THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 544, 26 June 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"The world's a theatre, the earth a stage."— Hey wood. , . , (Br Syhiob.); ) "Miss Hook of Holland." The now Mcynell and Gunn Musical Comedy and Pantomime Company is to make its debut at the' Opera House this evening in Paul Reuben's quaint comedy "Miss Hook of Holland," a droll musical story in a picturesque Butch setting, which has found imich'favour in tho big centres of the world. As evidence of the genuineness of its popularity, it need only bo mentioned that,"Miss Hook" flourished for 462 nights in Loml.in and 119 nights hi New York, which stamps it as the biggest musical comedy success of recent years, "Tho Merry Widow" excepted. Tho company introduces to Wellington quite a number of clever people, including William Cromwell, Edwin Brett, Tom Payne, Phil Carlton, Harold Thorley, Misses Moredro, Ruth Lincoln, Emmeline Orford, Essie Perrin, and Dora' Donton, all names new to Wellington playgoers. .Tho state of the box offico indicates that the now company will receive a gushing welcome. "The King of Cadonla." "Tho King of Cadonia" had a royal reception at Melbourne. For splendour in mounting, setting, and costume we (says the' "Australasian") have had no..■ such striking spectacle upori the Melbourne stago for a long time,, past, tho romantic Alsatian valley of the first act, with' its shining river flowing between oak-clad ridges, being a quiet, rustic introduction to the' dazzling tiiroue-room of a palace which on the rising of the,curtain.for the second, act brought an involuntary exclamation of wonder and delight, from the whole audience. Then the women's costumes of the coronation scene appeal to everyone's, sense of ' beauty and grace, and especially to women's appreciation of the artistic in fashion.. Tho officers o£ the Cadonian army outsparkle even the Cadonian-beauties in the splendour of their nniforms in a marvellous blending of chrome and black braid, with leopard-skin pelisse. Such a uniform is calculated to strike terror to the hearts of the. bravest of'any nation when they encounter it in a ballroom.-A triumph in effective posing and study colour, .for which Mr. Spencer Barry, the producer of '•'■the'-■-piece,' and Mr. Williamson's ■artists 'deserve equal credit, ■is witnessed with the final curtain, which' has to, be raised repeatedly so that the audience'may feast their-eyes just once more upon the veritable triumph in tableaux. Added to all that appeals to the visual eense, the ear is pleased with inusic which in chorus and concert is far above the musical comedy standard. It sparkles'and moves; the lyrics aro' Graceful, if not especially notable, and the comedy side of tho blend is particularly good. It approaches moro nearly the best standard of old-fashioned opera bouffe than anything lately seen or. heard, while in the splendour of production,, blotting the best of them almost out of recollection, Mr. Williamson's banking . figures, would probably give the.most convincing proof of(the measure of his faith in the success of the now piece. .. "Mr.. Preody.andi'.tho Countess." ' ' There cannot bo vory much doubt about the:success of Mr.-Carton's new farce at the Criterion, where it supplies the hearty laughter which constitutes the best after-dinner digestive that could'possibly bo dosired. Thisfarco, which is rather clumsily entitled ."Mr. Preedy and the Countess," is none the worse for being written round a single comical situation, that in which an .eminently respectable, little bachelor.: finds himself, when his flat'is taken by storm for temporary occupation by a dashing lady, whoso presence there compromises him sadly in the eyes of his domestics and of the. young lady, to whom he ia just engaged.' It cannot be honestly said that there'is much plausibijity. about the means'whereby tho Countess cpines to bo quartered upon poor, timid Mr. Preedy, and compels;him in his-deprecating chivalry to spend a wet.night walking about tho streets in his ovening clothes, while she occupies his bedroom and.thus rouses all sorts of unfounded suspicions.™ to. his moral character... : It must;; bo admitted> too, that when : the time "ultiirlatcly comes' for explanations all round,' theso are : ' needlessly elaborated, especially as; they tell' the audience nothing that it did not know.already. But this is a fault readily corrected, even if it be not already atoned for by tho.easy wit of'the dialogue, which-hero, as elsewhere, is writton in its author's happiest vein. Nothing funnier is to be seen on the stage just iiow than is the middle act'of this play, "or its exquisitely droll rendering by Mr. Grossmith of the varied sufferings inflicted upon the wretched littlo host by the courteously, .cynical guest, l embodied with such calm assurance by Miss vCompton. Spirited support is given in other-parts by Messr's.'"lPr'ed.' Burnab'y, and Volpej and the whole thing is a ;triumph of extravagant mirth.— "Sporting and Dramatic, News'.". ;•'.'' : ','Tho Bachelor." .'.. This is'the title of Clyde Fitch's latest' olay.now being played in Ne,w York. .'• It is the story of a confirmed bachelor, who has nil the arguments against matrimony at his fingers' ends, and uses them in a discussion, with a friend of his who is. about to marry, and who has . been paying attention, to his stenographer, having taken her to the.; theatre once or twice. Ho is really in lpve with her, but does not know- it. ' Tho girl is deeply in lovo with him. ' Her brother, a lad; thinks it is a manly thing for him to remonstrate, with his sister's; employer for compromising her. It develops that the family is '■ a ! distinguished one, concealing their right name in their battlo in reduced circumstances. When the bachelor hears ,;that she is a. daughter of a distinguished | Californian. jurist, who left his family in poverty,'-he seriously considers tho girl's love forrhim, and discovers that he is "in lovo with '■ her. Ho visits the girl's home that: evening as her accepted lover. Her brother,-in the meanwhile, has told her. iabout his part in bringing about the hutch. On the arrival of the, bachelor sho breaks off the engagement, ' hut he insists that; he has a contract with her, and that.she,must appear at his office the next morning as his stenographer. In this last act there is a reconciliation, and; he fully and finally throws overboard his theories and arguments againßt'matrimony. , ; .

