TURANGANUI DRAMATIC CLUB.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 188, 18 July 1874, Page 2

TURANGANUI DRAMATIC CLUB.

The “ inclemency of the weather ” is the conventional phraseology to use in ascribing to meteorological phenomena the mishaps which will now and then occur to prevent the due fulfilment of some of the promised pleasures or businessesof life. The weather lately experienced in Poverty Bay has been of that chronic order known as “unsettled,” until the day fixed for the Dramatic performance at the Music Hall, on Thursday last, when it became “settled”—dreary, cold, cheerless and wet; which materially subtracted from the financial success which would otherwise have resulted, and which the marked improvement, in every respect, most decidedly merited. The Company deserve great credit for adhering to their programme, which was faithfully and,; from an histrionic point of view, successfully carried out. A thin house generally damps the ardour of amateurs, as well as professionals; but the Turanganui Club may take satisfaction in knowing that under such adverse circumstances as those of Thursday evening, they, one of all, gave great gratification to an audience which, though small, was highly appreciative ; and whose indulgence was hardly called into requisition. The properly-called “Romantic” Drama of the “ Seven Clerks ” was placed on the stage in a way superior toanything of the kind yet attempted, and was well supported by the Company, the dresses ami stage appointments, telling to great advantage. The romantic phase of the play consists in Vietoriue the daughter of a wealthy-old usurer, inducing Adolphe de Briancourt to enter her father’s employ as a Clerk, to serve the double purpose of aiding the lovers in the prosecution of their suit, and also to delect, if possible, the thieves who had so often abstracted the old man’s gold, and for which supposed offence seven innocent Clerks had previously sacrificed their lives on the scaffold, as a penalty for suspected guilt which, - according to the denouement of the plot, could not have been proved against them; and involved a rigorous carrying out of the law —rather than the assertion of Justice—eminently unsatisfactory in its results. Claude Duruaud it appears, made others the victims of his own acts. The suspicion which haunted him all the day, accompanied him during the night watches, for while others slept, he, in his somnolent rambles, abstracted some portion of the gold he had given to the custody of his faithful Clerks, and deposited it in a secret hiding place. The coming morning told only of the Lags that, were missing, for which loss, as we have said, seven lives were sacrificed. Adolphe would have made the eighth, were it not for the earnest espousal of his cause, with her father by Victorine, who herself undertook to watch through the night following the accusation against Adolphe. On thAf'i particular night three thieves really did enter the premises for the purpose of burglary, which circumstance weakens the plot considerably, as their appearance was somewhat irrelevant to its development. On the disappearance of the burglars, Dumaud himself emerges from a closet —which, according to Victorine, has been in disuse for many years, —and, during his sleep, covertly secretes a bag of his treasure, the abstraction of which would have led to an impeachment of Victorine herself had the old man not been discovered in the act. The discovery was sufficient to prevent the sacrifice of the eighth life, but not to atone for the seven who had piled up the holocaust of the Usurer’s revenge ; and the miserable old man’s remorse —on being suddenly awakened to the damning evidence of his own deed, — vividly portrayed, in an artistic manner, the clear perception of the author’s intention by Mr. Atcherley’s delineation of the miser, which wanted but a little more animation in the death scene to make it perfect. It was decidedly the best acted character in the piece. Mr. Berry held his own as the cavalier Nobleman, bent on a romance in real life to be near his lady love. Mr. Butt's Gustave was natural aud unaffected. This gentleman delivers with a clear, outspoken diction, which falls pleasantly on the ear. The part, however, we think was too small for him. Simon, was in Mr. Brodie’s peculiar line, and lost nothing in his hands. Of Mrs. Berry’s Victorine we have nothing but the most pleasing recollections: this lady improves on acquaintance; and did a little more “ soul ” appear in the impassioned parts, nought would be left to express a wish for. The national characteristics of three thieves were admirably portrayed by Messrs. Nasmith, Drummond, and Nash; and although Captain Porter had little to do as an officer of Gendarmerie, he looked and acted his part well. The smaller fry also aided in the effective ' rendering of the Drama.

A musical interlude followed in which Mr. Dufaur sang that exquisitely—we might say severely—musical Basso song “The Village Blacksmith” with much taste and feeling, and Mr. Turner gave too or three of his comic favorites with great applause. Both gentlemen were encored vociferously, and acknowledged the compliment paid to them. Buckstone’s favorite Farce “ The Dead Shot ” followed, and kept the audience in a state of constant mirth from begining to end. The principle event in this—beyond the superb acting of all concerned in it—was the debut of Miss Staunton as Chatter, and the re-appearance of Mrs. Bach as Louisa. Lovetrick. • The former lady was naturally. rather timid, but delivered what she had to say with an easy, diffident grace, which added a charm to her evident want of stage knowledge-, while the latter’s conception of the winning, bouncible, graceful, -yet graceless coquette, was among the happiest efforts of amateur aeiing we have ever seen. Mr. F. J. Piesse was quite at home as Captain Cannon, and played with his usual vivaciousness. Hector Timid was capitally rendered by Mr. Stubbs, and Wiseman and Thornton lost nothing in the handsof Messrs. Atchorley and Drummond. The curtain fell to loud applause. We are sorry to learn that the proceeds leave a very small balance to credit; but the performance will bear repeating in its entirety. Mrs. Brooke Taylor, assisted by Mr. H. Boylan, presided over the musical department.