NELLIE STEWART SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 946, 13 October 1910, Page 6

NELLIE STEWART SEASON.

'.'• "What• Every., Woman Knows,",.a- play, infour acte/byJ. , M.;JBarrie. Cast: ; .' John", Shand „...-....;_.,...-„ Harcourt : Beatty Alick Wylie: ; .;._.. „:.„■. Eardley/Turner David.Wylie :-.—;_„:. '..;.'.■ J.' 'B.-Atholwood James Wylie ■'.. '.__:....;;, Gregan M'Mahon . Mr.'Venablea Nonnsui Campbell Comtesse de lα. Briere.;.Ma4eleind Meredith Lady Sybil Lazenby....... Gwen Burronens Maggie Wylie .;.......;™....... Nellie'. Stewart The percentage' of. plays which, .thdi;-. oughly satisfy the regular playgoer—usuat ly a difficult;persop'to pleaser-is n,ot : verygreat ; and. it is', still- less when ( a ; play \is. found' which/pleases v in'itself,/and..is all; but perfectly cast. -' ; Barrie's '■ latest pky, "What Every Woman Knows," was .pror duced-by the Nellie; Stewart Company before a large • audience >at' the Opera.House last eyening.. Barrie isalivays delightful. There is no other. British dramatist : cap-' ,able ;6f;..toning'his plays with the , ,same, air of ; tfuth,; sincerity! ,and : imagination,'whilst gripping, the -.audienoe .with." that •element ; of sinoo.th development, which is so perfectly natural/.'yet■ is> so/'.-studded; .with/surprises. : ;As-a,poet; instinct"with' delicate thought, he played on our heart strings;in "Peteiv-Pan/'.'but as : a dramatist .'pure ■:"■ arid : .simple,.,; he v' places a , :, 'crown 1 . ; VonV'" : :his ; : ; work -''in ."What Every. Woman ; ' Knows."' Many have read the titled of .the play, with; a full store or, with' one' eye closed ; as' a cdnuiidTum.. 'Bairie'e meaning is /made abundanily clear , in"liis play; What every woman 'knb™. is"■:her: husband's weaknesses or limitations,/and who shall .qiiesr tion his:penetration? .The play,is/one', of character,. wit,; ■atmpsphere, : but , ;before; alii character.:■ That is vto that/each of his, puppets' : 'is : . invested: with'.: an in-; dividuality ; thrown.into~ relief/by- those who moTO; round- himj.'yet. eachanecesf .sary. part of .the/complete picture; 'The cast'.calls 'for., an, aggregation/ of playeTs of special' attributes, and: that 'these-have , been '.secured, is a. /compliment, to:; the' judgment of the management ■'■/• '';//;/' ■ John Sh-and is a Scotch railway; porter,, wlib lias: no idea of just-.reniaining a po'r-, ter. Be is'.a student,/with an abnofmal idea of. his own./capacity,- and an ; overpowering ;. leaven of '-. that' grit,. persistence, and capacity/ for .work; characteristic :0f..! the ■race.; He is grimly determined'to soar in life,-works during the/winter'that. he :may. fioat;: in the stars with Eomulus and;Eemus at. the university; during/thej summer. Handicapped foi/laek/of bootej'i ho /steals into the Wylie. household, when ite : : merabers ' are asleep, and .uses " their: These canny, self-made-folk be-' come aware of visits of a iriariV and lie' in wait' and -trap Shand stolen , stTidks. , ■ John is in bo manner embarrassed at' the :discoyery.' : v Indeed, :hei : holds' the/.'-Wylie' family ; rather :in cohtempt,;. feeling' his intellectuiU>;superiority: and- capacity;:ifo so farther than .'entere Jinto. .the calculations of any of itshnembers. Alick. Wylie, the father; and;his. sons David i and James, had. , frankly;discussed. Maggie's, .waning chances/, of , matrimony with that: young lady; and: she: ; quaintly. enough had expressed hei feai> thai -she'did: not. possess' that;; charm v ;which /..attracted .suitors./ So that '/when. Shand ■/ is ■ discovered :in. the?library,-' and. bluntly,.;but "■quite. honestly, if/with , a- touch.of :,cbnceii, e.xposes his ./thirst .for learning, a '. cute; thought 'strikes/-DayipY the practical. -He proposes that they.' should .finance. John f-to.the extent of ,^300,/if ,on his part .he j will, in s five ; years':, time : ' marry-Maggie," if she be .then.single' andiwilling.,.After.; a scene of exquisite;humour.'