Woods-Williamson Company.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 3499, 21 March 1905, Page 2

Woods-Williamson Company.

THE GARDEN OF LIES. A fashionable Foxton audience witnessed the adventures of the young Irish art student, “Denis Mallory,”, who was impersonated by Mr Altrcd Woods. Termed “The Garden of Lies,’,’ the dramatic work of last evening, founded by Miss Maud Williamson upon Justin Miles Forman’s novel of the same title, is well named. The plot itself is clever, and opens in a Parisian cafe, where Denit Mallory appears to effect in a state of drunken stupor. In this cafe, this young Il’ich art student of supernatural qualifications is commissioned by the esteemed friends of Eleanor, Princess of Novidnia, (an. American heiress who has completely lost her reasoning powers through a motor car accident since her marriage with Prince Karl), to impersonate the Prince himself, and humour his! morganatic wife until she is fully restored to her senses again. This act of de' ception Denis consents to, and w« next find him in the Rose Garden of the Boulevard Rasfail with the Princ«ss humouring her to such an extent that Princess Eleanor believes him to be her real husband. Denis gains her devoted love and affection, and vice versa, and then the trouble begins. The real Prince accidentally _ drops the scene'and demands his wife. Wheil it becomes apparent to the Princess til&t she has been duped, Denis comes in for severe handling by the Princess, who denounces him as a blackguard of the lowsst type. His protestations are of no avail* as her love has turned to hate. Den:s receives not an iota of forgiveness from the Princess, but in the next scene thtf Prince is fully convinced Denis Mallory is acting in a good noble spirit. Whilst engaged iff discussing affairs connected with the Princess, the household are , alarmed and amazed to leam that the Friuccs's has been stolen from their very midst. Denis is first and foremost in offering to recapture the wife of the Prince, who has been followed from Novidnia by Baron Non Steinbruckle, and it is he who that bias stolen the Princess in order to keep Prince Karl out of his own country, as the Baron has hopes of some other heir more to his taste rising to the throne. In the search for the Princess, Denis drops across the Baron in a Parisian cafe, and both characters were particularly well displayed in this scene. Eventually Denis, the Prince, and their friends discover the whereabouts of the Princess, but they do not recapture her without the loss of blood. In the. duel which ensues, the Prince meets his doom, whilst Denis Mallory is seriously wounded by the Baron. The latter is taker! prisoner, the Princess ultimately begins to realise that she has considerably wronged Denis Mallory, and the. curtain falls with the usual happy ending—Denis Mallory and Eleanor, Princess of Novidnia, being finally united as King and Queen. Mr Alfred Woods was at home all through the plot, especially in lovemaking, where his pleasant smile and tone fairly caught the audience. Mis* Maud Williamson was admirable as the Princess, while perhaps Mr Peter Savieri could not have been better suited than as the Baron Von Steinhruclde. Colonel Von Altdorf (Mr Leo D. Chateau), Sir Gavin McKenzie (Mr Harry Douglas), Hon. Ed. Creighton (Mr Chas. Bryant), and Prince Karl (Mr J. A. Lambert) were characters well represented. Miss Jessica Mannering (Miss May Roberts) and Colette Olivier (Miss Alice Holyord) were lady characters of note, whilst a host of minors made up a splendid representation of “ The Garden of Lies.”

To-night the Company stage the farcical comedy “ My Wife’s Mother.”