WILLOUGHBY DRAMATIC COMPANY.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1991, 23 February 1914, Page 6

WILLOUGHBY DRAMATIC COMPANY.

"NO MOTHER TO GUIDE HER."

''No Mother to Guide Her," a melodrama, b.y Nita Rae. Cast— Tom , Pclliain Mr. George Cross Felix Green. Mr. Kutlnnd Beckett Bob Coleman Mr. Arthur Albert Bill Bunco Mr. Ward Lyons Tim Tiddlebat Mr. Thos. E. Tilton , William Saxby Mr. J. Booth James ....: Hr. D. iDrayton Policeman X 491 Mr. Maurice Noflin Martha. .'... Miss Mnrcia.;Eodi:ere Nan Mies Fanny- Erris Julio. Patterson Miss Oriel Hotson Millicent Saxby Miss Vera Kemeo "No Mother to Guide Her," the melodrama produced by the Willoughby Dramatic Company at the Opera House on Saturday evening, taken in conjunction with its witless predecessor, makes one wonder what has becomo of all tho worthy writers for tho stage—tho writ-, era of pure melodrama. There was a time when we used to get good melodrama regularly, fine, well-written plays such as "Master and Man" (what a play for these days of industrial unrest), "The Golden Ladder," "ThA : Bells of Haslemere," "Hoodman Bmitl," "The Romany Rye," "The Lights o' London," and a hundrod others that one could witness with pleasure, and perhaps not without gaining something in the direction of a moral uplift by their healthy tone and fibre, but with such puerile emSnations" from the paltriest imagination as "No Mother to Guido Her," there is nothing to bo gained save, perhaps, a laugh or two out of their ludicrous incongruities. There exists a sort[ of family relationship between most of tho modern melodramas in respect to certain incidents that occur and recur. For example, we saw in "The Beggar Girl's Wedding" tho adventuress make a proposal of marriage to. the hero ( only to be rejected with righteous scorn; a similar character played by 'the same actress does precisely the. same thing in "No Mother to Guide Her," and onco moro the hero (plgjed by the same actor) hands the lady the frozen mit (as Americans would say), serving in precisely the same way in both plays to fire that enmity which must exist between the really bad and the saintly good. It is an episode that has been used a thousand times in the history of the melodrama, and still goes on working all day and overtime, for the simple reason that "the woman scorned"" is .always one of the great hate motives used in the concoction of melodramas. In this play, tho herd, the Rev. Tom Pclham, is a London missionary, and tho villain is Felix Green, a thief and murderer charged with wonderful hypnotic power. Both love,the samo girl, Millicent Saxby, but Green, though consorting with thugs and thieves more than half his time, appears to, be favoured by Banker Saxby's pr<jtty\daughter, until Nan, a street waif (a plump, bright, and rather elderly street waif by the way), tells Millicent that Green is a "wrong 'un" and that Tom is the "right 'un." Green gets his gang to burgle the .banker'.s private residence in the latter's suppps-. Ed absence, but Saxby returns suddenly, makes several speeches to himself to explain why, and retires .to bed. Nan, in a hypnotic state, is passed through a small window to open the door for tho thieves, and Green and Bunce enter. Saxby, hearing the noise they make, returns to the room, and after. a. struggle is ( shot by Green, just as Millicont en-' ters. The wily Green promptly hypnotises her, and.gets her to repeat words confessing herself to bo tho murderess of her father, and so saves his own , skin. Millicent is bundled off to, prison, whore, as usual, she is taunted by,the adventuress aforesaid, who is the first to toll her why she is in gaol. But tho faithful Nan has seen the deed done, and it is she who helps Millicent to escape from prison, and finally establishes her innocence, with the aid of gallant Tom Pelham. This, however, is not accomplished before Green and,, his partner in crime attempt to mako away with Millicent at Bracken Bridge, and'are once more frustrated 'by the übiquitous parson and Nan. A second thread in the story is tho power that Bunce (Nan's vicious guardian) has over the adventuress, Jujia Patterson, who, in reality, is Nan's mother. He has cortain papers, the substance of which is .nover explained, but which help Bunco to plenty of hush' money, which means brandy, and brandy meane a rough time for Nan (which is .really the leading part in tho play). Bunco is a fearful blackguard, but drink kills , him in the end, and ho dies after an unduly protracted death scene. '

Mr. George Cross plays Tom Pelliam quietly and effectively, dml speaks tho word of encouragement us to the manner born. Miss Vera Rehiee has comparatively little to do as Millicent Saxdoes it very well. This actress moves gracefully, drosses stylishly, and acts with sober intelligence. Miss Oriel Hotson was once more the ultramelodramatic adventuress, with tho hard voice and tho barn-storming method. Still, there was no mistaking that sho earned the enmity of the audience, which would -seem to indicate that the innato nastiness ■of the character, was realised by the actress. Mr. Ward Lyons, with an'out-sizo in voices,! piled horror on horror as Bill Bunce, the burglar, and clover Miss Fanny Erris played Nan with a deal more vivacity than pathos—her comedy was better than her patches of emotion. Mr. R. Beckett was Felix Green, and Mr. Thos. Tilton, his companion in crime. .Messrs. Arthur Albert and J. H. Booth were satisfactory in minor parts. "No Mother to Guide Hor" will bo played again to-night and to-morrow night, and on Wednesday the season will conclude with a performance or "East Lynne."