The Herald of Wales. — 1888-08-18 (Swansea, West Glamorgan, Wales)

PLEASURE' AT 111., NEW  THEM RE.  • "Pleasure" was at the New Theatre, Swansea, on Monday night, in more senses than one. The famous play, se entitled by Meows Paul Meritt and Augustus Ham., was thi re, but the article itself was also very much in evidence, for seldom have local playgoers been provided with PO much enjoyment. Mr Melville in to ' be heartily congratulated upon heviug engaged PO excellent a criropany to produce BO entertein• leg a drama. The plot is rather a novel on.. John Love!, an Oxford undergraduate, receive,. the ae,ounding intelligence that by the wreck of a yacht in the Mediterranean, in which the heads of his family were cruising, he he inherited the title and the es ates of Lord Mount. love!. One of the first acts of his Lird.hip ia to dismies the unfaithful ateward, Fairweatherly who thereupon suggests io //Nor Randolph Level, a mum to Lord Maintlov,l, a mesas by which he may do away with the young peer, ai•el as next of kin, take his piece. The diabolical plot is that Jack Level phould be enticed to take to drink, end thus kill himself. The major is greatly assisted in his cloject by a revelation made to him by Jack, who says that having one 'ay taking advantage of the great love for him entertained by Jessie Newland,to whom he is engaged, be mug marry her. The gallant major naturally dislikes the idea of marriage, and so, as be afterwarde4leeorlbed it, by a Machiavellian stroke, he Stes to Jack that he was not the first of e'e too succeseful lovers, but that a fel undergraduate,Prince Balvasia, had preeeeded him. Jack, who loves Jessie to distraction, has au interview with her, when the false information is confirmed in his mind by an unfortunate remark which Jessie makes. Ia company with the Major, the young lord goes to the Riviera where he almost drinks himself to death Jessie follows him, but owing to the lying statements of the Major, whoce treachery she is still ignorant of, a considerable time elapses before she manages to see Jack. Then, the truth is made known, but Jack will not believe it, and all,iws Jessie to leave him with- , out effecting a reconciliation. How that reconciliation is ultimately brought about we are not exactly told, but immediately after Miss Newland'e departure,an tarthquake takes place, and in the next scene we see her bending over the prostrate form of , her lover. The last act is very short. The Major, hearing that Jack is going to be married in Gloucestershire, hurried down , there with the idea of having his wean , arrested as a dipsomsniao before the nuptial. ' take place. In this design, however, he is , frustrated,for Lord hfountlovel has already got married, and the villainous officer and Fair. , weatherly, who has been plotting with him, are arrested by the police- , men who are in waiting, Virtue , being duly rewarded and vice punished, the , drama is concluded. We have given but the merest outline of whit* a very interesting story, , for it includes a most laughable bye-play between Dick Doddfiods another Oxford undergraduate, his father, Alderman D and , Oeraldine Vanderfelt, an American lady to ' whom Dick is engaged. The scenes between this trio are irresistibly funny and eonvuleed the audience with laughter on Monday night. , The leading characters all find capable expo- , cents. Mr Percy Lyn dare Jack Level ill a most creditable performance. In the earlier scenes , he is the gay and thoughtless 'varsity man, and when later he is called upon to act the part of the di/appointed lover, he in not wanting in , force and passion. Mies Maud Williamson is a very unaffected Jessie IVewlaad and although mot always heard with distinctness still she soon ingratiates herself with the house. Mr , Arnold Bell succeeds in his representation of Major Loyal, and the hearty hissing of the audience is no bad criterion of his ahility to , play the part of the villain. .4/deresse Doddipots is splendidly played by Mr Lionel 1 Rignol 1, who is one of the beet paovemis we have seen in Swansea for some time. He is ably supported by Mr H. J. Turner' jeer., who is a very capable , Dips and Miss Edith Kenward,whe asGeraldime Vanderfels is just Yankee enough to be effactive on the stage. Altogether the company, which numbers 24, is decidedly very much shove the average in point of merit. But "Pleasure "does not depend entirely for success upon its plot or even upon its representation by a good company. Like all plays emanating from Drury Lane, it i.e magnificently staged. No manager in the world has learnt to such good purpose the art of scenic effect 1111 Mr Augustus Harris, and when he undertakes to produce a play, it go-s ' without saying that the stage appointments are the very acme of perfection. We have an instance of this in "Pleasure," and though it has been found impossible to utilise all the enormous mass of scenery brought to the New Theatre by the present company, still It would be safe to say that nothing here has been so gorgeously mounted for many years. in every scone there is presented a striking picture which has been painted with care, and which does not outrage all the laws of per. speotive facte,—easily explicable when it is remembered that the artiste are Messrs. H. Emden and Frampton.  The British Weekly has received from a Liverpool correspondent a copy of a letter which he has received from the Rev. Cynddylasi Jones with reference to the report that he is about to swede to the Church of England. Mr Jones says meet emphatioatically that "thee. is not the slightest shadow of • foundation" for the rumour, which, he says, was started by the Golsedad. He further states that "he would never stoop to contradict any falsehood that comes from such afoul source."  On Friday, at Blaenavon, an inquest was held to inquire into tbs death of John D ivies, (24), a smith in the employ of the Blaenavon Company at the Garn Colliery. It appears that the deoemed was engaged es hollow roller, when an explosion took place, scattering the brick work over the foundry. Deceased was struck by a brick which immediately killed him. The coroner adjourned the inquiry for the attendances of the mines' inspector. On Friday night, John Manley, a sailor on board the British Peer, attempted to commit suicide at Cardiff by taking a dose of laud. ' imam. He had been low spirited for some time. After he had taken the dose he appears to have repented, for he informed a policeman of the fact. Healey was consequently taken to a doctor who administered emetics, but his patient still lies in a critical eondiqou. The obsequies of the late Mr Octavius Morgan, of The Friars, Newport, took place on Friday, the corte7e leaving the deceased gentleman's residence shortly after twelve o'clock for Bassalleg Berish Church, where the family vault is