Playing Mllllonalros. • As/is pretty woll'known, •Beerbohm Tree has a great reputation as a practical joker. A., certain member of his company, is the owner of/a charming little picture shop not a hundred miles from Bond' Street. Tree was passing one afternoon with two ladies and another man/and suggested that they should go in and >ee whetbor there was anything .particularly pretty. Tho master of the shop was put, and it had been loft in charge of a nervous shopman. As they were ■' walking round Tree addressed his friend as Carnegie, and he, understanding the joke, answered him as Morgan. Tho shopman, imagining that ho had the two American millionaires, Andrew, Carnegio and Pierpont Morgan, both in the shop, got more and more flustered, and was in tho depths of despair when they left without making a purchase. "Nice wo- ' man, Mrs. Pierpont Morgan," said Tree to tho actor picture dealer that night. "What do you' mean P" "Oh,. I saw her coming out of your shop this afternoon.'' "Yes; did yon ever hear such luck? I happened to be out for half an hour, and both Andrew Carnegie and Pierpont Morgan came in, and my fool:of a shopman let them go without buying anything." "Hard lines," said Tree; "what kind of follows woro'thoy?"- "Well, my maa said that Carnegie was n very decent chap, but. Pierpont Morgan was an utter boast!" .■ ■-. The Faults of Shakespeare. Mr.: Theodoro Watts-Dunton, in a paper on "Cj'mbelino" in. "Harpor's," discusses whether Shakespeare will be to the twentieth century what he has been to.the, ninetenth. Tho writer answers, That depends on .tho twentieth century. If the quest of tho ugly, tho most squalid, cynical realism prevails, then Shakespeare, whoso quest of beauty far surpassed that of all other poets, willnot bo appreciated. After. a beautiful description of Imogen's oharacter, the writer goes on to discuss tho faults of stylo ill "Cymbelina" which 1 art

Shakespearean, Ho notes "Sliakeßnearos frequent obliviousness of tho characteristic 'liofecfc of our language, tho propondcranco of sibilants." Shakcspcaro often gives no attention to . Bibilants.' "Even in tlio lyric, 'Hark, hark,. the lark at heaven's pa to Bmgs, a; hissing sound pervades tho-other-wise divine lyric." The writer also supposes that somo parts of "Cymbolino" wero writton in a hurry. Shakespeare was o business man, most likely tho finest business man of tho world of lettors at that time. Ho had; of ton to bo .content with perfunctory and makeshift writing. "Thero were really Wo.'Shakespe'ares—tho Shakespeare of absolute vision and the Shakespeare of relative vision." In tho latter he had been confronted with tlio story, but had not really imagined it. Tho diffcrenoo botwoen the "Jlanilct" of 1603 and tho "Hamlet" of 1004 shows tho diffcrenco between tho relative and tho absolute' vision. Doubtless ho intended to substitute good work for makeshift work when opportunity offered. He went down to Stratford to meditate and to perfect his worki But he died quite suddenly. A Slngor's Favourite Song, i In the April "Strand Magazine" several famous concert singers have responded to the invitation to name the song they most enjoy singing. Mme. Kirkby Imrm says:—"l do not find it very difficult to decide on tho song I most enjoy singing, and will name 'Three Fishers Wont Sailing' without hesitation; to give a reason for , its being my favourito is a different matter. . It is a song I have sung frequently, for several years past, and, perhaps its popularity with my audiences may Tielp to endear it Jto mo. Apart from' this, however, it has a special appeal for mo, and is, besides, for ever associated in my mind with an, incident thatoccurred after

