PRINCESS THEATRE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2510, 23 April 1902, Page 57

PRINCESS THEATRE.

ANDERSON'S DRAMATIC COMPANY. On Saturday evening Mr William Anderson's Drama-tic Company opened their Dunedin season at the Princess Theatre with the production of a sensationnl melodrama entitled " The Ladder of Life; or, Goidons to the Front, ' and as the public hnd been prepared for something startling in the way of thrilling situation and scenic effect it was not surprising that the lower part of the house was packed and the circle well filled also. Thus a cntetion of the tastes of a very large section of theatregoers is afforded, and as long as these can have plenty of cheap sentiment, plenty of blood', powder, and uniforms, a hero and heroine emerging triumphant from the snares of the villain (a foreigner for preference), and a good deal of comedy below stairs, they are happy, and msy be counted on to app-iand exactly at the right places. Tha-t " The Ladder of Life will continue to draw 13 extremely, likely, and Mr Anderson is fortunate to have sectired bo Brilliant an opening play, while the author is to be, complimented on his success m producing what the public desire. As indicated by the title, the piece is niaimy military in disposition, being full of the doings of the kilt-clad Gordons (whose calves will not always bear investigation), who are represented! doing various valorou3 deeds in the Tirah campaign and storming the heights of Dargai in. | particular. To appreciate ' The Ladder of Life" properly it must be taken seriously, as no doubt the majority of those present did take it. Description of the play is not easy, and.' it 13 unnecessary to detail tlio plot, which it of the most trifling nature. It will be sufficient to cay that there are-two most incorrigible villains introduced — one in addition * Russian spy and a Nihilist. — and that these two, after doing a great deal of mischief, are put down in most approved style. Specially, irritating to the audience was the foreign gentleman and "Nihilist, and Mr Walter Dalgliesh. who took the part, must be complimented in its thoroughness and the distaste evinced by, the audience for his impersonation. Only once was this monster applauded, and then he u'.ters the unimpeachable sentiment, " These Gordons are not men — they are devils, ' refening to their fighting {jualities, which convinced the pit that, despite his other shocking qualities, he was » man of some discernment. MiLaurence Dunbar impersonated the olher vilI lain (Mr Fergus Gordon, consm of the hero), , «nd with a large amount of success. The seco.id act, as far as scenic effect goes, is the* most startling of the five, and the atmosphere while it is on is of an emphatically sulphurous nature. Gordon Highlanders and khaki-clad soldiers and Afridis engage in some desperate rifle contests at close quarters, amid the wild scenery of the Dargai heights, and a. vaan amount of ammunition is expended. Considering the close range, however, the shooting i"> distinctly poor. Then in act iii we has c the return of the troops to England — au act full j of the music of the brass and the pipes, and ' very invigorating to the martial spirit of the 1 Highlander, so much so that when Miss K&th- , Isen Duggan, who sang at this stage the appropriate item " Gordons to the front " ma. most acceptable manner, sang the author's j thoughtless words " For England," this was ! too mutli for a jiatnotic Scot in the circle, v. ho tried to drown the offensive word by Jt-deep-voiced substitution of ' Britain. Tho , gttal situation, however, which gues the titlu j had been resor'. Ed for the fouith act, and the 3ieces = ities of the pljy include the presence of three acrobats 111 the cast. These aie the S:'i\e.us, who pcr&oa.uc cockxiey Highlanders (cockneys are presumably born acrobats), and it rauat be understood that the Kihihfet, m hia extraordinary villainy, has got the lad}- (not the heioine) whom he wishes to kill uito such a position that h» is enabled to put liei, unconscious, beneath a Xasmyth stenni hammer, turn on the mechanism which starts its descent, I and then leave hurriedly by the back door. There is a noise above, and, behold' "Tho Ladder of Life" — three rescuers dan^hn™ from, the ceiling head down, one below the other, who snatch away the \ictnn just ere the blow falls, amid tremendous applause. This was the only way they could get in, of course, from above, and the r^^on why they did not jump and that they exactly reached the lady is quite immaterial. The last act sees «, general clear11 » up of things, and an acrobatic display of a clever description aptly biought in. As all^adv indicated, the strong points of the piece aie from a scenic standpoint, viewed from winch it is exceptionally well mounted. Nc pains have been spared where effect was de sirab'c, and the numbers on the stage wera larsrc Specially striking were the depictions of the Darga; heights, the hospital hut, Devonfort Dockyard, the disembaikation scene, and, pLove all, the interior of the smithy, showing tl>e steam hammer, which was finely realistic. Mr Charles Blake, as the hero of the piece, Lieutenant David Gordon, was distinctly good in his part, and earned the sympathy of all from the. start, while Mr John Ennia waa happily cast as General M'Gregor. Mr Frank Hawthorne as Sergeant Donald M'Donald and Miss Hilda Fraser as a cockney domestic were resnonsible for most of the humour of the piece, and both acquitted themselves remark, ably well, the latter having a decided talenft for comedy and mimicry. In the important part of Olga Sobinsky, a Russian refugee, Mis^ Hflen Fergus gave an admirable and consist tent performance. As Meg Memlees, tha heroine. Miss Fitzmaurice Gill had not much! to do, but did that to advantage; while Miaa Maisie Maxwell was happily ca?t as Mother: Flint, a baby-farmer. Little Eileen Foley, as the denerted boy, deserved high prai=p. II:; Godfrey Cass put a deal of power into the parj of Central .Jamp« Gordon, and the remaining! ,|, iris of a. long and even- ca^t were adequately fil ed The piece is, by the way, an exceptionally long one 1

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