STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 162, 10 July 1926, Page 22

STAGE JOTTINGS.

Mr. E. J. Gravestock announces that he has arranged for the famous pianist J'.aekhaus to commence his New Zealand tour in Auckland at the Town Hall on Tuesday, August 3 next, followed by recitals on Thursday and Saturday, sth and 7th. The distinguished artist's New Zealand tour will be only a brief one, and will take place immediately after .liis Sydney season, which is now in : ].regress. i T.eon Gordon, who wrote and stars in ! "White Cargo," now in Melbourne, has 'a unique method of teaching his under I studies the roles in the play. He had I (he scenes filmed, and from time to time i tlie?e are screened in the presence of the ! understudies. The pictures are stopped, land the exact attitude adoptd by the characters under certain circumstances is explained by Mr. Gordon to the understudies, who are enabled to copy them. This method allows of a com- | plete rehearsal in the absence of the principals. Describing Chaliapin's interpretation of the role of Don Basilio in Rossini's "The Barber of Seville," at Covent Garden, a critic said: "He cut a remarkable figure of fun. He was got up like a terrible old begging frjar, unwashed, slow-witted and leering. It was a fantastic study, faultlessly finished—perhaps, however, a shade grim and Gorkyesque for 18th century comedy. We shall not forget in a hurry that awful old face with its monstrous nose and one tooth, nor those lank hands. Chaliapin, for sure, was thoroughly enjoying himself. He added an extra dose of farce to the "Buona sera" quintet. A t >eculiar incide t once happened to Charles Walenn, now appearing in "Trial By Jury" and "Pinafore" at His Majesty's, Melbourne. He was playing the Lord Chancellor in "lolanthe," when passing beneath the gauze from which was suspended the "foliage" of the scenery, his wig became ctught, and ! remained suspended in the air as he moved on. From the front of the house it appeared as if the wig were suspended in mid-air. The audience roared i with laughter, and the show, like the i w 'g> was hung up for quite a while. Mr. Walenn, however, saved the situation to some extent by putting the I blame on the fairies!

whose Shakespearean Company has been forced to disband, owing to serious loss by fire of scenery and equipment.

The disbanding this week of the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company marked the termination of a period of many years, during which the company has held a unique position in Australasia. The manner in which Wilkie kept playing the masterpieces of Shakespeare year in and year out, when the major portion of the theatre-going public was not only betting, but wae demanding, musical comedy, or sex drama, will long be held up to admiration. His declaration that despite the fact that he lost over £4000 in the fire at Geelong, and that practically all the scenery and effects, the accumulation of 25 years, had been destroyed, he would reform the company as soon as humanly possible, was a typical example of the spirit that has enabled him to carry on. One of the wonders of this extraordinary social season has been the success of the opera at Covent Garden in spite of the strike, in the midst of which the season began (writes our London correspondent under date June 14). The big Opera House has been crammed to capacity the whole time, and the audience for "The Ring" was exceptionally fine. This week "Othello" was produced, and it is being recalled that ftklba sang in "Othello" the very last time Zenatello appeared at Covent Garden in this opera. It was therefore, not surprising that at this week's performance Melba who had played Desdemona previous with Zenatello on that occasion was present to applaud, and it was her approval more than anyone else's that seemed to delight him. Time after time, when, he came to take his calls he beamed anid bowed at the stage box on the right where Dame Nellie sat. Mr. J. Maughan Barnett, the Auekla- 1 City Organist, who is at present in England, gave a recital at Westminster Central Hall on April 21, when his programme included two of his own compositions, "Fantasy on National Airs," and "Berceuse." He recalled an excellent notice in the "Musical Times," which is not given to praising any but those who are worthy. "Hβ gave ample proof of sound musicianship, brilliant technique, a thoroughij artis- , tic temperament, and an evident desire to please more than one element in his audience," said the critic. "Such adaptability, because rather rare, was welcome. Generally organists play either too much music of the 'classical' order or too much of the other sort. Mr. Barnett's personality, too, established quite earl/ that intangible link between performer and listener which is half the secret of a successful recital. As a rule, the anticipation of hearing an organist from oversea? is interesting; the realisation occasionally intense boredom—or .orse. In the last few years I have heard several 'guest , players, and I would never dream of hinting that their playing was other than first-rate; s< nehow, an argent appointment has usually forced mc to leave at about the third item. Anyway, after hearing Mr. Barnett one wanted, so to speak, to take a leaf out of Oliver Twist's book." In the summary the critic said that to Bach Mr. Barnett imparted brilliance; that he nearly achieved the miraculous and reconverted his listeners to Mendelssohn's pianoforte "Lieder," and that hia <r Fanta«y" nearly brought down the house,

