"LURED TO LONDON."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 485, 19 April 1909, Page 6

"LURED TO LONDON."

THE EDWIN CEACH DRAMATIC CO. . ■ "Lured to London," a melodrama in four acts, by Edward. Thane. Cast:— ; ; Kov. Leslio .Carrington Mr. Robert Jnman . ' GeofFroy Carrington Mr. Kennoth Hunter Jako Gamllo " -Mr. J. P. O'Neill .- I\C. Christopher Coppard Mr. Tliomns ■ ' . ■ Curran ■Abo Sterling. ' '■"'.v ;,,, 'Mr. Albert Lucas ' - Squire Carrington '■' Mr. Harry Ni rman A. C. Stuart, Esq. ...-Mr. Stanley Kobinson 'Lily Sterling ' " Miss Maud Applcton ' Constance Stuart " '. Miss Leal I)ouglas ■ Kosannah Lovejoy. , v.. Miss Pattio Guirlay Martha '■ ■, - ' , Miss Bronda Bnrt. ~ Natty, , ' '-■ " '" , Miss Ethel Backley : .

■■■ Melodrama .hW , its'.being in distinct types. Regular playgoorsareusually able to. classify them ton minutes : or so after the curtain rises,and can foretell the end without any effort or play upon the imagination. Most peoplo know tho,military melodrama, with bright uniforms and masses of clanking soldiers, who march round and round the. back cloth to convey the idea of a, division being dispatched to tho war. Accompanying this is the pathetic leave-taking of tho soldier horo with the girl of bis heart, with the cigarettesmoking villain smiling sardonically in tho background. Ono always knows that the hero will return covered with medals in time to foil tho .pestiferous plots of the bad man. Thero is a typo of Irish drama that would be ridiculous without an eviction and a blackhearted squire, who is about to do his worst, when the long-absent son returns from America, always with a bag of gold, which he throws at the scowling agent (without counting to seo if it is the correct amount), with—''There,' take you're' dhirty money, and clear out I" The naval melodrama only, differs from the military in its colour scheme, whilst often lending an excuse for a sensational wreck or, fire at sea. Of late years the melodrama of. tho "Wild West has come across the Pacific to entertain with its fresh breeziness_ and rough' character play. But most familiar of all is tho melodrama of London, in which the sweet young girl in the country is induced to leave her rose-embcllishcd cot nt the instance of an excellently-tailored bad man, and suffers' various vicissitudes until rescued somehow or other by the hero. This is the most familiar type of melodrama,, and is the basis of ri Lured to London" presented by the Edwin Ge'ach Dramatic Co. at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening. Though barren of any new' idea, tho play was well mounted and adequately acted, and thero was a disposition on tho part of tho audienco to enthuse at crucial moments. Briefly, the story is ono of tho saint and tho sinner, Geoffrey and tho Rev. Leslio Carrington, sons of Squire Carrington; Gooffrey, a loose person, has been ordered from his home, and when about to leave for London he indnoes,Lilian, tho. daughter of Abo Stirling, the village blacksmith, to go with him. Bearing a deep enmity towards lu's brother, who is also leaving the village to take up mission work in tho slums, ho accuses him of being the one who has betrayed the blacksmith's daughter, but thero is a bright little vagrant uamed Natty (who is a .sort of Oliver Twist to a Bill Sykesian character called Jake Gamble), who knows the truth, and who turns up at opportune momenta to bowl out villainy, middle stump. It is Natty who is. egged on by Jake to steal Squire Carrington's cashbox, which deed, is heaped on Geoffrey's shoulders. It is in denying this that ho accuses Leslie of betraying Lilian, the shock of> which kills the Squire. As the will in Leslie's favour has been stolen with the cash-box, Geoffrey, the older (who had been disinherited) drops in 'for the estates, and Leslie, deprived of his cloth by, tho Church for his alleged offence, wanders round in a muffler, waiting for something to turn up. This comes along in an attempt by Geoffrey to murder Abe Stirling, who is searching for his lost Lilian. Hβ finds her, but gets a rap over the head, and is; tossed into Regent's Park Canal (of real water) to drown, but help arrives just in time in the appearaneo on the scene of Natty and Leslie. Finally, Geoffrey's end is brought about when he attempts to rid himself of Lilian by blowing up Jake Gamble's barge, on which she is held a halfcrazed prisoner..., The red fire is ascending to the canvas heavens, when Leslie dashes on, board and rescues the gW\ as the police, take Geoffrey into custody. The representation of. the play calls for a good deal of lively action and. conventional characterisation, which the company was quite capable of supplying. : Mr. Robert Inman made Leslie Carrington a quietly effective .yet bright and robust young man of prepossessing presence, but be-, yond the ordinary heroics essential to. the part no particular call was made on his art. Miss Ethel Buckley played Natty to the life, making him a slangy, ' vivacious, merrytongued lad with a bright sense of humour. Her sallies against the villain and tho local policemen were received with shrieks of laughter, and_ she gavo a glimpse of her emotional powers in the garret scene with tho brutal Jake. Mr. Kenneth Hunter was almost too quiet, too polished, to bo credited with Geoffrey's crude crimes, but was effective'without being deeply convincing. Mr. Albert Lucas showed patches of his old elocutionary strength as Abe Stirling, but a drop to a more conversational style would make tho blacksmith a more'human entity. Ho took hie ducking in the canal with all the unction of an experienced surf-bather. Miss Maud Appleton appeared .to advantage as Lilian, and Miss- Lear Douglas looked well, - but lacked animation as Constance, the beloved of Leslie. Mr. Harry Norman died- violently and well as Squire Carrington; and Mr. Stanley Robinson would bo quite good as Constance's father if he would drop fussiness in manner and speech for tho reserve 'and dignity of a man of brains,' as money-making llr. Stuart must be. Mr. J. P. O'Neill as Jake Gamble submits, a repulsive sketch, relieved hero and there by a stodgy humour. It was ono of tho best played parts in the piny. Tho comedy leans heavily on Constable Coppard (Mr. Thos. Cumin) and his inamorata Rossanah' Lovejny (Miss Pattio Gourlay). Tlipso are comedy types, traces of which (with jokes attached) "were discovered on tablets' in. the ruined city of Nineveh on the banks of tho Tigris, B.C. , "Lured to London" will be played until further notice. . . ' . :'