A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 207, 21 January 1913, Page 4

A SUCCESSFUL PERFORMANCE.

"THE GIRL INJTHE TRAIN." ARRIVAL IN NEW PLYMOUTH. " T, » «« Ui« J. C. Williamson Kei CoS'o 1(7 Company to a crowded pera "um- m ,il " "%* »m£ ft lumie + Wl ' ite «™, it is distinc y ;afc , JOy \trouspossesses the initia t ri " o P f' 9 " ." something of t nlni- „n , 0{ wing is but a thin attenuation'of no itsdf interest, though mt lack^St P ' • CoUlse is a Pure frivolitv but there is no concealing the fact thl* even regarded from this point of i is an ill-balanced frivolity. We not see it m its entirety last ,1 probably the audience will Inyo grievance against the Manag-me it m this account. It must not, Z considered that the production i,as its ments, and many ot them. Nt the piece and not the r lanrs-n«Jn3 which any reproach can lie. Construct? iveJv it is monotonous, although much" ot the book is crisp and wittv, and it •sparkles with delightful repartee and seme frankly audacious punnin- of so wicked a character as to fully condone

Modern comic opera, as a matter of fact seems to have lost much of its erstwhile versatility. It has grown more col ventially artificial, and has sailed reallv !*to the seas of quasi-vaudeville. This is not necessarily a disability, but it tends to destroy all sense of continuity when the court adjourns to permit of the tenor singing a love lyric to emntv ° r prerai * re danseusa stops the chief comedian's celebrated' beer 'tanking act in order to dance a' pag seul. There is a point where imag ination and dramatic license ought not to be overtaxed, and that point is reache[many fames in "The Girl in the Train" One hardly wishes that there had been no girl and no train, or that the girl had originally missed the train, but one still cannot help wishing that she had made better use of her time, once sire did catch it.

Naturally, owing to the construction of the piece, most of the "fat" goes one way, and that clever comedian, Mr W S. Percy, gets tlie run of his life-time as-. President \an Eyek; It has been charge , ed against this bright actor that he 1 aeks .versatility, but his performance last night thoroughly and for ever disposes of the suggestion. It was a clev- ' erly-3ustained and masterly bit Of cont edy work. The one other outstanding teature was the singing of Mr. W. Taf leur Andrews, a robust tenor with a voice exceptionally rich in tone and, of very pretty quality. He adds to thil * > good stage presence—and the two are not usually associated—and his per- ' formance was in every sense a pleasing one. _ Hiss Dorothy Brunton was a charming Jana Van Buren, sin»infl sweetly and presenting the part , with' just that nice quality of reserve that ifc v n T n i T Ili?s Sybil as Gon<k J/" L ?° happily enough cast; Er it V r- C ' th ? Ugh irre P r oachable as far as technique is concerned, was hardf irritat nalV a " d exa^erated % was irritatingly reminiscent of Palotta not at her best. She was heard to best advantage m several of the pretty concerted numbers with which the piece abounds. Mr. Fred Winn had little to ™ P !?i P nnci P al l°w comedy part, but »S2r 0 remark tl'nt little was admirably done, and Mr. Charles Albert vuis simply wasted in a minor role which £a\e no opportunity for the display of his always welcome eccentric dancing and mimicry. Miss Celia Ghiloni, who can smg when she is given the chance was another who had but little oppor: tunity to display her talents, but misfortunes, of course, are due «u!;elv . to the exigencies of the jlav and rot' to managerial restrictions. The n-nmin-mg characters were purely subordinate, and simply incidental to the alleged' story of the play. So far as thp music is concerned, it was delightful. There ia practically no chorus work in the production, but the solos and the concerted, numbers include quite a number of charming and haunting melodies, that are sure to linger at the street comers for weeks to come. In these Miss Brunton, Miss Arundale and Mr. Andrews bore the burden and heat of the -'av really admirably, and if the production is not remembered for its constructive 1 merits it certainlv will be for it-s music. The dancing was bright and clever—Miss Minnie Everett and Mr. W. S. Percy, as usual, being responsible for the chief features in this department. Naturally the staging and dressing left nothing, to be desired, and when all is said and done when the "Girl" gets on the train this morning she will leave many friends behind her in New Plvmouth.