MACMAHONS' DRAMATIC CO.

Colonist, Volume XLVIX, Issue 11813, 18 December 1906, Page 2

MACMAHONS' DRAMATIC CO.

'"tBE EXECUTIONER'S DAUGHTER." There was a very large attendance at the Theatre Royal last night whon tli© MacMahon Dramatic Company staged thej romantic French story "The Executiorier's Daughter.'' Thd central theme" of ( the dra,mS offers some fine dramatic material, being powerful and original, and providing .some strong dramatic situations. The plot deaM with t^e suggestion that an estimable citizen has been bringing up a respectable family with money, which has unbeknown to them been earned by him in the capacity of public executioner. The executioner in question is Monsieur Roche, the father of two daughters* ofle of who (Annette) has been married to the villainous Felix .•Marius, ■ and ig loved in a; niore cir less brotherly iasbldn by' the 'hero Paul Rovell. The other daughter is Felice, a treacherous, woman, who, when she fails in her affections with Paul, joins Marius and his accomplice Vivian Ormond. Marius discovers M. Roche's secret—that he is a public executioner —and to save his own ruiri rtivealg the fact that the executioner's daughter Annette is* his .wife, upofl whom he fastens the" guiit of a ,iiiurder committed, by himself; "While Anpettte is in prison awaiting hei: dooni a*-the! rjiind^.of her unwitting father, Marius' child, who has been brutally illtreated by her lather, is placed in the care of an old gaol bird, with noble impulses. Annette has, in the meantime, been assisted by a quaint individual, Tom Holmes, a | former servant of Marius', who was afterwards a telegraphist under the French Government; "While sit his post on the day of the execution the band of ill-wishers endeavour to prevent the expected reprieve from arriving, and to -make assurance doubly sure they set fire to te office. Holmes, however, forges a reprieve vrbich he places in Marius' hat. The guillotine scene, where the father refuses to execute his daughter is most thrilling; .add the 1, olnflax is reached when Hoifriesj who ja'rrives just in time, produces the reprieve from the hat of Marius, who is sheriff, and has taken the old man's place. In the final act an attempt on Koche's life by the other daughter, and the capture of the villain and his accomplices brings the play to a happy conclusion. The cast was a strong one, and every member assisted to make the play an unqualified success. . Miss May Grenville played the part of . the old man's .favourite daughter Annette, with pathos and conviction and Miss Helen Fergus!, as Felice, gave a careful interpretation of the part of a wicked woman, her acting in the hypocritical prelude to the attempt on her father's life being particularly good. Mr E. B. Russell, as Roche, the executioner, who had adopted his vilified calling for the sake of his family, wa3 excellent, his acting in the guillotine scene, being espeoially good. Mr Chas.Blake, as usual, made a capital hero, and Mr Alf Bootbman gave a careful and effec* tive study of the villain, with Miss Fergus* "earning the stage compliment of being hissed. Mr Edward Nable as Tom Holmes, and Miss May Renne as Sally King, provided the fun of the piece, both giving admirable interpretations of low comedy acting, while like Miss Sinclair, as the crippled child of Marius, had a lengthy part in which she was very successful. Mr Fitzgerald as Kretch and Mr Lynch as Vivian Ormond were also good, and the minor characters were all well sustained. The scenery and stage mountings left little to be desired, and that the performance was highly appreciated by the audience was shown by the hearty round of applause at the end of each act.