NIOBE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 600, 31 August 1909, Page 6

NIOBE.

-—;—* J— '' -. ' ! "Nibbo,"' a. comedy in. three acts, ' by H. and. E.,;l J aulton. Cast— Peter Amos Dunn Mri F. B;. Sfiarp Cornelius Uriflln Mr. Ellice Mills Phillip Innings Mr. Viviaji Eliiud Hanliicon-Tompkins Mr. 0. 11. Lawrcrics Parnor • Sillooks Mri'o. M. Tanner Carolina Boon Miss Bertha Miles Helen Griffin Miss Amy Kane jiaclio driilm Miss Elsio~ Watnon Beatrice Sillooks Miss Btta Simpson Mary ........ Mius Alice Itawßott' iftidoliflo Mifton .. Miss Vera Falton Niobe ......;...V. Miss Mabel HardinKe-Maitby . V.-tiobe," that rollicking comedy witK a touch of-the.-days when:the world was young, performed by amateurs at . the Opera Houso lafct evening, brought back the laughter ,of other (lays to playgoers of mature'years. Few .".with any; respect; to theatrical tradition',-cari : forget the-excellent performance ,of tho Paiiltons' merry . triido by.'thfi Bfough-Boucicililt Company, with Mr. and Mrs; Robert Brougli as protagonisw, nor can one, altogether ..obliterate , the pawky ' humour of.Harry Paulton and'th'odunoesquo' beauty of Miss Almi. Stanley in, . the same parts; at ;a •: later- date," ' 'for. - both ;'pcr ; iormancos were worth remembering. "Niobe," as inany will recall; borrows, its motive from; Gilbert's ."Pygmalion; and Galatea," in. which the statue is' brought to life, but m tho Paultou comedy the marble effigy of tho Queen of Thebes is reanimated by electricity through the carelessness of the, workmen in leaving live wires about •in tho prosaic home of Peter- Amos' Dunn, in whose charge it has been left by. Tompkins, an antiquarian and an enthusiast in all things antique." Peter has a charming wife.:, a Gorgoh sister-in-laiw, and a flippant brother-in-law to struggle with in his, heroic - attempts to account for the; presence sin his household of tho beautiful Niobe. As his relatives scorn the truth'as too much for their credulity, he flounders in a morass of misrepi'esentationsV'the chief'of whicli is that Niobe is really Mifton, an expected, govornfeßS.- Matters become . complicated ' \vhin Niobe' is' found, sobbing-in; Peter's armsj yoWr ing by all the gods known to mythology that he is her lord and master. / Hopelessly, com-; firomised over and i over'again, with:each of lis lamer'explanations' breaking, .down,.; poor. Peter is threatened with • desertion by.; his wife arid her relationsVyhen, aS a-final blow, the Tpal -Mifteri comes on. the sceno. - Potrambs (as .- Niobe . insists on "calling Peter) then; becomes an invertebrate, wreck, and is only savod from utter'extinction by the -arrival of Tompkins, to whom ho tells the truth." Tompkins, belidves .tho, newest wonder,; -Peter tells. the circumstances ' of' the ( statue's metamorphosis, and all .ends ;. happily. ' •' V With two exceptions the cast; last evening. : was amateur. The two . were,., Miss, Hardinge-Maltby, who . was 1 Niobe, and Mr.' F. 'B. Sharp; : who - v figured as PeteV Amos Dunn, both having-had considerable . experience : on the professional stage.- Miss Malt-by,• though .. hardly the' statuesque .Niobe of tradition, gave -a very engaging performance; _ ner , efforts " being marked with high'intelligence, graceful : posr turing,' and unexceptional elocution... -Her classical - drapery hardly : accorded- with the lines, but that did not -prevent her looking very charming: as tho statue;_ :In 1 her numerous;, scenes with Peter,\ disirigenuousness and, naivete were capitally assumed, and her keen sense of xomedy was a.dniirably displayed , where .she is. cross-examined by Helen:' Griffin," the' dictator ,of Peter's household: Mr. F. B. Sharp could not:help 'being i funny.as Peter, and there -were little, touches here and .. .them • that.\ bespoke stage; experience, ;but- his hard, croaking voice did not cbnduce to the "happiest reading which,l so excellent a part is capable ofMr: Sharp was at his the last act, where the distress of r "holding- ,the fort" became too.niUch-for him. Mr. Ellice Mills was well suited as Cornelius Griffin,- and Miss Bertha Miles as Mrs. Dunn was.charmingly: natural and prepossessing. Tho Gorcon Helen Griffin was fairly well - played .by Miss' Kane; who would-have been much bettor had she spoken her lines louder. Hers; should be the dominant voice in the comedy. Miss Rita Simpson mado a charming Beatrico' Sillocks, and Miss Elsie Watson was-bright and jolly .as Hattie Griffjn, though her exuberance of spirits, rather over-reached the mark hero and thero. , Mr. Vivian Rhind contributed a clever character sketch as, Phillip Innings, andMr: C. H. Lav/rence' was . satisfactory as Hamilton Tompkins. Minor parts were well' played by Mr. C. W. 1 Tanner, Miss Alice Rawson, ana Miss Vera Fulton.

"Niobe" was preceded by a smart comedietta entitled. "The Suffragettes' Club," by Herbert Swears, in which tho honours went to Miss Vera' Fulton as Miss Blundrrby, Miss Hita Simpson as Miss Irene Van Hopper (an 'American girl), and Miss Eileen ,Didsbiiry as Miss Trixio Goldsby, nn amusing old. maid. In this playlot, which is callable. of brighter action, the suffragettes, • who have joined the club as man-haters, aro found to be strangely elated, the cause being that each has bad a proposal of marriago. Disillusion and disappointment como, when, in handing in their resignations, they, in accordance with the rules; present tho photographs of their betrothed. It is .tho, same lriaji, and hp js a professional humorist! Regretting his joke, he.'telegraphs that ho is prepared to marry one of tbem, and each is pluming herself on the chance left; when, the elderly leader-of the club annoxes him for her own. ■ '.The' performance, which is in aid of the Mayer's fund ; for the uneinployod, will be regsaied thia, woninfc,