"MISS HOOK OF HOLLAND."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 545, 28 June 1909, Page 8

"MISS HOOK OF HOLLAND."

MEYNEUL-CUNN COMPANY. "Mias Hook of Holland," a mnsical comf edy m two acts, by Paul A Rubons. Cast: Mr. Hook. ..- » Edwin Brett. Captain Adrian Paap .. . . -Phil Carlton. i Lieutenant' de Coop - . .Lionel "Wnlehe. Bandmastor Van Vuyt... Harold Thorloy Ludwig Sclinapps .... Tom Payne .Au Old Policeman .. Reg Markham. i Van Ed. _ T Moms. Simon Slinks William Cromwoll. .. Grotohen Helena Rose. Mina (iVlaid to tho Hooks) "> Emmolmo Orford, Sally (lies Hook of Holland) Ruth Lincoln Meynoll and Gunn's 'Musical Comody Company—tho first of its kind sent to New Zealand by that management—-made a succcss- , ful debut before a crowded on Saturday ovening, when thoy introduced tho clean, pleasantly-flavoured musical comedy * "Miss Hook of Holland,-" which is credited with long runs in tho" big contres of tho I world. The comody is from tho industrious , fancy of Paul A Eubons, who was responsible for "Lady Madcap," "Three Little Maids," "The 1 Dairymaids," and half a dozen other musical comedies of more or less merit , In this caso Mr, Rubens is responsible for tho music, lyrics, and, with Mr Austin Hurgon, tho book, so that one 1 say it is "a genmno Rubens " Intrinsically, "■ / '' "Miss Hook of Holland", cannot bo said to i, bo any better or worse than the'othe,r playe ' \ , mentioned, for Mr, Rubens' music, though ' bright, catchy,' and often melodious, nevor ' protends to soir abovo simply-written, easilylearned musical comody music Possibly ho recognises that it would be folly to throw / "good'stuff" into plays that-aro ostensibly t written for a particular class, and similarly ' It might l bo ,inchscrect to indulge in melodic subtleties with the knowledge that much of i (ho success of such plays depends upon tho I capacity of the players to bo entrusted with them So Paul Rubens wntes musical comedy for tho million at tho rate of about ono a year, and knows not failure These remarks aro applied only to the musical sido of his work Prom another aspect ho, as entitled i to much credit, as in "Miss Hook of Holland" tho consummation "of his bright imagination is altogethor a happy one. Ho has peoped into a quiet little Dutch town by a 'i-'Bleepy canal, and has obtained a redundancy of character and a ( wealth of colour No prettier sotting to a musical comedy could well be conceived There Aro dainty Dutch / misses clattering round in clogs, and look- { »ng most sweet in their neat, square-cut bodices, full skirts, and starched caps a la hollandaiso, there aro smartly-uniformed , > DutcE bandsmen, and lazy Dutch loafers, " busy Dutch cheese-merchants, merry Dutch -vintners, and voluble Dutch market-women, and behmd them all are the sunny flats . jof N Doutschland, with tho meanderins canal receding into the distance. The story winch is.jUumined by such at- , i tractive people and scenes is nothing much i\ It hangs on two pegi—the loss of Mr Hook of the recipo for his "Cream of the Sky*' , Jiqsieur, and ""th© lovo of Miss Hook , for Bandmaster Van Vuyt Mr Hook, a suci cessful distiller, has lost the famous recipe 1 (evolved by his brainy daughter) in the * , market placo' of Arndyk, where it lias been ~.-. - found by Simon Slinks, who is chronically employed in "loaning against tho canal." Slinks knows tho Valuo of tho recipe, but i ivvwre that be would be locked up as a thiof j 'if ho gave it up,'sellß ft to Captain Paap, / who hopes that it will help to forward his , suit with Miss Hook This young lady is, however, enamoured of ,tho 'bandmaster) and ' / will have none other— Mr Hook has, m hon- / our of his birthday, deeded to give a fete at his distillery at) Amsterdam, which is some distance from Awidyk, and the captam, who 1 " > intends to pursue his divinity thore, orders , the bandmaster te stay behind As a man. , of spirit, the latter determines to be at tho , fete, and changes places With Slinks (who has been given a job by Mr Hook) At Amv ' sterdaan tho gloomy captain, becomes af raid of ' ' tho possession of the recipe, and, after being found flirting one of tho grrls by Miss , Hook herself, hands back tho document through th© agency oDthe disguised band- ' master himself, who thereupon is accepted as Salry Hook's chosen. "■ Another love episode ' , is that*betwcen Mina (Sally's maid) and