THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 96, 24 April 1931, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE STAGE IN SYDNEY.

PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

(By a Correspondent.)

SYDNEY, April 17,

"Dearest Enemy" has not a great deal of pulling power, it seems, as it is already announcing its last weeks. Nevertheless, I feel that New Zealand will appreciate this musical piece if it goes over. It is so much better, musically, than we expect from our musical comedies nowadays, and the cast is admirable. I think Dot. Brunton has never been better suited, and Sidney Burchall has improved in his acting and stage poise until he is now almost the ideal leading man —it is nice to get a leading man who can sing as well and the comedians are really funny without exaggeration. Scenes and ballets and choruses are excellent. If Sydney doesn't think as well of it as some of the other musical comedies we have had lately it is because of Sydney's queer complex —it distrusts costume plays. The flapper element thinks it is being dragged back to grandma's day and resents it.

"The First Mrs. Eraser" looks like being the success here that it was in Melbourne. Not that it is such a marvellous play. There are places where one feels that the author, St. John Ervine, has sat himself down instead of the characters and talked of himself across the table, and got a little of his middle-aged prejudices against the rising generation off his virtuous chest. These hiatuses are quite distinct to anyone with a. knowledge of playwriting, but there is so much that is good in between them that even the severest technician will forgive the other parts. The whole is beaten together with humour of a very genuine sort, and that carries the play. Here, as in London and in New York, it has been well cast. Every person is physically suited to his or her role. Ethel Morrison has just enough forthrightness in her work to make her the ideal Mrs. Fraser and more than enough personal charm to bring success to the part. J. B. Rowe—but have w : e seen J. B. Rowe bad yet?—is the canny Scotsman to the life. John Woods is a breezy younger son, and Roger Barry is right for the rather baffling young man who wants to re-mai'ry his mother and father for the sake of conventionality; he must be a trial to his wife. Noel Boyd plays that character with delicious balance. Mary MacGregor, who rather overtones the part of the second Mrs. Fraser, is still the right person on the Australian stage for it. Leslie Victor brings the souffle touch to the lover who proposes to the first Mrs. Fraser once a week or so, and is yet left lamenting in the end.

"Laughing Eyes," like all the other shows, lias drawn good holiday houses, and is going strong. The management are contemplating bringing over foxir beauties from Melbourne to augment the beauty chorus here. These were picked for the Melbourne performance of "Topsy Turvy," but it was decided late in the day to transfer the full complement of Sydney beauties over there for the Easter opening. The eight girls now showing their winning smiles from the top of the staircase —other things as well as the smiles, believe me!—are new for "Laughing Eyes." M,r- Rolls makes the sad confession in his private sanctum that some of the Melbourne girls he chose are even lovelier, and it is loveliness -in which he is specialising.

Janette Gilmore repeats her skating dance in "Laughing Eyes," which left us catching our breath when she firetdid it in "Rio Rita." She still does the back bend, but has cut out that delightful touch of picking, up a rose with her teeth on the back bend. The weight of each skate is five pounds, and they are specially made with the white boots which she, wears.

May Daly, who was to have been married to Charley Sylber almost as soon as he arrived here from U.S.A. for "Laughing Eyes," was hastily 6ent down to Melbourne to take over the part of Yvonne in " Sons o' Guns," when Bertha Riccardo had to step out of the cast After some days, when there was still no news of " The Southern Cloud," the airship which was lost between Sydney and Melbourne, on which her husband, Clyde Hood, was a passenger, Bertha Riccardo went back to the cast, and May Daly returned to Sydney. She had to go hack a second time, as Miss Riccardo broke down almost at once, and had to retire again. As she is a bride of only a few months herself there is small wonder that she could not carry on. Easter Saturday saw her back in the cast. The company will go to Brisbane about the middle of this month.

" The Love Race " will follow " Sons o' Guns "in Brisbane. Josie Melville, Elsie Prince, Gus Bluett, Alfred Frith, Eileen Ogden, Leo Franklyn, and Edwin Brett will be the leading lights in this. Frith

got back to his old firm in " Sons o' Guns" in Melbourne when Cecil Kellaway was retained for " Dearest Enemy."

" The Gondoliers " is the kick-off piece for the Gilbert and Sullivan Company in Melbourne at the Theatre Royal. Marie Bremner is to fill the roles which Strella Wilson played so graciously. Mary Hotham and Maisie Ramsay are being given those which Pattie Russell Jirid Mabel Gibson had—they will play the two peasant girls in " The Gondoliers." Dorothy Gill is the contralto character woman, and will be the Duchess of Plaza Toro. Ivan Menzies will be the duke of that ilk. Gregory Stroud and Leo Darnton have the two boys who are supposed to be twin heirs to the province, done previously by James Hay and Lance Fairfax. In their order the usual repertoire will be followed, and " Princess Ida" will be included. The company have already played a short season in Adelaide, so will be in trim for the Melbourne opening on April 12. " The Duchess of Dantzic" will follow "Dearest Enemy," with Dot Brunton as the duchess. The date is indefinite, but it will be quite soon.

Wirth's Circus is still "the biggest show on earth, ladies and gentlemen," and showing at the Glaciarium this year. The whole force of the menagerie is on exhibition, a privilege which these dear beasts have not enjoyed for years. The acrobats are particularly strong this year, but what are acrobats when you can have animals? When the circus passes on, as it will in a few weeks, the Glaciarium, will be turned into its old meaning, and wc are to have ice there again. Ice has been used solely for refrigerating purposes for a long time past at this house. Now we shall be able to .skate on it cnce more.

"The Man in Possession," a bright comedy, has be£n marked for the P table follow-on piece to "On the Spot" when a change of bill is needed for Frank Harvey in Melbourne. "On the Spot" was the Easter attraction. A little crop of vaudeville companies has burst into Sydney over the Easter holidays, and all have scooped tlic money in. The Haymarkefc Theatre, rechristened the New Haymarket, housed Connors and Paul's "Brighter Days,' and Hector St. Clair joined them as principal comedian. Audrey Lewis, who used to be a prominent but petite figure at the Empire when it was "speakie" instead of "talkie," is now with them, and doing well in her bright way. The Palace, grone dead as a miniature golf course, also came back to "singies" and "vaudevies" at Easter, and gave us quite a cheerful little show. The G.0.H., still going strong as a winner, changed its bill to "Keep Smiling, and we were all urged from the public stage to keep our pecker up, though there isn't so much encouragement from the politicians. "Let Us Be Gay" is showing here aa a picture now. Wonder if Ethel Morrison will go to see how somebody else plays the role of Mrs. Boucicault, which she so adorned ? In that piece she swept the stage clean away from Edith Taliaferro, who was the star. Blanche Rose is a new find of Ernest Rolls', and she both sings and dances well in "Laughing Eyes." She dances some of the time with a male partner called Stanclli, which seems suspiciously like Stanley.. Blanche Rose was in "Top Hole" at the Empire some years ago, and it was while he was producing there that Mr. Rolls saw her. She has an attractive number with the chorus dressed as children to put over in "Laughing Eyes" and manages to do it like a child.