THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 312, 26 September 1908, Page 14

THE THEATRE

"Tfe world's a theatre, the earth a stags."— Heyvood.

Ei Sylvius. Tin Salome Craze. One result of tlie enormous notoriety given to the various and theatrical —of the Salome story is that every other London music hall seems to have a S'alomo dancer of some kind. Several of these aro to be seen in this city sooner or later (says a New York paper), and individual consideration of them may he deferred. In one or two cases their performances seem to have genuine artistic merit, but in others it is tolerably clear that the dancing is moro remarkable for shameless audacity than any other quality. Transparency of costumo is a characteristic frequently noted iu'London press comments. .It is tolerably safe to say that the art is generally in adverse ratio to the: exposure, and in acting upon this theory; the. police are not apt toibo experts in delicato matters of this not be-likely to make any serious mistake.

Another Locke Play. AJlan Aynesworth, Herbfert Waring, and C, W. Somerset will afford Miss Evelyn Milr lard I her chief support when she produces Roy; Hormman's dramatised version of \V. J. J)ocke's_ "Idols," at the London Garrick' Theitre this month. Tho rather superfluous announcement is made that the play (Joes not' follow tho book very closely, except in its/ leading incidents. A good deal will be made, of course, of tho murder trial arid of the heroine's attempt to shield her lover at tljo cost of her own reputation. 1 More About Margaret Anglin. s "The Truth," which succeeded' "The Thief" at "Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, on. Saturday evening, September 12, gives Margaret Anglin plenty of scope, to; display her .charms to the utmost in light comedy work. From one or two brief intervals tho play .changes to strong emotional drama, reminding one of the second act pf Bernstein'? pl?y, but the merriment which follows the! aejion for the most part throughout the play is (Called forth by the veiu of humour and propensity for prevarication which so charmingly and artlessly sets forth the very central tlujmp on which the story is b.ased, and in tho part of Becky Warder, Margaret Anglin excels herself in this particular branch of histrionic art. Mr. Henry Eolker again appeared as the kind and indulgent husband whose righteous indignation is aroused by the follies of his loved wife, and in tho part; of Tom Warder repeated the success he made in "The Thief." In the "character sketch" entrusted to his earc Mr: G. S. Titheradge plays-up to his great reputation while Miss Susie Vaughan adds considerably to :tho humour of the piece by her splendid representation of_ a lodging-house landlady; Miss Eileen Warren (Margaret Auglin's sister), Mr. Cyril Mackay, Miss Alma Vauglian, and others are well-fitted with places in tho east. As the season in Melbourne is to be. as varied as possible, and in order to givq, playgoers an opportunity of enjoying, to the full tho versatile powers of the young American star, "The Truth" was only to last till the end of this week, and this evening Margaret Anglin will make, her Australian debut in a Shakespearean role, playing Kathcrino in "Tho 'famine; of tho Shrew." The!famous artist has devoted long and careful study to the toxfc_ of the comedy, and in the production, which she personally supervises, will keep as near as possible to the original. To meet the exigencies of setting, etc., the play will be divided into three acts and ,'on epilogue. ,

