“THE TEMPEST”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 620, 23 March 1929, Page 22

“THE TEMPEST”

SPIRITS AND MONSTERS FINE PRESENTATION “The Tempest," a play by William Shakespeare, CAST Caliban Mr. Allan Wilkie Alonzo Mr. Vincent Scully Sebastian Mr. John Cameron Prospero Mr. Alexander Marsh Antonio Mr. Herbert Sheldrick Ferdinand Mr. Dennis Barry Gonzalo Mr. William Lockhart Adrian Mr. Alan Harkness Francisco Mr. Russell Chapman Trinculo Mr. Arthur Keane Stephano Mr. John Cairns Master of Ship .. .. Mr. Miles Hastings Boatswain Mr. Keith Hall Ariel Miss Mildred Howard Iris Miss Lorna Forbes Ceres Miss Beatrice Windsor Juno . . .. Miss Marjorie Carr Miranda .. Miss Hunter-Watts Although not perhaps so familiar through quotation as some other of Shakespeare’s plays, “The Tempest” is widely read and universally appreciated. This rich gem in the great dramatist’s diadem was introduced into the repertoire of the Allan Wilkie Company wrhen in the Dominion in

1927. It was one of the best allround performances of the season. “The Tempest,” a play by William I the more remarkable since it lacks some of the usual elements of dramatic i interest. The plot is comparatively slight and the play is not as rich as I many in the studies of human character. There is much of mere horse- , play in the excellent buffoonery of Stephano, the drunken butler, and Trinculo, the jester. The play, nevertheless. ranks among the greatest of the series. The principle that freedom consists in service, and that guilty souls may be cleansed with the blessing of the j good, is seen clearly beneath the romi antic presentation. Shakespeare has : welded the. grotesque with the poetic- ; ally beautiful and entwined natural i and supernatural to form a perfect 1 moral structure. ! A graceful and charming Miranda • was Miss Hunter-Watts, and weil . worthy of the sentiment expressed by ; Mr. Dennis Barry, as her lover, Fer- . dinand, “ ’Tis fresh morning with me when you are by at night.” Prospero was a dignified but benign magician as portrayed by Mr. Alexander Marsh ,and well he showed Shakespeare’s noble conception of unlimited power turned to entirely beneficial purposes. > The hairy man-monster, Caliban, t . Played to perfection by Mr. Wilkie. His interpretation of this rugged role earned quick commendation from the audience. A difficult part was that of Ariel, but Miss Mildred Howard carried this off as well as her light voice would permit. The comedy roles of Trinculo and Stephano were played by Mr. Arthur Keane and Mr. John Cairns, a pairvery amusing in their drunken wraneljfigs. * The orchestra, under Bradshaw iMajor, provided delifhtfJ^nSia!