PICTURES AND THE STAGE

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20957, 11 September 1933, Page 9

PICTURES AND THE STAGE

BUSY LONDON THEATRES BRITISH INDUSTRIAL WORLD MOVES FORWARD Recent developments in England had given a general feeling that the depression was at last lifting a little, said Mr W. Barrington Miller, formerly of Gisborne, but a resident of London for the last ten years, who is revisiting New Zealand. This, he said, in the course of an interview, was being brought about by the gradual recovery in several lines of big industry, notably in the woollen trade at Bradford, in the motor-car trade, the radio trade, and to some extent in the building trade. Many people in the Old Country were inclined to the belief that the present National Government had not done enough for the Empire, and that at its expense they had been too kind to countries like the Argentine, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, With whom hew trade agreements had been made, Mr Miller said. Even in spite of that, however, there was a general feeling that conditions were going to be better. America's Experience. Mr Miller was in America three months ago. She said that people who had not been in the United States could not have any idea as to how

that country had been affected by the world depression. Conditions there were really appalling, and in every line trade was in a bad way three months ago. However, since then he had received letters from friends which sounded a more hopeful note, thanks to the effort being made by the President to recover lost trade. One thing the slump had done was to teach America that with all its wealth and industry, its amazing resources, its marvellous energy and technical skill, it could not live within itself. It had built up plants to cope with a world trade, and when the United States made it impossible for other countries to trade with her, the crash came, and most of the great plants had to close down, throwing millions of men out of employment. Having made a small fortune in moving pictures, Mr Miller, as one of the heads in that business in Sydney for some years, is entitled to speak with some authority on the show business. Talkies and (he Staßc. "I am inclined to think that as far as the larger centres of population are concerned the legitimate theatre is more than holding its own at Home and in America, not at the expense of the talkies, but because of the talkies,'' he said. "Indeed, the talkies can be said to have attracted a new public to the theatre proper, because, having exhausted the initial wondei* 6f the animated audible screen, they are beginning to evince a desire for the flesh and blood artist. The last L6ndon season was a very good one indeed. Among the most recent' successes are 'The Lake,' in Which Marie Ney, the Wellington girl, definitely takes her place among the leading West End actresses of London. Personally speaking, I know of a better one. Then there is 'The Late Christopher Bean,' 'Music in the Air,*

another Jerome success, and that very fine play, 'Richard of Bordeaux.'" As far as the smaller centres were concerned, it seemed as though the real stage had been given its death blow. That applied all over the world, and to no country more than to New Zealand. Whereas there used to be a stream of theatrical attractions in New Zealand, the number was now reduced to three or four a year, and even those had not given much encouragement for further enterprise. New Zealand a Theatrical "Kisk." The cost of travelling a large company with tons of Scenery had become so great that New Zealand was now a greater theatrical risk than it had been for the last 50 years. While there might be a certain unrest among a certain class at being deprived of stage attractions, their number was insufficient to make tours attractive to managements. "While on this subject I must say that British pictures have improved mightily during the last year," said Mr Miller. "A really good British picture is as good a draw as a good American, but so far we have not been able to make them good continuously enough to feed the millions of theatres throughout the English-speaking world, so the American ihdustry goes on. Still, it is not the monopoly it Was. In the meantime the art of production and the technique of the screen is continually improving in England."