“Jim the Penman”

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 448, 1 May 1890, Page 2

“Jim the Penman”

The celebrated English actor Mr Harry St Maur, with a powerful company, will appear 1 in the Theatre Royal to-morrow evening, in “Jim the Penman.” which has been termed one of the greatest plays of the age, and which we have not previously had the opportunity of witnessing in Giaborne. A Southern contemporary says of the performance:—The piece chosen for the occasion was Sir Charles Young’s drama, " Jim the Penman,” a play that may unquestionably be said to be one of ’he best that has ever been produced during the present century. Tne plot, whioh deals with the career of a man who in his younger days has been a forger, but at the time the action of the piece commences is living hanpily with his wife and family, is skilfully worked out, and no better test of the success of the playwright osn be found than the fact that the audience is made to sympathise with the character thar, from a moral point of view, is least worthy of sympathy. As James Ralston, Mr St. Maur gave a moat finished performance, every detail being meet oacefully studied, and we doubt if a better or more subtle rendering of a very difficult part has over been given. Were space at onr command it would be possible to dilate on the excellence of the various points in Mr Saint Maur's acting, but It will suffice to say that ho proved himself an artist of the highest order. Miss Florence Seymour, as Mra Ralston, had a part that exactly salted her, and we can say that a finer performance has never been seen on the colonial stage. Her acting in the third act, where she discovers that her husband ia nene other than the celebrated "Jiai the Penman,” was forcible in the extreme, and throughout the play she showed herself quite equal te the requirements of the part. It must not be imaginod that because the principal characters ware so well filled last night that the minor parts were neglmted. Indeed, It may be truly said that a mote capable oom. pan, is seldom seen on a Now flsalaMi sta<%