“MARE NOSTRUM”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 50, 21 May 1927, Page 17

“MARE NOSTRUM”

AT THE MAJESTIC Of Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, at whose shrine they had always worshipped, the Ferraguts had only asked of one favour, that when death came to them it should be in the arms of Mare Nostrum. To them the Mediterrannean was “Our Sea,” and in its tideless depths a long line of Spanish sailormen had sought their final haven. Unsuitably married, Ulysses Ferragut left his wife and son in peaceful Barcelona, while he went the way of his breed —the road that led to sea. The world war caught him in its grasp, and through an intrigue with a beautiful Austrian spy, Freya Talberg, he becomes involved in the meshes of the German espionage system. Through his instrumentality a U boat receives supplies of oil, which enables it to pursue its campaign of death and destruction in the hitherto peaceful waters of the Mediterranean. The same boat destroys a passenger ship upon which his young son is travelling in search of him. Then his love for the beautiful spy turns to hate.

The scene changes to Marseilles, where Ulysses, now the last of his line, has dedicated his ship, the Mare Nostrum. to the service of the French Government. Freya, stricken with remorse at the result of her influence over Ulysses, has been cast aside by the secret service. She appeals to him for help, but he rejects her. A firing party in the cold grey dawn on the field of Vincennes is her lot. She faces it bravely in her furs and pearls—“the armour of her kind.”

Before her execution she has written to Ulysses, and as he reads it on the waters of Mare Nostrum, the old passionate longings return. A grey sin-* ister shape rises across the bows of his boat. It is the U-boat that sent his son to death-, and its torpedo again finds its mark. With the deck of his vessel awash he fights alone. With a last well-placed shot he sinks the submarine and the last of the Ferraguts goes to his home, his mission fulfilled. Antonio Moreno is entrusted with the leading role, and playing opposite him is the beautiful Alice Terry. Exquisitely gowned she makes a very desirable lead, and on occasions rises to splendid emotional heights. Mare Nostrum is one of the best mounted productions seen in Auckland ■•‘'for some time and contains not a dull moment. With songs at the piano, Jack Lumsaaine enters into another successful season. His numbers last night included “Baby Face,” “Tickled to Death,” “Calling,” and the ever-popular “Bye, Bye, Blackbird.” The whispering baritone is one of Majestic’s best turns, and the extension of his engagement for another week was popularly acclaimed by a packed house. A “Majestic News,” “Eve’s Review,” Pa the Gazette, and a New Zealand pictorial featuring matters of topical interest added further interest to a most attractive programme.