"THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL"

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2266, 28 September 1914, Page 3

"THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL"

SHERIDAN'S FAMOUS COMEDY REVIVED ' "The School for Scandal," a comedy in four acts, by Richard'Brinsley Sheridan. . Cast — . Lady Bneorwill Lilian Lloyd SnaJto ....„ Kingston Hewitt Joseph Surface Kenneth Brampton Maria Eileen Eobinson Mrs. Candour „...;...... Temple Piggot Orabtree Arthur Cornell Sir Benjamin Backbite ... Frederic Hughes Sir Peter Teazle I Gerald Kay Souper Lady Teazle ;.......,....... Violet Paget Bowler ~,., ..Wilson Forbes Sir Oliver Surface ..;....;.-Charles Lawrence Moses. 1... .•...■...•......: Frank Neil Charles Surface Hugh Buckler Careless Kingston Hewitt Bir Toby Charles Radnor Bir Harry Bumper...... Horace' Nightingale We are not quite cirtain ,if Thespis .was possessed of a,horn of plenty. If ho had it must have been annexed, temporarily at all events, by the BucklerPaget Company. The flood of good things was continued on Saturday evening at the Grand Opera House, when Richard Brinsley Sheridan's brilliant comedy, "The School for Scandal," was presented. When this play was originally, produced at Drury Lane Theatre, London, on May 8, 1777, it was pronounced to be the most brilliant comedy written since ' Elizabethan*■ times,.: 'with the possible exception of.Coiigreve's "Way of the World." But it has even outlived the Congreve masterpiece, and thus shown itself so richly endowed. with such wit, such keenness for satirical portraiture', and effectiveness of situation that it has.long since-been classed as a play for'all times'and most places. The language which Sheridan employs is couched in the brilliant modish style of the period; which' is calculated 'at once to detect the measure of one's culture, and is not capable of being spoken trippingly by modern players without a deal or experience.; In Sheridan's, plays the periods are often -hjiig and gracefully turned, but the cryptio form of modern stage conversation, which reflects in a more or less degree the.modern style, is apt to find the actor lacking in ■ the capacity to do it full justice. Many of the younger generation may not know the story. It relates how December in the form of old Sir Peter-Teazle marries May, in the person • of : the beautiful but .wilful daughter of a country squire, and, having incompatible tempers; they quarrel day in and out Lady, Teazle's.' association with a notorious: set'. of scandalmongers' follows, out of which comes an 'intrigue with Joseph Surface, a smoothtongued scoundrel who; is • always. being held:up as a paragon of all tho virtues, in comparison with his gener'ous-natured but spendthrift brother Charles. In his intrigue, Joseph attempts to make a scapegoat .-of Charles, and/.whilst seeking to lead Lady Teazle into, an affair, . also'tries'.to ingratiate himself with Sir Peter's ward, Maria,'with whom he knows Charles is uv love.' Having filled Sir Peter'b mind with suspicion, Joseph makes an assignation with .Lady Teazle at his rooms.- This gives us the famous screen scene. Sir Peter)calls unexpectedly, and to'avoid being seen the. lady pops behind a screen.- scene has probably no rival in the whole gamut of English .comedy, and -no'ex-.' .cerpt from, an English play is probably so frequently played. ,- '-. '•■■ ■ As before stated, the comedy-is a fine test, and was ono in which, the BucklerPaget 'Company- did;not show to the best advantage. Miss Violet Paget looked very charming in a succession of very pretty pompadour costumes, but; 6he was at times hardly equal to the deli-, • cate shading required by Sheridan's dialogue... Almost right th.rough.t3ie corned}' 1 her inflection'was inclined: to' be out of tune with the sense of the lines.' Particularly was this! so in >the quarrel ' scenes with .Sir Peter; .where her. pretty raillory often appeared to bo pitched in the wrong,key. It is often, the case that a player who is quite ;at home.in costume plays is like a fish out of water in modern ones,''and vice versa; and .. with the memories'/of Miss Pagers admirable work in' "His House in Order" and "The Great Adventure," her short- '• comings on Saturday : are lightly regarded. '• A notably good performance was ' that of Sir Peter, i'eazlo by Mr. Gerald -. K. Souper/who pl.'iyedthe crusty, but really generous,.,q:U iqlldw to .the life, .and-spoko v hiE to the manner. ; born. Mr. 'liv,dii; Buckler's - magnetic :" personality 'lpv.Vi.'Charles'.Surface a very live and likeable character, which propped' up the/ spirit of the comedy, just where tho periorhianco was beginning to feel the.ueetl of ,hv: He; was. the soul of'joviality in', the spirited. picture-sell- •' ing - scene, and sang "Here's ~to tho : . Maiden" probably as •it would be sung under the circumstances -. Mr. Kenneth Brampton never once realised the possibilities of the character of Joseph Surface, tho third most important part.in the comedy. Ho was quite expression-, kss throughout; and even when tho world crashes about his head (at the termination of 'the screen scene) he showed little concern for , the dramatic obligations of his role. Probably his whole attention was given to finding the words,-', which appeared to be his trouble at tho outset of the screen scene,' where Miss Paget saved the situation, on more than 'one occasion. Miss Tempo .Piggot fully sensed the'.disposition of iirs. Candour, but Miss Lilian Lloyd, as Ladj .Sneerwell, was as a serpent with its sting drawn, and entirely .missed-, the fury of this venomous creature when she : is-finally' exposed. Mr. Charles Lawrence was effective as Sir Oliver, and the old. Rowley of. Mr. Wilson Forbes was an excellently limned character, Miss Eileen Robinson made a pretty, but uninteresting, Maria, and Mr. Frank Neil's Moses was a crude, halting caricature. The'odiousness of Crabtree was boisterously suggested by .Mr. Arthur Cornell, and Mr. F. Hugheß made a passably good Sir . Benjamin Backbite. A feature of the second act was the dancing of a minuet (to Mozart's music), but the playing of the orohestra was really so execrable that it went close to ridiculing the dance. This evening the company will revive Pinero's charming comedy, "Sweqt Lavender," with Miss Violet Paget as Lavvy and Mr. Arthur Cornell as the bibulous but true-hearted Dick Phenyl!. ... _I, ... ... i. n i -,