THE FITZMAURICE GILL COMPANY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 57

THE FITZMAURICE GILL COMPANY.

The Fitzmaurice Gill Dramatic Compary continue to play to good busir.ess at His Majesty's Theatre. Monday evening saw yet another change of bill, the fourth play f the present season being staged in " Work and Wages, ' a melo-drama which, dealing as it does in a certain way with the labour question, and introducing a strike, should be of more than common interest at this juncture. " Work and Wages " is otherwise a good sample of its class, and provides plenty of exciting interest and stirring emotional food for the audience. The hero, Tom Wentworth, is foreman in Eudford's fcteel works. A strike occurs among the men. Paul Radford. the villain, invites Wentworth to visit his house to make sport of him among his friends. The strikers attack the place, and by ii ruie Wcntwoith ia cot to address them

from a balcony, and receives a bullet meant for Radiord. There is a bitter enmity between the two men, both of whom r.re apparently suitors for the hand of Olivia Graham. In the course of the play it Uitjis out that Radford had, years before, married another woman and 1 deserted her. This woman's father, Victor Langlois, figures prominently in the play, always in pursuit of the man that had wronged his daughter Wentworth, later on, having made a valuable steei process discovery, becomes a wealthy man, and head of Jiis old firm. It transpires also that the Iferoine, Olivia Graham, prior to the opening of the play, had gone through a marriage ceremony with Radford, believing him a single man, and he promising to keep her father from financial ruin, but, warned in time, she had left him at the church door. This, however, in the absence of proof that Radford's wife was still iiviDg, keeps the hero and heroine apart. As the play proceeds, Paul Radford makes an unsuccessful attempt to compass the hero's death, and it is disclosed also that Olivia is his wife. Olivia flies from him, and seeks refuge ia a tenement. Radford's first wifo has obtained the proofs of her marriage, and he puts her out of the way to prevent disclosure. He attempts t<v foster the crime on to the hero, bat is unsuccessful, and pays the penalty, and all ends satisfactorily. A good deal of improbability and incongruity certainly does pervade the play, but there are some strong situationa, and the staging is really at all times excellent. The scene among the strikers in the first act is well managed, and applause greeted the leader's expression of meritorious sentiments. The drawing-room scene in the second act was likewise good, though marred by the eccentricities of the footman. However, the scene in the third net, showing the interior of ihe steel work 3, is undoubtedly the finest in the play, and is very realistic. An explosion while moulding operations are in progress i 3 represented. The play closes with a trial scene in court, which cannot be considered impressive, the element of buffoonery being too promino.it. The climax sees the viLain drop dead in the dock just as sentence of death is about to be pronounced upon him. In a murder trial, however, a witness does not usually give bis evidence with his hat on. There is the usnal judicious (more or less) introduction of the humorous element ii>to the play, and some .of the characters are strongly drawn. That of the Belgian, Victor Langlois, was in excellent hands with Mr G. Neville, and stood out prominently. Mr Power's Paul Radiord was characterised by a gentlemanly but consummate villainy, most irritating to the justice-!oving spectators. Mr R. Julian look capably the part of Lord Arlingfcrd, a philanthropic gentleman who wanders through the play, and acts as a dens ex inachina, generally. Mr Charles BLake acted quite ':p to his reputation as the hero, and Mr L. Walshe put a deal of power into the small part of Sam Crumpton. Mr J. A. Martin's money-lender, Moses* Abraham, was also distinctly good. Mr Leo Duchateau's comsdy element was so amusing that it was a pity to see it so consistently overdone. Neither humour nor passion must be torn to tatters, and the knowledge of just where to leave off is very essential. Miss Fitzmaurice Gill's acting as the heroine. Olivia, was a!l that could be desired, thcugh the part is a less prominent one than others in which she has appeared. Miss Nelly Mybrea's task again was to pourtray the unfortunate lady who, being in Ihe villain's road, comes to a premature end, and last evening lived her life effectively and died uncomplaining, for something like the third or fourth time during the present season. Miss May Roberts and Mia? G. Esdoille filled email parts to advantage, and all the minor characters were well sustained.