DOBSON-KENNEDY COMPANY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4141, 17 June 1892, Page 3

DOBSON-KENNEDY COMPANY.

"The Lady of Lyons. " ' : The Dobsoti'-Kennedy Dramatic and Gomppny: was greeted ttjth a bumper house oa the oocasioa of their ,te-appeuranco io the Masterton Thcacro jßoyal last aiyht The production of the, drama staged," The Lady of Ly^s/* ; ha : d beeu looked forward to with great expectations for some weeks, and none who witnessed thh performance of last night could have been disappointed. The' play, full as it is with romantic circumstance and pathetic' incident, is calculated to toacl) the sympathies and arouse Jh.jr epotioqal native of tho most hardoned: human |ou|, Jhe plot is eimplo, .but: is. worked out in an exceedingly clever manned I The scene Of the drama - a laid in Lyons, a'well»ktawn city of Ira'p.'! .t|ere resides a 140cc|iapt| il> Deschappelles, with a handsome daughtpr r named Pauline; An ambitious'peasant youth, Clause Melnotte, the .son of a gardener, who is known as •''the Prince," becomes infatuated with Pauline, but on account of his bumble parentage dares not approach the objcot he so much adores. Pauline is loved by another, M. Beauseaht, who, by treaohery, lionspireg to induce the merchant's to marry Claude Melnotte under the guise oi a Prince, with the hope that her' pride is lowered by tiiio discovery that she has npried' a peat ant, she tvill be foff billing "tp abpepf ftis'pniffered'hand, ' By' a afrafige coj : jjin'sition 'of romantic circumstances Olaude Melnotte, having become a party to ibe conspiracy, 1? introduced ti the Pespbapelles family as a Prinoj), (tnd at pnee finds favour with the|afpiilß of - Paplipe, ■ He "paipts

picture of bis estates, his oistle, and his friends, "and she loams to love liiiio "not beoause ho iB a Prince," but on aooount of his personal qualities, Madame Desohapelles, the mother of Pauline, is delighted with the thought that her daughter finds favour with a Prince, and does everything in her power to promote a oloser relationship between the two. Eventually the oouple become united in matrimony and receive the blessings of M. Deschappelles, and the kind wishes of many friends for their' future happiness. Claude, Melnotte, the Prince, is then launched into despair. He knows not how to turn nor what to do. Ho induces his bride to seels refuge with him in ft lowly cottage, and here Pauline discovers that instead of marrying a Prince she has wedded herself to a humble peasant. Heartbroken she falls at the feet of the one whom she baa learnt to love, but wSo has betrayed her. Claude, who is greatly affected, promises to restore her to her friends, and gives his written consent to a divorce. By a singular coincidence he meets a cousin of his bride, Colonel Damas, with whom he was acquainted when under the disguise of a Prince, and he accepts an offer to join the army. He parts with his bride, who still yows to love him, and seeks solace in deßth. Paulino returns to her father's house. Here she iB wooed by M. Beausesnt, whom, to save her father from financial ruin, she conseMß to marry. On the very day of the wedding, Clauds Melnotto, who has distinguished himself for his bravery ill active service, returns asla Colonel, and after being ushered into the house of Desohappelles under a disguise, roypals himself as the husband of Pauline, and, relieving the father from his financial embarrassments, is at last rewarded with the consent to bis marriage, and everything, oxceptint; so lar at M. Beauseant is concerned, terminates happily.' The charaoter of claude Melnotte was ably sustained by Mr Collet Dobson, who was frequently cheered for bis clever aetinij. As M. BesU' , seant Mr Frank. Norton won equally , successful, whilst Mr J. J. Kennedy did full justice to the part allotted to him—that of Colonel Damafl. Miss Idrene Thornton gave a "faultless pourtrayal of the charming Pauline, and Mrs Walter Hill olearly demon strated the undoubted superiority of her histrionic talent by her reprp-» j suntation of Madame Desohappelles. The whole of the minor oharaoters | were well taken, and tho piece alto- , gether was the most successful of the | season. We must not, even in the brevity of our notice, omit to mention that the costumes were really magnificent. They were, indeed, altogether too good for the stage. The orchestra, under Mr K. B. Airey, provided some excellent music, and nothing was wanting to ensure the thorough enjoy- J men t of the large audience assembled, ]