STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 155, 1 July 1911, Page 14

STAGE JOTTINGS.

HIS MAJESTY'S. June 26 to July B—Nicola. July 24 to August s—"Jack and the Beanstalk." August 14th to Sept. 2—"The ArcaGians." OPERA HOUSE. Fuller* Vaudeville Entertainment KING'S THEATRE, Picture!. BOXAIi AIiDERT HALL. Pictures. Mr. H. B. Irving, wiho opened in Sydney with "Hamlet" on Saturday night last, said in an interview that there was a remarkable activity in the drama among English playwrights. The prizes were attracting aU manner of writers. Pinero, of course, waa at the head of them, while Barries success was moet pronounced. Among the leading writers for the English stage were Henry Arthur Jones, R, U. Carton, Henry Hubert Davis, W. Somerset Maughan, and Rudolph Besier, in the field of comedy; while Shaw, Granville Barker, and John Galsworthy were in the advanced movement. Sydney Grundy was not writing much now. Comyna Carr still showed his skill and knowledge of the theatre as an adapter, as was peculiarly demonstrated in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Among the novelists Locke and Anthony Hope had, as was well known, found a big public. It was rather remarkable to see the way in which literary men were turning to the theatre. Barrie ranked as the most successful of them. Probably no other had ever made as much money out of dramatic authorship as Barrio had, and while Galsworthy, who also began ac a novelist, had not made a financial success, he had won a very distinct position. When it came to dramatic craft pure and simple, Pinero was the master of all. He was in Sir Henry Irving*B company as a young man, and Mr. Irving remembered him quite well as a boy. Pinero's experience in the theatre had, he supposed, stood him in good stead as a play-writer. It must have. A man who was going to write plays was all the better for a knowledge of the theatre, for play-writing was a peculiar gift. It looked very simple, and yet was amazingly difficult.

"Starving, are, you!" yells the tophatted second villain to the noble, crippled child. "What right have you to starve?" And seizing the child's hardearned loaf of bread, he bowls it down the alley. The incident happens in Act 3 of "Driving a Girl to Destruction," bhe high-speed George Marlodrama which is being played at Sydney Adelphi. The "Bulletin" says: "It bears a strong family resemblance to other melos. Its nose certainly is a bit redder, and it drinks harder and faster than its relatives; but its ground plan and front elevations are practically the same. The three villainous characters only last for three acts, 'because the noble-hearted crow of five are thoroughly stupid, and 'because the victimised typist, round whom the plot riots, is always ready to accept a bouquet of drinks i,n lieu of an explanation or a settlement of her lamentable affairs. Three totally idiotic male characters transpire at frequent intervals in improbable clothes and create distracting uproars. Thoy are intended to provide i the humour ;but a policeman-dramatist would have no hesitation in arresting the three for being on tho premises without lawful excuse. The strongest feature of the play is its wealth of situations, some of l.hem fairly well-devised and unexpected." Mabel Trevor and Elinor Foster! the two English actresses who were foroueht out from England to appear in "The Woman in the Case," are ideally suited to their roles (says a contemporary). Miss Trevor, who plays Margaret Rolfe, the wife, is of medium height, slim, dainty, full of virility and spirit, with a bright, expressive face, and a delightful speaking voice. Elinor Foster makes Claire Forster, tho adventuress, an entirely opposite .type. She is tall, strongly built, with something suggestive of the tiger about her carriage and bearing. A deep, strong speaking voice, ripe-red lips, pale complexion, reddish hair, and a magnetic personality are some of the characteristics that impress themselves upon the audience. The two women are striking and vivid contrasts. At last the theatre-goers of Christchurch can rest content —they have seen the worst (says "Asper" in "The News"). For it is hard to believe that .there can be anything worse than "The Bad Girl of the Family." A score or so of leering posters and a judicious advertisement of bedroom scenes assured a good house for the first night; that the piece drew well for a whole week is a matter passing comprehension. The scheme is not sane, the "plot" is futile, ■the dialogue is cheap, and the philosophy cheaper. The business varies from the height of absurdity to the verge of the obscene —not that the talk is ever coarse; it goes no further than crude suggestion of a mean and shabby incident. The acting wasted on the play is of fair quality, and the mounting and dressing the most effective things about it.

