THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 98, 18 January 1908, Page 13

THE THEATRE.

(By Sylvius.) "Tlio world's a theatre,- tho,, ejrth a , , ' stago."—Hoywood. " His Highness the Bey." Tom.' Pollard's clever troupe of juvonilo operatics are to malto- ft sudden reappearance, at tlio. Opera House-this evening, in the American extravaganza '.'His .Highness- tho Hey," bright and variegated onoxigli in its constitution to give opportunities, to a number of clever people.. .■Masici'.'.Bert. Nicholson, as tho Boy, outs . sin O.ddly. humorous - little figure, and we -look forward with no small amount of pleasure to hearing him sing oneo ; more that catchy absurdity "In lCankarkco." Miss Slay. will always .ho • associated, with "Bluebellin-, fairyland" ini the theatrical memory,: gives a particularly'fresh and'dainty rendering of an American girl with money, who. desire's a titlo with 'iiian attached. Another .excellent frivollor is GHarlio Albert, who seems'equally at homo, in any old part. He can sing pleasingly, dances cleverly ; and incidentally keeps his eyo 011 the limelight man, tho fly-men,, and the multitudinous properties. _ Tho pallets and ,grouping,, and never-resting action on tlio part of everyone.- on the stage, are live; features of "The Bey." Somo day Mr. Pollard will electrify the public, by allowing someone to sing a soiig to.: a ■ chorus who stand absolutely motionless throughout, with fixed oyes, rigid limbs—and the critics will say—"How cute!" Tho .company is good onough to deserve • healthy, houses.. During the season "Bluebell" will bo revived, and wo' are 'to be. introduced to a new extrava-. | ganza, "The Isle of "Bong Bong.". ~ i' '', V , "Tho Mummy and the Humming Bird." , In spite of its weirdly, unattractivo title,- " Tlio Mummy and tlio Humming Bird ",_is (says tho " Bulletin ") ' enjoying ' a fairly prosperous • Christinas season at MelbonrnoPrincess's. Tho plot touches on tho. possibility of a divorcesuit. When Lady Lumlcy ; . keeps an appointment : at • Signer D'Orelli's bachelor establishment, tho audience mostly takes out-its watch, to time the length of the consultation, and although.! she professes r.eperitanco shortly, afterher arrival, tho jury becomes dpeply interested as soon as tho giddy Sigiior imprints, a salute. upon .'tho lady's rieck. fortunately, tho hus j band arrives at '-this-tempestuous- moment. Before ho leaves premises the'audiencn: feels, -with-regret, that-thero';is no further, causo for alarm. Tho .absent-minded scientist has suddenly developed tho mental. alertnessof Hawkshaw, the detective, and as tlio result of his. masterly tactic? ho loaves the Signor horror-stricken in tlio centre of the stage,-with a pale, green light streaming on, his evil countenance. A fourth act, coming after this, melodramatic, situation',' is somewhat of an anti-cliiuax; but the play-is so constructed that tlio Signor's - discomfiture needs to bo rubbed in, otherwise the curtain'would, fall too ;Sooii. Furthermore,' tho dramatist is bound to deal with tho doubt ho has raised as y!to whether the vengeful organ-grinder will got his stiletto into the .Sigiior's heart. If'it-were an Andersonian or a Meynollgunnihn drama the end : would bo a gory act of poetic justice. 11. W.Vsrna would hido behind a curtain of tlio sittingroom in tho Hotel do Londres (4th-Act),.'ana,-! alter playing a few bars of Chopiii's Funeral March on his organ, ho would como forth ,anu make one addition to. jtho deatli-rate.' "Tlio Mummy and tho Huniniiiig Bird" is not built that way. . Tho Signer escapes undamaged, and tlio.ladv whom ho didn't lead astray is conducted safely to. supper by -her husband, liko tho giddy, but faiiitrheartcd, matron in "Tho Liars;" MiSs Beatrice Day has improved her clever 'performance of Lady. Lumlcy; also tho now-comei', A. S. Homewood, is a less elderly and.saturnine Signor than hb was at first.' All tlio'same, ho and Herbert Fler.iming in tho two name-parts aro about equally unconvincing.; . - , ■ " Consoicßca." The popular French actor-pantomiinist -MScverin mado |i . welcome .rc-dppe'arauco -in, London-last month in a wordless play, entitled " Conscience." i This form of play, unknown in .. this part of tho world, is unique enough to be described. Pierrot, a no'er-do-woll, is -discovered loafing on one of the