THE BOUCICAULT COMPANY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20168, 9 June 1928, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE BOUCICAULT COMPANY

A CRITIC’S IMPRESSIONS The long Sydney season of Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Boucicault. was drawing to a close, writes a contemporary critic, who has just returned from a visit to Sydney. They had appeared in “Caroline,” “All the King's Horses,” “The Letter,” and “The High Road,” and were doing a revival of Pinero’s “The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith.” One felt that “The Notorious Mrs Ebbsmith” should have been played in the costumes of the Victorian period, for in the. modern settings the long speeches sounded old-fashioned, ami one felt, too, that in these days of tolerance hardly as much fuss would be made of a living “in sin”! Here was the cast:— Agnes Irene Vanbrugh

Lucas Cleeve J. B. Rowe Sybil Cleeve .... Prudence Vanbrugh Sir Sandford Cleeve . . Ronald Ward Duke of St. Olpherts Dion Boucicault Gertrude Thorpe .... Gwynne Whitby Rev. A. Winterfield, Norman McKinnel Sir George Brodrick .. G. Kay Souper Dr. Kirke Reginald Wykeham

Fortune Hugh Williams Antonio Poppi Albert Turner Nella. I >e ggy Willoughby Hephzibah Annie Saker

What an artist Irene Yanbrugh is! Such restraint, such a realisation of values, such wonderful naturalness in speech and movement. J delighted in her work. The other outstanding player in the company is J. B. Rowe, whose work I have always admired. He was last in New’ Zealand with “The Best People.” Prudence Vanbrugh, Irene Vanbrugh’s niece, who is unusually tall, is very “patchy” in her work—part of it good, part poor. The. company has just finished the Sydney season with a revival of “Belinda.” and will come to New Zealand before very long.