LONDON DRAMATIC LETTER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5736, 2 December 1896, Page 4

LONDON DRAMATIC LETTER.

[From Our Correspondent.] LONDON, Sept. 25. Up to Wednesday last " Our Boys " held the palm for the longest run on record. This was 1362 performances, b\it on that night " Charley's Aunt " reached the phenomenal age of 1363 and defeated Byron's comedy. Mr Penley will now it is said give the venerable lady a rest for a period. She certainly wants it. "The Two Little Vagabonds," G. E. Sims' new play at the Princess's Theatre is an adaptation of a very popular piece at present running at the Pans Chatelot Theatre. It hinges on the adventures of two little castaways and is the " East Lynne " sort of production the populace love. The construction is ingenious. A loving wife, seeking to save her guilty sister-in-law, incurs her own husband's suspicion. Mad with jealousy he will not believe he is the father of their child, and he pays a brutal ruffian to take the poor little chap away. For seven years the wretched mother searches high and low for her boy, but all traces of him are lost. Meanwhile Mullins (the ruffian aforementioned) has been travelling from fair to fair in a caravan with two "little vagabonds " — Dick and Wally — a sort of diminutive Damon and Pythias, whom Mullins trains, the one to steal and the other to beg. Wally, a poor consumptive wastrel, is Mvillins' nephew. Dick, a bright sturdjyouth, is the gentleman's son, and poor little Wally's firm friend and protector. The boys loathe the life they are leading. They want to learn a trade. Dick's fancy is for carpentering. Poor frail little Wally would rather be a "blacksmiff." Presently there seems a chance that Dick will be restored to his parents — but alas ! he has run away. So Mullins, to secure the reward, palms off Wally upon the searchers, and the poor little wastrel is taken to the arms of his supposed mother. Presently it bein 3 ? shown that Wally, cannot be her son, she is again in despair when Dick crops up opportunely and is proved to be the real Simon Pure. This disclosure is a terrible blow to poor Wally, who had never known a mother's love and now has only known it for a week, and though the noble-hearted Dick pretends that they are really brothers the now dying lad is too 'cute to really believe it although he professes to do so. Meanwhile Dick secretly harries away on an important mission, namely to secure from Mullins and Company certain " papers " which will prove his mother's innocence and bring her and his father together again. While engaged in this quest he contrives, in an exciting scene, to rescue his father from blackmailing ruffians who have bound, gagged and wounded him. The villains, however, still pursue the fugitives and poor little Wally, in order to save his friends from the impending danger gives his life or, as he quaintly says, " what there is left of it." Amongst the earliest playgoers at the Lyceum pit door, on Tuesday, were a family party of Australians leaving for Italy the following morning. They had been unable to get seats in the reserved portions of the house, and being resolved to see " Cymbeline," arrived at 9.15 a.m., armed with books, sandwiches, and camp stools, prepared to await patiently the opening of the doors nearly twelve hours later. To their disgust they found they were by no manner of means first. The enthusiast at the head of the queue turned up soon after 7 a.m., and between then and nine twenty persons had fallen into line. I did not hear what the experiences of our colonial cousins were, or whether they thought the game worth the candle. " Cymbeline " never has been and never will be one of Shakspere's favourite pieces. Mounted and played as it is at the Lyceum one can sit through it without positive boredom, but no great degree of enthusiasm can be turned on. In my opinion the best feature of the revival is Irving's lachimo a singularly subtle and well thought out performance. The newest lachimo shows from the beginning that he means to win his wager — for the moment he may not see exactly how victory is to be gained, but he is confident of his own powers, and is content to wait for the opportunity sure to present itself. Neither voice nor facial expression betrays this, but there is a sense of command in the man that makes him a dangerous opponent whether in a trial of wits, in a game of chance, or in a struggle for life. In manner and appearance lachimo is a calm, selfpossessed gentleman, with such -perfect control of his temper that he is amused by the ebullitions of his victim Postlmmus. With rare subtlety Sir Henry Irving during lachimo's scene with Imogen, . indicates that the schemer is thoroughly aware how far he can go. His instinct is never at fault. Directly the ground becomes unstable he retires more quickly than he advanced. He sees that he cannot compass his ends by force, that Imogen is unassailable andat once relinquishing all thought of violence, resorts to craft— invariably maintaining an outward dignity that deceives the beholder. Not for him is vain display of anger, this can be left to smaller men. Intellectually he ranks among the giants. Such is the view of lachimo presented with exceptional tact, clearness and strength, by Sir Henry Irving. Not a single weak point is apparent in the impersonation. There is no striving after effects, no endeavour to lift the character out of its proper place in the story, yet all the more stx-iking ©£ its features witlx others, perhaps, that by many persons have been unsuspected — are brought out with a force and precision carrying conviction. Miss Terry's Imogen I am not so struck with. She is, as Clement Scott says," simply Ellen Terry with twenty years off her shoulders. We shall be told," he goes on, " that this is not Imogen, but it is Ellen Terry's Imogen and she holds her audience in the palm of her han \ Imogen was never played in like fashion before. The scene in which Imogen is summoned by her dear Lord to Mil ford Haven may not be Shaksperian but it is pure Ellen Terry at her very best. She bounds about the stage like a young fawn, she kisses her hand, she kisses lier dear lord's letter, she is a wilful madcap and a romp. Is this Imogen the King's daughter, the serious thoughtful Imogen of Shakspere ? Who cares ? What matters it to the audience? It is the Imogen of Ellen Terry and she has undoubtedly made a good case. It may be heresy to the old school to hear an actress interpolating asides and adding remarks and breaking in upon the text with charming gestures, but Ellen Terry does it and everyone loves her for doing it." Oct. 10. • Mrs Bernard Beere lies at her London home in a very critical condition, and but faint hopes "are held out of her recovery. In any case, it is most unlikely she will ever again, either here or in Australia, tread the boards she has often adorned so brilliantly. .Mrs Beere was never a great favourite of mine, though in certain parts she had few if any equals. I saw her first; as the heroine of "The Promise of May," on the famous occasion when Lord Queensberry rose in the stalls to protest against Tennyson's dicta concerning Atheists. Mrs Beere, however, did not really make her mark till the Bancrofts produced " Fedora "-n+ the Hayinarket, and gave her the title vole. She was, and remains, the one possible English exponent of Sardou's heroine, even Mrs Patrick Campbell failing to wipe out recollection of her performance. Mrs Beere's Mrs Sternhold, in " Still Waters Eun Deep," Peg Woffington, in "Masks and Faces," and adventuress, in " As in a Looking Glass " were also excellent characterisations. The Duke and Duchess of Connattght were at Drury Lane the other evening, and sent for Miss Hilda Spong to their box to congratulate her on her representation of the title rule in the " Duchess of Coolgardie." The Countess of Fingal has also been most complimentary, and invited the fair Australian to go and see her. During the Coleman season at Drury Lane, Mr John L. Shine will produce at a matinee, a play called "John Garth," in which he hopes to persuade the new Australian star to play the lead.