ALLEN DOONE SEASON

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2822, 13 July 1916, Page 3

ALLEN DOONE SEASON

"THE COLLEEN DAWN." Mr. Alien Doone has a gift for selecting the play tho people wish to sec, and in deciding to revive "The Colleen Biwn" lie has again demonstrated, this fact.- "The Colleen Bawn" has not beon played in New Zealand for many years, aud[ the great majority of the theatregoers of to-day v have never seen tho piece, •whioh. is one of Dion. Boucicault'a groat bucccssos. The story is s tho romance of a young Irish gentleman and an Irish colleen, a colleen, who, though beautiful, has that "fault" which ro many gentlemen and gentlemen's families, aro forced by playwright to regard as total disqualification—she is not of high birth.. This proves a .thorny "obstacle. It displeases the young man's Earenta, and it threatens to wreck him nancially. He sees that the way out is to oast off his wife, who, by tho way, loves him with a love that is unshakeablo, but in'any effort to effectively part from his colleen, he is thwarted, and so also are his mother's efforts; to be ouit of her unwelcome daughter-in-law thwarted. Pate,' frequently in tho form of Myles-Na-Copalen, steers the colleen safely through her troublous' times. Eventually all difficulties are overcome, and to the ? joy of all concerned the young bride and bridegroom, honeymoon has . been a kind of tragedy in the making, are happily reunited. It is a good story, well clothed, and Mr. Doone )»,' Ixyond nil doubt, iho man to stage it. It is u play which Eather Time has tested well, and he has not found it wanting. Success for its revival is assured.

Mr. Doono appeared in the Tole of MylM-Na-Coppafon. lie was as "winning as ever, and drew forth most enthusiastic applause* for his singing of "The Cruiskeen Lawn" and "A Toast to Erin." Miss Edna Iveeley played the part of Anne Chute, the heiress whose fortune would save the young lover. Miss Ethel Bashford was a charming colleen, and the part of Mrs. Crejrrin was excellently filled by Miss Olive Dunne. Without going through the cast it may be said that the performance of the company as a whole showed it to be beyond doub't a particularly cauoble combination.