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"THE MIDNIGHT WEDDING"

ALLAN WILKiE SEASON. "The Midnight Wedding," a romantio melodrama in four acts, by Walter Howard.. Cast of characters:— Paul Vrilmar .'. Allan Willtio Grown Priiice of Savoiiia...AuEuslus Neville Gitptain Kudolph Sciirsbruck ... ' '.' ' . ' Ouy Hastings Prince. Eugene Strelburg Gerald Harcourt Sorgeant•Max Fred Patey Corporal Otto Edward Lander Private flbbo ;.'..„,.., Henri Doro Orderly"' .;...:........ Felix Bland fiergeiiiit- of the Guard Chas. Devon Father Gerard ..:.'.... Vincent Scully Kathie : ; Mildred Carltou fratanella ..:. Lorua Forbca I'nncees. Astrea *jtrelburg .... - Frcdiawydo Hunter-Watte .A good many years have passed eince . Mr. ( Harcourt Beutty clicked his trim heels' in the role of Paul Valmar in "Tho Midnight Wedding," but there are many who. wilt remember tho actor and the play, and ■will, therefore, be interested in the revival of. Iho.latter by Mr. Allan Wilkie at the Grand Opera House on Saturday evening.' The theatre was ■ packed .from the orchestra well to the back of the "top-shelf," and there was no denying tho evidences,,of sheer enjoyment in tho performance. If the audience was inclined to chuckle at:the Kmiewhat banal heroics of the military protagonists, it must: be remembered that the myriad deeds ; of derring do.during the late war have dwarfed into comparative insignificance many an act that would have ranked high in the scale of gallantry before tho modern Ai'inaggeddon. As melodrama, Mr. Howard has succeeded, with the aid of brilliant, uniforms, flashing sword-play, and a prob-able-plot, in" producing ft play'with many elements of success. True, many of. the scenes hud jokes are reminiscent, but on tho whole tho 'swagger aud jingle, the boast and brng of a well-appointed military melodrama"' scarcely ■ ever fail in their appeal. In "Tho Midnight Wedding" tho audieiice is led to believe that Paul Valmar, fword-masler to the Green Hussars in imaginary Saivonia, is a naragonin supermen. All women adoro him, men worship or hate him (according to taste), and in all things he' baulks the unscrupulous Captain Scarsbruek. "Iwoiild give , anything to see Paul Valmar lying there with a bullet through his brain or a sword-blade , through his heart," liioses the guttle captain, biit Paul is;au alert and gallant enemy, who has no intention of aljowing his superior officer such gratification of his wishe=. Scarsbruck loves the beautiful Princess Astrea. whoso father's dying wish is that she marries •Searsbrucfc before she i 3 of age or retires to'a nunnery. Aistrea loathes and detests the unworthy officer, and seeks a priest to suggest some way out of-her difficulty It is almost midnight, on the eve of Astrea's twenty-first ■ birthday, when Valmar eeeks sanctuary ' with- the priest, having run Prince Eugeno (Astrea's ■- degenerate 'brother) through in a duel, .caused by Eugene having thrown opprobrium on Valmar's birth. The priest thinks at once of Astrea's urgent ..dilemma; 'and asks , Vnlniar if, in return for' shelter, he will lend, his name , .to a .noble woman, in distress. , Valmar consents—hence the midnight wedding. The rest, of the play consist. , ! of the rascally. attempts of Scnrsbruck and-his. tool, Eugene, .'to get rid of '■ Valmar ■ and so - force Aetrea to an ■unwilling marriage. , A notably good scene-:is that where.,Scarsbruck scales the'castle wall to , Astrea's chamber in order .'to compromise her hopelessly-un-less .-she con>£nts ■■ to marry him. Palmar, seeing ' Soafsbruck's ascent, . follows, and ..there is a tense scene in ■which, after the alarm has been rung, Valmar forces .Scarsbruck at the .revolver's mouth behind a screen, and keeps him eilent; whilst Astrea calmly informs her-brothor (who has been waiting in readiness to blacken his sister's name)-that she hn<J not rung the alarm nud no one.had been to her room. Moro excitement is provided when Paul is prevented from, fighting a duel with Scarsbruck by being shot in the wrist by a Gipsy girl (who is.in the.captain's pay). .■Scarsbniek. arrives.■ and taunts the woundect man .with cowardice to such ft point that-Valmar consents .to . fisht with-his: left.hiiml ■ U tho affray the treacherous Eugene intervenes, and stabs .Valmar. The scene is . interrupted. by .'the, arrival of'the'.Crown. Prince, who, believing Astrea's version of the tragedy, places Scarsbniek and Eusene under arrest. The scene. that follows discloses the, fact that the Crown Prince is Vnliiiar's father (by a morganatic marriage). Subsequently the King dies, the Crown Prince succeeds, his marriage with Paul 9mother is legalised, and Paul become 3 the heir to the throne of Savonia, and he signalises his aseeat by killing Scarsbruck in a final duel—which makes cvei'yone exceedingly happy. Miss Frediswy'do'Hunter-Watts' , graces this role , of Astrea as few actresses could. Her grace of manner and deportment and her inbred gentility are qualities jri personality that make for success m such" romantic roles. Mr. Allan .Wilkio makes 'a hearty, robust; swashbuckling Paul Valniar, effective , enough in the military scenes, .but hot by any, means convincing in the.- more romantic passages. His. facial'expression is almost negligible. The repose and dignity displayed by Mr. Augustus Neville as tho Crown Prince made his performance one of the most complete in the play. Mr. Guy Haetings .showed commendable spirit and looked well as Scnrsbruck, and Mr. Gerald Harcourt; was the rascally Eugene. Excellent comedv was dispensed by Messrs , .' 1 , . Paley, H. Dore and l.d. Landor, as three bibulous comrades-in-arms, and Mi*. Mildred Carlton was petite/anil pretty .'.as the flirtatious Kathie Mies Lnrna Forbes made a picturesque Satnrtclln; An orchestra, under Miss Violet Harm, played apnroDriatc music throughout the evenin?. Saturday evening's performance was witnessed by the Countess of Liverpool nnd party from Government House. Tho Midnight Wedding" will be played for the next few 'evenings.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19191124.2.5

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 51, 24 November 1919, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
907

"THE MIDNIGHT WEDDING" Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 51, 24 November 1919, Page 2

"THE MIDNIGHT WEDDING" Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 51, 24 November 1919, Page 2

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