THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 681, 4 December 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

- .."Tho world's a theatre, tho earth a ata'eo."j Heywood. t (Br SiLvine.). ;. Julius Knight's Plans. '.''"'. t For tho production of "The Corsican Bro- ) tliers" at Christmas in Sydney, Mr. Julius ■ Knight has selected tho version used by the ! lato Mr. Charles Koan, the celebrated actor. , In conversation with ."Syivius," Mr, Knight i stated that in reading it over it appeared to j him that tho original 'script must havo been rewritten, for tho construction and language • seemed to bo a good deal superior to tho version usually played. As old playgoers will remember, "Tho Corsican Brothers'! depends a good deal for success on the supernatural, one of the. features being the fnmous vision scene, ■in which the dead Louis apnears to his brother Fabian after tho fateful duel fought in the forest, of Fontainebleau. Tho vision will bo , worked on this occasion by an ingenious arrangement of lights from below tho. stage, which exhibit the figure of the dead in a misty ! light. Another big feature will bo, the.- Ba'l | Masque.in the Paris Opera House, which will ; bemade a brilliant scene by tho dresses and t dances of tho gay guests. In this scene there I will only be ono: speech (by Mr. Knight), as I this wild scene: of Parisian gaiety will: bo I worked, up as a Teliof to the sombre character i of the play. The old drama has been recently ■ revived in England with great success by Mr, Martin Harvey, and Mr. Knight fully antici- \ pates that it will exhibit its old fascination at I Christmas. The second production of the SydI ney season will bo the romantic play "Henry ; of Navarre," played: recently with great euc- ■■ cess by Mr., Fred: Terry and Miss Julia Neil- '. son in the metropolis. ■■ , Church and Stage.- , ■ , To-day the Church,' at least the Established ; Church (writes Mr. William Poel in an article on "Tho Church,and tho Theatres" in tho 1 "New Ago"),; shows a marked friendliness to--1 wards the stage,'a change duo to a great ex--1 tent to tho labours of the Church and Stage ' Guild, and more recently to those of tho Ac- '' tors' Church Union. Only a' short timo ago tho Bishop of London. sp'uke of the actors and their calling, with .respect'and even with enthusiasm. Attacks from, the pulpit on the iniquities of .the stage are now rare, and arouse.as much indignation among tho clergy as the laity. On the other hand, many prominent actors aro now churchgoers; they are received at the homes of the clergy, they are invited' to speak upon. religious platforms, and occasionally to address a congregation from the pulpit. All these amenities make for the social, good in upholding Christian toleration ■ and chanty among men; but at tho same time.ithis exchange of good', fellowship between 'the Church and -the .Theatre tends to confuse the public- to obscure the fact .that the proper-function of the drama is to criticise life, to strengthen! the understanding of tho community, and to purify its morals independently of religion and from a standpoint that may be,opposed to the teaching of religion. Mhs Rosina Buckman. In its'critique on "The Lady Dandies," the Melbourne "Argus" says:—Miss Rosina Buck-, man,.,who played during a recent season of English opera in this city, appeared with the company tor, the first timo oil Saturday, as tho much-married Illyrine, justifying the heartiness of her reception by a thoughtful and dainty exposition of the character, added to an earnestness and dramatic power of singing that .was very refreshing. Her first song; with its quaint '"Cuckoo" refrain, at once put her on the best of terms with her audience, and, having got over her nervousness, 6hp continued to do herself full, justice to the'end. Her duet with Mr. Roberts has\been cleverly rendered hy the English translator. into feeling verse,, as, for ;exaihple— ■.'■' ''■]■ •- '-,'-■ :'• • .'• : "We could shutithe door and draw tho curtain) so,- ' '■'..-■ ','!,.'■/.'. ''' '■'.'.■"'' By" the-hearth aglow, ~ ,',,'.',; ; , While : the "firelight left your face uncertain, • ■ Smiling, half, unseen, . .. •■, ;.It might havo been,'. In the little kingdom of our fancies Like a king and queen • ;' It might have been." , '*Thef Lady Dandies," ' ■■ ; ; For tho book of his romantic opera, bouffe, "Tho Lady Dandies" (just reproduced by tho Royal Comic Opera Company), • tho, late; Vic-' totien Sardou again tapped tho time of the French, Robespierre and Danton were dead, itndßarras was'in.control.. Paris wis' awakonin'g; again to lightness and . bright-, 'ness„ after the;red fury; of tho Heigh of Terror. ' Tho movement,brought'.'into existence 'the Morveilleuscs and, Incroyables, with 'their ridiculous; manners, mincing ways, and love of exaggerated form, colour, and carriage. .The women, as an excuse for the skimpiness of. thoir garments," affected a desiro for classic simplicity, a yearning to' "got back' to nature," and they, certainly got there..