The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1894-08-04 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

AMUSEMENTS.  THEATRE METROPOLE.  AN AMERICAN NOVELTY.  Stage plays in the matter of accessories, have *undergone a vast change during the past few years in the rush of novelties. The rage for realism hemight railway locomotives, fire engines, moving bridges, horses, lions, coaches, cannons and guns of various descriptions, and numerous other things an the theatre stage to add a sensational interest to the story depicted, and now the introduction of any bird, beast, or mechanism would hardly serve to seriously astonish the ordinary playgoer. However, the Americans who may be said to be " great "on novelties, have managed to produce among other exciting dramas, a decided novelty called "Signal Lights (by Mr. W. J. Thompson), which depends upon the wonderful acting of a number of dogs who carry out with marked cleverness the parts of detectives in foiling the villain and unravelling the plot. "Signal Lights.," it is said, has been running for two years in America. It made its first appear. anew on this side of the pond in the Metropole Theatre on Monday evening,being thecommencement of a European tour booked under the direction of Mr. B. Henderson HOWI4, of the Mpole and Shakespeare Theatres. The play is produced by Messrs. Gray and Stephens' company. l'he story of the play is on the old, old lines—a murdered gentleman, a missing will, a villain who murders and schemes right and left to obtain this valuable document or the property to which it relates, and a comic servant and a romping girl who, with a detective, always turn up in time to put a spoke in the villain's wheel, and finally get him handed over to justice. The introduction of some remarkably clever canines belonging to Mr. Stephens renders the highly sensational melodrama additionally attractive. Among the feats aCCOthplished by these dogs is the changing of the hero's knife for that of the villain, immediately after a murder, the pilfering of a packet of poison from a coat pocket, and intended fur a second murder, a rescue from drowning, the changing of the railroad signal lights to prevent a third murder, and the transference of an important document from a box on one table to another receptacle berms the stage, while the villain is engaged searching in . a safe. Besides the dogs. there are a couple of ponies, strap, a rim, and a jaciutss, named Pete The drama is split tip into five acts,—the assaaination, Sing. Sing Convict Prison, New York, water scene, railroad signalistitaeetion., anandea drawilroomwerethteatr,i.umtthe small part of the Sheriff; Stephenshile his . wife who plays as Miss Minnie Oscar Gray, represents one of the most prominent characters, Romp Henderson, with a vivacity and a "go" which wins the populace right away. The only other lady in the piece IB Miss Evelyn Grantham, who renders the ladylike part of Squire Ellis' daughter with much skill, and also sings one or two very acceptable wogs, during the evening. Mr. Alec F. Frank gives a manly representation of her sailor lover, Ralph Denison, the hero of the play. Squire Ellis is taken by Mr. Herbert B. Cooper, and the thoroughgoing vdlian and his accomplice, Jacques Parris and Pierre Marks, are respectively delineated by Mr. Grahame and Mr. William Passmore. Mr. John Owen makes a fairly good detective who turns out to be Bolt Henderson, the man who was originally murdered (!) but did not die. Pinkey Woolsey, the nigger servant with his solemn jackass Pete and his droll "Fit' de Lawd's sake" and other comicalities is a good character played by Mr. Powers. Mr. Presoot represents the Prison Warder. The caste includes sailors and convicts, guards, dm. The play is billed as a dramatic novelty, and it certainly is correctly described. The wonderful feats of the dogs have "caught on" with the pit and gallery, and there will probably be good houses all week, despite the hot weather.