Playreaders Entertain With Amusing Comedy

Chronicle (Levin), 15 April 1948, Page 4

Playreaders Entertain With Amusing Comedy

"-A Somerset Maugham's • brilliant comedy, "The Circie" was the play' chosen by the Levin Playreaders When. they continued their new seasoh in the Horowhenua Coilege assembly hall last night. A typical Maugham situation develops early iri the story, which is se't in the count-ry home of Arnold Champion-Cheney (Mr. F. Baumber) , a socially-conscious p.olitician who allows his passion for suceess and, ardent to the stage of boring, love for interior decorating and period furnitute, to blind him to the desires of his attractive wife, Elizabeth (Mrs; A. Haiey).^ Tired of the routihe of the soc'ial world and the coldriess 'of her husband, she quiekly falls for the attentions of -romantic adventurer guest in the house, Teddy Luton (Mr. A. Hercus) . With plans of an elopement with Luton in her mind, Elizabeth, unbeknown to her husband, resurrects an old family scandal by inviting Lady Kitty ChampionCheney (Mrs. G. Wilkinson) Arnold's mother, .to the house for a few days. Lady Kitty early in her ■married life had shocked London society by eloping with her husband's best" friend Lord^ Porteous (Mr. G. Sorenson) leaving him a shattered political career and the infant son, Arnold. On hearing of his wife's action a few minutes before .the afrival of his mother, Arnold is a little. perturbed, particularly when she further informs, him that Lady Champion-Chen'ey's lover has also been invited. The position is further complicated by the unexpected arrival from the Continent of Arnold's f ather, . Clive ChampionCheney (Mr. H.. Baumber) . Some amusing scenes follo'w the unwilling reunion. Lady ChampionCheney's futile attempts to cling to her lost youth during the years between, and her struggle . to brave the contemptuous stares of her past friends, has left het a pathetic figure. Her previous gay, debonair "future Prime Minister" lover, now a " portly, rheumatism-stricken, irritable, middle^aged man, forever conscious of his ill-fitting false teeth, is coristantly the target for subtle by-play from the injured husband, Clive; who, handsome in his easy-going, play-boyish old age, makes no pretence of his enjoyment of the embarrassing situation. Despite the ever present moral of what happeris to those who fall by the wayside, Elizabeth still clings to her plan of repeating the family history, goaded on by the passionate approaches of young Teddy and his glowing forecast of their future life together. In spite of all they had gone through, and their oCcasional bursts of contempt for each other, the original elopers, when told of the plans of the younger lovers, admit that despite all their trials, tribulations and lost careers they were really still very much in love and did not r.egret their action. Meanwhie, Arnold has been told of his wife's plans and guesfS love making, -and after a dramatic scene in which he banishes the lover, Teddy, from the shadow of the family doorway, he switches to the romantic, and recriminates himself for his treatment of his wife, finally removing all obstacles in her path toward's a legal divorce, even to the extent of oifering her an allowarice of £2000 a year. This places Elizabeth in an embarrassing position and she, woman-like/ begins to pity him and decides against an elopement. HoWever, the timely 'arrival of" Teddy, and moral support from Lady Cham-pion-Cheney and her lover, forces the issue and they make a dramatic exit in the car of Lord Porteus. The scene closes with the entry

mto the family drawing-room of the ■ original husband of Lady Champion-Cheney, who conflde's that he has "fixed" the proposed elopement by suggesting to his Sori the subtle 'plan of alloWing- the divorce. His" triumph is- due to be short-lived, however, for, as he is speaking, the car carrying the two ■elopers can be heard retredting down the drive. Produced by Mr. A. A. Savell, the play, which is in thjee acts, was a creditable performance. There was little delay between the acfe, and the stage setting was well arrang- ! ed with furnishings loaned by j Kingsways, Ltd. The 'actors Were all well briefed in their parts and I the whole performance was carried off without a hitch. A strong point in their favour was their deportment on the stage and the fact that there was just the right amount of movement. Some more attention, could, however, have been given to the placing of the actors during an early scene, when Lady ChampionChSney and Lord Porteous were bemg introduced to Teddy Lnton by Elizabeth. Here it wa's necessary for Lord Porteous to cross directly in front of the hostess to shake hands with Teddy, so that- for a. few minutes she was hidden from" ^ sight. Though their appearances were brief, the maid (Mrs L. Hunt) and a guest, Mrs. Shenstone (Mrs. J. Black), Were most commenclable in their parts. Considering that the seript was rehearsed Only three times before presentation, all the participants carried out their parts in a laudable manrier.