Mr. " Schnapps Hook's travellers), which* serves to hang several bright numbers upon /'Miss of Holland" introduces a , \ wholly now English company to Wellington. i- Miss Ruth Lincoln, who is Miss Hook, is a very attractive young lady who has evidently y Jiad much'©xporienco in tho artificialities of musical comedy. > She has a light vibrant soprano voice of some flexibility, which is , somewhat* marred by a faulty , enunciation thai; renders half the words she sings diffi'cult to construe. Her happiest numbers were the pretty songs "Little Miss Wooden Shoes," "Fly A way Kite," and "I Want to ibe Your Wifo," the last-named a song of music-hall stylo She also sang tho concluding solo, "Cream of; the Sky," and was concerned in tho ducts "Tho Sleepy Canal" and *■ "Love is ,a Carnival,'/ with Mr Harold I , As Bandmaster Van Vuyt, Mr. i Thoriey was fjutto in his element, making a ( sprightly, attraotivo figuxo s in his brilliant _, i •. bluo and silver uniform His pleasing bari- \ tono voice" was' nicely, suited to the music, i which is at, its best in'tho witty "Violoncello" solo. His other solo, "Tra-la-la," , , ,aung to the accompaniment of a brass band, is ono of those twaddlcsome triflps without which no musical comedy is complete Mr Thorloy mado an ardent lover, and was \ sound in everything else ho was called upon * jto do Tho company is strong in good copmdians Mr Edwin Brott gets right' nisida tho skin of Mr Hook, and gives a dehght- \ ful performance of > that amiable, fussy liquenr-lovmg Dutchman, who has achioved , affluence through his daughter's famous recipe It was a consistent and natural characterisation throughout To his lot falls some of the hyeliost linos tho play, and his I I t "business" and asides were outstandingly clever His''song "Round and Round," was most amusingly ' sung. Mr.Wilham -Cromwell was equally successful as Slinks, , tho dioerful loafer, who'could only bo induced to'givo up (tho leaning habit by being,offered a billot in a, distillery It is in 1 the second act t that Slinks gets his chance, and hero Mr Cromwell kept the houso simmering with'his excellent fooling and amusing gags 'J His only vocal effort, "Work," | was given a chorus 'of canal hang- \ crs-on. realistic in "make-up" and attire. Mr, Tom Pajnc, who played Ludivig i Schnapps, did not have tho samo opportuu-' , lty to make merry as the other? Ho' stood out more particularly mia clog and eCoontnc dance (with Miss Essie Perrin), in \ which he fairly brought down the houso A character actress of talent is Miss Emmolmo Orford, who extracted a good deal of fun out of tho part of Mina Two of the cutest songs in tho comedy fall to her lot in ''Tho Flying Dutchman" and "A Pink Petty from Peter," tho former being given an attractive choral setting, Mr. Phil Carlton mado Saptain Paap, a dull, gloomy member of the Heavy Horso Brigade Hois given a ,\cry decent military song in 'Tho boldicis of the Netherlands," but his interpretation / lacks fire Mfts H Roso makes a nice ' Grctchen, and Mossrs F. Morns and R Markham as Van Eck (the Dutchman who is alwajs asleep) and tho village policeman respectively, give excellent little character studies that holp to tone up the ensemble The chorus, is splendid. 'Tho voices aro fresh and hearty, and .'those of the\ malo division, though not balanced numerically with tbo attractivo buncri of girls that grace v ' tho scene, make up m vocal fibre Somo of the best choral numbers Were tho/"Cheese" ehorus, tiro madrigal "Bottles" (encored), and tho quaint barrel chorus, "Tho Houso that Hook Built " Tho wonderful variation * in tho colours and cut of tho Dutch girls' drosses in Act 1 is admirable, and most materially do thev aid tho richness of tho t jmso en scono. In the distillery act tho mrls and men are uniformed in palo bluo. A pretty effect is obtained 1 in this act, when tho coloured boHles on tho shelves bocomo illuminated with electric lights A feature of this act; too, was tho ballet, in which the dres-s tints ranged from tho palest nmbor to the deepest orange Tho solo was gracefully danced by Miss Essie Perrin The two scenes, representing • tho Cheeso Market of Arndyk and the interior of the liqueur distillery at Amsterdam, are beautifully > painted Tho artist was Mr E Vaughan. An excellent orchestra did good work under Mr Victor Champion il "Miss Hook of should run throughout tho week. J i >, )