CASTE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 912, 26 January 1881, Page 6

CASTE.

The Thornton family put Robertson’s comedy “ Caste ” on the stage at McFarlane’s Hall, on Monday night last, to a moderate house, which latter, doubtless, was owing to the postponement of the entertainment from Saturday to the evening just before the attraction caused by the arrival of Professor and Madame Haselmayer. Mr. Thornton did his best with the calibre at command, which, perhaps, is the best way of accounting for the comparative failure of the play ; none but the ladies were up in their parts, and, at times, the voice of the prompter trying to pull the performers together, rendered the position of all parties ludicrous in the exreme. Mr. Thornton’s own multifarious duties, possibly, prevented a due attention to the study of his part; but it was painfully observable that he got poor George D’Alroy into some awkward pauses now and then, which, to say the least was ungallant of him both as a suitor and husband of Esther Eccles, which character in the hands of Miss Thornton was worthy of better stage support. This young lady has histrionic powers, compassing both light and serious business, which, in a more congenial atmosphere would place her in a conspicuous position in public opinion ; and the greatest compliment we can pay Miss Thornton is to express our unqualified regret that she was so thoroughly deserted on Monday night, by those who should have given her more valuable assistance. Polly Eccles was very fairly pourtrayed by Mrs. Thornton, who entered thoroughly into the vivaciousness of the character; and whose stage by-play caused no little merriment; in fact Polly and Esther saved the piece from utter ruin. The other characters were represented by amateurs, whose names did not transpire. Mr. Thornton read the ‘‘ Trial by Combat,” a local production from the pen of Mr. J. G. Henderson ; but the noise in the hall caused the reading to be considerably marred in its effect. . The scenic effects of the piece were greatly enhanced by the new scenery from the brush of Mr. N. Thornton ; and each time the curtains rose, and the scenes changed, was a signal for new bursts of applause from the audience. Mr Thornton was loudly called for to the footlights to receive the well-merited encomiums of his patrons, which that gentleman received by bowing his acknowledgments.