AN UNFORTUNATE JULIET.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2374, 26 October 1880, Page 2

AN UNFORTUNATE JULIET.

Mdme. Lottie Wilmot who has been “ Starring” in Dunedin lately as a Free Thought lecturer, reappearedou Friday night at herold profession as an Actress. The lamentable failure is described in the Dunedin “Star: —The announcement that Mdme. Wilmot would take the part of the heroine in “ Komeo aud Juliet” drew a large audience at the Queen’s Theatre last evening, when that play was produced. It was generally understood that this lady before travelling in the role of a lecturer received a thorough stage education and appeared with success at various theatres iu other parts of the world; and it was therefore naturally anticipated that at least a passable delineation of the romantic Juliet would be given. Such hopes, however turned our to be ill founded, Mdme Wilmot proving to be unfitted in any one respect for the task she had undertaked. Her appearance was unsuitable ; the unfortunate difficulty which she experiences iu pronouncing the letter 11 was much against her, the constant reiteration of “Womco, Womeo’* have a ludicrous effect; the whining tone iu which she drawled out line after line, all at one pitch, aud with every word at a measured distance from the preceding one, it was misery to listen to, while her bearing and gestures were ungainly and ungraceful in the extreme. The conclusion of almost every scene in which Mdme. Wilmot took part was the signal for an outburst of hisses and jeers, mingled with which was but a bare suspicion of applause. Mr lieyuolds played liomeo intelligently and gracefully, though ho was occasionally hampered by his inamorata’s forgetfulness of her lines.