STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 305, 21 December 1912, Page 14

STAGE JOTTINGS.

HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. December 23— J. C. WllUamßon Company, "The Girl in the Train." TOWN TTAT.T., December 26—Jansen. January 16 and 18—Kirkby-Lunn Concert, Co. PICTUKES. King's Theatre. Koyal Albert Han. Lyric Theatre. King George—Durham Street. Newton Picture Palace (continuous). Queen's Theatre (continuous). Globe Theatre—Queen Street (continuous) Umpire Theatre—Dominion Road. Foresters' Theatre—Qnehunga. VAUDii VILLE. ./ Opera House—Nightly.

"Iβ nothing sacred to the film-maker?" asks the London "Daily Mail," in big headlines. The question arises in connection with a series of cinematograph films depicting the life-story of Christ, from Bethlehem to Calvary, exhibited in London. The films are the property of the Kalem Company, and they state that they have spent nearly £20,000 in obtaining them. The "Daily Mail" says: "In obtaining films depicting the life of Christ, the Kalem Company hae been careful not to aim over the heads of picture palace patrons. Much, of the etory of "From the Manger to the Crocs" is on the linee of melodrama. Judas is the villain of the piece, and he plays the part like the villain of melodrama, so that even the crudest intelligence cannot fail to identify him. The high priests rub their hands together like the low-claes Jews of melodrama. The scene in the temple, where Christ expels the money-changers, fails little ehort of buffoonery, because of the wiid rushes and crude antics of the actors. There ie no comparison between the Paesion Play at Oberammergau and the picture films. There is a reverential dignity about the Paeeion Play which impresses those who witness it, but the actors in the picture filme, deprived of the opportunity of conveying their meaning by speech, have depended on exaggerated gestures and theatrical poeee."

"Barrie an easy winner; Shaw and Pineiro also ran." This is the sporting phraseology employed by a London paper to describe the result of the triple •bill at the Duke of York's last month, when the "Shaw-Barrncra" experiment became an accomplished fact —or when, in other words, three new one-act plays by Bernard Shaw, J. M. Barrie, and Panero were produced for the first time by Ghartee Frohiman. Barrie, coming on last, ohaaged an evening of wea-rinees, according k> the critics, into one of sparkle and delight. "Rosalind," his piece, is of a star aotrees, supposed to be 29, but Teally 40 "and a bittock, ac they say in Scotland." She steals away for a •holiday to a quiet cottage far from London, and there allowe her&elf to look her age, and pretends that tihe portrait of the actress is .that of her daughter. But there comes upon the scene a young man who is in love with the supposed daughter, -whose pht>togra.-ph he carries in his pocket. The woman plays with the boy, half in earnest, 'half in je-s-t, and fthe scene between them is exquisite art. The writing, says one critic, ■Jβ the daintiest thing imaginable. The -hoimoUT is Mr liarrie at his best—the 'boy's astonishment and w.holes'cvm-e, if 'brainless, adora-

tion, the woman's explanation that nowadays all women on the stage and in tihe stalls ling-e-r long at 29; her story of the tricks of the, actress, and tihe charm fiha-t even etays -the hand of Fa-thcr Time; .Iter -little .bitter confession of the extent of her experience, and her wearinetrs; aJKI th-en, when t-he call back to Ijondon coin** to her, the metoanor-ph-oeis, exit middle age and slippers, qitick entrance of corsets and fashion and iiigih spirite—and 2.0! Miss Irene Vawbrugh'a acting of the title role is enthusiastically praised. Mr Shaw's play, "Overruled," eeems to be a dissertation on iove a-nd marriage, and tihe critics join in slating it ac prolix and not profoundly witty, while they also agree that Bir Arthur Pinero hae failed in his

"Wido-w of Wasdale Head," described by the "Ohronide" as "a quite unaccountably feeble and iahse attempt at a stage ghost story." "Aβ for these two plays," ■writes this critic, scathing-ty, "it ie really a cas-e of the least said .tthe better".

