"MARIA MARTEN"

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 125, 29 May 1942, Page 2

"MARIA MARTEN"

A.It.T. SUCCESS Presented not to wring tears, but to amuse, as a satire on the melodramas so popular in the 'nineties, "Maria Marten," or •'Murder in the Red Bar," delighted a large audience in St. Andrew's Hall, Symonds Street. It was the Auckland Repertory Theatre's first production of the season, and judging by its initial success, should prove highly popular again to-night. Entering into the spirit of the thing, the audience clapped the innocent maiden and booed and hissed the dastardly villain who betrayed her. It was all done in good fun. and it seemed strange to think that audiences once took these melodramas seriously. The actress who played the part of Maria won the audience's heart with her lilting voice and tripping step, and she showed a real pathos in the later scenes. The villainous Mr. Corder was played In fine style, and an old gipsy, matching him in crafty planning, also delivered his lines with a real sense of drama. Two rustic comedians provided loutish clowning, and the parts of the "heavy father" and the mother were also well taken. Numerous players, amusingly billed as "utility ladles and auxiliary gents," lent village colour. The scenery was strikingly simple and music was used with telling effect.