THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

... :■/: \:^~~^"~^~~- ; ,;.'' '\f-0-- •'■ ". The/world's;"a "'earth'"? stae'e."— -HeyCTOOcl.'':-:'""'■//•■ '.'/'// :.':..:-;'/..(- ■ 1 . (lis- Svi.vicn.) / .;;■ ~ • Allan Hamilton Enterprises./.- . . ... -.. / ■ - Mr.." Allan Hamilton is a theatrical manager with a firm.belief in-.Ncw ; Zealand as a field for his' particular...lin'o. /Other managers.may •complain at-times.of the indifferent- results of a ' tour, but Mr. --H.'. will, produce facts-_in figures to sottlc all arguments..against the Uo : minion being a' good country for » BP«f ,f Hnil -"Show'iiio a country-of its'sao niid population to beat it!" ho.soys.. After that they pay.wHhout "seeing." •'"Hut espouses.-aro becoming New Zealand," t said Mr Uamil on to'"'Sylvius." "The. rent of- theatres m the big towns is' ; now:Xlooa wcek/.jwhcro.it was only JCGO a year:or two ago and expenses all round have increased at least 25 ?«*;" five or six years, l'ares are higher 'too-the careful" manager'has to put down at least a week throughout the tour line .'a fair-sized show ..through . the .colony, v "my experience has boon.that, if joadj: liver the goods which, the pub ic want,, they will come Tho difficulty V'to "'guess-what precisely they do want, .it's, as bad. as being have his n.ndnulV.W the next twelve months or so; His dramatic headed by Mr. Gee,. Gross and J Ada Guilford, are.at present in Ade aide, alter wh"ch it plays. atßrokcn Hill, Ballarat, and Bcndi"o.' In the second week of December;..the comnanv will reorganise.with a : view to ppenfnc at the Princess Theatre on Boxing night in "f ho Lights of London," which, with another drama-called " Revenge," Mr. Hamilton has toiro of this company will also include . -Brauw and the- Barge," the Australian rights of which Mr HamUtoV. has'also; secured : Sydney and Tlriibano follow Melbourne, -then Zca : land Mr. Hamilton is also fitt ng out a comnanv to " A Message from Mars" through th« Wl towns of 'Now Zealand, which com-probably-be headed b X , Mr. Herbert Bentlcv-fffily-of- the: Julius comnanV -A''No. 2 dramatic company, to play S Mars" " Ecvenge," - and "The lung -of. 'Grime"- : will commence,a tour at Bendigo on Snr ni"ht Mr. Hamilton is also in treaty wUh Mr Walter Bentley for a tour of this country which tour, if satisfactory, arrangements §anb7raade, will 'begin »l in - the 'opan.in-Sydney on Boxing night..

"A Sense of Humour." • , •'•Mr 'and Mrs. Cosmo/Hamilton have scoreila success'in the writi.i," of a now comedy «nt,tled ;of .Humour,? ,wh«ih has tap* duccd-:«-ith gratifying, rcsul s at tho PlMlusc, London., ;"ln i.t?"JJV <*>*» '"/ f ird ') the ii'oy is l distinctly real.. It is .a sei mon-so lightly, hat tho sormbmyng is never : apparent-on tho stupXtv of' liusbahds. who cease' to. act. as_ overs to thoir'wires'directly.'.after marnage. .In one lon-spcecn-beautifully/giveu by "Miss Beryl &r ? Mi*: : nrmmed" P from Ato Z,with ; tho result that :Siting cease to, in, dulge in alibis old, plensurcs,;but who thought•lesslv expects -his wife tamely/toisubmit Co. tile dep iratfons of all the variety, and.admiral.., iof her 'maiden;/state, is,.co.iyinced coa-. vorted., Seldom has, the : cause of' tn%. fw ! u n r o of sb' many marriages, been ;sp succinctly and "so :'b?ilSv summed up. Two .friends; haying married. chaVming'.girls, have takcu n country cottage together'.,'Sir William Hnttpn ; is a confirmed flirt; Major Hoy,a devoted,.husoand, allows" his - wife, to take. his love, for granted while ,'he is out hunting or..sh.ootmg pr.iif.n-. ing or golfihg : the livelong day. ,Hutton/. makes violont.lovo to":Hay's."w!fe to which she responds. Kcallv, she is rccoptiVe only to awaken iier husband-but'-when;shb is discovered kiss, ing her husband's .Mcnd;.tkero, : is naturally trouble:/'Lady'Hutton' devises a/plan:to puro her .husband and/her "friend and Hay' must pretend' also _tobo - violently--.in love, Tho.'results "iiro tbiliporarily 'disastrous. Viola through her friend's: subterfuge, but when the "game :'to' an;.cxtbnt-wlnch :"despor'atioiv..has ..rendered.-, necessary,'/s|io loses -in ' the m'a'ke-be.lioye'of ;it;and thinks ,-for, a'moment'that it-is real.''... / ,-.'.;' _v ~:,'■'. ' "Miss. Beryl > Fnbcr, who, was .in Now-' Zealand with, the:Bronghs many-years ago, made quitea-.-hit as Lady Hutton.' MV i

