AMUSEMENTS.

Evening Star, Issue 4249, 9 October 1876, Page 2

AMUSEMENTS.

THE MIRROR OF THE WORLD.

There was another good attendance at this favorite place of amusement on Saturday night. Mr Clifford undoubtedly deserves great praise for his introduction of such a capital entertainment to Dunedin. We think that the singing portion of the programme might be dispensed with, as the panorama alone is well worth the money. THE PRINCESS’S THEATRE. Mr Dumpier made his bow to a Dunedin audience at the Princess's, on Saturday evening, in “ Hamlet.” The house was densely filled in the lower parts, with a good circle attendance, attributable, no doubt, to the reports of the immense success which Mr Dampier had achieved in Victoria, and more especially to the favorable impression made by him there in the character of the Danish prince. For these reasons the audience came prepared to see more than an ordinary representation of this difficult part, and in this they were not disappointed. Mr Dampier keeps steadily in view the one object of the play—the avenging of his father's death by Hamlet, and the easy, natural manner in which he hursts into fits of passion in the furtherance of this object, and in order to impress the king with his feigned madness, aid materially in the achievement of this. The soliloquy commencing “To be, or not to be ” was given by Mr Dampier in a standing position, and in a pensive, thoughtful manner, which was very successful; but tho effect of his delivery at the close of the second act, where he determines to enact a play in order to determine the king’s guilt, was marred by the too hasty descent of the curtain. The melancholy side of the Pnnce of Denmark’s character was well depicted throughout, and at the close of every act Mr Dampier was honored with a call before the curtain. Mrs Hill appeared as Ophelia, and the part was played much better than we have been accustomed to see it. The mad scene was very impressive, and in the earlier part of the performance Mrs Hill playel with considerable earnestness. On Saturday night the piece was played in its entirety and some innovations were introduced, principally amongst which was the bringing of Ophelia’s corpse on the stage, which had an excellent effect. Of Mr Steele’s ghost and of Mr Clinton's king we have before had occasion to comment in favorable terms, and both played with their accustomed ability. Miss Vivian was tho qaeen, but in the closet scene—where she chides Hamlet with resorting to wily schemes in order to secure tho king’s unhappiness—she lacked vigor. Mr Warde acted the part of the player-king most creditably: but the prologue to the scene had better have been excised than delivered in the mumbling manner it was by Mr Wilson. Mr Starke was sufficiently amusing as the first grave-digger, hut of the remaining characters the least said the better, “Hamlet" will he repeated to-night, and we would cordially recommend our readers to pay the Princess’s a visit. To-morrow evening Mr Dampier will produce one of the many pieces of which he has the copyright. In conclusion, we feel sure that the management will be recouped for their venture in engaging so able an actor as Mis Dampier.