HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 938, 27 February 1908, Page 16

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

MR FLEMMING’S NEW ENGLISH COMPANY. “THE RED LAMP.” On Saturday, Mr Herbert Flemming’s new English Company produced “ The Red Lamp ■” at His. Majesty’s Theatre. This is a drama in four acts, by W. Outram Tristram, and dea s with the efforts of the Russian police to repress the Nihilists. General Morakoff. his wife Princess Claudia, and Paul Demetrius, chief of the Russian police, are waging imp’acable war against the Nihilists. The Princess learns, however, that her idolised brother. Prince Alexis is the chief of the very band , she is seeking to destroy. To save him she places a red lamp in a window of the Malakoff Palace when any police raids are contemplated and. thus warns the conspirators. These latter are mining a street with a view to b'owing up the Czar as his carriage passes over it. Demetrius detects the red lamp signal and causes its removal and comes very near to discovering the whole plot. Knowing at the last that her husband, who is to accompany the Czar, wi’l also be killed, the Princess sends a friend to stop the Czar which he accomplishes just in time. In the meantime Ivan Zazzu’ic, one of the chief conspirators, attempts to betray the plot, and when Alexis learns this, stabs the prince, only to be shot a moment later by Kertch. a Nihilist servant, the p’ay concluding with a very strong dramatic situation, the death of Alexis. Mr Flemming took the ro’e of Demetrius and makes him a b=nevo'ent ’ooking o’d gentleman, who with apparently no other hobby than flowers, is in reality the skPled po’ice officer ever on the' watch for a clue. Whether this was quite the conception of the role it is hard to say, but Mr F’emming made a fire study of it particu’arly emphasising the two-faced character of the police agent. Miss Beatrice Day gave a particularly clever rendering of the difficult role of the Princess Claudia rising to great height in her fierce denunciation of Zazzu’ic in the scene at the House of the Mine. Mr. A. S. Homewood had no: much opportunity as Prince Alexis, but made the very utmost of his one great chance in the third act. Mr A. MallaHeu well su'ted the role of Aden Vi liers, the Americancorrespondent, his somewhat jerky style being in keeping with the part. Although no time is given for action of the play, yet as all the charatcers wear most up-to-date costumes one must assume it ls , tbe present day. Surely, therefore, Vi’liers was in error when he said that he had seen the streets of Paris run Wood at the time of the Commune. Miss Elsie Clarens looked pretty as Olga Marakoff, but evidenfy had not got used to the acoustic properties of the theatre, as she was again frequently inaudible whPe a little more emotion when the trouble was at its height would have been an improvement. Miss Guildford-Quin did wel 1 in the part of ETse, a maid in the pay of the po’ice. 'Mr. Winter Hall looked soldierlv as General Marakoff. Mr. H. W. Varna was exceHent as the Nihlist Zazzulic, and the other characters were we 1 ! taken.

The stage setting was admirable. wh : le the dressing of the piece left nothing to be desired, some of the costumes, notably those of Miss Day being simply superb. Owing to the shortness of the season the piece on’y ran for four nights. This (Thursday) evening will see the production of ‘‘Peter’s Mother,” a charming piece which has been played by command before the King and Queen Alexandra at Sandringham. This will only be staged for two nights.

On Saturday and two following nights “Olivia” wi] 1 go up. This is an adaptation by W. G. Wills of th? “Vicar of Wakefie’d.” It was Irving’s favourite play, and is said to show Mr. Flemming at his very best. Next Wednesday will be seen for the first time out of Eng’and “The Mora’s of Marcus,” which caused such' a sensation in the Old Country .