THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 633, 9 October 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"Tho world's a theatre, tho earth 'a atnso."— Hoy wood. . t. (Jlv Stdvios.) r Hugh Ward Season. . t The Hugh Ward Company has played to packed audiences during.the week, and it deserved to. Tho company is right up to expectations, and those who cannot find matter for continuous laughter'in "A Bachelor's Honeymoon" arc held under suspicion. On Wednesday evening next "Tho Man from Mexico" is to be revived. Many will accompany their thoughts of this comedy with a chuckle.- Tho plot. concerns tho consequences of Benjamin Fitzhugh's escapade at that dubious resort, "The Cleopatra." ' They land him in gaol, whereas he is supposed to be in distant Mexico. There he gets into comical straits through tho visit of his wife, who is distributing flowers the prisoners. .Having his sentence, ho has to account for his trip to Mexico, am) does.so by-purchasing a completo American outfit, in which he poses as "tho man from Mexico,"/and wriggles his way through? a maze of awkward situations in a ripplo 'of uproarious comedy. Tho Wellington public will be pleased tollearn that it is Mr. Ward's intention to revive that. clever ■; comedy, Hopkinson," later ■in . the season. . • :

Plays and Players for Australasia. - • Two fine dramas—"The' Fires of Fate," ; .and "Strife," have been.secured ; for Australia-by Mr. J.. C. ■ Williamson. The former piece is by Sir Arthur Conan'Doyle, arid boasts ot some thrilling situations. It treats of a comparatively young military man, who goes to consult a doctor about his health, only to do told by-a specialist. that his days are numbered, and that he has only about, twelve months'to live, being tho victim of an insidious., nerve disease.. The patient, with set , face,, 'listens to .the verdict, and then .comes the temptation to commit suicide,i and 'end .at ; orice. all'anxiety and suffering. But hcj is.fdis.ifiiaded from .this course, and finally,,decides ;to',take' a trip; out' to, Egypt, and try,'ias'best ,h6, can, to, reconcile himself to. his Ifatej,/ On .the way.;out-j;o- : Egypt, Colonel Egerttiiv .{the doomed man)'.meets an American : -girlj"' and falls- in love with her: But he refrains, from making-the state of his feelings, known to her. ■Later ■ on,, however,*'the parties fall in with a horde of Dervishes, who ill-treat them, , and drag them into , the desert., But, strangely enough, this encounter with the enemy proves to be Egerton's salvation, for a blow which lie gets on tho head is the means of restoring his : nerve centres to sound health, and, of course, tho love story works out to a satisfactory ending. The other J. C. Williamson acquisition—"Strife,", by John Galsworthy—is that ■author's best drama, and treats of the problem of' the eternal warfare between capital, and labour. Mr. Charles Frohnian thought so' highly" of this piece, when -ho. saw it".ot the Court Theatre,, that ho organised an all-star company-to. play it. at the Duke of, -York's Theatre, where it ran with great success this year.,:/. ''■

Tho. results. of.J.Mr. J. C. Williamsbh'svvisit to the, old and new world Will very , shortly be realised out here, and new arrivals .for. practically every company, under that management will continue, to como' dnt from England and 'America until well on into next; year. Miss

■Marjnrie. Murray; and Miss Ethel Gordon will be the first newcomers to. put. in an apuearauee- They have both had splendid experience in dramatic work, and should provo decided 'Acquisitions- to the companies which'thev are :to -join; An engagement which will affect the Boyal Comic Opera Company is that of . Miss Fanny: -Bauer,' the ■ well-known Sydney: girl, who is due ont.here next November.- There are also several artists who are coming out,to augment tho ranks of. the Pantomime Com. pany, and who- even now will be thinking of making preparations ftp, their trip to . Australia instead .of, 1 . as risual, remaining in Londonfor t.he biR Christmas extravaganza there. And so tho stream of'newcomers will :continuc tCL. I \ T ? Tritlß our shores until the various J. C Williamson organisations will have-their ranks augmented.