Providing that suitable dates can be secured, Mr William Anderson will arrange a tour of New Zealand for his juvenile pantomime company with "The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe."

"As in a Looking-Glass" might be used as the title of the turn in which the Two Lillies made their first appearance at the Sydney Tivoli recently. While one of the girls is dancing and posing, the audience sees what appears to be her reflected image. The stage looking-glass is a elusion and a snare, for the "reflection" is a second girl, who imitates the performer in front of the imaginary mirror. When the "reflection" steps out into the limelight she joins her alter ego in a song and dance, ac well as in a skipping-rope dance. The English humorist, Mr. Joseph Biascheck, who, with Miss Mildred Wrighton, is touring Australia under the direction of William Anderson, tells some good tramp stories. One is about a lady who, coming to the door in answer to the knock of a burly tramp, said: "Why are you, a great, hulking man, begging?" "Ah, Madam, it is the only profession in which a gentleman can address a beautiful lady without the formality of! an introduction."

W. S. Gilbert was actually for a while a member of a tony West End Club "for noblemen and gentlemen." Of course, he was never happy there. When someone stole his new hat he was unhappier than ever, and pinned up a notice in the hall stating that he would be obliged if the nobleman who stole his hat would return it, and no questions would be asked. When called up to explain the insult, he remarked that as no gentleman would steal a hat, it "must" have been a nobleman. Hβ neither dined nor wined there again. The tired sub-editor was nodding the other night over a theatrical notice (says the "Bulletin") and this was the sentence that woke him up—"She in no worse than she was 50 years ago." The sub-editor, who had a heart, reached M Ms blue pencil, ,

Mr. C. A. Wenman, general nwnager for Messrs. Clarke and M' * \6 arrived in Sydney from Ys Jcouva. t, few days ago, has secured a n. of suitable productions for Australia, arid has also engaged a number of first-class artists. The principal piece secured by him is " The Chocolate Soldier," and arrangements were made to have the play produced in Australia at the end of this year. The music in " The Chocolate Soldier " is from the pen of Oscar Strauss. The waltz song is its best feature. The leading part will be taken by Mr. Leslie Gaze, and the part of Nadina will be in the capable hands of Miss Winifred O'Connor, who played the part of Sambra in " The Arcadians," and Sally in " Miss Hook." Another piece secured by Mr. Wenman is " The Spring Maid," which had a long run in New York, and is to be produced in London. Arrangements have also been made by him for the production of the pantomime " Dick Whit-. tiTgtOn." j

Gilbert and Sullivan's pretty opera, I " The Pirates of Ponzance," to be staged by tho Auckland Amateur Operatic Society on the 17th of July, promises to be a great success: A strong cast has been 6ecured ( and the principals have been rehearsing with good effect, and will present finished interpretations of the various characters. The chorus of, 70 voices, under the baton of Mr. Fran- ' cis Cornwall is right up to its work. A professional orchestra of 10 performers has been secured, and will further add to "The Pirates of Penzance" being staged complete in every detail. The scenery, specially painted for the Society by Mr. Baird, is almost coaiplete, and reflects credit on the scenic artist. j

