The Northern Guardian. — 1898-05-10 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

THEATRE ROYAL.  The entertainment provided this week for the I patrons of the Royal consists of Mr T. Gilbert d'erry's original sporting and musical comedy,' The ledien. Prince." Although Mr Perry provide; us with a touch) of romance, a finit-cla.ss villain, and a murder, perpetrated by the said villain in mest cold-blooded manner,the predominant feature of the "Indian Prince" is fun. The plot, itself, i; not startlingly original, and puts no very severe strain upon our emotion, its chief purpose }min to iretroduce amusing scenes, clever songs, and some tery pretty dan.ces. The first act introdtaes to our notice Mr Horatio Chicks and his travelling trksque company. who are -stranded" at Slosh, ingtonstin-the-Mold. It also introduces Mr , Stubbs, a retired pickle merchant, who is expecting I a ....bait at the Beeches from the young Rajah of Rum-Juin-Pour, Cart. Hertage, an adventurer; Primrose, Mr Stubbs' daughter, and Eliza, housemaid at the Beeches. Eliza lets fall a telegram which Chicks picks up and opens. It is front the Rajah, and states that His Highness will not be able to visit the Beeches for some days. The lot illiant idea oceurs to Chicks of impersonating tl.e Rajah, and he is assisted in his scheme by Ernest Travis, -disguised as an artist, but in reality the Rajah of Ram-Jam-Pour," who offers , to act as his private secretary. Chicks and his ecrnipany arrivei at the 13eechi arrayed in all the remp and glory usually associated with an Easten Court, and for a time are in clover. Stubbs' financial condition is in a critical state, and he relics on the victory of his horae, Indian Prince, te pull him through. Capt. Hertage has a mortgage on the estate, and threatens to foreclose' unless Primrose consents to marry him. The young May has a de..ided objection to doing this, and her father relies on her marrying the Rajah to save kiln from ruin; but Primrose, it is unnecessary to say, is in love with Travis, the supposititious travelling artist. The Captain is anxious that Indian Prince should lose the race, and he endeavours to -queer" the horse, but is continually fruertrated by Tied Perkies, the incs,rruptable tattler. Cole, a stableman, porassses a Lotter preying the eoniplicity of Herbage in a certain extensive turf fraud, and in order to get this letter the Captain sheet; (late. Eventeally Hertage sets fire to the stable, but as the race horse happens to be elsewhere at the time, the villain is 'foiled again." Perkins, having had an arm broken, is unable to ride Indian Prince, but his place is taken by Eliza, who had formerly been a barehada rider, and, the race is won; while in the meantime. Primrose and Travis get married by special license. Hertage inferms Stubbs that the "Rajah" he has been entertaining is an imposter, and threatens to foreclese; but the newly-married pair turn up, and Travis announces that be is the rightful prince, and that he will pay the mortgage. The Captain is about to slink away discianfited, when a detective named Jones appears, arrests hint for the murder of Cole, puts the snips on, and takes him away, presumably to be hanged. The curtain then falls on a scenet of general sate,faction. -Mr T. Gilbert Perry acts as Horatio Chicks with considenable succesa, and Mr Allan Ilanbury gives a most amusing rendering of Thistles, his principal comedian. The part cf Mr Stubbs is in the hands of Mg Sidney H. Cotterell, who is a thoroughly capable actor. Mr H. Reynolds, as Capt. Hertage, makes a very satisfactory stags villain, and Mr Walter Gilbert scores a. decided success as Ernest Travis. Mr D'Arc-y Salter gives a clever impersonation f 'red Perkins. Edith, principal boy in Chicks's Burlesque Company, is represented by Miss Edith Hughes, who leak night made a very favourable impression on the house; and MISS Tina Christie makes a charming Primrose. Miss TriX Holland, who takes the part of Eliza, fairly wins the affection e the audience; and the either members of the company are also efficient artistes. A most popular feature of the performance last night was the singing and dancing of the Sisters Rossi; and Miss Hettie Stcvenson's serrent ineklance wag ab,e ex, epticnally goed. Miss 'Muriel Blair, mandolinist, Mas Matte Crawford, skipping rope dancer, and thethiental Quartette ai lady dancers all give a capital perft-mance. The singing of Mr Waller Gilbert, as Ilettage, is one of the most pleasing features of the comedy. Hahas a splendid; tenor voice, and ' his songs last evening elicited hearty applause.