Theatre Royal.

Taranaki Herald, Volume L, Issue 12291, 25 June 1903, Page 5

Theatre Royal.

HAREY RICKARDS' COMPANY.

t An , appreciative audienco assembled in .the Theatre Koyal on Wednesday night when.-Mr'Harjry Bickatds' third ■Vaudeville- Company to visit .here" opened f,or a short( season. An interesting and. clever bit of .business ,w-as the bicycle act by H' 11 ' and Silvainy. Tho former' is a wonderful man oh fhe wheel, and goes xhrough a niiniber of , daring acts that iieed' a gxeat^deaL of skill and nerVe to- execute". ' He is; assisted by Silvainy; v a neat little*, lady, in some of his manoeuvres^ -This-is'-aji exhibition that^ should be witnessecl by those 'who like,, to see genuine 'and; daring work on the stage. . Tcr-nigh,t Mr Hill intends to go through:, a number 6i new movements. Mr - Wallace Brownlow, of operatic fame, contributed several excellent songs. T.he; number thst found most favour was '•'Dtf&n.dalay." Mr Bert Bradley^ who^pos--sesses a pleasing tenor voice, Svak, encored each time. Ho gave a good interpretation of f 'Talie a Pair of Sparkling Eyes," The feats'- of conjuring and "legerdemain 'performed 9 'by Clive , wore neatly and cleverly evecuted. Miss Madge Thomas, who is described as a soprano balladis-tj gave a few numbers tha*. were well received. - Eileen Capel, a juvenile performer, gave -a pleasing song and executed some graceful dancing. Miss JFlorxie Barnes in her serio comic songs was successful, and her dancings was also good.' Seeley and West, miisical. comedians and sketch, artists gave saxephone, cdi'nqt and banjo duets. The cornet due^t, the Coronation March, was played with plenty of dash, and ior an encore the clover pair gave ai* imitation on the comets of the Scotch bagpipes. This turn was highly diverting. A comedietta, "Mrs Murphy's- Second Husband/ one ,of those American short plays which aro amusing yet entirely free from vulgarity, introduced Miss Gracie; Ernmett. As Mrs Honor»;Murphy her brogue was excellent. Miss Frances Gray, as the daughter of Mrs Murphy, , played her part with/ tact ; and J\lr J. Miles, att experiment-; ing pill maker, who is married to the daughter, : also contributed to the success off the comedy* , Mr Le Eoy Wimlner made the' most of the part of the second husband. ..' Mr 11. Hawkins played the accom1 paniments. . TO-NIGHT. , The Company v close their season to-night, when a new programme will be submitted. Those who like to be 1 entertained .by people should, not miss seeing vie pompany to-night. . MR J. C. .WJJLL^AMSON'S NPW ENGLISH COMEDY CWPi^Y, The Theatre Royal will probably be crowjdeH on botii Mbntlay aajd Tuesday ■ evenings next to witness 1 the pxesehta- i tion by Mr _J. C. AlWlliamsori's new ! musical Comedy Con^p.any of the two farcical comedies, "Are You a Mason?* arid- "Qhl Wtat a Night!" Botli tihese pieces had exctiprtionally long tfxna ia Lonidcm, and theatre-goers here will najve the pleaspire , of seeing Mir George G^fiiens, one of the best . known arid most poipujar ; of English comedians in t^he principal, comflpy parts, crcatand played by him. in . the - productions >of* both- comAliesf in that , city. In tJidh* generali in fact their 1 only motive. tl*at otiCausing las nuiuch 'Irfugbter. \tithiy! a' glvfen pefcloid, as j possible, they are sai*d> to. apJiieve all that is required, the audience beinjgkept in a state ~<A higji nierriment from the -irotd **gb" vpitil the fall of the durtain^ Such plays, light and airy as they arc;,- as "Are-Ydu A Mjasoti!, w . and "OW, .What . A night!/' require specially pvdked people to do justice to themj:' There -must 'be !no' flagging or marking time, but everything ntust be kept going at lightning otherwase the dialogjife incjvit-afoly drag and 'the entare "virtu" j .be taiken out of. tibe humour of the situations. . | 3fr ~ "Williamson ,has evi.dently been fortunate in securing ar-.i tists who know their biusiness th»r— QUghly regaud to the correct- * interpretation of thw class of worikr One of the leading; Sydney critics wrote, in ■ dealing with the production of "Atre You 'A' Mason.! V>y tih'e Oopt pjany: '-'They gave to the comedy tan. ■excellent interpretjatiou-, on artisttic lines, ihere being an almost entire absence of buffoonery which s» fre- Icguently animates/ the represent-ors of farce-cottneldy. , For ' in^&sAce^ there is an 6M gentleman .whose fldfcliness has i not- been inoipaired by agawh'o is not ■ continually '(Jutting ca,pers^all over t-he canpet or wtriggimg niin^elf into all kinds of absurd posfctires, arid speak— Jng tisdiaJogiVe 'jbhat n^ay conteibjate to his own , itftiirvtjdual enjoyntent bwt to tihe certain mysrtififiatipin of ihea'wiience. In its .place, "Mr - George Gr,dde,ns- gives us an extremely, hlum/orous ami cjiiiet, comparatively sipeak--ing, representation. Rare facial ex--pression'i» one of his great gifts. He has 'eyes' -which are full of comic cx J ' preesiirenese. Mtm Gidtlens 1 ; *! cordially, appi'Qvirig-* of, a sfagigefjtion t^iat he whoillcl propose a new member of the loilge that does not exist, with one eye, and axa/pealimg for* Dijvine inspiration in his", extremity, with the other, is one of *he cj<jve»* indk^lual efforts in "Are'YcM-A Mason?" •