BLAND HOLT IN DUNEDIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 23, 4 October 1895, Page 20

BLAND HOLT IN DUNEDIN.

Mb Bland Holt's Company opened at the Princess Theatre on Saturday evening in ■' The Span of Life," a drama of a highly romantic and sensational character. Tbe reputation of the manager and the invariable excellence of tbe pieces produced by him bad attracted to the theatre an ovei flowing audience, many of whom were u cable to obtain admission. Those who were fortunate enough to find places were not disappointed at what had beeo provided for them, The first scene represents a garden, in Devonshire .where a gardener named Nutty Brown (Mr Bland Holt)— lately an acrobat, and destined to fill several other occupations — is engaged in attending to his horticultural duties, assisted, or impeded as the case may be, by tbe lady of his affections, in tbe person of a damsel named Shrove Tuesday (Mrs Bland Holt), a sprightly haod-maiden, in attendance on a dignified but rather doubtful mist res?, named Mrs Jelf (Miss Flora Anstead). This lady h»s two sons, a grown one named Dunstan Leecn (Mr Coßgrove) and a boy, named Cecil Jelf (Miss Brightie Smith). The elder son, a good for nothing fellow and the consistent villain of the play, poisons the younger, his step brother, a kind and pleasant child, by injecting morphia into grapes, in order that he may succeed to the boy's inheritance. The boy's tutor, Bichard Blunt (vlr Baker) also, appears in this scene and becomes tne accepted lover of Mrs Jelf's ward, an heiress named Kate Heathcote (Miss Elizabeth Watson) thereby incurring the rivalry and undying hatred of the villain. Tbe plot of the play introduces adventures and hair breadth escapes by sea and laud, a clever troupe of acrobats enlivening several of the scenes by their performance. One of the principal scenes is a lighthouse in a fog wi h a steamer in imminent risk of being wrecked. Another is that in which the heroine of the play, carrying her child, and pursued by a band of Arabs, wbom the villain leads, escapes across a living bridge. The formation of this bridge is an athletic feat of great difficulty and daring. The acrobats who perform it — three in number— stand, two of (hem, each on an other's snoulders and fall, all three, still linked together, across a chasm from rock to rock. The play terminates with a handsome interior of an English mansion where husband and wife are reunited, and the villain is sent

to hi* doe reward. The acting of the oompany is necessarily Admirable. Mr and Mn Blind Holt are too well known to need any repeated praises. As usual, Mr Bland Holt knows how to be ineffably comic— without in the slightest degree transgressing the roles of refinement, or losing the tone of the gentleman. Mrs Bland Holt continues charmingly mirthful and naive. Mr Baker brings back with him once more bin genial talent. Miss Anstead plays cleverly. Miss Watson, who, if we mistake not comes here for the first time, if sympathetic, and gracefully emotional. Mr Cosgrove plays with spirit and fine expression. The acting of little Miss Brightie Smith is extremely pretty — and the wee ftllow, her brother, is Tery engaging in his part. Tbe minor parts are all well filled. The scenery throughout is good, and often very beautiful. The electric light, which is used here for the first time, forms a vast improvement. There is a capital orchestra under the leadership of Mr Mozart Philips. Mr Holt's second production is to be the grand sporting spectacle, "Tbe Prodigal Danghter," the drama in which is impersonated the English grand national steeplechase, and which iocludes fenoe jumps and water jumps by a number of real raoers, several of which have been specially brongbt from Melbourne by Mr Holt. Other alterations to follow are " A Woman's Revenge," and " A Life of Pleasure," both of which were great succesaes on the Australian side,