Arnold's Comedy Company.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11665, 26 January 1901, Page 2

Arnold's Comedy Company.

Tariff Chafle* Arnold season, which commences ne£t Toeaday at the Theatre Royal, is under cir'citoistanees that augur well for a prosperous tWo> nights, to which period it is limited. ?few Plymouth playgoers have been sufficietrtly ■Well toformed as to the success of Mr Arnold and his company in "What Happ'ontec? to 1 Jo»ne»" in London, South Africa^ Meiborfrn©, and Sydney as to leave no pofe&bfo doubt as to its fepeiition htere, wStere 1 ttds popular aictor" has long establisired! himself in the gi 1^ er'aceS of the public. K What Happened f*y Jones '\ is a farce comedy of the tiffo*' hilafious order. Mr Arnold is supported tyf a company of London comedians, Ssp& to be one of the best organisations that hfeve visited Australia for years. "Jones " had a merry run of 340 nights at the Strand Theatre, London, after which Mr Arnold and his company left for fScnftli Affiea, where many things httppetfed tor ittetti. They played a facofd season iri Johannesburg in July, when ftttadredtfof tfttfotfeleis were leaving the platfe «fetfy, yet thte botMes were so large that they i«df to 1 a<swn*mod»te the orchestra on the stageY from there they went to Pretoria, land Wefa absolutely the last theatrical company tPplay in the Transvaal capital, leaving there when commandeering had almost completely depopulated the town, in practically the last train, meeting with the «sv»af experience of the refugees. Dur ' ban, Port Elizabeth, and Pietermaritzburg were ne*t visited. At the lastrtamed place they played for three weeks,- duritfg which time tbey bad the 1 melancholy expedience t of witnessing the I arrival of h'uhdreds ol ifcltetF and wounded (soldiers; many of tftbm^ dying on the railway platform as ttief were being jwoVed.- The toWn was n'ffder martial law', *¥# M/ Ar'nbld and bis company were supplieU *#i*h- passes which allowed them to be abroad oft night after 11 o'clock, which freedom was not conceded to anybody else. It should be mentioned that it was Mr Arnold who orgafrised the fruit fund, amounting to over £1000,- and be sent tons and tons of fruit to the British 1 dfid colonial troops at the front, personally superintending the despatch, a generous action tbat was acknowledged by Lord Roberts affel all our British generals. From Cape Town the company sailed Eor Australia, opening at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, last Easter, putting up a record of 52 performances to overflowing houses, ami 54 in Sydney. The advance booking is heavy, and everything points to a crowded house to welcome the popular actormanager to New Plymouth.