THEATER ROYAL.

Southland Times, Issue 925, 30 March 1868, Page 2

THEATER ROYAL.

On Friday evening last Mrs Eobert Heir, an old Victorian favorite, gave a dramatic entertainment at the Theatre Eoyal. The house was well filled ; and if the weather had not been so unfavorable the attendance would, no doubt, have been much larger. The curtain rose to Morton's serio-rcomic drama entitled " Angel of the Attic." The piece is laid at the time of the French Bevolution, but the plot is somewhat tame. It is one of those plays insignificant in itself, but yet requiring the display of more than average talent to render it popular. But Mrs Heir, as Mariette, made it a success, by the charming piquancy displayed and thorough knowledge evinced throughout of the character of the little grisette. The warlike apprentice, represented by Mr Sefton, contributed to the amusement of the atTdience by his drollery and naiveness. Mr Inglis supported the character of the Chevalier somewhat stiffly at first, but it gradually wore off. Mrs Heir next appeared as Rosalind,in. Shakespeare's comedy "As You Like It." The part selected was the first scene of the fourth act. It was admirably adapted for the display of the playful emotions and banter which the character of Rosalind ■pouTbrays.' Perhaps no greater test could have been afforded of the remarkable versatility of Mrs Heir as an accomplished and well read actress than the comparison of the two characters of Rosalind and Leah. In one there is the exponent of Shakespeare's female character, frank, amiable, and graceful, the embodiment of womanly tenderness, veiled in the sauciness of the page ; and in the other, the representation of Leah : the latter being the strong, passionate woman, leaving her friends and family, abandoning all that is dear, for the love of Rudolph. Seldom, ; indeed, have we witnessed Mrs Heir sustain this character better than on Friday evening. In every movement true genius was displayed. The agony of the deceived woman ~on~ discovering "the marriage of her lover, followed by the stern determination of revenge, the thrilling denunciation and allusion to the precept of the old law of " an eye for an eye, a hand for a hand," the fidelity with which the master passions were pourtrayed, together with the force of language, which gathered fresh power as the Jewess proceeded, in her terrible curse of Rudolph, made it one of the finest pieces of declamation almost ever witnessed, and engaged the audience m breathless attention. At the conclusion, the accomplished actress received the well-merited and unanimous applause of the whole house by being enthusiastically called before the curtain. Afterwards followed Sheridan Knowles' " Hunchback," in which Mrs Heir appeared as the sprightly pouting cousin. In the fourth act of Grlover's play of " Love's Sacrifice" Mrs Heir develops a new character — the loving girl and self-sacrificing daugLter — full of feeling and sensibility. As Paul Lafont, Mr Sefton appeared to greater advantage than throughout the evening : indeed he evidently paid some pains to the study of this character. The entertainment concluded with readings from standard authors by Mrs Heir. The same programme was repeated on Saturday evening, but we are sorry to add, there was but a very poor house.