Continuation
A.D.C.
The exception was the magnificent effort of the Lieutenant Governor, General Donovan, who, with a distinguished party, occupied the front seats in the Circle. He sat stolidly through the performance and, as in duty bound, showed the most superb self-command by not moving a muscle of his face while the whole house was rocking with laughter.
I am afraid I have time for only one more story and that is in connection with the production in 1882 of "The Wedding March" by W. S. Gilbert. There were thirty-three speaking parts and everything was rehearsed with the greatest care, and a considerable amount of money was spent on costumes and scenery. Then occurred one of those dreadful catastrophes that drive producers to despair. Mr. Somerset, who was to have played the lead, fell ill the day before the opening performance. Like manna from Heaven appeared a professional actor from a travelling company that was just packing up.
Short Notice
In
He volunteered to take the part at a day's notice and to 'see the thing through'. For the first act he was fairly firm on his words and when his memory failed his resource came into play, and pulled him through without noticeable disturbance to the rest of the cast. In the two following acts he held the stage in masterly fashion without having the slightest idea of what he was expected to do or say. He brought into service all the snatches he could remember from all the plays in which he had acted and when these failed him, he improvised so effectively as to earn enthusiastic applause. Needless to say, the other unfortunate players did their best but were at a decided disadvantage in this go-as-you-please contest. As a reporter of the time put it.
*The A.D.C. scored another notable success last night but we cannot help wondering what the devil it was all about!
In these random remarks I have said nothing of the Club's activities during the last fifty years. That belongs to another and in many ways a much more interesting era; but I think there has never been a time in the history of the A.D.C. when its members would not have stoutly maintained that it had reached its zenith.
Just forty years ago the late Lieut.-Colonel Newnham Davis published a very interesting book on amateur dramatic clubs throughout the Empire.
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