One evening this week while a party of gentlemen were dining at an hotel in Auckland, a most peculiar incident took place. The waiter brought in a glass of drinking water, and set it down in front of one of the gentlemen. In the glass of Hater was seen several small gold fish gracefully swimming around. The ; waiter was summoned and asked if it! was customary to serve gold fish' with j the drinking water, or only on special occasions. The astonished waiter reached for the glass, and immediately, the gold fish were seen to dissolve and van- | ish. The poor embarrassed waiter rub- ! bed his eyes in wonderment, uncertain whether he had really seen fish in the water or not. Ho returned in a few l minutes bringing another glass of water, ! which lie set down in front of the same ! gentleman. It no sooner touched the tablo thnn it was seen to chnnge into wine, n iireupon the gentleman arose with apparent indignation, exclaim that ho was strictly temperate, and accused the waiter of having indulged from the cup of good cheer, explaining that that whs the reason for bis seem" such peculiar things, and pointer) out a huge serpent crawling up tho waiter's arm. The frightened waiter ran to the manager and demanded protection from the mysterious gentlomnn, declaring that tho man was possessed with a superhuman influence, and might be the very Dfivil hiimself. The manager dragged the waiter over to tho party and introduced him to tho mysterious stranger, who proved to be none other than Nicola, ! who is appearing with great success at His Majesty's Theatre. Mr. Hugo, Nicoln's manager, gave the frightened waiter a oouplo-of complimentary tfckets, andißome-smollochaiieni ■ > •■■ After much persuasion : and coaxincr, tho waiter was finally induc-od to shake hands with the great .mystifior, who promised not to I play any more tricks upon him. j

New York, which turned down "Mrs Warren's Profession" with horror, has given an enthusiastic reception to "Thais." Tho heroine is the lady who has been described as "the wittiest Flossie of them all." In the drama she drifts through the marble halls and rosestrewn gardens in semi-demi robes, pursued by youths in the last throes of calf love, hedonist philosophers, and, queerest" of all, a fantastic Christian seer. But after splashing round one of the most lavish displays of artistic Flossiedom, the author saves the conscience of New York by converting the lady. Had Bernard Shaw made Mrs Warren "repent," and then rung the curtain down on her class in Sundayschool, N'York would no doubt have taken that play to its bosom too.

It is some j'ears since Mrs. Brough has played in Melbourne a part that gives her as many opportunities as does that of Mrs. Framptou in "Nobody's Daughter" (says the Melbourne "'Age'). The feeling among the audience on Saturday was that this always popular actress had come back to her own again. Since she played leading Pinero parts, more than a year or two ago, she has altered little either as regards looks or manner. The gift of temperament, that kind of temperament which -can express the deepest and strongest emotions, dissociated as it were from the mere paint and limel'ght of the stage, has always been hers in a singular degree. The qualities of sweetness and light, things hard to define and impossible to emulate, but s, without wheh all acting is mechanical, are hers also. They were hers when she stormed across the stage as Panla Tanqueray or wept as Mrs. Dane, and in such a part as the one she is playing at the Princess's that of a woman who has put love before any code or convention, and taken the consequences—they are hers still.

"Nobody's Daughter"—a dramaticsuccess of last year in London—was produced in Melbourne (at the Princess Theatre) by the Plimmer-Denniston Company with enormous success. The house was packed, and at the conclusion of the play the curtain had to be raised no fewer than seven times. Miss Beatrice Day, at present in New Zealand, is to take up an engagement with Messrs. Plimmer and Denniston in Sydney in September, when Somerset Maughan's comedy, "Smith," will be produced With Mrs. Kobt. Brough, Miss Sidney 'Valentine, Miss Lizette Parkes, and Miss Beatrice Day the cast will be one of the strongest presented by the company.

The visit of Miss Ethel Irving to Australia is creating a good deal of interest m theatrical circles.' The lady is regarded by the London Press as on e of the greatest of living actresses, and one of the few contemporary artistes of absolute genius. Her first appearance in Australia will be under the management of Clarke and Meynell, at Melbourne, on July 8, supported entirely by her own company. Included in her repertoire are such plays as " The Witness for the Defence," "Lady Frederick" " Dame Nature," " His House in Order'," and Gilbert's classic " Comedy and Tragedy." °

Another of the Clarke-Meynejl engagements which is exciting interest is that of ifr. Lewis Waller, who plays the picturesque swashbuckling characters of romantic drama as no otfier English actor can. It is said that in parts like D'Artagnan there is no one in it with him, and that in his representation of the lion-hearted gallant — terrible in battle, tender in love—he is seen at his best. , ; JHE DEAPrTRAP,