THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 40, 16 February 1929, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

(By a Correspondent)

SYDNEY, February 12

Saturday brings us two lirst nights, and never were they more badly needed. Successes are all very well from a managerial point of view, but very dull when they run on month after month with no changes at the theatres. "Hit the Deck"' has been our only lirst night for months past. The "book" is made from a, very mouldy old cake and the jokes are covered with fungus. (ius Bluett and May Beatty are forced to work on very ancient stuff. May Beatty has had tonsolitis and her vigorous songs have suffered in consequence, while Annie Croft has had to use a deputy to do her dances, as she is still suffering from a badly strained ankle and wears a band-

"The "Wrecker" comes from Melbourne earlier than it was due, owing to the theatre where it was playing being needed for the "talkies." The Carroll management want to get in first wth them, and have sacrificed their big dramatic success to do so. "The Wrecker.*' therefore, came to Sydney last Saturday under the direct management of J. C Williamson. Ltd., though it is a Carroll .piece and company. They are to occupy the Royal, and "Hit the Deck" will move on to Her Majesty's. "The Wrecker" is said to be even more so than "The Ghost Train," and one fears that the Railway Commissioners might step in and stop it if traffic falls off on the suburban lines to any extent in consequence. The cast contains some good people theatrically, notably Clayton Greene, who is well-known in London as an actor uf worth. The leading lady is Josephine Wilson, a handsome young

woman with a literary flavour to her past stage career. Helen Saintsbury also comes from the London stage, and others in the cast are Guy Routh and Frank Morrison, Xoelle Sonning and Arthur Young, while local lights included are George Willoughby, Xorman Lee, Reginald Collins, and Victor FitzHerabert. But they do say the train is the actual star of the piece.

"Clowns in Clover" is to have Jennie Benson (Mrs. Ernest Rolls) as leading lady and William Kent from America as leading comedian. Myrtle Pearce is a dancer coming from America for it, and Al Fisher, who did the ballets for "Rio Rita" and "Good News,'' is to be in charge of the Empire ballets. Ernest Rolls will produce. He had been with Fullers for the past year, but came out before that to produce "Sunny" for the short-lived opening management of the Empire. "Clowns in Clover" is still ruuning in London and is a revue which depends upon its specialty turns to put it over.

"The Patsy" will not move. It has threatened to go several times, but the booking remains sound and the management have determined to let it stay its course. Elma Gibbs has been playing a lot for Irene Homer, and those who have seen her like her very much in the part. She has this advantage over Miss Homer, that she can be distinctly heard, and she is actually a prettier Patsy than the American girl.

"Lido Lady" is under way. One change of play brings another, especially in rival managements. "Lido Lady" is an English musical comedy and has good parts for Elsie Prince, Jimmy Godden, and two newcomers from England, Billy Leonard, a dude comedian, and Mary Aiming, who has played lead at some of the London theatres. Charlton Morton is producing it. and the cast will be very depleted of those folks whom we have come to regard as an integral part of this conipan3". Elsie Parkes, for instance, will not be in it. She is going to join the new Marlow-Rolls management at the Empire Theatre, to open on March 16 in the revue, "Clowns in Clover." Others booked for that are Len Rich, Molly Fisher, Al Hammett and his band of 28 instrumentalists, Claude Holland and Ivan Perrin.

"New Brooms." a comedy ~f moneymaking, by Frank Craven, who has made some good plays in the past in U.S.A., is to replace "The Family Upstairs" at the Palace with the samecompany. The fat of the piece, it is said, goes to Wrvley Birch, who plays the stationmaster in the present piece, and who is a character actor of experience. He must get a great deal of it because nobodv else in the cast likes parts allotted to'them. They only anticipate a short run with "New Brooms," and the next play to he done by this companv will be "White Collars."

"The Vagabond Kin:r'' should b* Appreciated in New Zealand, for it i- by far the most beautiful production the management has staged for year-, and strikes a note of romance from the ri>e of the curtain to the close of the piece. Strella Wilson act* on the grand >'-a]c and gives the impression of being a great lad v. .Tames Liddy lias mannerism* but gets some fine chanoterisation into the role of Fran-oi = \ !,- lon. With the death oi flint fine ■! nctor Fardlev Turner. h?« role w.ll T.-il! Mifo the hands of Edward E*au. A'-thur Greenawav sives as finish"! a_per. T " r!! '- a nee of Kin? Loins M. or J-ram-e a* anv one could desire. A hv>ril girl. j Bene Linton. h«* been playing Huguetfp this week, and she mav retain it for j New Zealand in place of Mabel Gibson.