THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 253, 18 July 1908, Page 12

THE THEATRE.

"The world's a theatre, tho earth a stage."— Heywood. By Sylvius. "Jack Straw." This is tho namo of a comedy wo aro bound to see later on. • Mr. W. Somerset Maugham's play (says tho "Era") is amusing in idea, smartly and clevorly written, and gives Mr. Charles Hawtrey and Miss Lottie Venno chances of displaying their famous and popular qualities. Tho action opens in tho loungo of the Grand Dabylon Hotel. Ambrose -Holland tells Lady Wanloy, a lively widow, of a curious acquaintance that he'has made —a cosmopolitan adventurer, who has performod various functions in tho courso of his travels, and calls himself Jack Straw. That individual presents himself in tho loungo in tho garb of a waiter, wearing a falso beard, having "taken on" tho duties of one of tho waitors who has gono to see a sick friend. Lady Wanloy has been much annoyed by tho vulgar offensivonoss of a certain Mrs. ParkorJonnings, who has recently inherited a couple of millions, and carries herself accordingly. Tho Parkqr-Jenningses arrive, and Mr. Parkor-Jennings proceeds to bully Straw, Mrs. P.-J. alluding to him as a "dirty foreigner." But Straw has been struck by the charfn of tho daughtor of tho family, Ethel, who is destined by her parvenu parents to bo the bride of a young "rip," tho Marquise of Serlo. So, when Lady Wanloy proposes that sho shall introduce tho waiter to tho Parkor-Jonniugses as a nobleman of high degree, Straw consents, and suggests tho title of a Pomeranian Arohduko. Appearing withoat his beard, and in ordinary ovening-dress, ho is presented to the ParkerJennings family, who receive him with reverent rapture. In tho next act, which.takes place at tho Parkor-Jonnings's "place" in Cheshire, a groat garden-party is given in tho Archduke'b honour, and lio bears himself with a regal condescension so irritates Holland that ho disoloses tho trick that has been played, sending Mrs. Parker-Jonnings into an agony of, indignation, However, the guests havo to be considered, so it is agreed that Straw shall oontinuo tho imposture, and he goes put to do so. As our readers may already have anticipated, Straw is indeed tho Arch-' duko whom be impersonates, an advonturous disposition having impelled him to strange wanderings incognito. Ho wins and will wed Ethel, but forbids her family ever to sot foot in bis dominions. " . Ada Reeve Talks. "Since I produced 'Buttorflios' at tho Apollo Theatre," writes Miss Ada Reovo, "1 havo received many lotters from aspirants to dramatic fame, asking for my advice as to the best way of getting 011 tho stago. Now, this is a subject 011 which I feel strongly, and when I look round and see so many competent; actresses out of employment, I consider it my duty to discourago amateurs from entering a profession already much overcrowded. Judging from ray correspondents, an idea prevails that vif a girl jjobsesses averago good looks and'" a fair voico, she is fully equipped to secure fame and fortuno on tho stage. Generally speaking, this is not so, and it is a fact that most of our great actors and aotrcsses have served a long and arduous approntioeship from childhood- in tho minor theatres before being even heard' of in London. The road to success 011 tho stago is long and difficult to travel; it runs through tho vale of tears and disappointments. Only thoso who aro strong of will and tenacious of purposo can bono to surmount tho difficulties of tho patn. Many fall forgotten by tho waysido, and the few that eventually succeed havo to bo continually urgod on by Btern necessity, before tho ond is in sight, Tho story of my oarly struggles may deter some from rashly entering our precarious profession in the hope, Bo .oftcn vain; that- it is a short cut to' fame and fortune. I commonccd my stago career when sis years, old as LittleWillie in 'East Lynne,' at Doivsbury, under 'the managomont of the voteran actor Fred Wright, whose oliildren, Huntley '.Wright, Fred Wright, jun., Bortje Wright, and Haideo 'Wright, all show tho advantages to bo dorived from early training. . " From that timo until I was fourteen, I played all kinds of 'children's parts : suitable to ray ago. - M.v father and'mother , woro in tho profession, but although excollent artists, never roso beyond touring companies. When business was bad, as often' happened, and 110 salaries wore forthcoming, wo wore frequently in very bad financial straits. On one occasion when I was ten tho company with which my father and I wore playing, after struggling for months, collapsod, owing us a considerable amount in arrears of salary. Having no engagement to' follow—it being tho dead season—we were in a tcrriblo plight. My father, who was a brave man, .but handicapped with a largo family, rather than run into debt decided that wo should sing on tho beach of the southern wateringplace at which wo woro stranded. By this means tho wolf was kept from the door until another-, engagement was secured. A great crisis occurred .in the family fortunes when I was fourteen, which entirely 'altorod by life and lod to my becoming a 'star' at a West End musio hall. My father's gentlo nature was unequal' to coping with the soulgrinding poverty that clouded our lives, and his health gave way, my. mother was fully occupied in looking after the children, and I, tho only broad-winner, was not ro-engagod for tho next tour, as I had grown too big for children's parts, and was too little for 'grown-ups.' It was decided tlmt I should call on a music hall manager who was acquainted witli my father. I pleaded so hard for a bearing that the good-hearted man patted mo on tho back, and said, 'You can open on Monday.' ' Although my success was immediate, and I havo been fortunato enough to progress, steadily evor since, I often wonder whether tho utter sacrifico of the innocent pleasures of a happy childhood was not a very heavy price to pay for whatever eminence I havo obtained in my profession." "The Merry Wives of Windsor" Reviewed. No- doubt Mr. Tree's revival of " The Merry Wives of Windsor" for the closing fortnight of his season at His Majosty's was largely —and quite naturally—due to tho happy chance which- rendered Miss Ellen Terry available for tho role filled by her iii tho memorable cast- of that comedy six years ago. Still, one cannot help regarding it as a sign of tho times—times, none too favourable for serious stage-work—that tho artistic triumph of tho actor-manager's Shylock, in many ways bis finest impersonation, was not such as to precludo any notion of cutting shorter tho not very long lun of "Tho Merchant of Venice." Tho theatre-going' public nowadays desires chiefly to bo amused oven in its Shakespearean experiences at tho play; and it is evident that there aro many to welcome- the substitution of Elizabethan domestic farco for (Elizabethan melodramatic comedy. Tho tour do force of Mr. Tree'sFalstalf make-up remains as showy as ever, while it has grown in tho roundness of voico which-, now matches the rotundity of person characteristic of tho Fat Knight of tho buck-basket. In a similar manne'r tho Mrs. Pago of Miss Ellen Terry 'retains all her fascination of frivolity. Sho is tho personification of goodhumoured misohiof, and even if thore wore less fun than thore is in her plot against tho greasy knight, her own keon enjoyment of it would bo so contagious that its laugh-ter-moving effect would bo assured. _ Miss Torry, in her way, is as broadly comio as is Mr. Treo in his, and of tho "breadth" of. the actor's pneumatically-inspired impersontion there can, 1 take it, bo 110 doubt whatovor. As her fellow-conspirator in her romp of rovengo, Miss Terry has in Miss Cicely Richards a Mrs. Ford who knows thoroughly tho traditional "business" so vc;ry different from that in which I first remember her as tho smutty-fncod Belinda of " Our Boys" . thrco and thirty years ago. It was vory pleasant to note tho cnthusiastio wolconio given to that fiuo old favourito, Mr. Lionel Brough, even though only in tho small part of mine host of "Tho Garter." Tho ripo, rich mothod of Mr. Brough's comedy finds itsolf by no means out of place in a performance to which Mr G W. Anson

