STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 134, 8 June 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAGE JOTTINGS.

The next production of tie Auckland Little Theatre Society will be Noel Coward's "Hay Fever," the season of which will begin on June 26. "Hay Fever" is one of several successes secured by Noel Coward on the English stage. The best-known play of this actor and dramatic author is "The Vortex," which has had several revivals in London since its first performance in 1924. He has been acting since he was ten years old, and although he is not yet thirty, he has appeared in over for byplays. He is part-author of a number of stage successes, and author of three well-known books.

Mr. B ever ley Nichols, the young author of a number of successful books, has written a play entitled "The Stag," which was presented at the Globe Theatre, London. After reading so many nice things about Mr. Nichols' ability, it is rather surprising _ to find that the London dramatic critics were not,at all enthusiastic about his play. "Mr. Beverley Nichols," says one reviewer, "must be sick to death of being told he is a clever "young man. Indeed, unless he is more modest than one imagines, it must also arouse his indignation, for the phrase has an irritatingly patronising tone. So I intend to ignore Mr. Nichols' muchBeverley Nichols, advertised youth,

and also take his cleverness for granted. "The Stag, , continues tie writer, "bears a very close resemblance to 'Fame/ but whereas the latter is a poor play and very good entertainment, the former is a poor play and only medium entertainment. Both deal with the introduction of an artist into a set {hat concerns itself mainly with huntin', fishin' and shootin'. : . . It takes a much more adept hand than Beverley Nichols' to blend farcical comedy and melodrama together. He is more entertaining in his lighter moments, and if in hie effort he confines himself to boudoir farce, it should, and quite easily, be a better play."

While every modern playgoer has heard of the speed with which Edgar Wallace turns out some of his work, few are aware that among the playwrights of the 18th and 19th centuries, there were some surprisingly prolific men. To John Shand, of the "London Daily Telegraph," the fertility of Edgar Wallace suggests other speed records in writing plays. The elder Dumas, Mr. Shand thinks, still holds the speed record, although "among the English playwrights," he Bays, "it would be hard to beat the example set by Sheridan. In the three volumes of his plays recently published by Basil Blackwell, edited very carefully by Mr. R. Compton Rhodes, we are told how Sheridan wrote Tizarro/ which brought £30,000 into the box office at Drury Lane. At the dress rehearsal the author had still to finish the play, and on the first night he was still scribbling parts of the final act —which Kemble and Mrs. SidJons had to speak—while the audience was entering the theatre. No wonder the actors were a little uncertain of their lines for that performance! Few successful plays can have b r en written in less time than it took Aiexandre Dumas to write 'Romulus. , In his brilliant book of reminiicences, 'My Odyssey,' he tells how he was stranded one evening in a small town. Never being able to sleep for more than three or four hours, he wondered how to pass the time until, morning. He decided to write a play that he had had in mind for some time. He bought paper and pens at a general store and went to an fhn, where he was provided with plenty of candles and a pile of wood by the fireside. He started to write at eleven o'clock; by seven in the morning he was writing 'finis' —'that lovely word which to me is only the beginning of the next volume!' It was Dumas also," continues Mr. Shand, "who read a fiveact comedy to the actors who were to play in it before he had written it, and had it accepted on those terms. One day he went round to the Theatre Francais to ask for'a reading. 'What is the play?' they asked. 'A comedy.' 'Good. And is it finished?' 'Yes. It is quite ready.' 'And have you the manuscript?' *No. 1 have not written the play yet. But when a piece is all planned out in my head it is finished. It will be written before next Saturday.' 'What a boaster you are!' 'Nonsense. If you will count it as a reading I will give you every word of the five acts now.' For the fun of the thing and to try the boast, his offer was accepted, and Duinas 'read' the whole play, which was received with great applause by the assembled company. I should imagine that no play has ever before or since been accepted on such terms."

The names of two men who have helped considerably to raise modern drama to its present high standard, are included in the 'list of King's Birthday honours. They are Mr. John Galsworthy and Mr. Ben Greet. Galsworthy is perhaps best known for his "Forsythe Saga" series of novels, but he 'has also contributed to the stage a number of. the test plays in the drama of the twentieth century. Greet is not a dramatic author, but an actormanager, who h«as devoted his career almost entirely to .playing Shakespeare. Among thoee who have played their first important parts under his management 'have been H. - B. Irving, Dorothea Baird, Robert Loraine, Mrs. Patrick Campbell, Sybil Thorndike and Russell Thorndike. The Order of Merit has been conferred upon Mr. Galsworthy and a Knighthood on Mr. Greet.

Few plays have been more discussed than "Young Woodley," the next attraction at His Majesty's. "Young Woodley" is the story of a typical English schoolboy who falls in love with his housemaster's wife. The principal (Lewis Shaw), it is claimed, is the youngest player who has ever taken a leading part. He is only 18 years of age. To those who think that this fact might spoil enjoyment of the piece on account of "the unquestionable' inexperience of Shaw," can only be mentioned the tremendous success with which he has met in all parts of Australia.