/John con--1 sents,' andVMaggie' sees, him/to the gate. Six years later, Jphn,:an.M , .A;,Vand : /mbre conceited/than 'ever; 1 wins' , an', election; arid/adds M.P. 'to' his name. '.•.Hβ: fancies that he has done it;all himself,.but ; 'quiet.; little Maggie, who is , clever,' tactful, and has a senseof humour which; John, lacks,, has helped him all through. Jphri/condescends to 'keep his /bargain : as//td the; maniage,; and; success:.follows success in the political/world.-.' His , ' sayings/become, noted as : "Shandisms," and he is regarded as a , , coming man.: Then' enters'' Lady Sybil Lazenby, who .is attracted by:.'his strength of character, and he. by her hauteur. : With : sturdy, honesty he reveals theVposition. 'fo Maggie,- whom hehasi/nover,' professed , - to really, love, -and she, hiding; 1 a' breaking/ heart, deals iivithi ; the' matter,: quite' prosaically. ■. It , would be uniHse for him /.to. ruin his: career, with ra scandal just when' the ■■Ministry,;, of'the .'day"had given; .him a-•chance' to , speak at one of their big 'meetings,/ She advises him .to , .put off matters/for a fortnight, and spend ./the time in; , .writing: a great/ speech;' even; goes /as far as to : arrange, that the fortnight: shall/be; spent at the country home of/a friend,'., the Comtesse de la Briere, -to"whose, place' she also contrives that Lady. Sybil, shall be invited. When ;the ; -lias:all. but elapsed, Maggie: visits the Comtesse,; and learns that' John's has 'not .been thought so well, of by the Ministry, —it/somehow lacked'the/ verve and wit which 'had. beon regarded as character-'. isj;ic pfthe : man.: She has (like the sweet; , clever, creature she is) brought. another .speech, which the Comtessp.'hands'to Mr.. ;Venables, one: of \ the Ministry,' even as the latter .is mowing! the', lawn outside." 'Having read it, he rushes::in;- to congratulate John heartily.. John tvt length sees where his strength lies and- matters are hastened to an end-b.v Sybil's declaration that, she has found John insufferably dull, Maggie is sure .-that all; will: be well, if she-could only.make John;.laußh,: and at length succeeds.by deolaring.that.it has been a mistake all along < to. suppose that ; woman was originally, made' from the'rib of man—she must hnvo been.made'.from'l his funny bone. John, convulsed, , embraces his best half,/and a lovable 'understanding ensues. .. ./ . . : :. In sharp contrast to the preceding play, "What Every Woman Knows", has no poor parts.- They are all good, all; interesting. Mr. Harcourt Beatty; as John Shand gives; a remarkably -fine, performance, ono which is. far and away above anything which he .has done in-the \vriter's rccolleotion./ It stamps him as- a character actor of juideniable merit, and emphasises the opinion/.that "straight", roles. are • not his real metier..-; Another surprise was. the Maggie. ShamT of Miss. Nellie Stewart... The,part.of this plain, quiet little Scotch woman is entirely dissimilar to any. which.she has ever -.attempted, yet' she presents a vory 'complete embodiment of the author's' intention. , Mr. J.. B. Athol wood gives a sterling performance of David Wylie, who is the ehrewd.hcad of the family.' Mr. Gregari -M'Mahon was equally admirablo as the awkward, shallow-pated- James Wylie, and Mr. Eardley' Turner was well'suited as Wylie pere.. Miss Gwen Burroughs gives us a taste, of hor vastly improved quality as Lady Sybil. One cannot conceive it being, much better acted. Miss Meredith played the Comtosse-.with refinement, but hardly suggested the Frenchwoman sufficiently. in: her pose and gestures. The play is admirably mounted and. stage managed, the election scene, .with its seething crowd of electors, being a social feature in this regard. ; "what Every Woman Knows" will be j>layed again this evening