THE WILLOUGHBY-GEACH COMPANY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 9644, 20 January 1903, Page 2

THE WILLOUGHBY-GEACH COMPANY

"THE WRONG Mil WRIGHT." After a long dearth of entertainments it was pleasing to find the Theatre Koyal crowded to the doors last evening by an iiuuiciioe enjoying to the full extent the performance ot a tirsl -class theatrical combination. For .some reason or otuer, probably through the greater attractiveness of the West CWst Irom a showman s point of view, Gisborne is not often vj: ijed by the best companies travelling iN'ew Zealand, but Mr Edwin Geach, on-j of the proprietors of the Wilioughby-G.ach Dramatic Company, who was for many years associated with that prince of entrepreneurs, Mr L. J. Lohr, has often tested Gifcborne and found it ever ready to afford liberal support to a good entertainment, and m mapping out his tour some twelve months ago he wrote advising us that he intended to include Gisborne m the itinerary. Faithful to promise, Mr Geach has brought his company along, and neither jhe nor they, nor the playgoing public, will have cause to regret the visit. The Theatre was, as we have said, packed to the doors, and the company received a. most liearty reception, the incessant peals of laughter betokening that the audience were most thoroughly enjoying themselves. The bill-of-fare was comedy, and comedy of the lighter order that m recent years lias become so populai'T-a slender narrative, surrounded with a series of absurd and impossible situations, an awkward tangle of complications and misunderstandings, and a happy mirth-provok-ing unravelling, all loosely strung together and dependent upon boisterous merriment \ and quick, vigorous .and finished acting for its success as a fun-maker. "The Wrong Mr Wright" is perhaps a better class of comedy than its immediate predecessor, "What Happened to Jones," and its successor. "On and Off," which follows to-night, is «iid to be" better still. It was altogether unobjectionable, and the hilarious merriment that reigned for the space of two hours or more m the Theatre last evening was pure unadulterated fun. The plot of the piece was, as we have indicated, slender. Singleton Sites, a rich American business man of the strenuous type, has been defrauded by Jiis clerk Bailey of 50,C00 dollars, and has put the matter m the hands of a detective agency, who, to his disgust, employs a female detective. Hearing privately that Bailey is at Old Point Comfort, Sites, thinking to save his 5000 dollar reward and best thi; lady Sherlock Holmes, betakes himself thither, and registers under the name of Wright. The detective, Henrietta Oliver, goes to Point Comfort also, and mistaking "Wright." for the man she is after, BaiW having also adopted that pseudonjMf gradually enmeshes him. Sites' att^^it to conceal \\h true identity leads him into a series of deceptions which an'ord strong circumstantial evidence against him. In entrapping her prisoner, Miss Oliver becomes infatuated with his personality, and at the crisis, when "Wright's" arrest is inevitable, she is tortured by the. conflicting impulses of love and duty. The arrest and denouement prove most diverting, and are followed by the happy ending that playgoers all look for m the, mating of the principal characters of the piece. Mr George Willoughby sustained the character of Singleton Sites with signal ability. He is an actor of great dramatic force, iind gave a splendid representation of the pushful American, as full of energy as an automobile, brimful of good humor and ready wit. The numerous "bluffs" that Sites has to resort to to carry him out of his predicaments were magnificently carried through, and when at the finish bluffing fails and he has to call on others for assistance that is: refused him, the actor's play of comedy was exceedingly good. Altogether, it was a very refreshing performance. Miss Roxy Barton was not less successful m the part of the female detective. She proved more than a match for the smart Singleton. Her endeavor to. conceal the blotting-pad was a clever piece of by-play that will not soon be forgotten by those who witnessed it. There wea-e numerous other characters filling m details and helping to make the play go with a swing. Of these Frederick Bonds, Sites' nephew, was not the least important, and Mr Frank H. Denton, who was here last with Mr Charles Arnold's company, gave a. breezy interpretation of the part, winning great favor with the audience. Wayland Clingstone, one of the Boys of long ago, was pourtrayed by Mr George Leopold, a veteran comedian of the Australian stage, with a^ great amount of -quiet humor. Mr Edward Lester, who will be remembered as tlie waiter William m "Jane," produced here by the Myra Kemble Company, took the part of Captain Crosby, but Ids forte is clearly as a comedian, and he should be more successful as Mons. dv Patty tonight than m the love-making scenes of last evening. Mr Tom Carman produced much laughter by his antics as the dudo •btufiy' ; Mr P. K. Leonard made- an exceptionally good call-boy; Miss KtlH Appieton was charming as Ethel Bonds ; Mixs AliJlie Ascoli satisfactory a.s Tillio Bird ; mid Miss Ronald Watts-Phillips did we I m the trying part of the hideous Arabella. Clingstone. The comedy was prettily staged, and was altogether most, successful It was preceded precisely at 8 a clock by a curtain .raiser, the one-act comedietta, "The Grey Parrot." This introduces the audience to several of the delightfully quaint clia.racter.s of old Wanpn )g created by Mr W. W. Jacobs, and the little farce v written m his best, stvl,of dry, mellow humor. It was vyrvcapaby produced. The honors werV " shared by Mr George Leopold as "Sain Rodgers " and Miss Ethel Appieton .« ,^ri G ; innet C, 7^ Mr T. c! Leonard i vr G) iP vet » Mr fester as "Hobron," and Miss Bryer a* "Jane Rogers," save satisfactory performances. ■ ■ *