THEATRE ROYAL—"OTHELLO."

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1601, 7 April 1879, Page 3

THEATRE ROYAL—"OTHELLO."

All the lower 'portion of the Theatre was crowded on Saturday night to witness the performance of "Othello." It is not too much to say that it was certainly the strongest cast, that has been witnessed of the tragedy in this city, and the performance, with very trifling drawbacks, was an eminently satisfactory one. Mr Creawick gave a grand representation of the Moor, currying with him the sympathy of the audience from first to last. The address in the first ace was a splendid specimen of finished elocution, Mr Creswiek's bearing at the same time being full of manly dignity. The whole of the trying third act was full of power, the stormy passion of Othello, when writhing under the insidious promptings of lago, was exhibited with overmastering force, the acting of Mr George Darrell throughout the same act being thoroughly artistic. In the fifth act, again, the star sustair ed the trying situation with unabated energy, Mr Darrell as before acting thoroughly en rapport with him. This gentleman's conception of the wily vindictive Venetian must be spoken of in terms of high commendation. With excellent judgment he does not fall into the error of making lago's villainy so transparent that it would deceive no one, least of all a man as full of shrewd intelligence as the noble Moor. Mr Darrell, except in the soliloquies, made lago the gay debonnair comrade,who performs, frjm motives of conscientious friendship, a task abhorrent to him. It is only when communing with himself that he exhibits the fiendish malignity that would ensnare both the soul and body of his victims. Mrs George Darrell's rendering of Emilia was beyond praise. Never has this talented and justly popular artiste appeared on the boards of Christchurch to greater advantage than she did on Saturday night. It is a matter of fact that she was the feature of the fourth act, and she fairly electrified the house with the passionate energy with which she gave the lines

" Oh Heaven, that such companions thou'ldst unfold, And put in every honest hand a whip To lash the rascal naked through the world." At the end of the act, she was honored with a special call, which Bhe shared with Mr Darrell. Miss Ashton was interesting and very ladylike as the gentle Deademona, and enlisted the suffrages of the audience hy her winning pathos in her appeals to the jealous Moor. Mr H. H. Vincent was a very excellent Cassio, gallant and manly, and Mr H. Power a moderately good Roderigo, and the same may be said of Mr Sterling Whyte's Brabantio. All the leading characters were called before the curtain at the close of the tragedy. To-night, "Romeo and Juliet" will be performed, with Mr H. H. Vincent as Romeo, Mr Creswick ai Mercutio and Miss Helen Ashton as Juliet.