I Bang it a few years back at a concert.of Mine. Patti's in the Albert Hall. A lady wrote to mo some time afterwards to tell mo that my singing of that song on that occasion had had a wonderfully soothing effect upon her son, who had boon overcome with grief at tho loss of his wife within a month of their marriage. She said that tho refrain of the song particularly affected him, and that she had helped him to recover by occasionally/playing this over to him. Her object in writing was to ask me to sing tho song at a concert at which! was advertised to appear." ••..''. Over Realistic Klnomatogaphy. The series of abductions of the children of wcathy Americans have roused tho public to such a state of suspicion- that 6ome awkward results are being experienced by people whoso relations withv children, are quite innocent of fraudulent intent. , ' ' Late on April 28 a kinematograph firm, .anxious to meet the topical interest in ab-. ductiqns by presenting a film'of moving pictures on the music-halls, elaborately arranged for an abduction scene to bo carried nut under their photographic' instruments closo to,the railway in New Jersey.., Everything was going well when some railway gangers camo along- tho line on a trolly, and seeing -a girl being dragged from a carriage by three men they jumped to the.con-' elusion that they happened on. another sen. sationalibackmailing enterprise!, , Leaping off their trolly, they rushed to the assistance of the supposed distressed damsel, armed with thoir pickaxes, and ,laid' about.them with eucli goodwill' that all'the operators concerned have had to go into hospital for: repairs.. .'•:''■ ;.' , "Pollards" on Tour. The following is the touring plan, of the Pollard' Opera. Co. for the next month :— Levin, J Wednesday,; Juno 30; Foilding,, Thurs-! day and Friday, July 1 and 2; Woodvillo, Saturday/ July 3; Waipawa, Monday, July 5; Gisborno, Wednesday, July 7 to '10; Napier, Monday, July 12 to 15; Fridav, July 16 to 19; Dannovirke, Tuesday, July 20; Pahiatua, Wednesday,' July 21; Masterton, Thursday, and Friday,, July 22 and 23; Greytown, Saturday, July 24. 'Tho company will appear in Wellington on Monday, July 26, for twelve nights,' opening in Lecocq's world-famed/ \ comio opera, "Manola.'V .' , : "■-/ Notes. : : \.'..v ','..- [':{■:. "Tho Flag Lieutenant," Cyril Maude's great London, success, is to be produced in Sydney shortly by Mr. J. C. Williamson. ; It has been one of the,few really.big,successes that London has .'known during the past two years.r- ■■'.''■ " '' : - ,: .- '-.',■.. ''.-'■•■ '.■'.'.';■'■' "'

Julius Knight and Co. oommonce a season at Melbourne to-night in "A. Royal Divorce.". Tho : company "will also revive,other old successes during 'a three-weeks' season. After Melbourne, too company is'to play a season in Brisbane—then New Zealand. >

From a circular received:—"Mr.; Ward is introducing to Australia.' a ..now microbe, kncwn as 'LaugkingitiSj' by the medium', of a doadly organism, entitled' 'A -Bachelor's Honeymoon.' . Hoping to have the pleasure of inoculating you at some future date." Miss Ola Jane Humphreys will concludo her .engagement-with Mr. J. C. Williamson at Adelaide about the end of the month. She .returns to America. . . '.-;,.' , ~ . Mr. W. F; Hawtroy, who all playgoers remember for. his Talleyrand in "A Royal. Divorce"-' and his Tramp in "A Message from Mars," was the Mr. Brown in the Now York production of "An Englishman's Home." '

It. is a small world, and the whirligig of time brings strange things to pass.- William Cromwell, the comedian, of Meynell and Gunn's "Cinderella" pantomime, and Harold Thorleyj tho baritone appearing in the same produition, hrst appearance together in "The Geisha" in England. They had not.:seen each othor for*a number of years, and now they are appearing together again at the other.end of tho world,