VArsene; Lupin.", i-..-'.-;!.;!;;-; ;■, j' ■,?-.■:.'; ' .'This drama has ail'.''interest to Ihcw'Zealandi inasmuch as Mr. .1? C. Williamson has secured tho'Australian rights,already..' . It. is frankly, set down as a French intensification ot tho English play "Rallies." "Arseuo. Lupin" is, we are told continually'(says the 'Standard'), tho most wonderful rogue , that • over lived; but it mustbe confessed that-he does not, show'it in that part of his'career under consideration, •go 'is .thb.Jraost'fampus- burglar world; and is riiasnuorading as tho Diic ;do .Char; meracc in Paris, being accepted . ovcrywhere; 'iind having jbe'eohio' the; betrothed, of; the daugh:'tfr of a rich•'and' fas'hioiiablo family."-.'Tiiis family lie robs right and • left .by' tho"-i most •daring and; tremendous;;coups, which would not ;have'been left undiscovered for a single moment-™ ,spite; of the..'general idiocy.".-of every one.w-itli .whom.he comes in. contact-f anywhere'but in a' world of i'ar'cical-Pum-inelo'-dramntic - make-beliOTO. Sevortheless, .lest'-' we be misunderstood, let-it be. said:that it is.all very good fun; our only grievance is that the piece-was not,announced as. a farce. It is full of'quaint tricks, and turns; and, if wo aro continuously befogged, wo are, neverthelcss,' highly amused, at this reduction to .absurdity .of tlie-stage, burglar-and the .stage'..detective. '.;Lupin 'writes"letters and sends telegrams announcing the exact time and; place of. his next adventure, ;ho has /secret lifts, hidden;,behind book-cases,, and cows the sleuth-hounds by air■balloons'. disguise'(l~. ; as bombs. :He . disguises' himelf ,in full', view; of tho audience, while rising iu a .'practicable'vClovator,. so that he Is at onco. mistaken,,by all- (he policemen as. the redoubtable French,! - !'linit'atiou ' of Sherlock Holmes. Ho conducts other exploits of a similarly ■ heroic ,'aild incomprehensible mngniiiconce—without, so far' as we; the audience, aro concerued, rhyme or;reason, arid the things ho docs'ahd'thc way he does'tliem are ; wortliy of Turpin, Slieppar'd, Morinrtj-, and 'all-'the ■heroes of. Gaboriaurarid Dii-'lloisgobey combined. In Jl.' Lcblanc's series of stories, with tho same title, there'was. a certain far-fetched verisimilitude and saving grace of plausibility, despite the unbelievable dexterity, and bravado of their hero," but in ' the stage;-version , ; thcro is nothing left but the- shouting."., :

Tho leading ■ part; was played: by Mr. Gerald du Maurier in-. London. • -. ■"'■.■■