outside'-boulevards of Paris, when ho is met by an artisan, ono Travail, whom ho prevails upon to have a drink ift tho cafe. So freely does Travail imbibe that ho becomes intoxicated,-and, tlio, cafe closing, Pierrot places him on a bench .outside, ymitonr, a, shady banker, enters with Laveine, who lias jiist won a big lottery, and-has celebrated.the event in Bacchanalian, style. Vantour purposes "robbing him,' and to get rid of Pierrot, who is attending on Travail, despatches him for a cab-. Mean---tirao he stabs the luckless Laveine and robs him. Noticing Travail in his drunken sleep, he places tho dagger in his hand, besmears both of them with the victim's blood, and boats his retreat, dropping, in his hurry ! a hand kerchief and card-case. Tho gendarmes arrive, and, grasping the situation, aroso Travail, who is dumbfounded to find himself accused of tho crime. . Pierrot returns, and, seeing tlio predicament of his friend, vainly proclaims his innocence. Pierrot, left alone, discovers the initialled handkerchief and cardcase, and sets out to interview tile murderer. This ho does, and a very effective scene indeed is that, in which the interview between Pierrot and the banker takes place.' Pierrot terrorises the criminal into thorough submission, and blackmails him' for a largo sum of money: Pierrot is next found luxuriously rioting at a cafe with women and wiiK\ Travail's wifo enters to.beg.of-'him. to mako' somo effort to save her husband, but ho spurns her from him. Left alone, Pierrot falls asleep, and in a dream sees his friend about to bo executed. Ho awakes affrighted, and, conscience-stricken, resolves to save Travail. The closing scene takes placo'hcforo, tho Procureur. Travail's innocence is os-' 1 tablishcd, and the real murderer put under An Interesting Letter. ■ "Sylvius" has received tho following interesting letter' from Palmerston North with respect to the recently announced death of Mrs. Caroline Blancbard in London:— "Sir, —In your issuo of to-day, there is-in-cluded in your London correspondent's notes a record of tho death of Mrs. Caroline lllaiichavd. From its bareness I gather that, personally, lie knew nothing of her. Ho did net know, for instance, that her husband was a much better known character than herself, although sho always overshadowed -him witu her dominant and (candidly) somewhat over-effusive personality., 110 was the celebrated (as London goes) E. Blanchard, who wrote the pantomimes for Drurv Lane, year in, year out, for twenty years, latterly and, I think, lastly, under the management of V. 13. Clmttorton, and with tho celebrated Yoko3 Family in tho caste. "llow well I remember them, husband and wife; sho used to bustle into 'the office at 5 p.m. (she always bustled)—he would meander a paco or two behind. Ho would be polished, eye-glassed, courtly; she, Irish, voluble, full of fun, given to much uneontrolabln osculation. "I was an office hoy at the time, somewhat fair, pink, and pretty. I liavo changed sinco then, a little; but if I had a shilling for every one of that dear woman's blusterous embraces, I would buy a new summer suit to-morrow. "lie died years beforo her. May God rest them both.—Yours Faithfully, FRED. I'ILCHER." Is Gonius Conducive to Madness? A few weeks before Richard Mansfield died a report was Hashed over the wires that tho actor was insane. At that t-imo the few words of the brief bulletin seemed to answer tho much-mooted question: "Was Mansfield a 'genius?" The question had been argued pro and con during tho last decado. Tho old woman waited until her cow was dead beforo she would believe that_ it could not live without eating. A majority of the dramatic writers for tho daily Press adopted tho same tactics in weighing the abilities of Mansfield. Genius and insanity usually go hand in hand. The critics who aro yet unconverted may ask: "Aro all lunatics geniuses?" Science answers that thero is a

