PRESS DRAMATIC CLUB.

Evening Star, Issue 4170, 8 July 1876, Page 3

PRESS DRAMATIC CLUB.

At the Princess's Theatre last evening a perform* ance in aid of the funds of the "Working Men's Club was given by the members of the Press Amateur Dramatic Club. There was a very good attendance in the lower parts of tho house, but the number of empty seats in the dress circle showed that little energy had been displayed in tho sale of tickets.

Several months have elapsed since the last Appearance of the Press Amateurs on the stage, and, although their company has lost some of its prominent members, a finished performance of last evening's programme was ai.ticipated. The first piece was " O'Collaghan on His last Legs," in which Mr T. Bracken took the principal character. A better representation of the out-at-elbows pedagogue, whoso ready mother-wit rescues him from the most complicated, series of difficulties, wo have never seen given by an amateur. Mr Bracken's make-up wa3 excellent and his conception of the character was so racy that the audience was kept m roars of laughter from the rise to the fall of the curtain. Mr Buchanan, in the part of Charles Rivers, played natarally, and came in for a good share of applause, and he was nbly supported by Mr Donelly as Mr Rivers, senr. The abilities of Messrs N. Carey and H. Rhodes were not greatly called upon in the characters of John and Thomas respectively, but what they had to do was performed satisfactorily. Mrs Montague and Julio were represented by Miss Colville and Miss L. Lawrence, the last-named of whom played her part in the more conscientious manner by far. "When tho finale of " On His Last L igs" was reached, everything had, on the whole, gone well, and we could wish that the programme had also come to an end; but there was a second piece, the comedietta " Matchmaking." Of its representation it will b6 sufficient to say that it was fairly murdered; for although Messrs Graham and Callander as Colonel Eakiely, and Captain Belmont showed that they were admirably fitted for their parts, and though they strove hard to pull the piece through satisfactorily/ the dead weight of a character whose lines were mostly spoken by the prompter,Jand of another who could scarcely be heard at all sufficed to' mike the stage a scene of utter confusion. Miss Docey.Mainwaring as Lady Emily acted with as much animation as could be expected under tho circumstances, but it must have beeu a great relief to actors as well as to audience when the curtain fell on a lame conclusion to a well inaugurated entertainment. We trust that the Club will in future, for the sake of the public as well as of themselves, see that rehearsing is more diligently carried out than appears to have been done in this instance.