contributes his fruity Bardolph and Miss Kato Phillips her vivacious Dame Quickly. Thon tlioro are Mr. Basil Gill and Miss Viola Tree to mako of Fonton and Anno Pago a stalwart pair of lovers; there is a 1 tragically jealous Ford in Mr. Brydono, a quaintly senile Shallow in Mr. Fishor White, and a really droll Slender in Mr. Quartormaino. It is altogothor a capital cast, and tho Windsor Forest scene of Mr. Hawes Craven is a thing of beauty and still a joy.. —"Vedette," in "Sporting and Dramatic News" (June 6). Notss. " Tho Thief " will be followed by "Zira " at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. It was in this powerful emotional study that Margaret Anglin made one of tho biggest successes of her triumphal career at tho Princess Theatre, Now York, in September, 1905. " It don't matter what part of tho world you livo in, so long as you've got tho right porson to livo with."—From the Maxims of Mrs. Wiggs (of tho Cabbage Patch). Tho following is a quaint advertisement for " Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch," now being playod in Molbouruo: — i A Card.—Mrs. Wiggs requests tho pleasure !' of your company at tho marriage of Miss Tabitba Hazy to Mr. Hiram Stubbins, at tho. Princess's Theatre, this evening, at 8 p.m. N.B.—Miss Hazy hasn't got a thing to do ..ritli her wedding. ■ I • • _ The following aro the principal " principals " in the musical play " The Red Mill," produced for the first timo at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, on Saturday last: Misses Alma Barber, Olivo Godwin, Fanny Dango, Ada Stirling,. Messrs. John Ford, Fred Leslie, Percy' Denton, Pat. Bathurst, Charles A. Loder, G. Whitehead, Ed. Sherras, and A. Lissant. "Tho Red Mill," which is written by Henry Blossom and Victor Herbort, was produced by Gorard Coventry. Mr. Ed. H. Major is in charge " in front." Writing of tho production of " School," Sir John Haro says" My own part of Beau Farintosh particularly appealed to me, as it gave mo my first opportunity of depicting pathos. An unfortunate contretemps occurred on tho first night. In tho last act, whon my moment of pathos came, and tho development of a sorious situation rested entirely on my shoulders, I, owing to intense nervousness, forgot tho words of my part. None .of tho actors being able to supply me with the cue, I had deliberately to rise from my seat in tho contro of the stage, go to the prompter, get my 'words, and resume the scone, This, it is hardly .necessary to say, marred my performance on tho first night, but tho public and-Press were kind enough to overlook my shortcoming, and in subsc-' quent performances I was able to get into my stride. It was stated, in reference to this part, that I took tho idea of my make-, up from tho late Lord Beaconsfield. This was not so. I havo never in tho whole courso of my career wilfully copied the personality or characteristics, of anybody.