“LOST AND WON” AT THE THEATRE ROYAL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 6235, 4 April 1881, Page 2

“LOST AND WON” AT THE THEATRE ROYAL.

Mr. Walter Reynolds and his company made a first appearance at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening, in “Lost and Won." The house was well packed in the lower portions, but the dress circle, as usual on Saturday evenings, was not thronged. The drama, the leading features ot which we gave in our last issue, was very favorably received. The plot keeps within the range of every-day probabilities, and Mr. Reynolds, with good judgment not always shown by author-actors, has avoided making it a “ star ” piece wherein all the good things are set down for the hero and heroine of the story, around whom the lesser lights revolve at a respectful distance. On the contrary, each character ia'.the drama is well defined, giving good scope for individual abilities, a id the telling points in the dialogue are distributed evenly, the author’s evident intent being to produce a play in which every petson engaged may have a fair chance. This is a teat of the abilities of the company, and it was well chosen as an initial performance. The result was satisfactory ; the company, though not numerically powerful, is a well organised and very capable one. Mr. Reynolds as Bertie Ashmore (the disinherited) proved himself undoubtedly a sterling actor. He neither rants nor raves, and he avoids, with scrupulous forbearance, giving the slightest undue prominence to the character he presents. He has a powerful yet well modulated voice, a good stage presence, and the combination of true dramatic genius and careful study is apparent in all he does. The audience were not slow to mark this, and as the action of the drama progressed were lavish in applause. Mr. Walter Hill as Grace Wilton was disappointing. Probably her rendering of the character, new in her hands, was but an experiment, and she has hardly yet decided how to play it. The experiment was not a success ; the “ voice ever soft, gentle and low—an excellent thing in woman," seemed, in her conception to be altogether foreign to the character of a suffering much enduring wife. Her declamation at times approached the “robustious periwig-pated ” stage of tearing a passion to tatters, the more surprising because this talented and deservedly popular lady generally displays most excellent judgment in her reading ot emotional parts. Mr. Charles Hall as Henry Courtney gave a good presentment of the gentlemanly stage villian, heartless, cynical, and unprincipled. Mr. J. J. Kennedy, as Oily Johnstone, a half-daft Tyne man, fully confirmed all that had been reported of him as an actor of very pronounced originality and humor. It was one of the best character impersonations seen on the stage at the Royal for a very long time past. Miss Grace Hathaway, as Nanny Nettle, was content to appear in a souhrette part, which does not give much scope for her abilities, but she nevertheless created a favorable impression. Miss Arethnsa May, as Ethel Pauncefort, dressed tastefully and spoke her lines clearly ; regard for points and effective bits of by-play, or any intuitive perception of how much might bo made of the character, was not apparent. Mr. J. W. Tyrell, as Walter Gower, may he congratulated on having made a favorable impression by his avoidance of mannerisms, which at times mar his moat painstaking efforts. Mr. Jeirames, as Sir Frederick Ashmore, and Mr. Alexander, as William Wilton, were both effective in ensuring the success of the performance. In a small child part little Lena Robinson was an acquiaition.

The piece was mounted with careful attention to scenic effect, one set scene being of the highly sensational order—a tempestuous sea, two drowning men clinging to a rock, a terrified crowd in the foreground, the cry for help, the sudden plunge of the heroic Bertie into the breakers, the rescue of his father and the daft Oily, general joy, blessings and benisons bringing the curtain down amid thunders of applause. To-night, and to-morrow night also, “Lost and Won’* will be repeated, and on Wednesday Mr. Reynolds promises a brilliant comedy drama] entitled “ A Christmas mystery.” ,