The Yoar.. ■ - Reviewing, tho theatrical year in London, a writer in the "Daily Mail," Mr. James Waters, says that while the .'quality, of the years (intput- may be a matter of opinion, it is a simple fact that the number is fewer by 15 plays' than-i in tSie .previous year, and that the production- of. one-act • pieces shows* a'* falling*'' off of .12. ■: Notwithstanding the very bad,anil prolonged^'slump'' that' the theatres experi* cnced during. tho spring,'' quite .20'of'the "43 new ..productions -of the year -wer© Buccosses, and he believes, that the profits road© on' thpse .wore very largoly -in' oicess of tho losses incurred' by unfortunate,, productions. 'The money-makers, curiouslv enough," he writes, "are not, all to tho'cre&t of authors of long experience, but are in many instances tho work of comparatively new men. One of the remarkable plays of the season was Mr. John .Galsworthy's 'Strife,' which was. taken off at what appeared.to.be.the height.of its success, r.ronie|nber.f asking Mr.-'Charles Frohmart.' at the >tuno" why' he" was not going .on'"with--it Mibis answer-was that he.had to tako .it','off -becauso he could not' keep the -original cast .together—rather a- remarkable testimony''to the extent to 1 which, play's, success may depend on certain actors/* , k - , v

"I have not-the slightest doubt," concludes' Mr; Wnters, "that each London manager would much prefer risking money on producing new plays than on mounting, revivals, but although there ; mnst; be some .thousands of' 'unacted plays in London going through tho process'of qeing'i lead, or, being, submitted for reading (some; of them over afid over again), tho fact remains that eight or 10-of London's. 30 theatres are almost always closed because the right plays cannot bo found, and - upwards of 40 revivals, are put into the bill; because, so few.' new plays' compel'confidence." Recital of "Julius Caesar." "Julius Caesar," of which Mr.' Oscar Ascho and - Miss Lily Bray ton gave a recital. matinee, at Melboufne on September 25, hasi-nat been staged in Sydney since the days of George Rignold's splendid production, when he was the Mark Antony to the Brutus of ,T; F-'Cath-cart. and the C.assius of H. K. Jewett.- The last-named, then a strong, emotional ambitious juvenile, has since become, one of the .leading actor 3of tho American stage. The recital in Melbourne made a deep impression.' The "Ar-, gus" referred -to it as "a solemn, weird, and impressive - spectacle, which must have fully satisfied those who maintain that great plays require no scenery, needing only lan'guago, (costume, and action for effect."; It seems that the ' background was of black velvet, against which the white-robed figures stood out radiantly. 'Sir John Madden, in-a letter to'the press, declared that he had seen every actor-'of note who played Brutus for 50 years, and that -he considered Oscar Asche' "'tho noblest Roman of them- all," and he-added' that; the stage"•arrangement "threw, up-every man. to an heroic size and aspect,-and' inore than ever one realised how adniirablefinvall its parts-.was the company, liow excellent..in their. acting, and how fine their 'voicesi"--i ln r consequence of this success, Mr. Oscar .A'sche. and Sliss Brayton will perform "Julius! Caesar" again in the same'way on their' return to "Melbourne, . the experiment having. 'been made too lat« in their season for.a repetition before-leaving for Sydney. Certainly Mr. Asche should be accounted a happy man, 6ince he has returned ■ to his native. land in triumph as .an actor-manager - from London, has carried all-before hiih since his'arrival, and has, conducted a,.long'season .that .has .been rushed'from the. first, day. to tho .last entirely with Shakespearean pieces!.-An: achievement ' of-. this;.kind .must, be almost without precedent anywhere. . . • ' . .

Gerard I Coventry's Return. ' ■ Mr. Gerard Coventry, who: produces, all''tho pantomimes for Mr.'J. -C. Wil[iamson,has' returned to Melbourne from'. England,. and N tho Continent, toprepare for- ."Aladdin,", this gear's pantomime. His doparturo.. last: January,' trjs to secure novelties for "Aladdin,", and whilst ho. has much to say that is necessarily not absolutely.new in-regard.to affairs in London, he is freshly informativo concerning his visits to Berlin and Paris. At "the German capital he studied the latest appliances for stage-light-ing, and found himself quito at home at tho rehearsals of "The Upper Ten Thousand," under Mr. Gustnv' Kerker, a composer' and - conductor formerly with him at the Casino. The German choristers of both sexes have.full and resonant voices, but ;they aire .accustomed io purely "straight" singing, without any accompanying . stage-business., - Mr. Kerker' and' .a dancing-master from London taught,them'tho modern • comic-opera, method, and it "caught on"' tremendously, with the. Beriiners, though the girls wore .really' slow' and ■ "studied" at their work. In Paris, on the . other :- liand everything_;'scems to depend upon the charm and vivacity of the eh'orn's girls, who aro in advance as regards the. neatness'of their dancing.aud illustrative gesture '.'t Many", of ..the "novelties," . however; are .quite' unsuiterl to' vour ' stage.. . At";tll,e. Moali'h Rouge-.all I'oris I was,rushing ;to, see ,a. magnificent; "marble 1 mantolpiepe; the' Caryatides of 'whicH' proved

