THEATRE ROYAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4861, 28 November 1883, Page 4

THEATRE ROYAL.

" Bhb Stoops to Cohqtjeb." " Old friends, old books, old wine," says Mr Hardoastle, are tho best ; and, ho might have added to his catalogue of desirable things, "old plays— when they are really good." A century and ten years have rolled over tbe heads of some four generations since Elaygoers were first moved to laughter at the onest fun of Oliver Goldsmith's olever oomedy, and still it retains its freshness and vitality. If not abounding in the polished repartee of the cold, refined society oomedy of the present day, it is full enough of lively humour and oomioal situations to enaure it an ever hearty weloome. A weloome it secured laßt night, when one of tho bsßt houses seen at the theatre for some time paat, assembled to indulge in three hours' laughter at soenes that had tickled the risibilities of their great grandfathers. Ihe performance last night waß a fair one all round, though it was not marked in any case by groat refinement or individual grasp, on the part of those who aoted it, of the oustoms of the period to whioh the play belongs. There was rather a modern flavour perceptible all along, and it wbb the matter of the play rather than tho manner of the players whioh bespoke tho daye of George 111. Putting aside this falling short of perfection in the representation of a comedy of the old sohool, common to all who took part in that of laet evening, there was little reaßon to be very dissatisfied with the way in whioh eaoh part was filled. If a thoroughly humorous and sometimes almost boisterously mirthful ooneeptioh of the play be taken, then it was well played. Miss Pomeroy iB deoidedly more at home in tragedy than in comedy, and though her Miss Hardoastle has many points of merit, it was wanting in the delipate little touches that would have made it a real success. Neither as the lady nor the barmaid did she make the most ofthe oharaoter; and in eaoh case there was a oertain want of piquanoy in her acting, enjoyable though'it was. Miss B. Lewis oertainly made a very bustling, restless, fussy, amusing old lady, but she quite forgot to introduoe at the same time any of the prim stateliness that should characterise a lady of Oounty family in any age, but particularly in one in whioh there was more "Btaroh" in people's manners than there is at present. To aot the part of Marlowe well is as yet a little beyond Mr Elliott's powers, and though he seized the more salient points of the oharaoter, his playing, like that of Miss Lewie, lacked the ease and high-bred element whioh should also enter into it, along with his bashfulness on the one hand, and his insolenoe on the other. Mr Joyoe was cast for the part of Mr Hardcastle, and, aa usual, acquitted himself like the experienced aotor he ie. Withont rising to great exoeUenee, he was good throughout. In Tony Lumpkin, Mr Kennedy fonnd & oharaoter after his own heart, and made good use of his time, giving a pioture of that illiterate, good-natured mixture of a fox-hunting squire and spoiled ohild that delighted his audience and secured him unstinted applause and more than one "oall." Miss F. Lewis and Mr Dillon, as Miss Neville and Hastings, kept the subordinate plot going, neither of them throwing themselreß into their work with any great spirit, the latter espeoially being most unsympathetic Mr Arrowsmith played Diggory well. On the whole, the performance waß moat amusing, and hit the taste of the audience, aa was amply proved by the continuous applause and the oalls before the ourtain with which Miss Pomeroy, Mr Elliott, and the other prinoipal performers were honoured. " Antony and Cleopatra " is an* nounced for to-night.