THEATRE ROYAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12902, 13 February 1906, Page 6

THEATRE ROYAL.

"SATURDAY NIGHT IN LONDON?

There was a very good attendance at tiie Theatre Royal lust evening to see the play " Saturday Night in Loudon " bv MacMakon's Dramatic Company. The- title of the play allows considerable latitude, and the play itself contains matter enough to spread over a good many weeks, taking in other nights as well as Saturdays. The work is melodrama of the extreme- tvpe. well staged and well played. The wriieiuses all the appurtenances of the successful melodramatic production—hero, villain, rascally Jew, dark riverside buildings, not to dwell upon the knife and revolver. The revolver was in, little use, but the knife was gleaming ever and anon. It \v;t< suggested that a little phasing variety might be introduced if the playwright took advantage of his poetic license, and letscme_ of the slaughtering be done with a© airgun or a Catling. The play was open to the. further objection that, like orher melodramas, the wrong people were tailed until the end, when one villain killed the other, with a knife, and the hero a little later ended the remaining villain's career with a revolver. A review of the play snows that five persons died to make an evening pass pleasantlr.- added to this a girl was hurled into the Thames, and so lost her memory, duly restored bv a blow on the .head.-. As an interpolation of pleasing variety, two burly youths boxed most viciously in a properly appointed-ring, through two rounds, when one of them was duly knocked - out. and the innings declared closed.. Thus it trill be seen the play was rich enough in incident. There xr 13 o? ttle to com P lain «f in the acting, -ur Chas. Blake Lad a congenial part as tne hero. Boy Wilton, and was above all thoroughly consistent. He achieved i o perfection the hairowed expiessiyn' of a m;m subjected to so many bufiadngs <f fats, and was altogether verv successful. Of 3ir Jasper Wilton (played by Mi*: li Walsiiei but little was seen: he *feU''ea-shr «.o castasd Wow; but his,part was nicely played. His facial make-up, however, wn"s aboimi.ab'*-. Mr Wilton I'ower. a:-' -Slavdaunt, was an ideal villain, steeped- in sin_ thief, murderer, everything bad. On his first he spoke at the top 01 hiv voice, but cither lowered it later, or the audience got used to it. Abeam, §habner was the rascally Jew, and lata in ., tll , e evening he." like Wilton;. feiE cruder MtTdauntV knife; and not' a bit. 1 too soon, for he was not. a nice man. Mr. J. Lnmbert. as a pavement artist, besidc-v proViucing a little tun bv himself, was tl'jc- j 3ndis2>ejuible witness to all the crimes, ;un.' I.' pro r.sd the ca-Ae for tho. prosecution. M; j i\ Savseii was an uiuUuUuea strength; hii i a coster, generally ia company with i girlkegc,- dies, heese . q.uite Jiappy. J, There were many other, male characters. ■ Mis?- Marie took. the <iifficalt pair j. cf IVtonu Clayton, of the-Tost raeiiibrv. vei v ' web.; ami Miss Miiy p Q-r?.nv.ille. took powariul ch;u - Kgi«r asi|fiu\i >Sli#Mier. Snfli ;s lull realisation "of. and regard to its requirements: Miss- ~May Isnr.n played Poll. Haw-Kins,. tuking thestags { with-the coster ; and Jfife. H. Meade: made a very attractive-Maude- Sonxerton. Tinscenery and staging call.* for no commept except -for an elaborate scene otr St. Rathedock, witli the- Tower Bridge, and a. church exterior. In this, aa invisible singer (Miss Granville) xoiideved " Adeste Fid rfes " very, nicely. "• 1 Ti>-niglit the company will pewtuce " Tin Kelly Gang/' whioli has jiist rcra fire nights in Dunedin. Tse> story-is-- well knowi. The play fairly bristles with ehe wild adventures of the- notorious that terrorised North-eastern Yictoriu and Xew Sonth Wales in 2878" anff 1879: In the play \ is all that is good" and noble, and a ■'! shadow of dishonour is-not. allowed to rest / upon hin for eVen stage purposes. On the stage he «4» an linonrir&Te fight with ' a-police- officei". • Tli& play sliows a large Tmipber of- incidents ia. tli<? career of: the jgang'that- are true to history, includingthe. sticking up- of B.d Bank "at JerilderiK the famous armour worn by Ned Kellv, . the - escape f?om the gpldfields. the meeting with the police at- Extroa, and the su!Vsequeat burning out! at KenaHa, Realism could;not go further than the 'sticking irr-' bf-'-tab mail coach, with its equipment horfj-«- •