The prize this week is awarded to A. G. Mackie, Stores Branch, C.P.0., Auckland, for: WHAT A RACE. There were mutinous murmur- .■ ■ <ir»l a certain merchantman when word spread among the crew that the ship would not, after all, put in at the port of call, but merely drop the mail into a small boat, and go on. The ship had not put into a port for many weeks, and all the crew longed for a spell ashore. The disappointment was too much for one seaman, who, uttering a plaintive cry, leaped into the sea, and started to swim for the visible shore. The captain ordered the test swimmer in the crew to go after him and bring him back before he reached land. An excited look-out kept all on deck posted on the progress of the race. "He's gaining! He's gaining! Two hundred yards Hundred yards. Fifty yards! In a dozen strokes he'll have him! Five more strokes! A yard io go — Great Scott." "What is it? What is it?" asked the skipper. "Great Scott, sir, he's passed him!" AN OLD FAVOURITE. Here is a Chinese joke, related by Thomas Steep in his "Chinese Fantasies": Sitting in gaol with a cangue or wooden collar, around his neck, with his hands and feet bound, a prisoner was asked what he had dono to deserve punishment so severe. "Nothing," he replied. "Walking along the I just picked up the end of an old rope." "And they punish you like this for a thing so trivial?" "Well," admitted the prisoner, "there was a cow at the other end of the rope." NOT A SPRINGER. A well-known novelist was being entertained at a dinner in Hollywood, and was seated next to a popular actress, who, he observed, was somewhat elaborately painted and powdered. After professing a great admiration for his books, the fair one said coyly: "There is one question I would like to ask you. In that new novel of yours there was a phrase I couldn't quite understand. You said a 'blush crept slowly.'" "Well," said the writer, "if a blush tried to run nowadays, it would kick up too much dust."

"As an artist, 1 want your opinion." "As a friend, I don't like to give it." Teacher: Johnny, name a collective noun. Johnny: A vacuum cleaner. Doctor: Feed a cold and etarve a fever. Coloured Boy: Doc, heah's wheah Ah gets mc a cold! Gay: I think Tom's girl is as pretty as a picture. Lord: Yes! But what a frame! Hβ (at football game) : Look at him running with that ball. She: Yes, the coward. Madge: Jack's proposal was so sudden it made mc jump. Marie: At it, of course. He (angrily): Do you always believe everything every darn fool tells you? She (sweetly): Is o, darling. But eometimes you do sound co plausible. "Come and dine with mc to-morrow evening, old man." "Afraid I can't; I'm going to see 'Hamlet.'" "Never mind, bring him along too." "Boss, gimme some of them Labour union matches." "How now, hireling, Labour union matches?" "The kind that strikes anywhere, boss." "Waiter, do you call this bean eoupt* "The cook does, sir." "Why, the bean in this soup isn't big enough to flavour it." "It isn't supposed to flavour it, sir. It ie just supposed to christen it." He: What'e wrong with the pie-erustf It doeent half cover the pie. Bride: Why, dearest, I asked your mother how to make them to rait you, and she said make the crust very short. Lecturer: Allow mc to repeat the words of Webster. Bored Listener (to wife): Good gracious, Maria, let'e get out. He's starting on the dictionary. "A gentleman called mc handsome yesterday," said a rather elderly lady to her minister. "Do you think it is sinful of mc to feel a little proud of the compliment?" "Not at all, ma'am," replied the minister. "It's the gentleman who is the sinner, not you."

McTavish: " Wumman, hoo can ye twit mc wi* beic' mean w"' ma money? Haven't I let ye put thrippence in the plate the last twa Sundays?" _ —" The Huniorirt.^