"RICHARD III,"

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 878, 26 July 1910, Page 8

"RICHARD III,"

WELLINGTON SHAKESPEARE : CLUB. Shakespeare's conception of King Richard 111 of England was that of a callous monster, whoso mind was as dark and sinister as his evil countenance; a royal adventurer who virtually waded through the-depths of his own crimes to tho throne, and ultimately fell when the day of reckoning came, and with it, a new King of England. Tho study of the play itself by the Wellington Shakespearo Club must have afforded its members an, interesting analysis of the psychology of crime—tho great playwright was a great psychologist— and the. public reading given by the club in the Concert Chamber at tho Town Hall last evening was of sufficient excellence in the' performancn to demonstrate that tho psychological aspect of the play, had Jiceri very carefully studied. The audience was not very large, but was such that every touch of merit in the work of the readers was dnly-noted and appreciated. Of the principals, it may be said that Mr. W ; . R. Bock's reading of the part of Richard 111 was evidence of how far painstaking preparation, intelligent study, clear enunciation, and correct expression may compensate for the absence of. the actual stage setting of the play, and of the actual reproduction in personality and ■ make-up of such a character. Mr. Bock had the heaviest share of the work. A fine piece of work was Miss Coote's. reading of Lady Anne, while Mrs. Sutcliffe, as Margaret, gave an excellent reading of a part which was entirely suited to her temperament. Mr. H. E. Nicholls was cast for the parts of Richmond and Clarence. His work was good. So also was Mr. E. S. Baldwin's, whoso reading of the character of Buckingham betokened intelligent study and preparation. Messrs. G. E. B. Adamson and C. W. Tanner represented, among other characters, the . murderers who were commissioned to "remove" the Duke of Clarence. Mr. Adarasbn is possessed of a deep voice, and with appropriate sepulchral intonations, invested his reading of the moro resolute of tho villains with a fair semblance of reality. As to the others, it may be said that their work was careful and artistic. Altogether, the performance was a creditablo—though necessarily somewhat formal and inanimate—reading of a great Shakespearean play. During a brief, interval Mr. H. E. Nicholls referred to Mr. "J. W. Joynt's approaching departure for England, and the loss which would be sustained in consequence by local institutions devoted to the study of art, literature, and music. Mr. Joynt's association with theso had been of distinct value, and in none was .this more highly appreciated than by the Shakespeare Club, with which lie had been connected for the past eight years. On behalf of the club, he then handed to Mr. Joynt a handsome token of esteem and goodwill—tv solid silver smoker's box—and conveyed to him their best wishes for lfis future happiness in London. Mr. Joynt suitably responded;