THE WOODS-WILLIAMSON COMPANY

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 60

THE WOODS- WILLIAMSON COMPANY

His Majesty's Theatre was very largely; attended on Monday, when the oods-Wil-hamson Dramatic* Company staged for the first time in Dunedin a dramatisation by Miss Maud Williamson of a. romance by Justus Miles Forman tbat has attracted some attention, j lately— to "wit, " The Garden of Lies." While ! the novel in question 19, like many of its class, strong in the elements of improbability and! j extravagance, it has very compensating qualities from a popular standpoint, and reveals a plot -well suited for stage adaptation, abounding in dramatic, not to say exciting, incidents and in sentiment of unimpeachable quality. "' The Garden of Lies '" as presented last evening- must be considered quite one of the best presentations the Woods-Williamson: Company have given during their recent visits ( here, and the interest snS attention of ths . Audience was easily sustained in its develop- ■ ment. Not * small merit of the play is its romantic and pretty setting, and tho staging ia ! quite equal to the occasion and on a lavisH ! scale. The story of the book will be familiar , to many. Denis Mallory, a reckless art student! in Paris, it will be remembered, is persuaded to undertake the impersonating of the Princa of Kov.uteua in order & save the reason o£

Eleanor, princess, of that locality, who has | lost her memory, and he plays the part to her so well that, believing him to be her hus- | band, she falls desperately in love with him, and he finds himself no better off witE respect to the lady, so that when the real and longdelayed prince and husband appears on the scene there is an unmaaking of the hero and trouble all round. Headers of the book will also remember -fchat in the end the real prince makes a graceful exit when he dies fighting for his insecure sovereignty, and the princess has a forgiving nature, and Denis and his' fellow conspirators fare better in the end than they perhaps deserve. The story of course, as ■well as the dramatic version, cairies with it ths regeneration of the hero in respect to those qualities ihat had led him to undertake so delicate ,a mission. Miss Williamson's oramatisastion is a successful one, and a ■judicious .selection has been displayed in reepect to the situations and dialogue The exciting encounter between Denis and the Prince has been omitted as superfluous, and might perhaps have contributed an agreeable offset m the way of action to the sentiment of the production. Some excellent opportunities are afforded the principals, and it must be allowed that Mr Alfred Woods and Miss Williamson made a great deal of. them. Mr Woods impersonated- -Bems-Mallory, .-a cleverly 'drawn character, in. a thoroughly intelligent manner,' and put -subtlety^ as ~well"'as .manliness • sfend* power 'into the impersonation. Miss Williamson's. . Princess -TSieanor -was a thoroughly artistic and- well -studied presentation, and wasanother admirable of her histrionic versatility.' Some --exceedingly- well-acted "and~ interesting- scenes occur between Denis" and the Princess, in "which - the audience ' quite recognised the nierit -of the work of the principals, notably, the scene in 'which the l«dy upbraids the ; hero for his deceit, after the real prince's arrival. The other in -thecast are well allotted, the .parts of the jthree authors oi the plot in which Denis figures — namely, Six Gavin M*Kenzie (the brain' specialist), Creighton, and Von^Altdorf, being capably taken by Mr H. Douglas 7Mr C. Bryant, and Mr L. da Chateau respectively, Mr J. A. Lambert filling satisfactorily the role of Erince Karl. Mr .P. Lavieri met .well the requirements of the part of the adventurer Yon Steinhruckle, and_ Miss May Roberts was natural in her impersonation of the American girl Jessica Mannering, who fascinates Yon Altdorf, in which connection some excellent comedy is introduced in the second act. One scene that figures in the second and. fifth acts of the play deserves special commendation — namely, ♦hat in which .the rose garden where the princess is wont to promenade is -depicted, -and a' really beautiful set. is 'here shown, -with- every •Mention to detail manifested. That the studio of .poor Deiiis "Mallory should be so -fine an apartment is somewhat of an anachronism, but not a j serious matter certainly, and absolute consistency in detail is often almost unattaihabie, and sometimes not desirable perhaps 'from the -standpoint of stage- effect.