THEATRICAL NOTES.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 468, 3 May 1890, Page 6

THEATRICAL NOTES.

(FROM OUR LONDON CORRESPONDENT.) London, February 28. An eminently friendly audience, which included the Princess Louise and Lord Mayor Isaacs, not to mention large per* centages of the Savage and Playgoers Clubs, made the very best of the mediocre programme with which Miss Cissy Grahame opened Terry’s Theatre on Saturday evening last. The first pieco, unusually trivial even for a curtain-raiser, shows how a certain Anglo-Indian, after long years of absence, returns home to marry his first love. He finds the lady faded and middleaged, and thereupon (with the approval of a'l concerned) transfers his affections to her niece, a damsel of bashful sixteen. The cool and heartless manner in which this jilting business is conducted would have roused the wrath of some audiences, but thanks to Mr Yonke Stephen’s airy handling of the objectionable character, everything went smoothly on Saturday. Mr Jerome K. Jerome is a man from whom, rightly, people now expect much. He ought not to waste time over catchpenny vulgarities like “ Three Men in a Boat,” nor slip-slop farce such as “ New Lamps For Old.” Mr Jerome has done, and can do far better work. “ New Lamps For Old ” is supposed to be a skit on Ibsenisra, and the new doctrine of individualism, otherwise selfishness. A young married couple, Edwin and Elvira Honeydew, are quite happy till they read Mrs Mona Caird and the “ Daily Telegraph,” and come to the conclusion that marriage is a failure. The wife then takes up wit.h a long-haired poet who talks about the limitations of the attainable, the environment which crushes the Individualism of the Soul, and other rubbish, whilst the husband flirts desperately with a strong-minded female who claims that ho is the complement of her entity. Both couples elope and both (singularly enough) make for a ramshackle, riparian hotel, where everything is more or less out of order. Here they are followed by a little busybody of a solicitor who, in the attempt to collect evidence for a divorce between the Honeydows, brings about a reconciliation. This part is played by Penley (of “ Private Secretary ” fame), who certainly makes the most of his opportunities, especially when, imprisoned in a cranky lift which won't stop, he flies past the sitting - room on his way to and from the basement. The comedy ot “Our Boys” (which originally ran from January 16th, 1875, to April 18th, 1879 - a total of 1,361 consecutive performances) will only occupy the Criterion, where it has been revived previously, for a limited number of weeks. Either “The Guv’nor” or “School” is then to take its place. The success of Robert Buchanan’s “Clarissa” at the Vaudeville proved, even to scores of inimical eyes, complete. The dramatist’s friends averred the play was a really good one; his enemies, that Miss Winifred Emery pulled it through by her sympathetic acting of the title role. All, however, were compelled to congratulate lucky Tom Thorne on having “struck oil” again. The story is so closely followed that I needn’t detail the plot. Miss Emery’s death scene brought tears to the eyes of the hardest-hearted critics, and a Mr Thalberg (unknown to the metropolis) scored as Lovelace.

The new comedy, “ A Pair of Spectacles” (produced with perfect success at the Garrick Theatre on Saturday evening last), conclusively proves a great truth, which I have again and again endeavoured bo—vulgarly Bpeaking—rub into people. It is this—that if a play has only ciever characterisation and “ snappy ” dialogue, the very slightest of plots will suffice. On Saturday Mr Sydney Grundy’s smart sayings as cleverly enunciated by Mr Hare, Mr Groves, Miss Kate Rorke, and Mr Sydney Brough kept the audience in an excellent temper from firsbtolast. Mr Hare reappears a=< a benevolent old gentleman with a young wife, a grown-up son and a profound belief in the goodness of" human nature. Benjamin Goldfinch, indeed, sees the world through roseate spectacles and trusts and helps all around him. Into the optimist’s Eden comes a serpent in the shape of a hard, suspicious and miserly younger brother, one Gregory Goldfinch, admirably acted by Charles Groves. This worthy relates with glee how (Yorkshire to the finger-tips) he deluded the guard of his train at Leeds into securing, him a third-class compartment to himself, and when that functionary hinted at reward referred him to the Company’s by-laws. Reminded by Ben that if he throws his bread upon the waters it will return to him after many days, Gregory irreverently retorts, “Yes, but it will be mouldy,” and forthwith proceeds to ridicule his brother’s absurd philanthropy. A touchingly worded begging letter comes under discussion, Benjamin vowing it is genuine, whilst Gregory bets a new hat the writer’s a fraud. Gregory wins, for on the brothers proceeding to St. Giles to investigate the matter, the “ starving widow” proves to be Mr Benjamins, ex-coachman,.whom Mrs B. had at last discharged for incorrigible drunkenness. The scoundrel jocularly confesses that knowing his late master’s weakness for “starving widders,” thought he might as well “ get a bit” by trading thereon. This melancholy discovery sadly disconcerts poor old Ben, and a few more fraternal home truths finally resolve him to temporarily break his optimist spectacles and gaze for a period through his brother’s materialist ones. Thß second act shows how (circumstances chancing to favour Gregory) poor Benjamin finds grounds for suspecting one personafter another of playing, him false, absolutely ending up by thinking ill of his son (whom accident places in a false position) and the young wife who adores him. How touchingly Mr Hare plays the part of the once kindly creature now lonely, deceived, and forlorn, those of your readers who may chance to have seen any of his inimitable studies of old men will easily imagine. Fortunately, a rumour that he is ruined causes Benjamin in the third aeb to discover

that he has made a huge mistake. If the world is not the little heaven below he imagined it, neither is it the sink of iniquity and selfishness painted by Gregory. Even the scoundrelly coachman proves anxious to offer help in the hour of need, whilst Gregory himself, who pretended to be hard as nails, is shown to have (hid away somewhere) a heart of gold. This act goes even more briskly chan its predecessors, and the curtain falls leaving everybody pleased. . Miss Agnes Huntingdon, who possesses from all accounts the temper of a—ahem ! prima donna, learnt from Mr Justice Chitty on Saturday last that not even the fact of Mr Augustus Harris having used “per fectly deplorable ” language about her general behaviour justified her in rupturing a legal contract with the Carl Rosa Company. The learned judge injuncted Miss Huntingdon from performing for any other management, and advised actress and im presario to make up their quarrel, urging that the washing of dirty linen in public did neither any good. I gather, therefore, that you' will not see Miss H. in your part of the world with her own particular and private company quite so soon as was expected. The profession seem surprised that Mr Harris and his co-directors did not allow the lady to void her contract. By its terms (tho late Carl Rosa made the arrangement) she receives £6O a week, and it is, I should fancy, doubtful if she draws this much to the exchequer either in London or tho provinces. To the lengthening list of actors who have failed as managers must be added the venerated name of Arthur Roberts, whose season at the Royalty (an unlucky little house of late) has proved financially most disastrous. Arthur does not seem cut out for management. “Two with you !” at the “ Spooferies ” about 1 a.m. is more in his line. Augustus Druriolanus, who was in the Royalty fiasco with the volatile one, fails to sea the fun of being “ spoofed ” by the grandmaster of that immortal pastime, and uses, I am told, a choice selection from his vocabulary of objurgatory epithets whenever the name of Roberts is mentioned.