"The Merry Widow" Waltz. In a recent interview in a London periodi-; cal, Joseph Coyne, who played Prince Daniln' for the production of "Tho Merry Widow" at Daly's Theatre there, "gives tho show away " as regards the' evolution of the famous waltz. It was—in its final effect, at any rate—entirely unpremeditated. There had been one morning a particularly unsatisfactory rehearsal of the opera. Nothing, sefcmed to go right, and they had all been doirj tho same thing over and; over agajn at the' bidding of tho stago manager, till not only could they cheerfully, havo murdered Jiim, but they all detested one another. Then tho stage manager, oblivious of the thunder in tho, air, told them to do the waltz over again. Coyne; who had been standing close to the footlights pn the 0.1. 1 , side, with Lily Elsie glaring at her fixedly, suddenly seized her and pushed her before him ncross tho stage, while they still glared savagely into each other's eyes. And that is how the waltz originated, " Peter Pan " Turrtod Bown. ".Peter Pan,"-' regretfully it- must -be written, bos not oaught 911. Barrie's delightful play, delicato as a gossamer web, is above the heads- of the Australians. It has been tried in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane,, and now in Sydney, during the past six months; and now the close of the tour is announced. On Saturday week next some of the members of \the " Brewster's Millipns" company will join. Miss Tittoll Bruno in a revival of "Dorothy Vernon," "Sunday," and possibly "The Girt From .the Golden West.". Mrs: Brougli. Miss .Emma Temple, and Mr: Kingston will be in the cast. There" are various causes assigned for the failure of Peter Pali" to catch-the mood of the Australians. It is said that Miss Brune and those acting with her have not secured the proper atmosphere of tho piece; but bo this as it may, it is doubtful, when one observes the class of rubbishy musical comedy demanded by the Australian playgoer, whether he would have enjoyed "Peter Pan" even if Miss" Maude,: Adams were in the title role. Ho cannot very well be lectured or scolded about it, of course, any moro than tho poor man ,can bo i lectured or scolded who prefers nil oleograph to a Raphael, or sits, as Lord RosobeVy onco observed, upon a fifty-guinea settee to gaze at a fifty-shilling oil painting upon his wail. But all tho same, it is not pleasant. The matinees in Sydney have certainly been a tremendous success, children flocking froin all parts of tho city and suburbs to the Theatre Royal; but at night the audiences have' been very select'. This is interpreted, to mean that one shall not see " Peter Pan" in New Zealand. Oh, the pity of it!

About Seymour Hiclie. Mr. Seymour Ilieka is moro than versatile; lie is universatile (says Mr. James Douglas ill "M.A.P."). His universatility frightens 1110. He is so clever in so many ways that jio paralyses the nerves of astonishment and the muscles of admiration. He is still a young man, but lie has already packed into h'is life a long series of careers, one inside the other, like a Japanese nest of boxes. It would ha impossible to get at the last, box, which contains the real man, for tho process of taking hiin to piecos would last for several years, and long before it was completed, ho would have enveloped himself .in now feats and fresh exploits of actorship, authorship, aijd managership. Seymour Hicks is a syndicate masquerading as a mercurial boy. There is 0110 side qf him which is a feverish George Edwardes. 'l'hero is another' side of him Which is a popular version of carnation or caricature of Fred Loslio, with a dash of William Terriss, a whiff of Arthur llobcrts, a flash of Charles Brookfield, iv spico of Sims and Pettitt, to say nothing of a frantio reminiscence of Augustus Druriolauus. He is everybody, by turns and nobody long! If ho had been born a chameleon, he would have burst himself years ago. Ilis terrifying restlessness haunts the British theatre.'. Hib theatrical energy makes other men of energy look like torpid tortoises. It is a blessing that lie is not a politician, liko Mr. Winston Churchill, or n President, liko Mr. Itoosovelt, for ho would blow the world to pieces with his volcanic vehemence niid violence. Ilis personality is magnetic, or, rather, it is electric. He shocks you with lailghtor. lie explodes sensations like mines under your l'cet. He 'can enter for n dozen different publics, from the public of childhood that doled on "Bluebell in I'airj'land" to the public of patriots that gloated over "Olio of tho Best.-," He can purvey any brand of theatrical food, tuid be has oven dreamed of

