G. C. Miln’s Shakespearian Season.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 477, 8 July 1890, Page 2

G. C. Miln’s Shakespearian Season.

OPENING NIGHT IN GISBORNE. At the Theatre Royal last night Mr Miln’s Company made their first bow to a Gisborne audience. There was a large attendance, and one could not help being pleased to notice among those present many young people who had taken advantage of their first opportunity to see a professional performance of one of the great Shakespeare’splays. “ The Merchant of Venice ” was selected to begin the Gisborne season with. Of course tha character of Sbylock, taken by Mr Miln himself, was the piece of acting that occupied the greatest attention. The conception is at variance in some of the finer shades, with that which wa have been tanght to regard as the correct representation, but to dogmatise as to which is the closer to the original would be to display a vanity that would not place one to any advantage. It must all be a mere matter of opinion, and one opinion can hardly be worth much more than another when no one pretends in these days to know anything of the original beyond what wa have been taught at second hand to be ths correct thing. Mr Miln’s acting is certainly very pleasing; it is singnarly free from the disagreeable ranting which most actors of the part find it impossible to avoid. Some portions of the play have been deleted, and though some ardent Shakespearians may object to this as a liberty we cannot but applaud it, holding as we do that the earlier editions of Shakespeare are not wholly suited to a large and refined audience of the present day. The other parts were all well taken—Mies Kate Douglas acted the part of Portia, in which representation she accomplished herself with great credit. The other characters were capitally represented by Mr Nunn—Gratiano, Mr Montgomery—Bassanio, Mr Dobson—Antonio, Mr Cosgrove—Salanio, Mr Carle— Launcelot Gobbo, Miss Ruby Bowman— N rissa, Miss Daisy Strathmore—dtssica, Misp Hamilton—Solarino, Mr Holman— Duke, Mr Wakefield—Lorenzo, Mr Terry —Old Globo, Mr Money—Balthazar, Mr Morris—Tubal.

In the early portion of the performance the comic parts seemed to be tha most popular, but when the great trial scene was presented, there was intense interest shown. The favorable criticism which we gave of the characters on Saturday morning was fully justified by last night’s performance, and the company well deserved a good house. Great enthusiasm was evinced at the finish of the performance. The magnificent production “Julius Cais ,r ” will bo performed this evening, when another large house is anticipated.

Encouraged by the enthusiastic reception accorded Mr Miln and company last night, and as the steamer for Auckland does not leave until Friday, Mr Miln has decided to give an additional performance, on Thursday night, on which occasion he will appear as Hamlet. This is a character which he has assumed for nearly nine hundred times and for the longest run on record in Australia during his late remarkably successful season at the Melbourne Oppra Housei