THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 609, 11 September 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"Tho world's a theatre, tko earth a stago."— Heywood. (Ur Sylvius.) "Jack and Jill." "Jack and Jill" went up tho hill— The hill of popularity; Bill came down and spent.his crown On gals and gay hilarity." Small blame to John ivlionrlio gets such a good chance to spend his spare crowns on as the pantomimo which is rippling on so cbcorfully at the Opera House. During tho 'week sorneono has written to a contemporary expressing his disappointment in the pantomime, and his contempt for that paper'scriticism. "What is lacking in this panto, mime that anyone of ripe 'judgment in modem entertainments could object to P There are certain essentials demanded in an np-to-dato pantomime—good > scenery and effects, bright ballets, a strong vein of comedy (which must not be of too subtle a character), and lively action. In-none of these essentials does "Jack and Jill" fail. It is packet! with good things from the rise to tho fall of the curtain, and if the correspondent could not rccognise them as such ho must surely be oil the brink of a serious illness —his sense of colour and comparison must have deserted him for the nonce. "Jack and Jill" ranks among.tho very best pantomimes which .'Wellington has ever witnessed, and none havo been more merrily played—thanks bc> to ' Sir. Whitfield, . tho stage manager, .whose duty consists of winding everybody up to true. pitsh. The management announces another, matinee for this afternoon. The final of tho season will be given on Wednesday nest.

Julius Knight's, Latest. 'Writing of Mr. Julius Knight's performance in "The Breed of the Treshains," the "Auckland Star" says:—"Mr. Julius Knight has added another success to his repertoire aiid has further enhanced his reputation in his\ representation of Lieut. Reresby. It is essentially a star part; for Reresby tho sympathy of the, audiehco is at once enlisted; on Reresby tho limelight is perpetually turned; indeed without Reresby on the boards tho interest of the play is non-existent.V In the intensity of his acting, when describing to young Tresham how their unnatural father ruined tho young girl ho loved, in tho suffering of ' the torturo scene, in tho simulation of drunkenness to delay the mutineers from discovering Margaret's hiding placo till help arrives and in the dramatic fight that follows—there is a most astonishing fall down a flight of stairs in this scene—ho attains a high level of artistry that wo unfortunately rarely, seo equalled here. In tho lighter side, his raillery against himself and his brother officers, ho. is not, however, quito so successful.' But we / must accept tho presentation as a whole ,as showing-another development of Mr. Knights exceptional dramatic attainments.

Howard Vernon's Son. Comedian Victor Princo lias mado a pronounced bit.in "The King of. Cado'nia." People havo.'becn asking who lie is, and where lie. has como from. As of .fact, ho made his first appearanco many years ago [nth. and Boucicault in a piece called "Gloriana. ' Ho was also one of tho robbers m "Tho, Babes in tho Wood."' Subsequently i ho-was.a gendarmo in "Tho French Maid," then hp disappeared apparently, despite his girth, into thin air. But lio has been play- . ing under his own management for a number of years out of car-shot of tho .metropolis. Ono of . his managerial achievements was n th'reo months' season at Lauiiceston, where ho acted in, and managed, his own entertainments. "You may not'.believe mo," lie remarked to a "Sunday. 1 Timeii" representative*. the other afternoon, "but I have earned consistently £30 and £40 a Week in tho I .small towns.., Tho. work •' is .hard and strenuous,..-.however, though,, as .you say, .it appears to have.agreed with mo. .But I wanted a rest, and. the J. C. Williamson management had this partj and. it suited me—? and.that's aH'about , it. ,r Mr. 'Prihce is a son of Mrr Howard Vernon, who'he says is now' in.Pans with-his wife, and contemplating . a tour of tho East with a Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire, "Why don't I call myself Vernon? ho replies to the question. "Well, my father worked hard for his liamo and earned tho reputation ho won. If I can't do tile samp I would not deserve to be in tho profession. ,1 had a .very good start—l was born m a' theatre dressing-room,' that*' of ■ tho Shinto Mcso, Tokio. Thero was no escaping what fato desired of me after that, and when I say that the first tiling my hand closed on was a hare's foot you 'will, X hope forgivo me for being an actor.". : .'