gravo possibility .that : is almost certain that gcniusi'sopnoivpr; later • evidences signs .of: insanity/'-J V, Richard Wag-ner was: as crazy. ftS. the proverbial bug. Julius Caesar, l'otrarch, Mo-, lioro, llanclol and Flaubert had epileptic fits. \Mahomet.had''torivulsioiis. Richelieu; ijt v a> fit' beUeved ho wftsia- ltorso. Ann Lee, who formed tho oocioty ,of .Shakers, hiul spasms. Cowper, IlousScau,. and Laniartino in fits 6f'.li^salnity.-'tried ;to kill* themselves, Tho . lifet v of., among men of genius readies to!",tho;,hundreds. ; Mozart thought'tlidy- 'wbrd^'trying'''to iibisonhim. ... Voltaire',tholl'ghjr;alff^ dying. Abriihani Lincoln was a :victim.,of ; .melani t oholia, which -was serious .^oitVbh'oc'pi'. 'two;' occasions. Chopin was lttpand'in-later iuo; Cavour behoved everyone was his enemy. J.: 8. Mill- was insano L "at twenty.' Balxac. paraded in a lamp. 1 Baudolaii'o, l c6)ourbd v hißliair- green: Old Sam Johnson "to'uchod v : every < post ho passed in London. '■ Naiwloon 1 was. aflhctcd, •withS moral, insanity.;falwet"-py.tjton;t bit and insulted' his wife,' r AltliougU''diQ'p'rofessed: to lovo' her.Scliopfcrihauer' was often in';a traiice' while • comjMsngVH"Poo. 'was' 'a vcrazy, ' sot. Verlaino and Oscar-AVildo wero even worse.'. Charles , Lamtf,was"ihsane'.':>,i.Rq.bert-' Schumann, ; ,tko immortal", (soiffpoßoY ;a:; lunatic; and' took; hisVoS'ii'' lifo"'' by •""drowning,;. Loiiau, one of .'tho. greatest*'Of: : ifiodei ; n-i)o_etsil was iiisano half: August' Strind-. berg, tho playwright who "ouWMfcns'-Ibsen," lias been .iiisano sevoral-times 1 and'-ih *lucidhours 1 has. written wonderful accounts bt his sensations' 'during...'att&filrt.V'! ,'j'X; Tho list' is almost'.endless. '' r ' ! To'bite; more, names does not bring tho. truth'neater.,lf . Richard Jlansiiekl was .inline," .:Was, his condition not natural ' Tho .trageclia:n,,]\[-CiiHough ) ' spent-his dast days ' raving and . tho- linos.- from -- '■'Virginius'! and other,plays m his>ropeitbiro. : i ■Maurico Jlarrymqro,'leVsbr(afctor, and a man I of talent ratbor than' genius,. had a- similar:| end. ■ Climate,. ancestry,';or;'associations aremainly rcsp'ohsible. 1 i o;w , 7,ivj . Littlo was known ;of'~Mahsfiold?s:parentago : except'that his mother .was ;.ftiv opera »smgor. Ho oarly , showed 'siglls-of'-vagaooiUlage,' a suggestivo; symptom'"noticeable ih' sitch; meit: as, Byron, GaUtier, Vftrlainc," Wagner, Mpyer-1 beer .and Heine. Dual; personality,- another symptom,', was : often;''rioted. • Ho a. ciiorished companioii-to' cortaili fnondS; a. veritable demon let" loose, ' to' others. 1 Precocity was still another. '; warning ->VbF; future calamity. Like Mozart,. \ Meyerbeer).-. and others, : ho was a' musical •prodigy when a youngster. ' | .:;v ... - Ono,can scarcely aflirm • with Plato that is. of' great- benefit. ■.. From; the ex-; aniplo of Mansfield wp rftay deriv6' ; .bonefit,> : however, ; in tho form 'of' a' lossony ' Thero ,aro,-not many mentor ; . "wometi- > of; genius amongst us!' Tliey •' :6hould" .b'o ;• easily re- ' cognised.—-Archio Belli ill 'New': York'. tro^'A Sensational Play. •. J r:. Miss- Lena Asbwqll.jecentiy.assumed: tho,. management of '• the' ICihgSwiiy Theatre; un.London, and opened hei:.'Season'.with a : -play., by ; a now dramatist-,?'. Anthony. so audacious in tlionib it-hat everybody:.'.is, running to seo it. ~;,Tlio;'.'Daily. Mail", dq-.: clined to fcritinise : thp; piece, dismissing . it' •briefly, with these words i . '-'ltr contains passages of a character v.diich;we_ do,' hot; feel, called upon to describe ,or to criticised -i-.Asa result, probably, of !,his. notice; rtho theatre has been crowded-to tho doors :a_fc-; every > ; peiy | formanee,-and. on thrco isuccessiVo eveniiigs, | ltoyalty-was.presenti..';,. •'. I'. Tho pieco which is;»likely. to .be seen .'in' j America 1 beforo long- is'- entitled; "Irerio. Wycherley." : It deals; with' . .tli'o .familiar complication of. a 'high . principled 'Womaii married to' a coarse-v and :,'brutal'husband. Irone Yvycherley for. .three.or four years has been living apart from'.-her, husband son account 1 of his 'brutality.'- ; \ A, ydung-. 'man, named Harry Chesterton, has fallen.: in - lovo with her, imd shoi. has ,- formed a decided affection fpr him, though -she, docs not en? courage him'to assert; himself; -- Sho hears that her <hiisb.nuMias-.