A NEW ZEALAND DRAMATIST.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1411, 22 December 1884, Page 2

A NEW ZEALAND DRAMATIST.

The Home Sews gives the following critique of a drama by Mr Geo. Darrell, produced recently in the Grand Theatre,

London : A thoroughly representative drama from Australia has just been introduced at this house. Mr George Darrell, who appeared in the piece as “Australia’s representative actor,” is the reputed author of a number of stirring pieces which have found acceptance in the chief colonial cities, and he claims to represent in his dramas startling realities gathered from an ad enturous personal experience. If we may judge Australian drama from “The Sunny South,” we must credit it with a good deal of old-fashioned blood and murder sensationalism—even with an excess of pistoling, a profligacy of gunpowder, and hand to hand combats, such as the old Coburg actors of old never dreamed of in their most exciteahle moments. There is a strong family likeness between the old American drama and Mfc Darrell’s thrilling scenes with the buahraugers in Australia; the only point of difference is that Mr Darrell occasionally breaks away from artificial sensationalism to give us charming little snatches of comedy which encourage us to hope that he can do better things than blaze away eternally with six-shooters. The first act of this drama promised a thoroughly interesting story, told in dialogue which was above the average of melodrama, and early in the piece there was a touching little love scene, graceful and natural in its simp'e pathos, but these pleasing proofs of power were swamped by claptrap fights for life, and a final jumble of railway engines, straggling men and women, banging of firearms, red fire and smoke. The story of the piece embraces events in both England and Australia, opening in the former clime at the ancestral home of the family of the Chesters, represented by one Worthy Chester. This gentleman, having bean unfortunate in some speculations, has mortgaged his estate to a money-lender named Eli Grup, and the latter threatens to foreclose and ruin him, unless he consents to give him his daughter Clarice Chester, in marriage. At the point where Chester refuses, and Grup is about to put his threat into execution, there appears upon the scene a returned gold-digger from Australia, who claims the Chester estate as a lost heir, long supposed to be deid, and in default of whose appearance Worthy Chester had held it Matt Motley—or Motley Chester, as the claimant styles himself—is confronted with Grup, who refuses to recognise his claim, relying upon his wealth to defeat it; but at this juncture Motley receives a telegram from Australia announcing that his partner in a “claim” at the diggings has discovered a rich vein of gold. He deter- i mines to return with his adopted daughter 1 “ Babs” Berkeley, in order tfut he may 1 come back with means to fight for his l rights. The scene is then transferred to Australia, where, during'the celebration of • the Queen’s birt hdayat the diggings Morley’a ‘ mate finds a great nugget worth L7OO. 1 The find tempts the cupidity of Dick 1 Duggan, a notorious bushranger, who, 1 with his accomplices, attack) the bank in < which the nugget is placed, but Morley I and his friends arrive in the nick of time, i overpower the bushrangers and secure t them. Morley is then about to return to J England when Duggan escapes from gaol, > and plots with one Pounce, an agent sent 1 from England by Grup to prevent Morley I from leaving the Antipodes. Duggan 8 agrees to murder Morley, and goes to his a hut at night for that purpose, but finding t it tenanted only by Babs Berkeley, to h whom ha had formerly fruitlessly made a love, forcibly abducts her, carrying her off h to the retreat of his gang, Morley, with E a body of troopers, goes to the rescue, and after a struggle, in which Duggan escapes, recovers Babs. There are two h love interests running through the piece, a * which culminate at this stage in the mar- *d r age of Clarice Chester with her cousin O Ivo—who have followed the fortunes of g* Morley at the diggings—and the union of in Morley with Babs. The happy couples resolve to make for England, but Duggan, hi this time backed by Grup himself, who H has arrived in Austra'ia, makes a final Bi attempt to frustrate their purpose by pulling up the rails of a line oh which they A! .vill travel down a locality called the Zig:ig, but the plot is anticipated. The train s stopped in time, a flght ensues, which h 0 s ended by the arrival of qoldieca, and the ;apture of Duggan, Grup, and their folowers. The villany of Grup is exposed in the confession of his accomplice 'ounce, and Morley Chester’s identity 0 < ieing established, nothing remains fur iim but to secure the estate and be

happy. After speaking of the acting, the critique concludes—" As the audiences at the Grand are not very critical, so long as their dramatic fare is served up hot and strong, it is not surprising that the drama was received with loud plaudits, and that ifter each act the players ware accorded (jearty calls. Mr Darrell was especially iavored in this respect, and he may rest latistied that if he has not proved that Vustraliah draraa is at present of a very iQnsistent, probable, and artistic quality, t is at least tolerable to a popular English .udjence. 11