ANDERSON DRAMITIC COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2511, 30 April 1902, Page 57

ANDERSON DRAMITIC COMPANY.

The Anderson Dramatic Company introduced another new play to the Dunedin public" on Monday in "The 10.30 Down" Express," a sensational five-act melodrama thoroughly vicing. with its immediate predecessor in startling situations. The audience was a large one, and appeared to follow the action of the piece witb.the keenest interest, and certainly no complaintcould possibly have been lodged' on the score' of paucity of' incident, th^ whole five acts from' start to finish being crowded to excess -with unexpected happenings, the author having evidently given full rein to his vivid imagine-, tion, and provided a- bill of faro comprehensive enough to satisfy the greediest. The humour and the tragedy are pretty well mixed up. There is a good deal of shooting in a small way, plenty of love-making among domestics (who never know their place), a murder, half a dozen attempted murders, and, as a natural consequence, the villein is about as accomplished a specimen as one couid have desired, and fully deserved the hooting he received from an impressionable pit. The plot is in some respects a masterpiece and in all a type. The hero is Jack O'Malley, to whom Bessie Leigh, the heroine is betrothed The villain, James Inderwisk, though already married, naturally} (being a villain) wishes to gain Bessie for himself, and in trying to wcrk out this end has to shoot his own too unfortunate wife. la this he sees a chance, and foists the" crime on his rival, who receives a life sentence of imprisonment. At the end of r year, however, his innocence is established, and he, on being released from durance, marries the sweetheart who has waited for him, much to the villain's annoyance. All the latter's aims are now centred on revenge, and he tries a great varsty. of schemes. His magnum opus 13 that which! give 3 the title to the piece. The hero is holding the humble position of signalman, and ova night, just before the down express is due, he is attacked and overpowered in his hut by the villain and an accomplice, i 3 bound and iaitE across the raiiroaa track while the points ay« altered so thai ths train may then plunge oven the embankment, and thus may be destroyed, also an unpleasant detective who is on board and on the villain's track. The scheme fails o-wing to the heroine's bravery, who 'holds a' red handkerchief over the light to make ths' dfcngsr signal, pushes the villain over the bonk' where the train should go, and the latter pulls ' up just on the spot whence a moment befora ale has dragged her husband. The villain ia. not hurt, and llirough two more acts playahis despicable part, but that "there's many aslip " is the villain's own proverb, or should bf, and in the end the detectives appropriate^iheir Hwful prey, and he disappeajs from the -.v oriel and the play is ended. '" Tie Down Express 'is a thoroughly well mounted piece. No pains havo been spared on the scenery, which is excellent, nnd worthy of special mention are the scenes depicting " Shingle Bay, Dorset," " Dena Hollow," the scene of the ritilway sensation, and the final scene of all, " The Hut on tha Hill," where James Inderwick makes his last desperate stand. There are, of course, a largo number of side issues attaching to the plot that it is unnecessary to detail. A noticeable feature of the piece is the tragic appropriateness with which the curtain falls. In the railway scene a fairly realistic effect ;s attained, and the ei.gine that comes puffing en to the stage ia of ordinary dimensions, Had has a real man tugging at the brakes. Mr Charles Blake took ths part of Jack O'Malley, and was consistently forcible without rant in any shape. Mr Lawrence Dunbar i 3 well deserving of praise for his presentation of the part of James Inderwick, the most important and taxing in the piece. His treatment of the part, though quiet, made the character surely one of the most repulsive over seen on the stage, but he rightly judged that this was not a case for doing by halves. Mr Frank Hawthorne took the mainly humorous part of Sam Wagstaff, between -whom and Miss Peggy Potts much badinage passes. The part of Sam was cleverely taken, but 111 certain parts quite unnecessarily overdone. Miss Hilda Fraser, as Peggy, made another decided hit, and was extremely natural and amusing. The part of Letilia Leigh, aii absurd old spinster, was taken excellently by Miss Helen. Fergus. Miss Letitia writes . thrilling novelettes, and is -so romantic that even, an escaped convict wins her affections. The convict is Sam Wagataff, whose behaviour in the drawing-room, his haven of refuge, is decidedly curious. "When another escaped convict enters the same room a moment later, and in all seriousness, the reflective spectator can scarcely avoid a smile at the author's choice of sanctuary. The part of Bessie Leigh, the heroine, was well taken by Miss Fitzmaurice Gill who made the most of its somewhat limited capabilities. An excellent little bi< oi characterisation was the part of Blefcherby Bags, the man m possession, taken by Mr IPrr.ui Reis. Mr Walter Dalgleish took the p*rt of a Scotland Yard detective, Mr J. Ennis that of Set-h Ccorabe3, a broken down gamekeeper, and Miss Maxwell that of Olive Coonibes, wife of the villain. Tho other parts were all adequately •m'-tained. During the first act Miss Kathleen Duggan sang " On the bank 3of the Wabaeh " in a pleasing manner. A drawback to the piece is it? length.

XEW MUSlC— "Eventide" is the title of a charming valse sent us by the Dresden. Musio Warehouse. It is composed by Mr Fred H. Stokes, who is well and favourably known in Dunedin musical circles as a composer of great promise. This is by no means Mr Stokes's maiden effort, he having already received recognition for previous successful compositions, and "Eventide" is calculated to enhance the reputation which his former efforts have gained him. Messm Fergusson and Mitchell have done the printing in a particularly attractive manner.

An unu=ua! number of swagmen havv. passed through thr Wltakataki Valley (Wairar&pa) during flu 1 la^t week or two. Ifc .seems rather a hopeless quest for the poor waiiderers to come out lipi-p. for the laudholdeia hu\ c all been reducing expenses, and n= the weather is rapidly growing- more wintry the »v;ajm»n mu't b- having si bad tt f in»». New Zealand flows with milk and hot><-\ for politicians but the labourers' • )o*t:o!i -f"iri- 10 he very blue ski in milk. Li ••ii:t^ 'odii- and tending forth continff"i ' >i • shnir 1 , \j\it thing* are only " ir> 'i'l'iag " with the toiler. — Wairaraps, Daily TuTtP-t.