-mot with an adtiident in, the, shooting field,and that ,1m wiil be blinded fob life; nnd.sho feels it;is her duty, to roturiv to him. ,f,iHe,.quito,frankly, lnites' lier;'. but sho inana,m:itO ) 'remaiu' ) witli,.him. and help, to Wlierff howovor, ho is mollified toward;her, by his sensuhlity,' sho recoils frorii hini by., reason' of .'her, .physical horror' of him;., ft is .then. ' that, lie invites Mi I .' and Mrs., Summers to-stay ili his house.' : Sho, kiiowjiigiilfs.'Summers' ante-., cedents', tells her' she;, must, go; and then occurs tho double tragedy,: whereby . Irono 'becomes a freo woman iiii'd will .presumably marry Mr. Chesterton. • ■ Max Beerbohm, writing in tho, -"Saturday .Review," . saysv'-v •■ • • •: ■ ... "I am told that I'lrdn'd'TV; ("chorley'.is ,the, first, play by Mr. Wharton , that- -has been produced. Biit'l suspccb-it'js'hysno'means tho first play' that liq,ha's..writteh.,.';. If/it is indeed a maiden essay, tho technical, excels, lenco of it is certainly- remarkable. ■; Even' if it were technically - feeble,- ono would warmly wcldouio Mr,; AVliarton. for, tho sake of his\strong senso of charactci',' and would, congratiilalo- Miss Lena- ■= Ash well' on her caurago in inaugurating ,-, her .management w'ith. a play that paii(lbr.s,.iiot...at .all to the public's distaste- tor', grim - reality.-'Per-sonally, 1 think the ■ denouement--'-is rather arbitrary—a shirking.of .the issue.. .Irene should liavo been lcli.tovfight- ont'tho coii-. flicfc in herself hetwecn-her'atfection' for Mr. Chesterton and her feeling that it is.her duty to remain with her blind.: husband,'and to overcome her abhorrence. True, tho blind husband,is such an-unmitigated-ruffian, that tho outcome of Irene's inward conflict would liavo been ratlier :a foregone conclusion. And, for that reason,- Mr. Wharton-ought to liavo mitigated tho man's ruffianism. Tho story, as it stands, is admirably told; ■ and I do not, of course, suggest 1 that it is an impossible story. I only 'objeet l that : it is not, an inevitable story,'-such 'as would alone liavo hepn worthy of its" author's, talent ..for character-drawing. .: Miss Lena Aslnvell, as Irone| has never had- a better part, and ' I:>snever played so well. In moments of- tense emotion sho has always-.'been, good, sometime". great. As Irene sho is good tliroughout." ■ ' " ' ;' Notes. "'J'ho Bello of New York" was'revived at tho Crystal I'alaco Theatre, London, oil November 25. The,, custo included Mr. Ernest Mozar (formerly a-resident_ of Wellington) as Harry Bronson, and Miss Olivo Lenton (who made her: first appearance in v.'iudovillo ill 'Wellington under tho Dix management at'tho old Exchange .Hall) .-as Fili. Of tho hitter's performanco tho "Era" said:—".Miss Olive Lenton' gavo a very piquant rendering of the.part of tho littlo. Kroifcli girl, Fili Fricot, her' singiiig being full of meaning, and each of her principal numbers gained encores." Mr. Lowi3 'Waller, who to the delight of his many admirers re-appeared at the Lyric on jlonilay in "Monsieur Beaucaire," is (sa.Vs "M.A.P." of December 7) growing tired of tho cares of management and contemplates placing himself, together with Miss Evelyn Millard, under.the direction of Mr. Vedrenno of tho_ Queen's Theatre, early in 1003. Mr. Lewis Waller is a'great believer in luck—good luck especially—and ho has always looked upon it as a happy augury tliafc His Majesty tho King, then Prince of' Wales, was preseht at Toole's Theatre on tho first night of his public appcarajico on the stage—twenty-four years ago, in "Uncle Dick's Darling." •. ;. Mr. Haigh Jackson,"for sotno time baritono with tho Comic Opera Company, has been completing his musical studies in London. Mr. Jackson has made tho interesting discovery that ho is a tenor singer, not a baritone. : Miss Roso Musgrovo is appearing in tho revival .of "Barry Doylo's Rest Cure," at tho Court Theatre,- London. Mr. J. C. Williamson mado a haildsnino offer to Mr. John Drew to tour Australia witli his company, their chief attraction boing tho new nlay, "My Wife." Drow's eontracts with Charles Frohmann, the.American manager, would not'permit him to accept. Miss Margaret Anglin will mako her debut in Australia with tho successful French plav. "Lo Voleur." Miss Mario Lohr, who has been freed 1 rom her engagomciit with tho Kendalls, to rejoin tho Haymarket Thoatro Company, will shortly re-appeai- in London, as tho heroino in tho English' vorsion of "San Pere," a play which proved a great success wiii-it produced at the Odcon- Thoafre, .Paris. •' ■ Ro tho personnel .of.. Williamson's Musical Company—Miss Jessica Deano is Mrs. Victor Gouriet, and Miss -Daisio Wallace is Mrs. I Mylea Clifton. v (i , . j