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THEATRE
By Gregory Parable
Little Theatre Success
HE Melbourne Little Theatre's current
production, "The Day is
TGone," by W. Chetham-Strode, is
an astutely conceived play that develops
in the
last act
into
genuine
drama.
It is a play that points a
mora|—the
happiness
that
a
quiet,
book-loving chemist aims at by succumbing
to a sudden temptation to
wrong-doing
turns to bitter
tragedy.
The theme is serious, therefore, but
the play is well written and maintains
a lightness of characterisation throughout
until the inevitable nemesis strikes
guilty and innocent alike.
Prominent
Little
Theatre
Players,
under the direction of Brett Randall,
handle the play with their usual competence
ond present a finished interpretation
of
plot
and
individual
characters, which are vividly
drawn.
Irene Mitchell
is responsible for one
of
the
best
performances
yet
seen
in this capable group.
Loveday Hiils
as
the
unsympathetic 1 wife
of
the
chemist,
Stanley
Thatcher,
is strong
support and an admirable study of a
fussy
old lady is given by
Dorothy
O'Keeffe.
Lance Nicholls as Stanley
Thatcher,' Norman
Tucker
as
Major
Warminside,
Frederick. McMahor.'
as
Softly, an actor, and David Reid, police
constable (played on alternate nights
by Tom Lake), complete a thoroughly
efficient cast.
Dorothy Ranking and
Joyce Male share the role of the maidservant.
,
. .
The droma of the final act is sensitively
played and the characterisation
by
Irene
Mitchell
in- the
role
of
the
happy
natured
noble
ana
generous Rosie
Spiller, with
its contrast
between
Rosie as
we see her
first and the culminating tragedy, and
the subtle development
from
joy to
sorrow, is artistically done.
The season will continue till Saturday
April 29, and final performances
will be given on Friday and Saturday,
May 5 and 6.
$