Clytia Fitch, Dramatist. _ of the American dramatist Clydo Fitch (cabled this week) is a matter for deep regret. Ho was one of tho wonders of America, and was known as her most prolific rapid-fire dramatist. Ho wrote many successes—some artistic ones, a great number of mediocre plays, and few bad ones. Ho becamo a vogue, because ho "struck out" from old ideas arid gave the pubiic something i original, with brains hero and there. Born at iSlmira (N.Y.),' ho was educated at Amherst College and, when 25 years of ago, wrote "Beau Brummel," "Frederick Lemaitre," arid "Betty's. Finish" in the ore year.- Then nothing on earth could prevent him writing plays. His record is as follows: 1891—"Marriage," "Pamela's Prodicv": 1802 —"Tho Masked Ball": 1893—"The Harvest," "The American Duchess," "Tho Social Swim";.-1801—"Mis. Grundy, jun.," "His Grace do Grammont," "April Weather"' 1895—"Mistress Betty" (or "Tho Toast of tho Town"), "Gossip" ; 1896—"Bohemia," "The. Liar"; IS97—'"A ' Superfluous Husband"; 189S—"Nathan Hale," "The Moth and tire Flame," "Tho Head of the Family";, 1899—"The Cowboy and the Lady," "Barbara Froitchie"; 1900—"Sappho," "Tho Climbors" ; 1901—"Captain Jinks •of tho Horse - Marines," "Lovers' . Lano," "The Last of the Dandies," "The Way of the World," "Tho Girl and the Judge," "Tile Marriage Gamo"; 1902—"The Stubbornness of Goraldine," "The Girl with tlio Green Eyes"; 1903 "The Frisky Mrs. Johnson," "Tho Bird in tlie Cage," "Algy," "Her Own Way," "Glad of It," "Major Andre"; 1904 —"The Coroiiet of a Duchess," "Granny," "Cousin Billy,'' "The AVoman in tho Case"; 1905—"Her ' Great Match,!' "Wolfvilib" • IDOG—"The Girl WTio Has "Toddles," "The Hoiiso of Mirth," "Tho Truth," "The Straight Road"; 1907—"Her Sister"; 1908—"Girls," "Happy Marriage," "The Blue Mouse"; 1909—'"Tho Bachelor." Truly 1 a foverish playwright. . •

Notes. i Tho Royal Comic Opera Company opened its Melbourne, season last Saturday week with "Tho Duchess of Dantzie," in which connection it is satisfactory to noto that tho critics consider Miss Florence Young's interpretation of tho forcible, good-natured, vulgar laundress the great achievement of her long career. Mr. Wybert Stamford is again tho Napoleon,, Miss Fanny Dango and Mr. Andrew Higginson kneel besido tho "Pool of Fancy" as tho lovers, Mr. James Hughes is tho Sergeant-Duke, and Mr. Reginald Roberts figures again <is tho hunted Royalist. Apropos of Sir Herbert Tree's knighthood, a writer recalls a good story, which tells how on one occasion, when Gladstono was dining with the famous actor, tho statesman inquired whether there were many Liberals among the members his profession- to which his Majesty's new knight replied, '"My scene-shifters, sir, are Radicals to ,1 man 1" Tho theatres in Japan have a novel method of pass-out tickets, which are positively not transferable. When a person wishes to lea.vo tho theatro before tho close of tho performance, with tho - intention of returning, he goos to tho doorkeeper and holds out his right hand.' Tho doorkeeper then, with a rubber stamp, imprints on the palm the marl; of tho establishment. The London "Era" says:—Mr. Frank Harwood has mado a great hit with a now chorus number, by Lester Barrett and Hermann E Darcwski, entitled "Send Them Alon" to Me," which Messrs. Francis and Day" are placing on tho market. Tho latco nuuibcr of

wwlding presents reeeivod by tho popular young actor-vocalist hud jiot connection with tho tout implied in the titlo of tho song. In a provincial theatre a popular actor was onco playing "Macboth." He had delivered hia words m tho banquet sceno to tho ghost of Banquo. Henco . . , . after which, dropping on his kneos and covering his face with -his robes, ho shuddered convulsively. Just as tho applauso was ovor a vouth in tho gallery, carried away with tho "intensity of the acting, cried out, "It's all right now, guvnor—he's gone I" . Foote and Garrick woro supping together at tho Bedford; tho former, in pulling out his purse to pay the reckoning, dropped a guinea, which rolled in such a direction that they could not find it readily. "Where tho deuce," says Foote, "caj» it be gono to'" "Gono to the devil, I suppose," said Gari ' r saitl navid i .vou are always what I took you for; ever contriving to mako a guinea go farther than any other man."