THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 496, 1 May 1909, Page 11

THE THEATRE.

"Tie-world's a tle*tr«, th# earth a Btaso."Hojrwood. -, < ■ (Br SiLvim.)' FareiseU to the "Royal Comics." It is not without a well-defined feeling ol regret that Wellington theatre-goers must say "good-bye" to the Royal Comio Ojwra Company this evening. It is unquestionably one of the strongest combinations that Mr. J. C. Williamson has ever sent to thu country, and during the short three weekt which it has coloured so prettily, a repertoire of light opera and musical comedy haf been submitted that has given even th« most fastidious nothing to cavil at. Merry Widow" has revealed _ itself to be a work quite up to the anticipations of the many, and to those whoso fortune it w-s to see it'two or. three times (as people do | in centres that permit of extended seasons) the opera has shown, itself to have. qualifications far beyond,' those that tie onenighter" is able to This can be set down at onoe as a splendid tribute to the musio of Mr. Jfrank Lehar, whose future compositions will be eagerly looked for. Dairymaids" was hilariously funny, and well up to the standard of the bost class of musical comedy, and "The Girls ol Gottenberg"—to. be produced .for the last time this evening—is a gay work, enlivened by good music of a particularly catchy order, and a bright military setting.in which the glare of; highly-coloured uniforms, and the clank and clatter of the military, play no inconsiderable'part. The Royal Comic Opera Company is. a spot of mixed colour in the average grey of life, and -it is hoped .that Mr. \Villiamson will see fit to send the company to New Zealand-with "The Duchess of lJantzic," '"The Lady . Dandies," and "Havana," within the year. People do hot think of dull times when the hoardings announce lihe "Royal pomics" 1 Reginald Roborts—An Incident. To see Mr. Reginald Roberts ■ fooling ir the "Dairymaids" and "The Girls of Gotten- ' berg," one would scarcely imagine that "h( was the first to play the tenor role in Puccini's magnificent work, "La Bolicmp," ir America in- Jinglish, yet such was the case. Indeed;-if all the performances of Mr. Roberts were counted- up, - it' would be found that he has done moio in this realm of granc opera than in the "class of lighter opor.i and ■ musical ; comedy that, the Royal Comic'Opers favours. The story of his first appearance - in "La Boheme" in Chicago is worth the telling. He was: playing Btock under the ; management of-;! Mr. Henry Savage, and it > was ' customary to';play aJternate weeks ol : light and' grand opera. "With the aid of ; >• double cast it was possible to give the i principal -who played a big part one week, > a small one tho next. One day Mr. Savi ago announced' his intention to stage "Ls ' Uoheme," on the following Monday week, > and that Mr. Robrets was to sing the tenoi i mnsic of which he, at that time, knew no- ; thing. On the Sunday week before the sho\i > all .assembled at, the theatre and .• went r' through the score with tho conductor.

■( "The -bcautiy, romance, and ,passion of er ;he music gripped .our, souls," says <Mr, ; Bo- tr jerts, "arid, we ail wont homo full of it, I realising what a . task was in front or'me. l battled with the score all day, aided bv a . )iauist. which -Mr. - Savage provided me with, ind who. dogged, my footsteps, all the; week. Mt-er' tlie -performance'at night I , ro ; home and, after a bit. of supper and .a ngarette, would undress, get ; into a dress- • ng gown,.l would lie on a couch with the score and, with the aid of the pianist, would A hum-through' the music, .trying to photo-, rraph the stuff on my brain. ... It,.was the p >nly)way I thought I might be' able to;get ihe.-;part-'beaten-in time. ; By tho t wednesiay i was. seeing, notes in the air • as 1 talked along, and bits of score dodged icross the .focus of my. yiew like specks be"ore talcing somebody's pills. .1 felt like - jetting braini fever, and. I. Savage 1 &hat it was impossible to. study the part by the Monday., He said that it had to ■ be done, and 1.. worried along feeling .very bad. " On -.the Sunday before the performance there was a full dress during which my voice, broke down completely—■* . wmi right away, ; \-and -.it knocked mo over , for a biti Mr, Savage put me into a ; cab, . g md sent me,home. - •;'/ • ; ; "That evening I and .'some of the other , boys went for a stroll down to the 11 ah an quarter of the city J &nd, T in order to try * ind acquire some colour for 'Boheme, \luHd . an Italian dinner.. Mr. Savpge came/down , afterwards, and, as we .drank tho warm._viiit- • ages of Italy) we got a-little merry, and i a sing-song started.. Mr.-.Savage dared me . to sing,, but 1 got on my metal, and said 1 i Would sing my solo in com- t mencing ' You'ro little hand is frozen,' and to my own surprise, I found that my voice . had returned,.and I was ; able to sing the song' all right. Meanwhile, an ondersfcudy had been put on to take up my parb, but, about il o'clock the next morning, I re- ; ceived a message; by telephone, saying that the other fellow could not ; got tlie music into his brain and that, afteT all, I would have to appear. So I went at tbo-eccro again, and played the part that night. I got through splendidly—rail but. the £nal duet, which-I could not swallow in the time, so what did we do but, cut up threo seotos. for the baritone, Mimi, and myself, and we stuck the music about the stage where we would need- it,' and got through by singing from the music itself, without the audience being any the wiser. . ' ■ "Of course I was anrioua to know what Bort of .an impression I had created, and was' delighted to find, on Teaching home, a , brief note of congartulation from HibbeTd, the big oritio of the 'Tribune,' who gave me a magnificent notice for my performance. He was ft personal friend of Puccini's, and, later, wrote to him to the effect that there was a young Englishman in Chicago with the best'idea of the'part he bad ever seen. 1 or heard, and Puccini sent mo an- autographed score of "La Bohome"—good of him, wasn't it? Hard luck; I lost it in tho San Francisco earthquake and . tire." • M. Rostand's New Play. A letter received by Mt. Walter Stanton, of the "Jack and Jill" Pantomime Company, in Sydney, from M. Rostand, the colobrated French dramatist recently, indicates that M. Simone le Bargyis, after all, to play the title rolo in his play "The Chanticleer," though recent English papers announced that tho well-known French actor would be unable to leave tlio Oomedre Fraacaiso' for the : purpose, and that aB-& rosuit ifhe part, ill - tended originally for the late M. Ooquelin, would be played by M. Guitry. In the course of his letter, written in reply to one from Mr. Stanton, M. Rostand states: "My play, though you appear, to havo assumed otherwise—and . you are not alone by any means in the misapprehension—-is not so much - a representation, of epcainen»,<il,.jji9 animal

