HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 953, 11 June 1908, Page 16

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE.

“HER LOVE AGAINST THE WORLD.”

On Monday evening the Meynell and Gunn Company commenced a season at His Majesty’s Theatre. The organisation is a very strong one, including in its ranks that very popu’ar actor, Mr. Harcourt Beatty, Mr. Gaston Mervale (whose great success in “Leah Kleschna” is well remembered), Messrs. Norman McKeown, E. B. Russell and Tom Cannam, as wel’ as the English actress, Miss Madge McIntosh. and Miss Hi’da Meade. The opening production was “ Her Love Against the Wor’d,” a dramatic story of the war between Ravensburg and Saxonia. This is from the pen of Walter Howard, author of “ The Midnight Wedding.” The p’ot deals with one Eric, Earl of Strathmere, who, owing to financial embarrassment, enlists in the army of Ulric of Ravensburg. The latter ru’er is anxious to marry Princess Iris of Idalia, but, unfortunately for him, Eric wins the lady’s love by saving her life. Not unnaturally the Prince endeavours to get rid of Strathmere, and his efforts in this direction and how they are thwarted form the basis of the story. Ultimately Eric escapes to the Saxonian army, which is on the verge of surrender, and persuades its eader, Prince Maurice, to fight to the last, in the meantime undertaking to deliver Ulric of Ravensburg into their hands. This he accomplishes, and then kills Ulric in a duel, and al 1 ends happily, with Eric, Iris and Eric’s brother Nello united and ready to sail for England. The play is really melodrama pure and simple, fu 1 of happenings of the most wildly improbable nature. At the same time the story is particularly interesting, and one follows the fortunes of the hero with absorbed attention. By far the strongest scene in the play is the c’osing one in the second act. where Strathmere escapes from prison to warn Princess Iris, is captured by Ulric’s soldiers, and sentenced to be shot unless the lady will save him by marrying Ulric. When the death sentence is apparently carried out and all seems to be over, the officer of the guard burst in with the intelligence that the firing party had mutinied and discharged their rifles in the air. Here the house broke into a storm of cheering, the curtain having to be raised again and again. Mr. Harcourt Beatty, of course, essayed the role of the Earl of Strathmere, and played it splendidly. The hero of melodrama always seems to have to do the most absurd things, doubtless with a view of getting himself into further trouble, so that he may get out of it again. Strathmere’s weakness seems to be that of striking his superior officer, who happens to be a Prince. As desertion during war time is also i ncluded, while, at the end he fights a duel with and kills a prisoner, a proceeding entirely at variance with military custom, it will be seen that Mr. Beatty bad plenty to do to keep the sympathies of the audience with him. That he completely succeeded speaks much for the power of his acting. Essentially he made Eric “ a man,” and, after all, it is the manly hero who is wanted.

Miss Madge Mclntosh comes to us with a great reputation as an emotional actress, but she had very little scope to show her ability in that direction, the scene above mentioned being the only one where one got a glimpse of what she could do if given a real chance. She was hardly dignified enough in the role of the princess, but, withal, acted naturally, while her dresses were sufficient to make the women in the audience turn green with envy. Mr. Gaston Mervale was particularly good as Ulric, giving a fine reading of the part of the unprincipled ruler of Ravensburg. He is entitled to warm praise for consistently good work, more especially as he had, in addition, the onerous cares of stage management on his hands. Miss Lizette Parkes was very successful as Nello; Mr. Norman Me-

Keown was a rather stiff and occasionally inaudible Prince Othmor; Mr. Boyd Irwin was quite satisfactory as Maurice; Mr. E. B. Russell made a nortly fire-eating General Gessler; Miss Hilda Meade looked charming as Shulah, showing much dramatic ability, and the other members of the company well filled the roles allotted them.

The general excellence of the play was, however, to a certain extent marred by the so-called comedy. Whether the author is to be entirely b'amed for this or whether Messrs. Tom Cannam and Colin Campbell are responsible is not quite apparent, but what does duty for comedy would be more suited to a pantomime, and the effect of this burlesque is incongruous in the extreme. It should be revised, or, better still, deleted altogether. The scenery was decidedly good and the costumes strikingly handsome, the mounting leaving nothing whatever to be desired. A very large and enthusiastic house greeted the opening night, and business has been good ever since.