THE MIRROR.

Saturday Advertiser, Issue 52, 8 July 1876, Page 11

THE MIRROR.

«To hold as ’twere the mirror up to Nature, to show - virtue her own feature, scorn her own image, and. the ' „ L rir a ge and body of the time his form and pressure. > • " , — Hamlet.

PRINCESS THEATRE.

The patrons of the Princess Theatre should , be well satisfied with the excellent pieces •which they have been treated to during the past week. The “ Jealous Wife,” the “Serious Family,” “High Life Below _ Stairs,” “ Richelieu,” and “ Othello,” have followed each other in quick succession. I 1 regret exceedingly that the limited space at ~my disposal this week prohibits me from doing justice to these productions. The manner in which they were placed upon the ; stage reflects the greatest credit on Mr Ho’skins. I had a dispute a few days ago with a friend of mine as to the particular line in which Miss Florence Colville makes the greatest “hit.” He would have it that she is more at home in pathetic parts and in passionate characters, than in comedy, whilst I maintained that though she is excellent in pathos and passion, as witness her splendid impersonation of Amelia and Gala- • tea ; still her particular forte is comedy. Her Mrs Oakley, her Hell Gwinne, and , ber Beatrice are representations which stamp this talented'lady as a comediene of the firstwater. There is nothing forced in her acting, • everything is real and natural. She possesses the soul or a true artiste, and- though at times she gives critics an opportunity for fault-finding, still, if they do her justice, they are forced to acknowledge her great ability. Mr Hoskins, in a number of characters has no equal on the Colonial or perhaps on the Home, boards, but in some parts which he undertakes he leaves himself open to hostile criticism. In “ Richelieu” the other evening, I liked and I disliked him. In some portions of the play he was really excellent, whilst in other parts he was somewhat lame, though the performance on the whole was a successful one. And in this respect Mr Hoskins reminds me of Mr G-. Collier. As “ Othello,” Mr Collier, on Tuesday evening, illustrated very forcibly how a man may be a good and a bad actor at the- same time. His Othello was about the most uneven performance which I have seen on the Dunedin boards. In some passages he was really grand, whilst in others he fell below mediocrity. On Wednesday evening Mr Collier appeared as Rip Tan Winkle, in the drama of that name. His acting throughout the piece was capital. The touching pathos and droll humour which make up the character were faithfully depicted by him, and the audience rewarded his efforts by applauding him very heartily. Mr Collier is an excellent mimic, as was demonstrated by his imitations of several great • actors. I shall have a good deal to say about the other members of Mr Hoskins’s company when opportunity offers. There are some members of it, such as Mr H. N. Douglas, Mr Bnrford, Mr Hesford, Mr Musgrave, Miss Mainwaring, and Miss Lawrence, who would prove valuable accessions to any company in the Old or New World; whilst there are others, such as Messrs Power, Graham, Lawrence, and . Stark, who have the right stuff in them to make good Thespians. Mr Hoskins, I believe, has engaged the celebrated Lingards, • and they are to open on or about the 15th nstant.

QUEEN’S THEATRE. The stage of the Queen’s has been occupied during the week by a “ Variety Troupe,” assisted by that axcellent actress and popular ladv, Mrs Walter Hill, and Steele and Keogh’s Dramatic Company. Several members of the Variety Troupe are decidedly clever in their respective lines, and the performances passed off satisfactorily. Mr H. Talbot is advertised to open bn Wednesday evening next. Some important theatrical information will be found in the letter from the “ 'Tiser’s ” special correspondent at Christchurch, which will be found in another column. Old Drury.