NEW BEAUMONT SMITH PLAY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2397, 1 March 1915, Page 7

NEW BEAUMONT SMITH PLAY

'SEVEN LITTLE AUSTRALIANS' "Seven Little Australians," a comedy drama, in four acts, by Mr. Beaumont Smith, adapted from Miss Ethel Turner's stories "Seven Little Australians" >and "Miss Bobbie.". CastRev. Dr. Wallace Harrington. Reynolds Constable Mulla.ney Gilbert Em cry Bertha. .■• Stnna- St. Clair The Reporter Cyril French Oaptain Lennox Walter Vincent Sir Frederick Graham Ralph Horrifi Suds :..... Cecil Haines Bunty Fred Carlton Dumps Hector Jlacilonald Pip ■ - Olga Asncw Baby _.... Esma Cannon Nell Veta Cannon Hiss Bobbie Vera Spaull

If the play "Seven Little Australians," by Mr. Beaumont Smith, staged at the Grand Opera House on Saturday afternoon and evening is what it purports to • be, an adaptation ol' Ethel 1 Turner's popular story of the same, name and "Miss Bobbie," one must accredit - tfye adapter. with, a particular genius for side-stepping the mainspring of his inspiration. Beyond the fact that there are seven children in the cast; there is little to indicate that any fixed re'gard has been given to the first-mention<sd Etliel Turner story, the latitude which the adapter 'has taken " having to some extent eliminated that essence of intimate domesticity that, so'faithfully typifies Australian family life, and so clearly illustrates the difference in the demeanour, habit, and 'perhaps character, of Australian children, born and reared in the sun- . shine of big spaces, and those whose upbringing m England is influenced by .entirely-different conditions. Miss 'Cur-. ■ ner's great'.success lay, not so much in the_ story, as in the,deft manner in- ; which ' she had so accurately measured the character of the Australian child, |:and here Mr.. Smith may be said to have; ; succeeded rather better, as some of' the child characters jp the play are. very, well drawn and do really live. In the play the children are not the wild, worrisome, lovable offsprings of Cap-; tain Woolcott Lennox, but the children of the. Rev. Dr. Wallace; a ;sUver-haired clergyman. Only Miss Bobbie figures. as the daughter of the Cfiptain, who is transformed from a decent, clean-living army officer, to he a dissolute wretch 'from";whom everyone,.shrinks.- .' It "is Jiidy in the book who is sent to. a boarding: school, merely for being an inveterate tomboy,' but in the play the incident , is twisted to provide the necessary dramatio denouement, Lennox.' ascertaining where the reverend gentleman' (who has taken'qoptrol of Miss Bobbie) keeps his money,-returns in the night, to steal the cashbox, and is discovered in the act' by his own child, who insists on the restitution of the money. Lennox hands her the .and makes his escape. The noise made has roused the household, and hiding behind the door curtains, Miss Bobbie is found cuddling the cashbox in lier arms. As she_ declines to inform on her father, there is no optidq. for the doctor but to consider her guilty, and so she is packed off to the boarding school. The incident of the ■child's clandestine return to sco her brothers and sisters is reflected woakly, for Miss Bobbie struggles into the room after her week's tramp of 77 miles looking as neat about the dress and feet as ever she looked in the earlier scenes. No'attempt is made to depict the terrible state of exhaustion,the child is in,and tho stain'of travel under such oircumstances is entirely forgotten. Here a dramatic opportunity has been missed. Finally Lennox rehabilitates himself by heroic deeds in the South African war, - and the Governor's "aide-de-conkey". (to . quote - Constable Mullaney) arrives to pin the Victoria Cross on the breast of his-only surviving relative and.next of .kin, Miss Bobbie. Though the play does , not cut lory deep in a dramatic sense., it .is very interesting in patches, and the children's, scenes are all well sketched ana\ably acted. The sense of olimax is miming, and the element ,of surprise plays no part, but there is more than a leaven of outreaching heart interest that keeps the sympathies of the audience .in touch with those on the stage. It is on the children's, scenes that the interest of the play largely depends, and as these are very amusing and uncommon, and the children concerned are a very clever lot, there is plenty of life and movement on the stags to keep cne interested, and sufficient comedy to. : keep one gently smiling. The supper, scene, where Constable Mullaney's food vanishes from his plate as soon as: he turns bis head to feed the starving Bobbie beneath the table, was very jolly, and that scene where Suds is struggling ■ with a composition on the ocean is full of good round laughs. Suds is careless of his aitches, and when the doctorasks him sarcastically whether he knows what an aspirate is, Suds thinks solemnly for a moment, and then says: — "It is the stuff that Bertha takes when she has a headache 1" There are lots of lines just as good as that one, and all are given their full value by the juvenile actors and : actresses that Mr. Beaumont Smith has introduced.

Of the child parts in tho play the. leading one is -that ' allotted to Miss Vera Spaull. Whether the adapter is .at fault'or the child is suffering from All overplus of experience it is difficult to say, but her Miss Bobbie was played on the lines of a melodramatic heroine, and was not nearly so spontaneous and natural as the other characters. On those lines Miss Spaull played the distressed little lady very well, but there were times when the sentiment she was tailed on to express was rather tawdry. Suds is really a comical creation _of pote, and was played with captivating nonchalance and naivete by little Cecil Haines, a former resident of Welling--toil, whose talent was rated very high-, ly -here, and whose performance as the precocious Suds only serves to enhance the golden opinions formed a year or so ago. The child is a natural comedienne. with an abnormal sense for tho stage, as was shown by the manner in which she 'ignored the presence of the audience, and timed her sentences so as to get every point clear out to the audience. That there , were no 'misfires wlta Ceoil on Saturday evening indicates- an inborn stage technic in the child. Pip was played with delicious freedom and point by Olga Agnew. Esma Cannon made a sweotfaced and demure Nell, and Baby (Veta Cannon) was a lovable little dot, who shows a. pretty gift for the violin, and acted without a trace of self-conscious-uess. Bunty and Dumps Were well played by l p red Carlton and Hector Macdonaid respectively. Of the adult performers no part was bettor played than the faithful, soft-hearted, clearheaded servant Bortha by Miss Sinna St. Clair (who last week was so effective in l "fha Chaperon"). There was something so thoroughly homely and motherly in her make-up that earned her the sympathy of everyone present. Mr. Harrington Reynolds hardly suo ceeded in realising the qualities of the role of Dr. Wallace. This actor has the same pace and tone for every movement and scene, and the result tends to monotony. In that rospect there is not a Sot of difference between Mr. Reynolds's Father Kelly, in '"The Rosary," and tho Rev. Dr. Wallace, tho Australian divine-. His manner and appearance are. bonigii and ingratiating but his mode of speech is soporifically preachy. Mr. Gilbert Emery makes Constable Mullaney a bright soil of Brin. and Mr. Walter' Vincent was effective enough as tho wastor Lennox, in all save his make-up, which was unnecessarily ghastly. Mr. Cyril French represented a- type of reporter new to the writer. "Seven Little Australians" nil! bo played again this aftornoon and this evening. There will also he matinees during tho wcek t on I .Wedncednf and 3a turdaj,