"THE FATAL WEDDING"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3083, 14 May 1917, Page 7

"THE FATAL WEDDING"

•A; POPULAR MELODRAMA ' "The Fatal Wedding," a melodrama, in fivo acts. Cas^:— 'Howard Wilsoii Maurice Tuohy .Robert Curtis. , Edgar Kenna iloto ............ ..... rrank Nei i Van Schwartz w. J. Coulter ..Constable O'BoiUy Geo: Henderson ■ Kev Harrison Beg. Clements m S , oa •'-•'•••• Eobl. Le Eoy r■JX$ !ion Kathleen Arnold b°l' ~J 1 ? mß ' - Mabol Hardinge •Bridget. Malone ; Alice Bedn , Rankle Wilson .;...-, Kathleen Plummer ' : e . ■•!•:;" ..■..-••....» Gertie Cremcr \,"The Fatal Wedding," produced by the' Brandop-Cremer Company at tho Grand Opera House on Saturday, cvoning, is 'frankly a, melodrama- of tho class that jdeclincs to. admit that allowances should «e made for the possession of an imagination by tho playgoer. It is solidly : established that there are amplo grounds ;.Soi the belief that a large percentago of v the good folk who take a keen delight •■Jn hissing hatred at the'villain and sob,'mng in sympathy with tho ill-used heroine, do not wish to bo credited with the elastic mind. They want, the plcturo painted in staring primary colours that 'all may 1 see, nnd just love to know ijwithin ten minutes or so after tho curtain rises which, charaoter is the bad wan and which the good and pure bvoman; which are tho sheep and which the goats," in order that they may not /for- a moment be led astnfy in their sympathies. In "The Fatal Wedding" •this object is most efficiently achieved . .by the author, and carried into effect by -the Cremer players,-who were quite tequal to tho. task imposed upon them. '.In this play the villain and his scarlet coadjutor are particularly deep-dyed in/ their scoundrelism; both are as con-' 'Bcienceless as the latter-day Hun; and 'they really give the heroine and. her (children .an appalling ,time before < Nemesis overtakes. them both, and the long-suffering heroine, - : who lias been igreatly sustained in her. impecunious isnisery by her daughter, is restored to affluence and comparative happiness. 'The; melodrama is relieved from medio- : crity by the child interest that is centred ' Sn. the sayings and doings of the "Little ; . v Mother," very cleverly ana brightly played i J>y Miss Gertie Cremer (who will be remem- : Jbered here as Tyl Tyl in "The Blue I Bird"). Though a very busy apostle bf. self-help, the "Little : Mother" has lots of friends in the neighbourhood, and

t ]the entertainment they, give under the '. [direction of..the old Dutob. caretaker ot 'the tenements was distinctly.diverting, though in some instances they did not uccord-with the situation. A jarring note was struok by the inclusion of an alleged imitation of Daisy Jerome's singing of "Row, Row, Row," which was not . in the least like the original, and right tiway from the character. The happiest - performer was the dear little mite who performed on the safety bicycle, and was also given a rather blatant vaudeville song to sing- Surely there are charming v.hildren's songs tnat would fco in more •harmonious accord with tho scene.' , As mentioned above, the company is quite'a capable one for the class of play selected. Mr. Maurice Tuohy us (Howard Wilson, mado a nice, restful, ro- ' fined hero,- and was probably as spiritless as the author intended him to be. • Mr. iEdga'r Kenna made quite a convincing Robert Curtis, and as Cora Williams, his ipaitner in crime, Miss' Mabel Hardinge ' piled on the agony. There was no mistaking the sort of woman she was, when sbe donned the leopard-like costume of ithe traditional siren of Melodrama. Miss. . aKathleen Arnold lacked power and colour .as the heroine, Mabel Wilson. .' SNo : parts were better played than the .: comedy roles. Miss Alice Rede was very 'amusing and attractively robust in lnanjaer and figure as Bridget Malone, and (Mr. Frank Neil made an entertaining jToto. Mr. W. J. Coulter was well suited ;' as Van Schwartz, asd Mr. Geo. Harrison {was capital as the policeman "with a : (heart." The melodrama, which will run jthroughout • the ; week, was capitally ißrtmnted,:.and the stage, management.left ■ , ("nothing to b& desired.. ■ If 'the p'erforml&nce- can;- be taken as the standard of. ' iThat 1 is .to come, lovers of melodrama Ivill have capital food for entertainment tfor a month to come. \ ' '