to consist of lixquisito figures in "lmrig statu-' ary. '■ Mr.'Coventry's next journey: was to his old homo at tho Casino, where tho Messrs. Schubert, who dircct 17 or 18 theatres in' New York alone, tried hard to pcrsuiulo' him .to stay for a year, but his contract for: "Aladdin" held'good, and, indeed, ho was eager to return to Sydney, where he is happy .in his work. Notes. Mr. Edwin Geach has secured the New Zealand rights of Meynell and Gunn's dramas. A company is being organised Ito. tour New Zealand with 'A Fatal Wedding" and "The Midnight Wedding'' in a few weeks' time. ' ' Tho latest Eickard's Vaudeville Company to go on lour commenccd a season at Auckland on Monday last. The company include!; Mdlle. Rositia ■ Caselli and her troupe of Chihuahua dogs, Misses Florence and Lillian., musical artists, Fred Graham' and Nellie Dent., sketch artists, the 'Kremka Bros, acrobats, Walker and Sturn, raquct jugglers, Hart, and Rochfort, the Two Donnellys, and the.Marlow Sisters. ' Mr. Gus. Neville (formerly Gus Morgan, of Wellington), is now touring Tasmania with his own. dramatic company, and as a proof that ! business is satisfactory, states, that "the ijhost pops his head ont regularly without hesitation." [ Mr.' Neville is'a sound, useful actor, ,who is j bound-to do well in the long run. - . | Mr. Androw M'Cunn has just arrived in Melbourne once more to cqnduct the "Royal Comics," and Mr: Howard Carr left this-week for England.. This combination, which has been playing,"The Girls of Gottenbnrg;" staged-"-Tha ' Catch-of-the Season" last'Snturday night.- .This musical comedy deals -with the smart siot.in 1 London, and is a kind of "Cinderella up-to-date." Mr. Andrew Higginson is'to play the part-that, was originally taken by Mr. Seymour Hicks, whilst 'Miss Fannie Bango will replace Miss Zena Dare. ■ Mi\ Victor Gou'rict has a strong, part, and Mrs. Henry Bracy. rejoins after .some five years' absence in America.'-

•Williamson's Musical Comedy Company, headed by Mr. Bert. Gilbert, is to conjnionco a tour of New Zealand in "The.King of Cadonia " at 1 Auckland on Boxing night.

Mr. Dion Titheradge,/son of Mr.. Geo.'S. Titheradgc, who acted so cleverly iii "/Plio Thief" with Miss Anglin'.in Australia,.' and. Miss 01a : Humphreys and Mr. Henry Kolkcr 'iii Wellington,-.has grown a big hoy . sinco ho came to the So, big . indeed'.that; ho is about to he married, to a Margaret. ■Bolton,' now on her 'way,'from England., -

Julia 'Marlowe, the. American nctressj: plans to play Hamlet 'next season; Thero have been many feminine Hamlets in America already, as'this list will show.:—Mis.. Bartley, in the Park Theatre, New York, slrs._ Barnes, same house, same season. Mrs. Battcrsby, 1822. Mrs. Shaw, 163?. Mrs., John Bingham, 1813. Fanny Wallack, 1849. Charlotte Cush,man's first appearance in the';part, Bidgham's 'Lyceum, New York, 1851. Clara Fisher, iMrs. Emma Waller, ■ Charlotte ' Crampton, - Mrs. .Louiso Pomeroy, Mrs. T. B. Conway, Misses Marriott and Julia Seaman (two English actresses), Rachael Denvil/.-Susan- Denin, Sophie Miles, Adele Belgrade, . and Adelaide' ICeim,' all played Hamlet in' New' York at different times-later than the dates given above. :■ Alfred Sutro has completed the new play upon which' he lias been engaged during, the past few months. It is designed' for; Arthur Bonrchier, and w'ill beiu- the title'of ''Makffig l a Gentleman."Like " The' Walls' of .Jericho,". Sutro's latest. work will be fbuiid to contain' a distinct.note of warning against-tho foibles: and weaknesses .of .humanity, although. .the trumpets in. .fhis instance aro not to be sounded exclusively beneath the walls of the

"smart set." ~ . . , . • • Mr. Charles Prohman is .said to have nearly three thousand actors and actresses on his salarylist. •!' ; !