naturalising the Passion Play. "I'm a Catholic," he onco said, ''and don't you think that, that being so, I realise the fact that there are better things than singing 'A Ciay Old Bird'?" One of his best feats of character acting is Scrooge, and I should not be surprised to hear that lie means- to play Hamlet p.tid Romeo before ho dies. But I hope lie will never carry out his throat of being for ho is inimitable as an irresponsible light comedian who blazes and sparkles in a tornado of gags and topical sallies and impudent burlesques. His high spirits are higher than anybody's clsps, and he is full of irrepressible fun aiid gaiety and worry audacity., Ilis vivacity is always at full pressure, and yet it seems spontaneous. His motto is; "Pallas, take thine owl away, and lot us have n-lnrk instead." A.Croat stage Manascr. Dion Boucicault—trough's partner of yore ■7-lias astonished the Parisians witlf his production (under 'Frolnnan's management) of "leter Pan." He showed them something new ill tile aTt of staging a fairy tale. "The lighting methods of the French stage hitherto have been simple," writes tho Paris correspondent of tho London ''Referee." "When a star, or a scene needs a little extra light,. a hot and excited man operates a 'Tinker. Ball' lime, and hits tho stago or the back of the orchestra stalls with it, just as it happens. You should see the superior airs of tho French stago hands at-tho Vaudeville now, aud hear them explaining to colleagues who have not yet come under tho Boucicault influence ' how wo do these things in America, wo others.' " This first performance of "Peter Pan" at a French theatre was in English, but a French translation will follow shortly. Meanwhile a translation of Pinero's "His House in Order" is being played at the Vaudeville, and "Sherlock Holijies" is a power in the land. France begins to talk patronisingly of English plays, especially those that have been constructed in America. Notas. The following paragraph . is from tho London "World": "A disastrous theatrical season is closing with a bunch of 'freak' and experimental productions. Tho. other wepk. there were some 'Celtic' plays at the Court, which were so unassumingly amateurish that I am not surprised to hear of this theatre becoming shortly, an amateur house altogether. Tho Irish Theatre Society, from Dublin, have shown us what genuine Irish drama can be. The Irish Stage Society, Loudon organisation, is content to dispense with the real article, and to. pretend that Ireland is what the old-fashioned Irish novel usod to represent. Tho performances evidently gave a great deal of pleasure to those who were taking part in thepi, and somo also to the audiences, which clearly were in tho blessed state of. not expecting much, and so did not go away disappointed." Mr. J. B. Atholwood, who recently figured in tho Melbourne courts; is in tho cast of "The Belle of Mayfair," now being played in Sydney by the Meynell and Gunn Musical Comedy Company. Musical comedy is a new lino for this clever character actor,' who hasn't a musical noto in his make-up. Referriug to Mr, Becrbohm Tree, a writer in London "Truth" says: "In all tho twenty,, one years of Jiis brilliant management 1 cannot _ recall any one new and successful dramatist brought .out by Mr. Tree. Shakespeare has always been his strong card. For tlio autumn ho is announcing a lieiy play, it is true, but only a new version of that old, old story, 'Faust.' Let me suggest that he should celebrate his comijig-of-iige as a manager by producing a new play by a new author." Mr, J. M,, Barrio's new play will.be produced in tho Duke of York s .Theatre, Lon.don, this njonth. It is in four acts, and is said to contain, several studies of Scottish characters. Gernld du Maurier, Lillah M'Garthy, Mrs. Beerbobm Tree, Sydney Valentino, and others have important parts, It will bp staged by Dion Boucicault. The firm of J. C. Williamson has a most commendable way of applying the money rc•ceivcd'ifrom- fines i imposed for. little irregularities—about which,'by tho way, there lias recently been some dispute, settled in favour of theatrical managors by the case of Gra'ddonv. Price, in which tho presiding judge fully confirmed the legality of t|ie practice which has existed ever siltco the Elizabethan times. With the J. C. Williamson companies the amount of all such fines is paid into a provident fund established for tho benefit of, and managed by, tho artists and employees generally, The fund is applied to j.tho purposes of sick and accident pay among the. members of tlip different organisations, and many a "poor player" lias had cause to bless the arrangqmjont. George Tithcradgo's son, of whom he is justly proud, besides giving every promise of. following the histrionic "footsteps of his father, is an alUround man in the arts. That ho has an apt'itudc for tho stago one could easily realise cyeu if 0110 had not seen his excellent performance in "The Thief.'' But ho js more than an actor. He has a facile pen .in verso, and prose—one of his efforts has just been accepted for " The lione Hand." He is an accomplished musician, and lias already readied tho distinction of having had his compositions published in London, and finally ho is a black-and-white artist of decided merit.