“SOMEONE AT THE DOOR”

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 149, 20 March 1939, Page 5

“SOMEONE AT THE DOOR”

Thespians’ Performance THRILLS AND COMEDY "Someone at the Door,” a comedy in three acts, by Dorothy and Campbell Christie. Cast :— Ronnie Martin .... Myles F. E. AVright Sally Martin Joan Goodwin Bill Reid , Selwyn Toogood Price R. J. Larkiu Harry Kapel, J.P John McCreary Police Constable O'Brien Arthur Rayner I’olice-Sergeaut Speddiug . H. A. Painter Comedy-dramas are common in the theatrical and screen scale, but a comedy mystery thriller is a theatrical cocktail less familiar to the Wellington palate. “Someone at the Door,” presented by the Thespians at the Concert Chamber on Saturday night under tile direction of Mr. A'ictor Loyd, is a judicious aud clever blend of both elements iu entertainments. So those who live to be amused and mystified alternatively will find the Thespians' offering quite entertaining, as the little play is smoothly presented by a caste nicely alert to the humour of the piece.

Ronnie Martin is a young man who fancies that the only road to journalistic success is to lain! a sensational frout,puge story of the London Sunday paper type, aud conceives the idea of faking a murder, and selling the story to a newspaper. He proposes to murder his sister, Sally, who, after scoffingut the preposterous idea, is persuaded.' that it ujigbt be "a rag” and agrees to 'go into hiding for a week. As the police would have to be presented with a body, Bill Reid, a medical student, is dragged in to produce the goods, which be apparently does, and. the body is buried in the greenhouse. Then Ronnie makes play with the police, endeavouring to become arrested; but iu this respect the plot does not work out to schedule.: One of the first things the police do is to drag the lake, and there, ■ instead of finding the body of a girl, they pull out of Hie depths the remains of a mau, witli lead attached to his feet, aud his throat roped tightly. This discovery rather throws Ronnie's scheme out of line. Then Sally suddenly arrives from her cellar retreat with a bag of jewels of immense value, upon which discovery Ronnie decides that Sally will have 'to come to life iu order that they can claim the reward. While they are about to take steps to that end, the applecart is upset by the action of neighbour Harry Kapel. J.l’., who, though living the life of a country gentleman, is revealed as the leader of a gang of thieves. He has been looking for the swag which Sally has discovered and is so determined to get it that he holds the household up with a six-shooter, but as he is about to descend to the cellar, where £60,000 worth of jewels have been casually left, he is shot dead by an unknown from the window. Sergeant Spedding, of the police, comes upon the scene to make investigations about the corpse recovered from the lake. ' to learn that Price, the lugubrious handy man, was the strangler in the case; but when that morose individual is inclined, to become too talkative there is another shot and Price drops dead. Then comes an exciting denouement. Loose-limbed, debonair, shock-headed, Mr. Myles F. E. AA’right was admirably cast as Ronnie Martin, a bright youthful role which calls for a lively sense of humqiir and an engaging personality. As Bill Reid, who adores Sally, Mr. Selwyn Toogood contributed a nice proportion of bland good humour to most of the scenes. Sally found a bright and prepossessing exooneut in Miss Joan Goodwin, the only woman iu the east. Mr. John McCreary as Kapel was properly loud and coarse but, probably through inexperience, did not demarcate as significantly as he might have done the mau who was living a double life in the very worst sense of the term. Price was acted with deadly malevolent gloom by Mr. R. J. Larkin.

Mr. H. A. Painter, who as a rule

specialises in Cockney comedy, was given the role of the double-dealing sergeant of police, one that calls for a man of larger physique and distinctive individuality. Though Mr. Painter is usually sound when aptly east, it was only too evident that he would not pass for the police service anywhere, which same comment can be justifiably made in respect of Mr. Arthur Rayner's police constable. “Someone at the Door” will be repeated this and tomorrow evenings. ■