"THE EMERALD ISLE."

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1677, 18 February 1913, Page 6

"THE EMERALD ISLE."

'The Wellington. Celtlo. Comedy Club made its first public appearance at the Opera House last evening in a comedydrama, entitled. "The Emerald Isle," written by Bernard St. Clair and Joseph Bradley.' The proceeds of the performance are in aid of St. Patrick's Seamen's Conference, Based on the conventional idea that every Irish play must include, the honest old farmer,'his fair, daughter and her gallant lover, the scheming Englishman (who, of course, has a great passion for the colleen), the miserable informer,, and the brave.. merry-hearted loon, ' the authors have'concocted'a tale of wronged: virtue and shocking villany, and if the. literary "value'did-'fall short of the\plays' of Dion Boucicault (the famous father of the school);.and the'construction was a trifle crude, there was plenty of appeal' to the Irishman's, lovo of the "ould sod," his intense sympathy for those who are oppressed, and his innate appreciation of the' humour of things. Through the of the heavy villain,' Edward Griswald, his rival in love, Harry O'Connor,'is imprisoned for being found in the possession of incriminating docu T ments. . This is Griswald's dirty work, and "everybody except the police know it. But Harry is not left to his fate. 'His faithful henchman, Barney Rooney, and his lover, Molly O'Connor, effect an escape from a particularly loosely-managed prison, and subsequently the hero is reprieved, ancf' the black-hearted Griswald is conducted to durance vile.' The .play is ropleto'with obvious absurdities, and the action in places was stiff in the'joints, but there were, too, hilarious moments when gossoons and colleens tripped "the light fantastio" in mirthful defiance of their woes, and the bright' splashes of emerald green in 'kerchief* and skirt lent a national colour to the scene. The common .fault with the players was. their propensity to.oomraiune with themselves rather than take the audience into .their confidence. This was perhaps duo to not ■ having the measure of the theatre acoustically. ' 'The' performance which came nearest to being a sound one, was the Barney Eooney of Mr. Charles Gamble. Ho was quite at home on the stage, has a good Ibroguo and a lively senre of humour.' During the earlier part of the play he was a trifle too subdued, vocally and otherwise. Mr. Leslie Campbell was quite the type -for Horry O'Connor, but he; was lackadaisical and inaudible.. Mr. P. Moriarty executed great damage as Griswald, and was really an interesting sample of the orude, old-time villain of other days, and to the sophisticated his efforts were comic rather than dramatic. Mr; Dennis Kelly showed gleanis of talent for character work as Humphy Dargon, the informer, and Mr. Charles M'Erlean was' bright, "brisk, and outspoken as the easily-deluded Warder,. Cullingford. Miss Ivy Scott as Grace Redmond looked fresh and dninty, nnd there was a degree of case in her acting. She is inclined ,to pinch and 'dip her words, which, after all, is perhaps what tho dialogue deserved. Miss Maggie Hannan was Molly O'Connor (with eong, "The Wearin' of the Green"). Other singers were Mr. Charles Hickmntt ("A Toast to Erin"), nnd Miss Nellie Strickland ('Til Take You Home Again. Knthloen"). An Irish reel wns dirneed with an exhilarating rollick by half-a-dozen of the performers. , "The Hmorald Me" "wiill be played r again this evening