The prize this week goes to Miss M. Speakman, Massey Road, Mangere, for: OUT OF HIS HEAD. The village schoolmaster had urged his boys to take up fretwork and carpentry as hobbies. He had also arranged for small prizes to be given to those who brought him the best made articles. One day a lad produced a splendid model cabinet. "This is very nice," said the master. "Tell me, where did you ge,t the pattern to work from?" "Please sir," answered the boy, "I made it out of my head, and I've just enough, wood left to make another." BROTHERLY LOVE. Vicar: My cough has been dreadfully troublesome to-night, Porkins. Verger: Well, sir, you've a lot of sympathisers. They've put lozenges in the plate instead of sixpences. THE WRONG TRAMP. Molly: Oh! auntie, I've planned such a lovely holiday; Celia and I are going to take a tramp through the Welsh mountains. Aunt: Well, I suppose it'll be all right if your father approves, but do you really think the tramp will enjoy it? NEMESIS. A Scotsman and a dozen friends had just finished dinner in a fashionable hotel, when the waiter arrived with the cheque. "Give it to me," came In loud tonee from the Scotsman. "I'll pay it." The next day the following headline appeared in the 'local newspaper: "Scotsman strangles ventriloquist." JUST A DREAM. Lady (to a friend she met): So 'Arriet's got another black eye, I sees. Her Friend: Yes, it was a) dream this time. Lady: Owjermean, a dream? "Well, her 'usband dreamed he was drowning, and he struck out for the shore to save 'iself—and 'Arriefc happened to be there." A TEMPORARY STOP. "Please, ma'am," said a little girl to the woman who lived next door, "mother wants to know if you will lend her your gramophone this afternoon." "What an extraordinary request! Is she going' to have a dance?" "No, ma'am. We're tired of dancing to it. She wants to keep it quiet for a couple of hours so that baby can sleep!" WANTED A barber to shave the. face of the earth.

A dentist to work on. the jaws of death. Sea horses to feeH from the ir" , of the sea. A few bcc:ls from the flower of speech. A pen that will .write with inky darkness. A pair of corsets for the waste of time. PITY THE POOR POLICEMAN. <c What is it?" demanded the old lady, excitedly, as she pointed to the small crowd which surged round a stopped motor bus. " 'Bus run over a cat, ma'am," retorted the policeman on point duty, politely. "What, really? In the middle of the road 1" "No, ma'am, the cat climbed a lamp post, and the blinkin' 'bus went up after him an' caught him on the topi" A TALL ONE. An Irishman and a Scot found themselves seated side by side, and each tried to impress the other with the distance he had travelled. After much discussion the Irishman admitted he had sailed the Seven Seas, and that he had been to the end of the world. "An , what did ye see there?" asked the Scot. "Sure, there was a great big wall reaching to the sky," "Ah, weel," said the Scot, "it's a pity ye didna look ower the wall, for I was behind it fishin', ye ken."

SPOILING THE EFFECT. The manager of the Star Picture Palace, at Little Mudtown, gazed out of the window of his office into the High Street. Presently his hair bristled with rage as something met Hβ eye. "Fools! Idiots! Brainless imbeciles!" he shrieked. "Look at those sandwich men supposed to be advertising my, show!" ' He rang furiously for his advertising clerk, and flew at him. "You know those four men with boards making the name of this cinema— STAR—did you tell 'em to walk in proper order?" "Yes, I lined them up S T A and R." "Well, the fools must have reversed!" bellowed the manager. "They're parading the town spelling RATS!"

Brown: Were you really pleased that the woman next door Lad a new coat? Mrs. Brown: Not at first, dear; but I was as soon as I found out it wasn't real fur..

The very new motorist drove right on past a sign which said "Stop." "Can't you read?" the policeman called after him. "Yes," replied the motorist; "but I can't stop. ,.

A letter of introduction was handed by an actor to a manager. It described the presenter as an actor of much merit, and concluded: "He plays Macbeth, Hamlet, Shylock, and billiards. He plays billiards best."

A judge asked a woman her age. "Thirty," she replied. "You've given that age in this court for the last three years." "Yes. I'm not one of those who says one thing to-day and another thing to-morrow."

"Would you like some views of the hotel to send your friends?" asked the polite hotel manager. "No," replied the disgruntled guest. "I think it would be better for me to keep my views of this place to mfj^self."

Severe Mistress (to youthful mald)t' "Well, did you tell your Band of Hop* lady what I told yon?" Youthful Maid: "Yes, ma'am." "What did she say?" "She said I was to look on you as my cross, ma'am."

A small pupil wm being reproved by his teacher for saying "I ain't going." "Now listen," said the teacher. "I *m not going, you are not going, we are not going, they are sot going. Do you understand?" "Yes, miss," replied the pupa, "There ain't nobody going. l '

Hope. Hβ: Could you learn to love me? She: Well, I've managed to learn Hindustani. Nof de Plume. Visitor: What's your name, my man! Prisoner: Fifty-nine. Visitor: but that's not your real name. Prisoner: Naw, it's only my pea name. Too Deep. "I've come to the conclusion that women are puzzles." "So have I; in fact, I've had to give several of them up." In a Nutshell. "What's the difference between sight and vision?" asked Joe. "A mighty lot," cried Jim. "My girl is a vision, and your's is a sight." Useful at the Moment. "Is your husband doing anything to cure his deafness?" "No; he has decided to wait until the children have finished taking music lessons." Going by Appearances. Wife: Isn't this a duck of a frock? Husband: I should call it a pelican, judging by the bill. A Promising Lad. Boss: I hope, Jones, that you save at least half you earn. Jones: Well, I don't get that much, sir. So They Went. Lady Glow-Worm: I never want to see you again! Male". Glow-Worm: All right. You glow your way and I'll glow mine. Rotten Luck. "I nearly ran over my mother-in-law with my car yesterday." "Wouldn't the brakes act?" "Yes, but I couldn't start the thing again quickly enough."