Pollard's Opera Company.

Thames Star, Volume XXX, Issue 9027, 26 March 1898, Page 3

Pollard's Opera Company.

" IN TOWN."

As this justly-celebrated musica comedy (with which the above com pany will inaugurate their season 01 Monday night) ha« never been playec here, n'o?t sketch, of the plot or storj may prove interesting to our readers The Duke of Muffshire, the Duehesi and their son (Lord Olanside), daughtei (Lady Gwendoline Kincaddie), and the Ihike's chaplain (the Bey. Samuel Hopkins (arrive in London for a daj and put up at the Caravanserai Hotel, where Captain Arthur Coddington (a man about town) drops across them and soon worms himself inta theii friendship and confidence by his specious representations ond manner. Lord Clanside is disposed to have a "run around," and of course Coddington is just the man to take him in hand, and cheerfully consents to do so, and to introduce him to the Ambiguity Theatre girls. The old Duke, too, is a bit of a radical, and although he is ostensibly in London for the main purpose of making a speech in the House of Lords, the girls at the Ambiguity, of whom he has heard so much, prove so strong an attraction for the ancient sinner that his speech becomes altogether a secondary coneideration. He hurries through it, and then steers for the green-room with a full head t>f steam on; Getting there he soon stumbles across his son, and then there is an indignant scene which winds up by father and son pledging themselves not to peach on each other to the Duchess, who would, of course, be horrified to think that her husband or son could so far forget their ancient lineage and high social positions at to fraternise with such low beings as actresses. It happens, however, that the Duchess misses the Duke, and seeing the name of Miss Kitty Hetherton, an erstwhile governess of hers, on the playbill of the theatre, she, "knowing the nature of the beast," soon jumps to conclusions, and makes her appearance also inithe green-room. In a short time the worthy Muff shire and his worthy son came in with a perfect army .of actresses hanging on to their arms, coat-tails, and other available points of vantage, to the astonishment of the stiff-starched Duchess. Things look black for the Duke and his Bon, when Coddington appeats, and lying like a cheap watch, he takes all the blame on hia own shoulders, thus earning the good wishes of the Duke. There is of course a counter-plot, in which Shrimp; the call-boy of the Theatre, makes love to the leading lady, which accounts for many most amusing situations. j