"QUEEN OF THE NIGHT."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 527, 7 June 1909, Page 6

"QUEEN OF THE NIGHT."

' "Queen of the Night," a. melodrama in foui acts, by. IV Thorpe Tracy and Ivan Berlin. Cast:- :••■.■,■ •..-'•. Ralph Foathcrstone ...~... Mr. George Cross Philip Stoneleigh: ..!.. Mr. Wilton Power Adolphus'Briskott Mr. Wilton Welsh Old Briskett Mr: E. Ellison David Pentreath ..-._ Mr. John Hesford Jaok Trent Mr, P. Lawrence Charlie Feathorstone .. Master Donald Cameron Paulina ...!..... Miss Ada • Guildfoid Maud Sylvostor ............... Miss Rosemary Eces Mary Pentreath Miss Beatrice Usher Kitty .White Miss Maud Chetwjnd Mrs: Adelaide Briskett ...... Miss. May Hesford

From "A Message from liars" to "Queen ol tho Night" is a'big jump in histrionics, yet it was accomplished .by ; the -Allan Hamilton Dramatio Company .on Saturday without the displacement of a.hair. "Queen of thotNight" is not the ordinary type of melodrama that may, so .to\ speak, be fed out of the hand. It is a veritable melodramatio orgy, packed as full of .sensation as an egg is of meat. It is redolent of debauchery,and crudely-arranged foul deeds; of jeering "Ha, Ha's," and threats of "Revenge—a!" of railway tragedies, shipwrecks, and ot.hor adventures'by flood and field. Nothing is done, by halves. The villain/is at work the whole, time the villainess is resting, and just as tho former tiring, the scarlet fomalo returns to the charge, filling the welkin with cries of woe. Events happen so thick and fast between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. that oven the aotors appeared to tiro with, the relentless satiety .of it nil. The action is at high tension all through—thero is no light and if the players did not keep right up to pitch througb,Q.ut the blame rests with thoso whose fevered, imaginings have been marshalled in' "Queen -of ;• the Night." Ralph Featherstone • has married-'a gay, glittering creature! who is spending his money like water, and whose neglect' brings about the death of his child. Paulina—a prototype of "The Worst Woman in London"—is only an ' adventuress, and'is. not really Ralph's wife, for, lurking, in the shadow is her real husband, Philip Stoneloigh, a very pretty scoundrel, : whose, silence. Paulina buys with Ralph's gold. At tho death of the child, Ralph shakes himself free of the woman, and as-.he goes to London to alter his will against the interests of Paulina, the 1 latter persuades Stoneleigh, for their 'mutual gain,, to ■ -nvurdor him in the train. The attempt is made, but is frustrated by the comio man, whose silly old father heard of the plot. Twelve years elapse, During that time Ralph has.heard of Paulina e death, and has married his devoted ward; Maude Sylvester. ' Stoneleigh kills Paulina s father, who has heard the correct : version of the attempted murder in the train. Following fast upon this is a shipwreck. No hero could miss this chance of. establishing his position in the drama, so Ralph dives in_and pulls to the,shore a woman—Paulina 1 This is awkward. Pauline soon pulls round, and loses no time in making everybody supremely unhappy. Incidentally, she attempts to murder Ralph's wife by felling a tree oyer her unconscious form, Finally, Stoneleigh is apprehended for murder. ' Before departing, he, quite consistently, stabs Paulina, who, in dying, oleaTs the air by stating that Stonoleigh was her correct and only' husband in law. ' The company is quite capable of doing, work of a higher artistic Quality than is demanded in "Queen of the Night, and its member were as convincing in their parts as the authors would permit. Mr. Geo.. Cross made a nice-looking, liappily-habilimented hero, of Ralph Featherstone, and showed commendable fire in the scone where ho denounces Queen Paulina before her motley guests. Later, his whitened hair induced an air of boredom, and the bald heroics he is called on to declaim became rather flat. He was tired, but always interesting. Miss Ada Guilford should neTer desert the role of ' the sweet' heroine. Her manner is too refined, her voice too sweet and low for such a beauty as Paulina. She frocked the part alluringly, and was in the picture, but lacked force and fire. Mr. Wilton Power rasped his. way through the linos of Stoneleigh, after the manner of the .villains of melodrama, and earned • right well the hearty execrations of the'gallery. As ,Maud Sylves-' tcr. Miss Rosemary Sees acted with grace and refinement. Mira Beatrice. Usher made Mary Pontreath a nicely-spoken girl of 6omo taste, and Miss Maud Chetwynd supplied a dash of vaudeville as Kitty White (with songs and dances). Miss May Hesford was Mrs. Briskott, and Mr. Ellison played Briskett, the bibulous old gentleman, who _ is always, round when a dark deed needs a witness. Mr. Wilton Welsh infused plenty of life into his love and fun-mnking as.Atlolphus Briekett. Master Donald Cameron was quite at home as .little Charlie Featherstone, and Mr. F. Lawrence was well enough suited as Jack Trent. Mr. Whaito's 6cenery is. excellent. A particularly fine bit of work is the conservatory scene, with its maze of lattice and trellis-work, complete in artistic detail. ' • "Queen of the. Night" will be played up till Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday "The King of Crime" will be played, and on Saturday the season will close with a revival of "A Message from Mars." '