THE LORGNETTE

Observer, Volume XXVII, Issue 33, 4 May 1907, Page 6

THE LORGNETTE

By Prompter,

COMING SHOWS. 29th April to 4th May. — and Gunn's " Midnight Wedding " Company 6th May to 24th May— Williamson's AndrewMack Company. 25th May to 15th June— William Anderson's Dramatic Company. 24th June to 13th July— Williamson's Julius Knight. Company 16th July to 2uth July — Jessie Maclachlan Concert Company. 22nd July to 10th August— Musgrove's Grand Opera Company. 12th August to 24th August— J. C. Williamson. 16th September to stti October -Allan Hamilton's English Star Company 7th October to 26th October — MacMahon Brothers' Dramatic Company. 4th November to 16th November— Willoughby-Ward-Ueach Comedy Company.

THE MIDNIGHT WEDDING," with which the short season of

the new Meynell and Gunn Company opened at His Majesty's on Monday evening, is a romantic melodrama of the "Prisoner of Zenda " type, with the political element omitted. In one balcony scene it is reminiscent of " Romeo and Juliet," and the mysterious wedding recalls both Shakespeare's romance and " The Yeomen of the Guard." After the first scene it is brisk in its development, studded with deeds of chivalry aid swash-bucklering. Its one serious fault is that the story culminates too soon. If the identity of the hero were kept in the background till the last ace, the interest of the story would be greatly increased. The author has, however, preferred to clear up the mystery in the second act. From that moment the ultimate fate of hero and heroine is crystal clear, and the interest depends upon a series of incidents picturesque and exciting enough in themselves, but tending too obviously towards the inevitable happy conclusion of the common or garden variety of shocker.

Nevertheless, the play is one of the briskest and most stirring that have been seen here for many a day. It centres around the history of Paul Valtnar, a soldier or fortune, really the son of the crown prince of SSavonia, by an unacknowledged marriage. Valmar, who has just been promoted from the ranks of the Red Hussars, fights a duel with the heir to the house of Strelsburg to avenge an insult to his own mother's memory, and wounds him. While seeking a place of refuge, he finds himself in the private chapel of theStielsburgs, where, at the instigation of the family priest, he marr\gs the sister of his late antagonist, Princess Astrea, to save her from a hateful match towards which she is being forced by her father's dying wishes and her gambler brother's interests. Thenceforward the play becomes a brilliant succession of plot and counterplot between husband arid wife on one side, and Astrea's brother and the rejected suitor on the other, leading up to the final checkmating of villainy, and the acknowledgment of Valmar's rightful position as heirpresumptive to the throne.

The military trappings -of the principal characters fill the eye with an agreeable warmth of colouring, and both as to costumiery and scenic setting the piece is splendidly mounted. The cast is, on the whole, a good one, and if the elocution of some of the principals was not wholly effective on Monday night, it may have been that they had not quite "got the gauge" of the house. Mr Harcourt Beatty has, in the part ot Valmar, a character that admirably suits his style of acting. It is one that could easily be overdone, but Mr Beatty keeps the balance with artistic skill, and makes Valmar a very- virile person, alike in his meetings with bis old comrades, in

his defiance of his foos, his independence towards his father, and in the tender passages with his wife. While it cannot be said to be Mr Beatty's finest impersonation, it still sustains his credit as one of the finest romantic actors the city has seen in, recent years.

The foils to the hero are Captain Von Scarsbruck, the rejected lover, also capitally acted by Mr James Lindsay, and Astrea's weak rather than vicious brother, Eugene von Strelsburg (Mr Conway Wingfield). The sword-play of these three in their duelling, and a fine wrestling bout between Valmar and Scarsbruck in a tense scene where the latter is thwarted in an attempt to compromise the heroine by invading her apartments at night, furnish the most exciting incidents of the drama. Miss May Congden does not rise to the full emotional capabilities of the part of Astrea, but is a very engaging princess, and has some forceful scenes. Mr Herbert Leigh is a dignified but sometimes over-vehement crown prince, and Mr C. K. Stanford's Father Gerrard is rather insipid.

Miss Dma Cooper, as Rosel, alias Satanella, a slighted admirer of Valmar, flits in and out of the story with little opportunity to do more than display striking physical charms. There is an amusing sub-plot dealing with the wooing of Katie, a winehouse waitress (Miss Winifred Gunn) by the bibulous comrades of Valmar, in which Messrs R. Beckett, L. Stach and Tom Cannam have some extremely ludicrous work. Mention must also be made of the excellent music with which the orchestra, under the baton of Mr Wynne Jones, fill up the antiactes. "The Midnight Wedding" will be withdrawn after this ( 1 hursday) evening, to make way for a revival of "The Fatal Wedding," with its famous' Tin-Can Band.

John Fuller is still smiling a sweet smile over crowded audiences at the Opera House. Victor the Great might with equal consistency be called Victor the versatile. Last week he was a conjuror, this week he is a ventriloquist, and a good one at that, and next week — well, 'tis hard to say. The Quealys give what is described officially as " a screaming musical sketch." The sketch doesn't scream, but the audience does. The sand buck dance is particularly good. The Ahlbergs, with the limited assistance of one table, do some neat and clever feats of hand-balancing, which demand both dexterity and strength. Pearl Livingstone is a vivacious serio with a good voice and some original songs, and the Rose Sisters sing brightly and twirl lightly, and look sprightly nightly. This is alleged poetry. Val Newton sings "Would You Care?" with illustrations, also "One of the queen's Navee," without illustrations. They're both good.

