has won a reputation with playgoers for the -very complete mannei in which it has produced its plays, and in this respect it will suffer nothing by last evening's performance. Some remarkably effective scenes were introduced, and the general mounting of the piece was on a scale which might fairly be described as lavish. The story, true to the traditions of melodrama, is a highly sensational one, and alihough the intelligence of an audience is occasionally strained, the different situations are well wrought out, and the various denouements are cleverly conceived and excellently executed. The action of the play centres about the fortunes of a circus artiste — Queenie Carruthers, the " White Queen of the Slack Wire " — who loves ' the Star of the Air," a fine specimen of muscular manhood rejoicing in the appellation of David Engelhart. The course of true love would doubtless have run smoothly enough — ifor the ' Star of the Air" reciprocated the affection of the "White Queen of the Slack Wire — were it not that the former was passionately loved by Hilda Carrode, a woman with a past, and the latter's fortune, left to her by a rich lelative, created equally ardent desires, though of a different nature, in the breast of Captain Rodney Haynes, who was not conspicuous for high moral principles. Miss Ca-rrode was not altogether morally irredeemable, yet her ideas of virtue were sufficiently elastic to permit her, without any conscientious qualms, to enter into an unholy compact with the aforesaid Captain Haynes to get the objectionable Misb Carruthers removed m some way. Like all melodramatic villainy it succeeded for a time, but in the end retribution swift and complete fell upon the evildoers. The first plot against the slack-wire queen aims at her virtue and her honour. On the pretext that her lover has met with an accident calculated to have a fatal termination she is inveigled into a house which only opened its doors when decent London sleeps. Just as the villains seemed to have their helpless prey at their mercy, Sammy Blythe, who " didn't suit " in the ring as a clown, but whose services were highly suitable in this juncture, intervened. Sammy having discerned the plot, by disguising himself as a woman, gains admission to the den of infamy 'and frustrates the designs of the evildoers in a manner that afforded eminent satisfaction to the audience. However, the strong limb of the law did not appear to have descended on the heads of the conspirators against innocence with its wonted swiftness, for we next find the villain making an -unceremonious visit to the boudoir of the much-injured aerial prtiste. Greatly to the relief of the audience, who attentively and sympathetically followed her misfortunes, there was a weapon of defence at hand not customarily found amidst the toilet requisites on a lady's dressing table — namely, a loaded revolver. This she aimed at the villain, but thoughtfully wounded him only in the left wrist, so that he might have his right hand free to unlock the door and depart. Needless to say there was no formality in the departure ; but the villain, as is the way with all stage villains before their careers are finally abbreviated, muat have his revenge, and accordingly he set fire to the house, first taking the precaution of locking the door from the outside. The heroine is now in desperate straits, as the greedy flames are surrounding her on all sides, and in addition she has a little girl with her whom she cannot allow to perish. However, of what use is it to be a star of the air if one is unable to use one's qualifications in that direction in case of emergency? So reflected this particular star, and accordingly, with the child securely tied to her back, the heroine passes through the trap-door in the roof and walks with ease and grace along the telephone wire into security Baffled again, the viUaie* with, g, j^ereisteftcjr csmssa^Ris. yj

a better cause, tries once more, and the next time he resorts to fire again. He manages to get the lady alone m a part of the exhibition in London where an Indian temple is on view, and where an exhibition of the Indian rites known as the suttee is given. He chains her to the altar and sets fire to the funeral pile, but just as the devouring flames are about to consume her body her lover jumps out from the interior of the brazen god and rescues her. Even if the persistent blackguard had left in him any further lesources in the way of murderous designs he is not given an opportunity to carry them into execution, for although the law may be " a hass " it cannot stand this aggregation of outrages on the part of a member of present-day society, and Captain Rodney Haynes, of the unattached list, finds himself in the care of a policeman. From the foregoing it will be seen that " While London Sleeps " will satisfy the cravings for sensationalism of the most insatiable patron of the melodrama. And while one exciting incident rapidly follows another there is a genuine substratum of comedy in the piece, supplied by an estimable old lady of the circus, who once rode bare-backed before the Prince of Wales or some other representative of Royalty ; a circus clown, whose facility for turning up unexpectedly, was of great utility to the heroine and others who were oppressed by the unscrupulous scoundrels ; and a fair circus rider whose physical charms had captivated the above-mentioned useful gentleman. Mr C. R. Stanford, as the villain, found full scope for his undoubted dramatic skill, and that he invested the character with every requisite criminal hue was amply evidenced from the marked repugnance with which his appearance at the end of the acts was greeted by all parts of the house. His acting throughout was consistent and free from exaggeration, and undoubtedly proved a strong feature of the performance. Miss Ida Gresham had a very taxing part to fulfil as the heroine. Her presence was ever demanded on the stage, and she was frequently called upon for the display of highly emotional acting. Her efforts all through met with the approbation of the avidience, and especially in the scene where she makes her escape from the burning building along the slender support afforded by the telephone wire ; and in that wherein she is doomed to the awful ordeal of the suttee, her acting elicited frequent and vigorous outbursts of applause. Miss Rose Conroy had a graceless part to sustain as the woman with a past, but who, notwithstanding that she had sunk so low, was still imbued with a womanly reverence of honour and good name which enabled her to finally uplift herself from her evil environments. The materialisation of the character required delicate handling, and Miss Conroy is to be commended on her successful rendering of the part. Miss Rosie Holloway also achieved success in her judicious representation of a well-dressed woman of the abandoned class. Miss Katie Towers's portrayal of the good-natured circus rider had much to commend it. Little Pearlie Hellmrich ensconsced herself in the good graces of the audience as the little orphan girl, while Miss Roland Watts-Phillips afforded a good deal of amusement by her characterisation of the lady who had achieved fame in the distant past as a rider of bare-backed horses. Mr W. Taite as the athletic lover of the heroine, Mr Frank Hawthorne as Sammy Blythe, and Mr George Chalmers as a waiter all afforded strong support to the production, while Mr C. B. Westmacott, as the typical empty-headed " Johnny, Mr J. P. O'Neill as a circus propnetor, Mr Cathcart, as an old attorney. Miss R. Travis, and the other members of the company lent adequate assistance.