THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 171, 21 July 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

PLAYS AND PLAYERS. (By a Correspondent.) Muriel Starr completes a thirty week-' season with a short revival of "Within the Law." She has had an unspectacular but thoroughly successful season, and will now move on to Brisbane. We are expecting Maurice MoscoA'itch in "The Silent House." on July 21. Alum's the word! as no one here knows anything about it except that half the company will be made up as Chinese. Percy Hutchinson and his London company are to open at the Palace in "The Laughing Optimist," to-morrow, after a Melbourne season. We hear it is a good light comedy. Townsend Whitling and his wife, Violet Ley, who were through Xew Zealand a couple of years ago with "The Farmer's Wife," play in it.

Tlie "Williamson-Melba Grand Opera burst upon Sydney on Saturday evening like the red-gold sun breaking through a cloudy sky. Theatrical things have been so dull and the theatres so empty, lixut "Aida," with its Oriental splendour, came as a gala in truth t»y the performance on Saturday night. Speaking without the technical knowledge of a musician, I can only say it seemed a flawless production. Nobody was off the note the whole evening—rather a novelty in heavy opera. The production was magnificent as a Bcenic display, and easily compared with Covent Garden and the New York metropolitan productions. There was nothing incongruous in the dressing, though three of the leading male artists had lost their luggage, and a managerial apology wa3 mad© from the stage for their makeshift clothing, j One had the feeling the artists them-! selves had insisted 011 this to justify any awkwardness they might feel. Conductor Bavagnoli held the entire company and the orchestra as well, metaphorically, in the hollow of his hand. He is indeed a "maestro," and has conducted at La Scala in Milan—the grand peak of grand opera. Arangi Lombardi, who sang "Aida," | has an exquisite voice of that warm tonal quality that plays direct on the heartstrings without ever descending to vocal sentimentalising, rich, trne and -full, and with delightful pianissimo notes. Vocally, she is an artist to the last lung cell, and histrionically she is more than adequate. Signor Merli sang Rhadames with an interesting technique and comforting sureness of tone. He is not one of those fluty tenors who sometimes arrive in the middle of the note and sometimes wriggle into it from the outer fringe. The audience felt he would never Jet them down, and his solos, particularly: "Celeste Aida," were warmly applauded. We may expect some sound performances from him during the season. Another successful artist among the newcomers with Signora Zinetti, who sang Amucris, the jealous mistress of "Aida." She ! looked superb in regal robes, and sang I convincingly. Old friends in the cast were Apollo Granforte and Umberto De Selio, who had great receptions. It would appear that this production of "Aida" has reached the pinnacle of singing that has been done in Australia. Toti Dal Monte made her re-appear-, ance in her favorite light opera, "The Daughter of the Regiment," and the gaiety of the role suited her pretty, child-like personality. Of its light quality Toti's voice is quite perfect, and she is an artist always when she sings. "Manon Lescaut," on the third night, brought Luia Scavizzi before the public, which admired her so much before. Angelo Minghetti and she had a dual success in this early Puccini opera. There appear to be so many artists in this company that it will be some time before all the debuts are made. Neither of the Australians, John Brownlee nor Browning Mummery, have yet appeared. "Rio Rita" is still booking up well in advance, and has had the best houses in town for weeks, prior to the opera. "Top Hole," at the Empire, has taken a new lease of life. The circle of that theatre has been closed, or was, for a time, to enable the winter audiences to feel cosier all together in the stalls instead of in sparse handfuls spread over a huge theatre. Another show is being rehearsed at this theatre.