Ivy Carlisle sings and dances very nicely. Bob Lloyd is a comedian much above the average. " Muggins " is perhaps his best song, but there are others. George Mackie is another comedian who is capable of making people smile loudly. Last Monday night, Mr J. E. Ward's artistic conception " The Robing of the Gods '' was given as a special item. It is a serieß of tableaux vivants, or living statuary, with several unique features. Miss Ruby White did the posing, and carried out her work well. The concluding tableau, " Niobe," was a particularly fine piece of work, and so was " Psyche," though what Sergeant Hendry — however, never mind. Two good pictures, " The Wig Chase" and " License No. 13," were shown on the Warwick Bioscope. For Saturday next the re-appearance is announced of Lucy Lavinia, comedienne, Amy Btackie, contralto vocalist, and Shaw and Gilbert;, comedians.

The Holloway Dramatic Company finished their season at His Majesty's on Saturday night) with another play of the sensational order, " Under Remand," and left by this week's steamer for Sydney. They will appear next at Newcastle.

Andrew Mack, the Irish singing comedian, who toured Australia a couple of years ago, but was then unable to come on to New Zealand, will open his Auckland season on Monday next, under the auspices of J. C. Williamson, and supported by a company entirely new to this part of the world. Mr Mack has a copious repertoire of Irish plays, and of these he has chosen " Tom Moore," a drama founded upon the poet's early life in London, as the opening piece. The author, Theodore Burt Sayre, is careful to remind his audience that the incidents may not be strictly true to history — that he has taken a certain amount of dramatic license. The atmosphere, however, is that in' which lived the poet who was . said to " dearly love a lord," and the personages are those among whom he moved.

The period is that in which Moore was winning his way to fame, and the sentimental interest centres around his courtship of Bessie Dyke, the young actress, who eventually became his wife. The characters brought into the picture include such personages of the day as the Prince Regent (afterwards George IV.), his favourite, Mrs Fitzherbert, Beau Brummell, Sheridan, Lovelace, and other people of historic interest. Mr Mack himself, of course, has the name part. His voice is described as a well-trained and sympathetic tenor, and he gets the opportunity to give it an airing in some of Moore's sweetest airs. The picturesque costumes of the period are said to be utilised to brilliant advantage in the mounting of the play.

Tom Pollard, now that he is free from his engagement as director of entertainments at the Exhibition, intends to launch another juvenile opeia company. He will shortly leave for Australia in quest of talent.

For the management of the earthquake effect alone in the Tittell Brune Company's performance of " Parsifal," fifty-six stage hands are required. Another remarkable bil of mounting in the same play is a set depicting on the one hand "The Valley of the Shadow of Death" in semi darkness, and on the other "The Dwellingplace of the Righteous," a brilliant sunshine, with the "great gulf " fixed between. This, Mr J. C. Williamson says, is one of the most difficult " built" scenes he has ever had to manage.

Harry Rickards's latest vaudeville company begins its New Zealand tour at Dunedin this week. Allan Hamilton is in advance.

Mdlle. Antonia Dolores, in a letter to the Launaeston Courier, declares her intention of returning to this part of the world in about eighteen months' time.

" Eileen Asthore," one of Mr Andrew Mack's latest and best plays, brought over specially by him for his present tour, will be done for the first time in Acstralasta during his Auckland season.

A young woman in Christchurch committed suicide because her father objected to her going to Fullera' entertainments !

Cleopatra, the snake charmer, and Bonita, the sharpshooter, have been engaged by the Fullers for another visit to New Zealand.

Again it is rumoured in Australia that Bland Holt and William Anderson will join in building a theatre in Melbourne.

"When Knights Were Bold," the new comedy to be brought to Australia by Frank Thornton, deals with the adventures of Sir Guy de Vere, a plain, prosaic individual who troubles' himself very little about his title or his ancestry, but who finds himself, in a dream, figuring amongst knights in armour and the quaint surroundings of a mediaeval age, and endeavouring to bring himself into touch with his new environment.

Miss Amy Murphy, of Dunedin, has been assigned by Mr J. C. Williamson the principal soprano part in his new musical comedy company. Another engagement for the same organisation is that of Reginald Kenneth, baritone, formerly of the George Edwardes companies.

Hinted that J. C. Williamson will probably secure Miss Ola Humphrey, now of the " Squaw Man " Company, for another term on the completion of her present engagement.

The "Mother Goose" pantomime shows the same drawing - power in Sydney as it did in Melbourne, and the difficulty ot satisfying the public again promises to embarrass the Williamson management in planning the work of their various companies. In the recent holiday week it was found necessary to give three matinees, and even then hundreds of country visitors sought in vain for admittance.

James Bain, the well-known vaudeville artist, and latterly manager of music halls, has filed his schedule in Tasmania.

Madame Clara Butt and her husband, Kennerly Kumford, leave Loodon for their concert tour of the colonies on the 19th July. The Albani Company was to set out on the 26th ult.

There has lately been a great run upon Irish drama in New Zealand. While the Andrew Mack Company, at Wellington, were putting on "Tom Moore," "The Way to Kenmare," "Jrck Shannon" and " ArrahnaPoyne," the Macmahons, at Christchurch, were also dipping into " Arrah," as well as " Shamus O'Brien" and " Robert Emmett," and the Holloways, in Auckland, were doing " The Colleen Bawn." Evidently, a kind of epidemic of shamrock and green.