STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 177, 28 July 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAGE JOTTINGS.

The artists of the Williamson-Melba Grand Opera Company were obtained from La Scala, Milan, the Paris Grand Opera House, the Teatro Reale, Rome, the Teatro Reggio, Torino, the Carlo Felice, Genoa and the opera houses of Vienna, Berlin and Madrid. Mr. Nevin Tait devoted eighteen months to a search for the best talent available.

J. C. "Williamson, Limited, in association with Miss Irene Homer and the other principals in "The Patsy," are arranging a special matinee of the piece at Melbourne in aid of the unemployed. All concerned are giving their services free.

The Leon Gordon Company, which commenced its New Zealand tour in Wellington this week and which is expected in Auckland shortly, will, besides playing Bayard Veiller's "The Trial of Mary Dugan," offer a revival of Cosmo Hamilton's play, '"Scandal." The company ~evived this piece in Sydney just before leaving for New Zealand.

"Hit the Deck," the new Wiliiamson musical comedy, should by now have had its premiere at Melbourne. This piece was a great success in London and New York, and seven companies are touring it in the English provinces. No fewer than thirty people figure in the cast of ""Hit tho Deck." For musical comedy this piece is said to be unusually strong in its dramatic and love interest, a fact which duo to its adaptation from the play, "Shore Leave," bv Hubert Osborne.

Playing a small part in " The Girl Friend" is Miss Tui Black, who was last year selected in a competition for engagement by .J. C. * Williamson, Limited. She is said to be justifying her selection. Miss Black comes from Geelong, the home town of Mr. John D. Brownlee, the celebrated baritone, who is with the Wllliamson-Melba Grand Opera Company. He received his first singing lesson from Mrs. Black, Tui'a mother.

Miss May Ccllins, leading lady for M,. Loon Gordon, was paid the high tribute of being invited to appear in the allstar cast of "The Rivals'' and "The School for Scandal," two revivals of tho fafhous old English comedies which have, in recent years, been outstanding productions in the American theatre world. In the cast of these plays were 6uch celebrities as Miss Henriette Crossman, \i:>. j i-.:o and .Mr". < ivo. M. C olian. So

■' " • " • i>"i) and <> c such a. high standard, that for a two weeks' season of "The Rivals" in

Chicago, every -eat in tho theatre was booked before the play opened, and at the conclusion of the first night the company had to respond to twenty-three curtain calls. Miss Collins made her debut in Xew \ork as a child in

''Betrothal.' sequel to "The Bluebird," and now treasures among her possesions an autographed gift book from Maeterlinck himself, iu which he pays j graceful tribute' to her work. To appear with Mr. Cyril Maude in Michael Arlen's J play, ""Those Charming People."' was another experience of Miss Collins, especially interesting as .-lie was the. only member of tlie ea.-t not born in England. ! ~ j Signoriiu Oign Poletti, the \outhful soprano with the C-nsalez Grand Opera Company, lias already gained considerable experience on the lyric stage in her own country and in ."South America. She' comes from Leghorn, on the shores of the Mediterranean, but received her mu-cial training in Florence. It was when -lie fir-t .-ang in Leghorn that she : met Mascagni. who wa- present in the j audience, and at the end of the conccrt! oib-red her his congratulations. The' composer later heard her sing privately iu several opera-, and acted as her

accompani-t on these occasions. Signorina Poletti s operatic debut was made at COlllO in Catalini's "Lorelei." Since then leading roles have fallen to her lot in continuous engagements in Italy, and recently she sang with success in'opera in South America.

Schemes are going forward to provide i London with no fewer than live new! tlieatie*. 1w o i>f them wiil l»e in Picca-' JiHy ; another, about which much secrec-v is being maintained, will be erected in Charing (_ ro>s Road; a fourth will he placed ou a site in tiie Strand neighbourhood, and the tilth is the Dominion, to which reference was made recently, and wluch will stand at the south corner I or Tottenham Court JJoad. The control : of iht— new ventures, as of all London! theatre-. is a matter of intricate tinam-ial 1 arrangement between the <i i tie re nt svndi-' cates. but it is generally accepted' that 1 immense Minis <>i American mr>nev arei vested in Loudon theatre interests to j no particular advantage of art or the! acting profession generally. And even where American money does not exert an influence, United States crime plays I and jazz music are more than adequately j represented. The next great spectacle which Sir Alfred Butt is to present at Drury Lane is a case in point. It is Show Boat,' a production founded on j the American authoress Edn i Furbers I novel of that name, which relates tlie adventures of a troupe of actors who! travelled up and down the Mississippi perform inn at the vil Litres in the latter nortion of last century. "Show Boat" wiil succeed "1 he Desert Song,'' and will . ..at ovt-r i.'10.000 to produce. To i

cet fiie correct Mississippi colour mn«t j ot t!;e company will come across the Atlantic, and the highest spot in the! eighteen scenes will consist of a repre-i sentation of the (.hicatro exhibition of! 100-1. 1