THE DRAMA.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 115, 9 July 1875, Page 13

THE DRAMA.

*■* The very excellent programme put forward on Friday night, on the occasion of the "benefit tendered by the manager to Mr. Mubgrave, "brought together an excellent house, pit, stalls, and circle - being alike crowded. Mr. Musgrave is such a universal f&vorite on the stage., and Ms friends are so numerous off of it, that it was expected they wotild muster in good force, to show the estimation in which he is held, and it is pleasing to record that these anticipations were fully borne out. Of all the modern playwrights there are none whose efforts are more appreciated, or whose plays can be witnessed with such genuine pleasure, than the late Mr. Eobertson. " School," " " Ours," " M.P.," and " Caste," are pictures so faithfully painted of the different phases of life -which they represent, that the announcement of their presentation is sure to secure excellent houses. The characters introduced to the audience by Mr. Robertson are those to be met with in every-day life at the present time; and the consequences are, that there is not only scope for the formation of attractive characters, but the actor is afforded the opportunity of giving his audience a personation of the merits or demerits of which it can easily form an opinion. "Whole the dramas of Dion Boucicault owe their unparalleled success to the sensational situations by which he invariably works out his plot, those of Eobertson are admired for their very absence' of everything bordering on the melo-dramatic. Had he written no other play. than " Caste," it alone were sufficient to secure a reputation, and it may with equal truth be said of Mr. Bates that his personation of the character of Eccles should place him in the foremost ranks of his profession. His delineation of the unfortunAte drunken sot, deadened alike to shame and honor, without a particle of selfrespect or manly-feeling, was a magnificent piece of acting: indeed it was not acting, it was a reality placed before you so vividly, that whilst you shuddered with loathing and disgust, you pitied the abject grovelling wretch before you. Southern has won a worldwide reputation as Lord Dundreary ; Jefferson's Eip Van Winkle is a character once seen never to be forgotten j and the Eccles of Mr. Bates exhibits the drunkard with life-like truth, which it is painful to witness, and in despising the hypocritical debasement of the man, you pay the highest tribute to the actor. As Polly Eccles, Mrs. Bates had full scope for the vivacity and abandon which so much becomes her, an opportunity of which she fully availed herself. The Sam G-erridge of Mr. Musgrave was a most careful piece • of acting throughout, and when it is remembered the very wide range of characters which Mr. Musgrave is called upon to assume, it will be admitted that he is a most useful actor indeed. Mr. Keogh personated George Dalroy, and Mr. Stoneham, Captain Hautree, in a creditable manner, and Miss Willis looked so plaintively attractive in her widow's weeds, that it was almost a pity her supposed-dead liusband returned to destroy the picture. On Saturday night the sensational drama of " Tinder the Gaslight was produced, and on Monday an American production entitled " Dollars and Cents." The piece is written evidently in the interests of two of the male characters introduced, on whose shoulders falls the principal burden of the drama. These two are allotted to Mr. Bates and Mr. Musgrave, and with such ability are they sr. stained tlia,t in the matter of credit to be bestowed it must be said with truth and honesty that "the honors were divided." The heroine of the play is of course Mrs. Bates, but the character is a very commonplace one and does not test her powers to any great extent. An amusing old dame is introduced in the person of Mrs. Stoneham, whose side-splitting distortions of the Queen's English would cause Mrs. Partington herself to hang her head in shame. We were pleased to see Mr. Austin Power entrusted with a part somewhat commensurate with the extent of his abilities, and as has always been the case since his engagement when so honoured, he acquitted himself most creditably. A supposed Hibernian domestic was brought forward, the introduction for whom there did not appear to be the slightest necessity, unless it were to exhibit the particularly Cockney accent of which he was possessed, a feat which he accomplished in a most unniistakeable manner, and then took his exit to be seen no more. Miss Stoneham imitated the Yankee, help with an amount of qtiaint humor which was highly relished, and Mr. Clinton, as a matter of course, manufactured the villain, and as that is a role in which he has had some slight experience, he was, as might have been expected, equal to the occasion. Mr. Bates took Ms benefit on Wednesday night in the character of Hamlet, hut we are afraid it proved to be but one in name only, owing to the extreme inclemency of the weather. If such unfortunately be the case, it was only in a pecuniary point of view that it was not a success, for Mr. Bates must be congraulated on his admirable rendition of the Melancholy Dane. His conception of the character, though differing materially in some parts, from that of other actors of note, displays a careful study of perhaps one of Shakespeare's creations about which there has been the greatest diversity of opinion. The Hamlet of Mr. Bates is utterly devoid of rant or unnecessary vehemence, and is notable throughout every stage of the play for the natural ease which characterised all his motions. Exception might perhaps be taken to the manner in which, affected by the vision of the ghost on ' the battlements, he utters the invocation " Angels and ministers of grace defend us," it being given in so low a key as to be almost totally inaudible to the audience. This defect, however, was amply atoned for by the many excellencies which he displayed in his rendition of so critical a character. Mr. Bates is certainly not equal to Barry Sullivan or Montgomery as Hamlet, but taking the wide range of characters in which he appears, it may be said with confidence that, as a versatile actor, he is their superior. Mrs. Bates as Ophelia played with unaffected simplicity, beside which her acting in the mad scene was painfully truthful. Mr. Keogh as the King, and Mrs. Stoneham as Queen Gertrude, were both equal to the occasion, and Mr. Steele made a most substantial ghost. By the way, we have seen not a few ghosts in our

time — of course we mean stage ghosts — but we never recollect to have made the acquaintance of one who was not provided with creaking boots. Why, we have not been able to discover ; but we suppose it is for some dramatic reason not known beyond the precincts of the green-room. We may also add that in our experience, the Ophelia of Wednesday night was the first lady we have ever met with sustaining the character with the slightest pretentions to be called a vocalist. As in the matter of the ghost's boots, they seem to be invariably cast for the character because they are not equal to the occasion in the vocalistic line and for a reason beyond the ken of the uninitiated.