kingdom as a satire oil.modem sotnety manmers. I have adapted an old fable to this end. The heads of all the characters will bo human heads. It is now almost certain ttebi .'The Chantecleer' will be played by M. ;loj B&rgy." Mr. Coo. P. Carey. Mr. Geo. P. Carey, who died flic St. Vm-> coat's Hospital, Sydney, on Thursday, has toured Now Zealand a score of times,, and is one of tho oldest and best known of. the older ochool of acting in Australia. On© of his oldest friends was Mr. J. T. O'Noiill, of the Edwin Geach Dramatic Company, who stated yesterday that he is the only surviving member of a quartet of actors who were associated. in a long and memorable stock : season played at the old Victoria Theatre, Melbourne, in 1872 —thirty-seven years ago! These were Jack Sweeney (father of Harry Sweeney, last here with the Tittell Bruno Company), Charles Holloway (who died last .year), Geo. Carey, and himself, After that season Mr. Carey was associated with Lester's Italian Opera Company (not aa a singer), and in'Xß79 he supported Mr. George Bignold. At another time he went .to India

as stage manager for the English tragedienix Miss Louise' PonimoroVj and,: after .that tour lie visited England, but returned to Australi: after, a short Btay at Home.' He /has beei associated with every Australian mcnt, and on one occasion went-into management on his own account. with. Mr. HaTn Plimmer, playing "The Profligate," "Th< Village Priest," .and otiter good > comedies Wallace Brownlow, the. handsome baritone, -was a member of the oompany. -Mr. O'Noil states that Mr. Carey must have been aboul 58 yeara of age.. , Notes. - a; "Cornish Pixie," said, eunoußiy enough, to have oome from tlio Montezuma oountp —Mexico—is' Being exhibited in.'Sydney. Th« little man, who ,is formed in perfeot proportion, is only 25 inches in height. . "The/Girl Behind the , Counter" has been produced with success by the Meynell and Gunn Company in Melbourne. The principals include Mr. Harold, Thorley (formerly in-the Williamson production of "My Lady Molly" and "Tho Country Girl"),' Miss Eirth Liicoin, Miss Essie Perrin, Mr. Tom Payne, Mr. Wm. Cromwell, and JUbs Daisy ■' Belmor< (who' toured New' Zealand with ,tho late 'Wilson Barrett). We in New Zealand tiave hat littlo from Meynell and Gunn save mel<> dfama.' Perhaps we may, look for the Musical'.Comedy Company with "Miss HoOk oi Holland," "Belle of Mayfair," "and -"The; Girl Behind the Counter" this yeaT. Such a touj would tone lip the name-of the new firm ii the Dominion. , \ Miss Madge 'M'lntosh, late leading ladj for Meynell and Gunn's No. X Dramatic Company, and a very talented and refined actress, leaves Sydney , for London on Tuesdaj next. , . ■ ■ , • The Anderson Company has revived "Th< Mariners of England" in Melbourne. Harrj Diver is the Nelson, and Kate ~Gair, (form ' erly Miss Wrigglosworth). is .the farue . an'c • trusty heroine. . ,