WILLOUGHBY DRAMATIC SEASON.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1986, 17 February 1914, Page 8

WILLOUGHBY DRAMATIC SEASON.

"THE BEGGAR GIRL'S WEDDING," "The Beggar-Girl's Weddings'' a melodrama, by Walter Melville. CastJack Cunningham Mr. Geo. Cross Gilbert Lindsay : Mr. Rutland Beckett Doctor MUibault ; Mr. Fred Kehoo Dicky. Storm Mr. P&lk Albert Korto-aii Mahsh Mr. jil: Nodin li-ov. Mr. Mr. Paul Norrio Ilaris , Mr, Herbert Stanley Joe Webster ..'. Mr. Wq,ifd Lyona The Dodger ...■ Mr. Thomas 11. 'i'iltwi Hobert Urijashaw Jvd B. Drayton Tiaa Torklilffton Miss Fanny Krris Maud Villere Miss Oriel Hot3*H Elsio Ouniiingh.ani...lliGS Gwendolyn Dorise Bessie Webster llita Vera Seiitoo After seeing "A Beggar-Girl's Wedding," presented by the Geo. Willoughby Dramatic Company at the Opera House last evening, the reason for Miss Rosemary Eeos's claim to its authorship becomes lost.in the.mists of unfathonvablo conjecture. Assuming that she, and not tho prolific Mr. Walter Melville, were the authoress oiia would rather believe- that the ex-Gisbornite would have wished the- fact to bo quickly forgotten, as by the finest sifting*, one finds it difficult to discover anything in this crudest of melodramas calculated to rouse in the library mind that pride of creation so readily excusable where the work, is good. Even to' the most tolerant of minds the esasusD for its «xistenco citi only stand in the fact that not even theweirdest .conglomeration of incidents is impossible in life. So, as Miss Sees was non-suited by the English Courts, -the responsibility rests with Mr. Walter Melville, who has quite a list of previous efforts. "The BeggarGirl's Wedding" is.a melodrama of tho most'banal and platitudinous order, devoid of any, literary merit, and laden with incidents, which, have done ycomait service in many similar prflduetiouSi and as., the') result have lost whatever thrill they originally were invosted with long, Jong ag0.... .The attitude of the audience last, evening, was an. .excellent guide to its powers of .discrimination, as the' numerous. throttling;;, chloroforniirigs, shootings, ' etc., were witnessed with immense amusement, accompanied by ' a feeling of sympathy for.the rather, clever group of players employed. It would be a weariness to the flesh to follow the plot.in detail. Suffice to say that Jack Cunningham, a wealthy young spendthrift, is foolish enough to forget a- provision in"'his father's.will to tho effect tliat he will lose his entire fortune unless lie marries by the- timo he has reached his twentyfifth birthday. On tliat d-i-y the.family lawyer-reminds him .of tho crisis in his. life, and Jack at .the eleventh hour, marries a beggar girl; whom he his picked.up on the'street the night bfr>, i ore, after distributing tho.contents' of his pocket-book amongst the shabby rahWe oh tho Thames, embankment. His cousin, Gilbert ■ Lindsay, • who would have benefited, by the lapse, has not forgotten; and with the aid Of an adventuress (his paramour),' Maud Villiers, does his best to.prevent the. marriaite, and-failing, in that, succeeds in com- - promising Mrs. Curininghanj, in which nefarions.net he is assisted-'by the beg* gar girl's dissolute old' father. Not content with breaking up tho Cunningham household, Lindsay throttles .the old litwyer, kidnaps Jack and his wife, land incarcerates-them, iii an'., asylum kept.-, by : a' crazy..doctor,-, whose -gentle - specialty is-to kill.his patients by slow poison,'-in which practice he finds excellent entertainment. But Jack is not . without friends, who at the proper timo outwit the mad asylum-keeper, and restore them to, their friends at tho appropriate time, whilst- Lindsay and Co. aro.mar-ch-ed Off to prison, to. every* body's extreme, satisfaction.

Tho performance was much better than tho piay, though tho startling improbabilities embddied therein roust to some extent_ at. least be an embarrassment to artistie endeavour. It wag a pleasure to note tho naturalness and restraint of Mr. George Cross, who made a handsome and manly Jack Cunningham. To his credit be it said that ho never showed the slightest, disposition to rant, and thereby helped to save the melodrama from invading the domain of pure farce. Miss Vera Eemee, who is physically attractive, and has the advantage of a tow-pitched musical veioe, acted' tho beggar-girl with a good deal of quiet charm, and refrained, artistically, from tearing tho emotions to tatters.. It would be a pleasure to see both Mr. Cross aiKl Miss Barnes in better parts and 'plays. Aiiother capital bit of legitimate character work .stwtds to the credit of Mr. Ward Lyons as J«e Webster, a tattered old relict, who plies the vocation of a thief-trainer. Mr. Rutland Beckett was hardly so convincing as Gilbert Lindsay, the arch villain. . 'He was de* bonnair and-indefinite in stylo, and on occasion scratched for his linos.- 'Miss Oriel Hbts'oj], a s the adventuress, was emphatically pedantic, with hot the slightest suspicion of subtlety. -.As a fascinating society lady she .'fascinated not. Miss .Gwendolyn. Dorise was sweet and ladylike as Elsie Cunningham, and' Miss Fanny Ems acted brightly .as Tma Torkiiigteu. As bid Joe Webster's partner, "The Dodger," Mr. Thomas Tilton was a forceful and spry comedian, and Mr. Frank Albert displayed a gift.'for' acrobatic. comedy as tho amiable Dickv Storm. Mr." B. Drayton was fairly well to the front as the lawyer Grim'shaw, and Mr. Fred. Kehoe, as Dr. Millbank, would have he-en more effective in his otherwise ex» celteiit, character study had -he been less incoherent. ,

"The Beggar Girl's Wedding"'"■ is wry well produced, the Thames Embankment scene being a particularly effective stage picture': Mr, 0. man's orchestra, iwhieh Was at times a little obtrusive, ranged from "Les Cloches", to "The Church's One Foun-dation,"-and from that "U Star of F.vo" {from ,I Tannhauser")~-of such is the eternal fitness of things! The play wilt be produced again this evening.