"Tho Catch of '.the" Soasdfi."- '■"'■■"■'* "■'-'-';';' '■■;" ; A few w'ecks,'ago,:was ; produced an 'Wellington "Romeo, and - Juliet,'' 'in-'the':guise of a modern musical comedy, "The Belie of Mayfair." Now, in Melbourne, the "Royal Comics," as theatrical ■ people term that combination, are appearing in a" Mayfair version of "Cinderella,". entitled "The Catch of tho Sanson." This'.prctty piece .possesses music by Herbert . Haines' and Evelyn Bayeiv "considerably in acP vance. of r mosi others of-the-same genre," and -is generally praised by-.the Melbourne, press. -Angela (Miss Fanny Dango) is to Lady Crystal-. (Miss...Georgia Musgrpve), whose .'"wicked" daughters, the. Hon;. ; ; .Sophia and Bonoria" Bedford (Misses-' .Nellie?.' Wilson arid Connie' Milne), are bent on.securing the Duke of St. Jermyns (Mr.' Andrew''Higgirisoh), whose wealth, rank,, arid."-coming-of-age -festivities .make him. the. "catch of; the season." Angela, already admired. ..by the. young. ;duke -as she pensively gazes; through . the windows ■ of the family mansion -in ; Berkeley, Square; .is not taken to the'ducal.ball. But her aunt : and godmother.' Lady- Caterham (Mrs/ Henry Bracy) playfully -waves a poker,- which brings on to the .'sqeno.an array-of .maids ; with- the .latest '.fashions - from Paris. ■ Mr, Victor Gonriet, as' the boastful family-man .Gibson, "whoso wife had cost her Majesty- three guineas on three different occasions") Mr. D. B. O'Connor as "a stuttering lord, (and Master Roy Seaton as' l a page, were notably .prominent.'.., . :' Ai\W.-Pinerq's Latest.'.'.':..■_,'. Tho plot of Mr. A.' W. Pinero's latest'play,' "Mid-Channel," is simplp (says the 'London "Sporting and. Dramatic News"), and its details are, of course,, elaborated by.-tho'hundof 'h. : master. In the course'-of it/Theo; and Zoo, a- childless'.husband and wife-.wlio.do riot "get .on" together, voluntarily; ,soriarato'\-'for six months, .Muring which' Zoo ■ t'akes''to'.hcrsc]f. a lover, 'Lenny,, while Theo consoles 'himself ; ,with a mistress,. Alice. At .the.. end -..of-' this period Zoo is found'quarrelling with.her.Lenny-iust ,'as sho did with'her .husband, whilo.VTheo; growing 'wea'ry.of Alice, /dismisses. her/just fas he might a servant, -with h-cheque in -licit <of notice. Then a friend of. tho : family■thinks that tho psychological moment has come for •bringing , Theo .'and. Zoo, -together ' on.ee i-riidre, but is prevented 1 from', drting > so- '.by .'thp' : fact' that, though tho.ivife is.wcpared.to/ovcrlook the. husband's infidelity', !tjio,';liusnahd declines to forgivC ! tlie wife's'., It is-'next arranged that, risking the interventipn:of;.tho, King's jProctor, ■Theo shall' agTee to bo. divorced tby/Zoe on the understanding that..Lehny ( "HU. ; nVartyvhers but Lenny -.has '.promptly ..cnttaged- 'himself -,to-. joins. uJuvetoiißJZoe throws herself off. & balcony to

solve in a convenient /manner, the problem of her/shame The wife, finely portrayed by' Miss .Irene.Vaubrugh, is Own-sister to tho neurotic Paula.Tanqueray and Iris; the husband, muchles's'Vaitiiticallv ombbdied by Mr. Lyn ll , nri }- ihg, is 1 a' brnfo lineally descended from Maldorado. . The lover, roughly but powerfully . handled bv Mr. Kric Maturin, is a selfish cad; and the mistress, though -prettily toned down by Miss Sovcning, is a meritorious mercenary. T : hey : ore ail four of them given to tho liso of strong language', and they seem as coarse ui •their feelings' and their speech. For .myself, 1 'can only say that the one relief of• a painful evening spout.in their company was aflorded.by their association with tho philosophic family adviser, whose admirably-written scrmoncttcs aro delivered by Mr. Lowne with / delightful •case."'Th'! niore I think about the qiiartettoin their morbid'life-history tho less I like them, -and the more profoundly I regret tho waste ot ■Pino'rb's literary, and technical skill upon a theme so. ignoble as their, tragedy of bad manners. ''■:•■. ' '

Notes,: '.-Mr. Cyril Keighlley, the ex-Australian actor, figure', -in the case of -tho latest Drury Lano drama', entitled "The Whip/ Mr. Bastl Gill, who-was in Australia with Mr. . AVilson Barrett, is also playing a prominent part in the same induction.' /The. chief scene is a realistic, .representation of a' racecourse. -,". The following is the cast of ''The Belle of :Ncw York," now being played in- bydney by Williamson's' Musical Comedy ' Company :- lcbabo.l Bronson, Mr. la. ■ Nnble; Harn- Bronson; Mr.'Trunk' Greene; The Polite Lunatic, Mf.-AV: S:.Percvj "Doc - Smfhins,. Mr. Arthur .Lissanh'; Blinkyßill, Mr I'red. Leslie;, tih Tircot, Miss-Lottie Sargent; Corn Angclique. •Miss: Ada Stirling; •Mhnuo Clancy,.Miss fillj -Wobdlock; Hilly Breeze, Mr. l> t ,.. B . ot ( . h, ' r £: Wnn Chun, Mr..Pat Behan; and Violet Grev .("The Belle"), Miss Olive Godwin With Ldd liable,-'Willie Percy, and Til y Wood oclc. m the cast the production must bear a close resemblance to the Pollard bneot ten -The best, production of. "The Belle , ever given in: New Ze'aland was when Tom Pollard engaged clever .Albert iWhelan to play Jcnabod Bron--wn." He-.was associated with May Beatly as the Belle/Charles Carter as young, Bronson, Harry Qu'ealt-as Blinky Bill, and \\. S, Percy as the Polite Lunatic. ' ; - According 16" tho "Australasian, .an Ander,.son Dramatic .Company is to open in Wellington on November 3. ' • '