The bust of Wagner its to be included in the "Sacred Circle of the Dead," in Valhalla, tiho building erected between 1830 and 1542 in honour of German patriotism and liberty by Louie I. of Bavaria, on the heig.hte above the Danuibe, near Ra*iaboii. It is thus intended to earn memo-rate both bhe centenary of the composer's -birth and the unparalleled sticcess of the Wagner Festival in Munich laet October.

There axe few playgoers who have not a.t some .time or other witnessed "Uncle T<oTn c OabaTi." It traed to a great drawing card 'here in the old days, but for many years it has been r.egdected. It would now soem that the old play has been given a musical setting, and ■in November this operatic version will be produced for the first .time in New York. Be-bind <t.h-e project are several prominent Americans—two of them Surpreme Court judges, one a nephew of Harriet Beetfher Stowe. Two o*here are Nel&on Roberts, a theatrical and mn-sieal manager of 25 years- sta-nding, and John Ronraer, president of the Bronx Qub. The leading female part in the opera is Eliza, but Eva is considerably subordinated. Caesie ie made the best acting pa-rt, but she ie without a song. The apotheosis of Eva is .treated in a. different manner, and it ie cLajmed will be one of the surprises. The first scone in the second act will be on the levee, introducing a Creole ballet, and, it is promised, there will be a reason for the ballet. Between uhe two scenes of .the third act a distinci novelty ie to be introduced. This will be a eeries of scenee baeed on Lincoln's Gettysburg speech, with an intermezzo. Tihe scenes •will be done in a curtain of etoam, produced by a German invention. The promoters have been for come time negotiating for a European singer to originate the -part of Eliza, and, according to all accounts, she hae had wonderful offers from prominent York managers, all of them tempting in figures. She hae eeen a m*auecrjpt of the opera, and, if report epeaks truly, not only likes tibe part, but ie anxious to appear in it. The version is not in -the form of grand opera nor of comic opera, i>ut "somewhere in between." In New York very recently plans providing for the construction of seventeen new theatres next year were approved-, to tread the well-beaten track of the drama, but to encourage the American theatre by every possible meane. Mr. Reynolds Denniston, the wellknown actor-manager, has recovered from his long and serious illness, and is at last able to make the long-promised voyage to his native city (DunedinJ.

