STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 23, 28 January 1922, Page 18

STAGE JOTTINGS.

There have been various chants and revivals in the Ijon-lon theatrical world lately. Tho most important is the return'of Sir John .Martin Harvey to London. He is playing at the Lyceum Theatre in -The Oaly Way." Lady Martin Harvey etill makes LMiini a touching character. -The Only Way' , was produced here over twenty years ag° with Tyrone Power as Sydney Carton an Uosc Murgrove as Mimi.

Julius Knight was in the production of -The <.:alley Slaves,' , a domestic tragedy adapted from an Icelandic playgiven l>y the Playwrights' Society at t"e Uindon A]k)11o in November. F.thel Irving was presenting a one-act piece called

"The Futurist' , at the Coliseum, and liodfrey Tearle. soon to lie with us, was to play the leading part in "The Faithful Heart." by 'Monckton Hoffe, at the Comedy, when the Knglish mail left.

Following literally in his father's Kteps. Mr. Melbourne Ward gives at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, the scarecrow dance ■with whioh Mr. Hugh Ward had sticwss years ago in London and Paris. Well->pret3ent;ed rr rl Xes<iiies iir( > nhvays "populer, and a living scarecrowis one of the most effective. Another scarecrow dance seen in Australia and Xe\v Zealand wae that of Mr. John Coleman, a comedian in the vaudeville and pantomime of earlier days and nights.

Mr. Granville Barker is looking to the revival of an old custom when he demands of the public that it should take the law into its own hands by hissing bad actors off the stage, and <v" the hissed actor that he should take his lesson with meekness. This was pre. cisely the teaching of the mighty Klliston in the days of his fame at Covent Harden. Everyone ought to remember how, in Elia's story, Klliston dealt with some miserable little underling of the company who had dared to absent herself, pleading that she would not stand to be hissed. Klliston looked at her magnificently. "Girl, they have hissed .M.E:-

"An interesting delegate eime from the Antipodes to the British Music Society Congress in the person of I , "rank Hutchens, who is senior profe-sor of the piano at the New South Wales Conservatorium in Sj'dney. Mr. lliitchen- is going to give a series of recitals during the autumn, and these will be nf particular interest to Mr. Hutch,'!!.-' <:| I master. Mr. Tobias Malthny. Mr. Hutchens hopes to see established ;i Dominion Conservatorium in New Zealand. New South Wales has led the way. and its State Conservatorium of Music has proved a success, the pupils numbering fourteen hundred." Tims does the "Musical News." London, record the visit of the popular Sydney pianist, who i≤ a native of Chrislchurch.

Following the precedent sot in making Padercwski President of tho Polish Re-public, it is now undors-tod that Krilz Krcislcr may be appointed Austrian Ambassador to the United State*. Kreisler is not only the greatest o-f very high literary attainment, a p"ii.-4u'il linguist, and a courteous gpiitleirmn. His platform appearance is most distinguished, and as a composer he has contributed most valuable addition? to modern violin literature. If he is appointed to Washington (he diplomatic representative of his fatherland it. will make it impossible for him to visit Australia foT many years, and for this reason we must hope that the rumour i* not true. There is no other roeitalist that we would sooner hear, and the time had arrived when he might be expected to visit us.

There are some things which e\en those Paris theatregoers in >caivli ol thrills and emotions will not tolerate, and one of them is the spectacle of a guillotine and the knife falling on a dummy head. This scene was too much for the audience at the Crand Cuignoi last month, where a dross rehearsal of ; , new play, "Au Petit Jour." took place A large section of the audienc,. was incensed riither than impressed by this scene of horror, and when, after the fall of the curtain, one a! the actors stepped forward to announce the title of the play and its author's name there was a tumultuous scene. It was from the gallery that the loudest 'protests came The commotion was so great that thactor's voice could not be heard, thougil he tried again and again to deliver his message. A member of the audience endeavoured to decry the sensational character of the piece, but the audience was not anxious that he should describe what was sell-evident."'

Which was the first pantomime? The point is fiercely debated, but l)i\ Uoran is to 'be relied on when he givis the. credit to Rich, who, in his ol 1716-17, at bincoln-3 Inn, played Harlequin in "Cheats; or, the Tavern Bilker*, ,, wheih wa. s described as a balh-t. pantomime. -Harlequin Executed: A New Italian Mimic scene between a .Scaramouch, a Harlequin, a Country Farmer, his Wife, and 'Others' , soon followed but Rich surpassed himself in -The Necromancer; or, the History of Dr. Fail-tvs " It is recorded in 'Their Majesties' Servants'' that: "The splendour of the scenes, the vastness of the machinery, and the grace and ability of Rich himself raised harlequinade above Shakespeare. During the nights of its attraction the prices of admission were raised by one-fourth, and the weekly receipts advanced to a thousand pounds. The advanced price displeased the public. With whom ultimately a compromise was made, and a portion returned to those who ehos'e to leave the house before the pantomime commenced.''

Mr. George Bernard Shaw has consented to stand for West Edinburgh at the next elections. It re to be limped, for his own sake, that his political aspirations will be more successful than his recent plays. The heartless critics severely mauled his last effort. This is how one brute turn-ed it off: -They lieiU an inquest yesterday into the cause oi the death of ■■Heartbreak ]louse,' at tiic Court Theatre—not that the body is a corpse yet; but it soon will be." Jle goes on: -'After a long and trying performance, Mr. Shaw appeared in an upper box, and asked the audience to 'Come again, not once, but twelve times. Then, on the stage, critics bombarded Mm with questions, the answer to which, generally, ti-a.s that he did not mean anybody in particular when he sketched the characters. 'But plays are strange things,' he said. -The other night 1 heard an amateur who was appearing in "Blanco I'osnet. , say: 'Tin; mother sat on the gra.-« with a dying horse in her lap and a ibaby grazing by ■her side. , ' . The last shot: "''lf they put this into every performance of 'Heartbreak House,' it would be improved." The verdict of the critics was, '"Born Dead."'