Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume IV, Issue 175, 7 November 1903, Page 11

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

" TT RIZONA " is magnificent as a L\ work of dramatic art, and it "^^ has to be handled with extreme nicety to \ ignette the points of human interest. Every member of the Fraw ley Company in the cast of "Arizona" is an artist who feels that he or nine i&, for the time being, the person he or she represents. The naturalness of it all is striking, the possibilities so reasonable, and the denouments so •quietly dramatic that. I am inclined to doubt the assertion of Mr. Bruckart that America has hundreds of plays like it. * # * Justice cannot be done to the story in print. One must see the man Denton, this merely every-day hero, a subaltern on a cavalry post, in his virile self-ab-negation. Mr. Fraw ley pourtrays with convincing simplicity the character of the man who bears the brunt to shield a woman — nay womankind. Stirring in its lnten-sjtv is the scene in which, he, as officer of the day, has countermanded the order for horses on which the captain-adventurer Hodgman and his colonel's loved and trusted wife intend to elope, she unbalanced by ennui, and he loving only conquest. The pent-uip determination without braggadocio, to see the thine: through the blazing wrath shining only in the eyes and expressed on the hard-bitten lip, the ready hand on thei "gun" he intends if necessary to use on the man who seeks to dishonour his friend and superior, the colonel, are very fine. » * * The insolent, biting coolness shown by Hodgman (Mr. Harry Plimmer), as he backs- down, hands over the lady's jewels, and disappears, is splendid. Of course the Colonel comes while the lieutenant is there. This trusted officer is the destroyer of his happiness? Good material, eh, but very hard? Anon disgraced, Denton finds sanctuary with a rancher, the father of the Colonel's wife, and of his own sweetheart, and one breathes the alkali of the plains and is brought in touch with the wild romantic life of people whose hand is ever on the "gun," and whoso hearts are soft for sorrow. * * * Canby, the rancher, is given us by Mr. Jeffrey Williams, and we must accept it as a perfect character study. He is a rancher from the best book we have read on the subject. He is a gentleman of the plain — a nobleman of nature. With his quaint twang, his epigrams, his slow -moving, deliberate honesty, Canbv stands out conspicuously as one of the best things seen on a Wellington stage. * * * Miss Van Buren, the beautiful Estrella, is a high type of all that is most striking in the cultured American woman. .Her perfect repose, and distinguished appearance, are eminent. In "strong" scenes Miss Van Buren shows dramatic force that simplifies her reputation. The cheery Bonita, a wholly lovable little creature, who seems too nice to be choked with alkali dust, is delightfully done by Miss Eva Dennison. The man who kept a stiff upper lip with Hodgman is as clay in the hands of Bonita, the potter. There is nothing more charming in "Arizona" than the perfectly natural love-making of the two. * * There is no "comic relief." There are pathos, humour, human interest, and a funny army surgeon, who is more of an epigrammist than a buffoon. Mr. J. A. Avery as the medico without braces, is brightly original. A splendid personation is that of Colonel Bonham, bv MiHarrington Reynolds, a clear-cut picture of a cultured man, hardly American, however who loves honour much. Mr. Reynolds sustained a tiymg part with rich effect. The Sergeant Kellar, of Mr. Wallace Sha.w , is another vivid picture. A Dutchman who has drifted into the American Army the father of the <nrl wronged by Hodgman, Mr. Shaw makes a live, lasting impression in a part that requires specially artistic treatment * * * Dixs Gaiety Company at the Theatre Royal, have had several weeks of fine weather for their little trip 'Up the River," a first part in which melody is attuned to sprightly mirth, and 1 youth and beauty trip the tireless toe. The drought does not affect the canvas

uver or the pasteiboaid ticcs. There is no sorrow over thoio tor Tod Calla,,ay is on the bank, with an inexhaustible supply of song treasures, and a voice to sing them with, an eye to wink, a foot to dance, and a joke to ciack. Anon, the Carleton and Sutton duo, pioducers of fun, and comedians of merit, give of their best. la very difficult patter songs they are excellent, and their repertoire has the advantage of newness. I believe the pair have never before visited New Zealand. Miss Dora Taylor has captivated her audiences by the expressive quality of her work, and her artistic appearance and undoubted ability as an entertainer. Miss Nellie Yohe's tuneful voice, the Dela.vales' clever acrobatic "turn," and Miss Malvena Moore's picturesque songs and dances, won applause the showkeeping up its fairly-established reputation for constant change and novelty. * * ■» Fuller's Entertainers, at the Choral Hall are becoming used to the boom created by the arrival of the Franz strong men. The man who can walk away with a horse and rider is entitled to your respect, and a gentleman who is at home with a jury panel, foreman and all, on his chest, is an awkward person to quarrel with. One of the 1 Franz brothers, as a tug-of-war team, challenges several gentlemen of muscle to pull him over the mark. He holds the rope between his teeth and sits back, and causes a sensation by holding it. * # * Rone and Lillie Bertoto are, as you know two of the cleverest children on the Fuller stage. Their sketches are delightfuHy grown-up, the manner quaint, and voices tuneful. As John, junior, remarks "They are complete little surprise packets." The show doesn't "tail off." It is full of bright and amusing "turns," any one of which is worth your while. Cheering to know that the Slapoffskis are bringing their concert company to New Zealand. * * * The London music halls have taken up pieferential trade in a popular song entitled "John Bull's Store," which goes with a bang nightly. * • • Women are all actresses. What makes actresses so fascinating and attractive is that they are w omen tw ice over. — Max O'Rell. * * * During the season of Messrs. Willoughby and Geach in Sydney, where the piece, "Mistakes Will Happen," was staged, the title struck several passersby the theatre with a heavy thud, when a painter, high up on the front of the Palace Theatre, dropped a pot of white paint, freely bespattering them. * * # The Peter Savieri Dramatic Company have been doing well in the South. On the third night of their appearance in Timaru, a house that went close on three figures greeted "The Term of His Natural Life," and this in spite of local affairs' — a dance and a, bazaar. After Ashburton, the company plays at Nelson and Blenheim, and then, in all probability, a tour of the Wairarapa will be undertaken. Miss Batterton Glover has secured golden opinions.