Mr. Victor Prince, who will appear as Lucas Van Tromp in the forthcoming J. C Williamson prodnetion of 'The Girl in the Train," is the second son of Howard Vernon, famous in the Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire a few years back. His mother was a fine actress and vocalist, appearing in the sixties in Melbourne with much success. His sister, Irene Vance, has, during the past few years, made for herself a good position on the light opera stage in England. Mr. Prince has been on the boards practically all Ma life, having made his first appearance as a baby in long clothes, in a play in which a good baby was an essential commodity. Mr. Prince is possessed with a humour spontaneous and genuine, and is also the fortunate possessor of a fine baritone voice. Margaret Jopp, a contralto singer, w.ho has been a pupil under Spencer Lorraine for the past four years, and who is at present in Dunedin, will leave the South for Auckland within the next week to join the Williamson Comic Opera Company. Lily Brayton has been taking exception to some of the statements circulated by an English magazine, and republished in various papers, with regard to the extraordinary methods she allegedly makes use of in order to preserve her beauty. "The fierce light that beats around an actress is accountable for a good deal," said Miss Brayton, "and that ie all very w«U, but it is going- to extremes to say that I bathe every morning in warm milk to retain the whiteness and softness of my skin; wash my face in champagne before making up in order to obviate harmful effects from the grease-paint; do dumbbell exercises every morning and evening to keep my arms shapely, and eat pots of glycerine to make my voice soft and flexible. As a matter of fact, I never bother. I certainly have a small spoonful of glycerine sometimes before making my entrance, if my throat is not too good; but as for the milk, champagne, and dumbbells, they are a myth. The secret of looking well is to be contented, never worry, and to have plenty of fresh, α-ir. That is all." The French stage has lost a distinguished actress in Madame Judith, who died on October 27. Madame Judith j excelled in tragic roles. Born in Paris lon January 29, 1827, she was associated in the early part of her career with the great Madame Rachel. The young , Jewess, who combined beauty with talent, had many struggles before her I first success in Paris at the Theatre Francais, in 1866. She gained the friend- \ ship of Victor Hugo and Dumas the younger. She was then taking leading parts in the plays of Alfred de Musset . I and Dumas. Later on she won the re- j i gard of Emperor Napoleon 111. Madame ; Judith married, in 1859, M. Bernard- ■ ; Dersne, known by numerous translations of English works, in some of which j Madame Judith collaborated. She not only assisted her husband, but also herself translated one of Dickens' novels, which, arranged as a drama, was pro- ! ducpd with success at the Vaudeville in i 186 S. Subsequently she published, under the name of Julie Bernard, "Le Chateau dv Tremble." Madame Judith retired I from the Comedip Francaise in 1863. Among Mr. William Anderson's recent dramatic purchases is the American I dramatisation by Victoria Cross of her novel, "Life's Shop Window." Mr. Anderson has also secured the Australian ami New Zealand rights of "The Cattle King." "Qneen of the Highway," "Her Wedding Day." "After Midnight," "The Confessions of a Wife," and "The Choir Boys of St. Mary's." The Melbourne "Evening Herald" stumbled sadly in its notice of Taylor an<l Arnold, who are billed as "Two Boys and a Piano." The "Herald" man —or was it 'the linotyper?—described their entertainment as "a decidedly original turn, 'Two Hogs and a Piano.'" The season's star attraction in Wirth's circus, which commences a New Zealand tour at Dunedin on December 23, is Hillary Long, the most extraordinary specimen for topsy-turveydom imaginable. i He does everything upside down. Placed wrong end up on a trapeze, he proceeds to walk the air with outstretched feet. The most fearsome feat this artist does is to walk downstairs literally on his head. In the same way as a lad travels on one leg in a game of hopscotch, Hillary Long travels from step to step; but he is on his head all the time, and receives no assistance whatever from his hands. Finally, on the top oF a wire, he slides some twenty yards on his head, while hie legs and arms stick out like a bristling railway semaphore. Miss Dolly Castles made a successful first appearance in New York on October 7 in a new musical comedy entitled " The Woman Haters." She is hailed as an exceptionally gifted artist by several leading critics, including that of the New I York " Times," who writes that " She is inclined towards the roly-poly in type, is pretty in a curly, cute sort of way, and sings and dances charmingly." Mr. Thomas Augustine Barrett, the comic opera composer, who is known as Leslie Stuart, concluded his examination 'in the Court of Bankruptcy, London, on October 29. The amended statement disclosed liabilities £12,389, of which £8573 were expected to rank for dividend, and assets £125. In reply to the Official Receiver, the composer said he came to London in 1897, and two years later he composed his first comic opera, " Floradora." At intervals of two years down to 1910 he composed " The Silver Slipper," " The School Girl," " The Belle of Mayfair," "Havana," "Captain Kidd," "Peggy," and " The Slim Princess." With the exception of " Captain Kidd," they were all successful. These operas brought in about £40,500, from which had to be deducted £300 lost on " Captain Kidd." You also wrote many successful songs? —Yes. Which was the most successful song? —" The Soldiers of the King." Your annual income during the past thirteen years has been about £13,500? —Yes, altogether. Between 1899 and 1900 pirating of his songa began, profits fell off, and it coat him individually £1,000 in ten years to stop the piracy. Mr. Stuart admitted that the real cause of his failure was that his household and personal expenditure for a time exceeded his income. The result was that three years ago he began to borrow mone_y, some of the borrowing being from professional money-lenders, who " squeezed" him. There had been nine petitions of bankruptcy againet him, each costing him £50, with an additional £25 for every adjournment of a petition. The creditors accepted a proposal for the payment of a composition of 7/6 in the pound. Miss Tittell Brune was not successful with her venture " An Aztec Romance " at the Manhattan Opera House, New York. It was withdrawn after a run iof four nights. j Mr. Gaston Mervale rpeently accepted an engagement with Oliver Morosco's ; Stock Company at the Burbank Theatre, Los Angeles, California. ' THE DEADHEAD.