PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 498, 15 August 1871, Page 2

PRINCE OF WALES THEATRE.

The legitimate edition of Dion Boucicault's " Formosa" was produced at the above theatre last night to a crowded audience. Like most of this prolific author's later productions, there has been more attention paid to startling situations and varied incident than to any elaboration of plot or apparent continuity of purpose. Owing to this the interest of the piece is sustained by a succession of distinct ideas requiring very little exercise of reflective capacity on the part of the spectator. This may account for the extreme and almost universal popularity of Boucicault's productions. Whatever their literary merit may be, thov evidently suit the popular taste of the times. We have rarely witnessed such enthusiasm in a theatre as the spectators exhibited last night at the conclusion of the piece, albeit, the long waits between the acts were the subjects of dissatisfied comment. Each character possesses an individuality, they are all well balanced and were rendered full justice to by the members of the company, Miss Colville sustained the part of Formosa, an erring daughter of the humbler class, with a pathos and intensity of passion, which met with full recognition- at the hands of [ tho audience. Mrs. Walter Hill (her first appearance, and who was greeted with I continuous applause) played .Nelly with f the unaffected grace and womanly > appreciation which are the characteristics ■ of this lady's acting. Mrs. Ryan's Mrs. Boker was a vigorous and thorough j rendering of the author's character, whilst Mrs. Jones and Miss Raymond sustained somewhat subordinate characters for their I abilities in a conscientious and genial style. Major Jorum, by Mr. Hoskins, is 3 one of those characters exactly suited for r this gentleman's speciality, and anyone . seeing his light, vivacious, and finished t performance of the part, is not likely to ■ forget it in a hurry; it is in fact one of those impersonations which the playgoing i adolescence of the present day is likely to remember in old age and babble of as 5 unapproachable in the degeneracy of the ' times. Mr. Jones was particularly good '' as Tom Burroughs, and contributed in no ' small degree to the success of the piece ; j so also were Mr. Byaa, as a returned convict with a fancy for. dog stealj ing, and Mr. Hydes, as a retired . prize-fighter and proprietor of a"pub" I on the picturesque banks of the Thames. .. Mr. Clinton was excessively good in the . part of Dr. Dorremus, and in tho boat > race scene elicited a tumultuous encore I for his capital delineation of Mr. Bones. • The subordinate parts were well filled, • and the entire piece a most complete » success.The scenery, by Mr. Frank Varlay, : was truly beautiful, and has not been * surpassed by anything we have seen in * the colonies. The piece will be repeated this evening, and those who har^ Js-is^ii _' objections to its. production on the score , of morality have only to witness it to be ', completely disabused of that impression.