THE THEATRE ROYAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4385, 9 April 1875, Page 2

THE THEATRE ROYAL.

The management of the Theatre Royal certainly deserves success, for the number of novelties that have been presented during the present short season has been very large ; and they have, one and all, been placed upon the stage with a care and. completeness such as has never been shown in Wellington before. The selection for last evening was the historical and singular French drama, " The Man with the Iron Mask," the very title of which is full of awe and indicative of mystery. There are few who have not perused the novel of the same name, and from which the drama was constructed. It is therefore unnecessary to detail the plot of this singular and mysterious production. From the rising to the falling of the curtain the deep mystery which pervades the whole drama, and the natural and touching manner in which the painful and affecting scenes, which abound in it were enacted, enthralled the auditory, who followed with deepened interest its development of the plot. The audience were fairly carried away by the vividness and reality imparted into the character of " The Man with the Iron Mask," and as incident followed incident, the actor's power over his listeners was very apparent. It may be said that the whole interest and weight of this drama fell upon Mr. Bates, as the masked man. His conception and rendering of the character stamp him as an actor of the highest class. It was evident that no little care and attention had been devoted by Mr. and Mrs. Bates, and the ladies and gentlemen who assisted in the production of the drama, which achieved a decided success. All played exceptionally well The tenderness and pathos of Mrs. Bates as Marie d'Ostauges, the prison scenes of Mr. Bates as Gaston, and the fidelity of his follower d'Aubigne, rendered by Mr. Burford, were pieces of acting that w : U not readily be forgotten by those who witnessed them. So well-balanced and evenly distributed is the interest among the minor characters, that there is difficulty in according to each character its due importance. To-night, the "Man with the Iron Mask" will again be presented, when there should be at least as large and as appreciative and numerous an audience as there was last night.