THEATRE ROYAL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4906, 22 March 1894, Page 2

THEATRE ROYAL.

The Grip of Iron. Messrs Hove aid S pong hare rendered a distinct service to lwers of sensational drama by introducing to their notice the powerful five-act play by Mr Arthur Shirley, bearing the above title. Last night was the occasion of its first representation before a Ohristohuroh audience, and the success wbb marked and instantaneous. The characterisation throughout the drama iB excellent, the situations are novel and exciting without being in the slightest degree strained ; the plot is deeply interesting, and the incidents follow each other in rapid succession, and have- all a bearing upon the unravelment of a tangled web. The Grip of Iron is the story of a fl crime committed by a mysterious. aaafMMHfl the chief of a. Jferieian gang Dowt 9flHH "the stranglers." Q^hiaoriminalJe^^BßH double life — being knowfiv. as SindHH^H^H his ace inpliceß, while "H^M^^H^^H world he is Jagon, a ree S^^B^n^HH sympathetic elderly gentlemaif^H^H|^^H the occupation of lawyer's. cle?£. surprised in the very act of strangling^^| Captain Guirin and stealing his wealth, the murderer contrive 3 to escape, and by the help of Lorena de Bibaa, an accomplice, the crime is fixed upon Paul Blauchard, a tickefc-of-leave man. Fortunately, Robert de Belfort, counsel for Blanchard and affianced husband of the daughter of the murdered man, believes Blanchard's protestations of innocence, as does M. De Beaudin, o! the secret police, and with the assistance of Dodot, a detective of the old school, and Coucou, one of tha new school, the crime is ultimately fixed upon the real perpetrator, Blanchard is liberated, and Siminonet is led off io prison, after adding to his other crimes by strangling De Ribas in revenge for bis ill-treatment of Simmonet'a daughter, whom he had married. There are other complications and crimes, which, it iB unnecessary to describe} but after witnessing this most exciting drama one has no difficulty in understanding the fascination it. possesses for London audiences, who may recognise in Simmonet the st t angler a resemblance to that mysterious criminal in real life known as " Jack the Ripper." The drama was last night staged and acted in a manner deserving of high, praise. Mr Spong'a sceneiy provided a worthy Betting to the piece — the representation of Captain Guirin's house and garden, with mechanical effect showing a change from the exterior to the interior of the room where the tragedy is enacted, being specially good. Mr Walter Howe impersonated Jagon, alias Simmonet, with masterly realism and force. It is a highly complex character, for, in addition to being a merciless criminal, a sympathetic gentleman, and a cool, calculating villain, Simmonet has a strong human affection for his only daughter; but in his delineation of all these phases of real and simulated character Mr Howe had evidently a consistent conception of a true personality. It was a triumph of histrionic art aa genuine as it is rare. The part of Marie Guirin, in the hands of Miss Hilda Spong, was acted with a beautiful simplicity and naturalness that could hardly be excelled. Dodot and Coucou, the detectives, personated by Mr Charles Fabart and Mr Soott Inglis respectively, supplied a good deal of interest and amusement combined. Each, has hia " theory " and each has his "method," the development of which is deoidedly rough on the oldschool detective, who is as much the bntfc of the audience, as he is of the convicts. Mr Cecil Owen wa3 sufficiently cool and composed as De Bibas, the gentlemanly accomplice of the stranglerj Mr Greenaway did well in the character of the rising young advocate 5 and Mr Cathcarfc showed considerable power as the oonvict Paul Blanchard. In the part of Sophie Blanchard, Miss Flora, Anstead acted mo3t ably, while the remaining characters were creditably filled by other members of the company. Of the minor parts that of Loustalot " the smiler," entrusted to Mr Seagrave, had most outstanding merit. Taken ac a whole, this drama is one that is well suited to show the company's powers to advantage. The scene depicting the revolt on the convict ship, with explosion of the powder magazine, is highly effective, and the tragic d&tptlroent of the play is robbed of half its horror by the dramatic completeness of the poetic justice meted out all round. The Grip of Iron is to be repeated this evening only, and from the hearty and frequent marks of approval that greeted it last night we should anticipate another large audience. In the course of the evening results of the local option polling in Lyttelton electorate were announced from the stage, and were received with some applauße.