-The air-was still thick with conspiracies, plots, and' counter" .plots,' and- spies', ; ,ears' wero glued, to. keyholes. ■IriteHhis'ferment. Sardou dipped Ws' ; hbt'-pi v profonnd-'6ne—and the cauldron' began .'to .Bubble';' iDchiisj a brave son of Franco,, ro.turns''home:,after: having scored in .'ltaly to' find his adored, wife, Illyrine,' who has obtained a divorco from liim-on the ground of desertions nt. that moment'being married to.St. Amour. As : : St. Amour is secretary to Barras, ho'has the .opportunity of making it particularly warm ,for Dorlis, whom he tracks, with tho aid of chiefs of police,: into the usual hiding places of opera comiquo 'heroes. The sword may fall on his head at any moment,: but, of,course,: it never does. A free pardon for crimes -he has never committed is obtained," for him at the last moment by his wife, tho'second marriage is void, and the curtain descends. The book is piquantly. adapted by Captain, Basil Hood, but it is the singularly charming music of Dr. Felix that carries all before it. -Some of the numbers are doliciously written, as, for instance, the duct between Illyrine and Dorlis, "It/Might Have Been," and the "Tell-Mo" of Ladoiska arid Lagoille. The composer's musical humour is also very entertaining, and the refinement and distinction-' which distinguish every page of the gifted Viennese author must appeal to all who appreciate genuine musicianship.—"Argus." A'Noted! Magician. ' • ; • • :' .Hassan,, the magician, now appearing in Sydney, ~is a' ; direct descendant of".tho, Hassans, whose'magic tricks havo been known for many years. His father and .father's father; wero conjurers before him, but they did their work mostly on tho streets in tho old-time fashion. Some of them used snakes and an animal called the mongoose, something like a ferret, Hassan says. ■ It was one of-their star tricks to make a cobra and a mongoose fight, tho latter invariably winning, for the animal's.forto is : snake-catching. ■ Hassan claims to bo tho greatest card-manipulator- in: the world, 'and, unlike many other experts at this portion of tho art, he. will do the tricks before your eyes and in any room with as much' bewildering dexterity as he does them on tho. stage. Ho knows, ho says, something over 200 card tricks ■' but many of them are too small for the stage! Indians, he adds, are still extremely superstitious, and modern civilisation is hardly affecting this.phase of their life, not even among those who havo been educated. He has had ■ proof of it in Sydney. There are a number of Mohammedans here. One is a clerk,and understands English, writes it!well, and other- ; wise.is well educated. Still, he is a Mohammedan in all'his.manners, and'retains the su- : perstitious ideas of his forefathers. Hassan ' has five .brothers in the conjuring business, and ' all are touring the world. Tho feat of-Hassan ' when he.lifts the 561b. stone, is a genuineevo ' lift. It took him five years before .he could ' accomplish it, for he had to harden his eve- ' lids-to tho,strain; in;fact, somo weeks were' ' spent in simply: getting the eyelids used to the ' clasps. Then stuall weights were used until ' ho increased them'to the-present. '

An Unholy Traffic. ~„M } '- %> \ Ward writes to the Sydney lieferee from Now Zealand:—"l saw a paragraph' in 'The Referee' recently regarding tho Far East, in tho form of a letter from tho' Kavanagh Brothers.. I was pleased to see your note on the matter, and I might mention that it was commented-upon by all my company, who incidentally are incensed at the un~ scrupulous agents and managers who tcinnt artists to visit that part of. tho \Vorld. : "Tho horror of seeing white men and women in my profession stranded in these Asiatic countries, whore tho fares are really too big for individuals to meet; the many' requests of those unfortunate people makes one strive to protect the inexperienced artists from suffer mg a like, fate. My company and self havo had occasion to tender financial assistanco to many of these people, whom : wo met in our peregrinations. "In one instance I allowed, competent vaudovillo artists to go as extra people in one of my plays, merely in an • endeavour to assist them. 'Their stones were nil the same An irresponsible and unscrupulous agent had sent them there, after pointing impossible pictures of theatrical opportunity and prosperity. The result was. the.same as usual, and though the agent may feel satisfied with the fact that he received a feo or commission for this deal, to."ay mind it is nothing more than traffick-i

nig in lniman beings, in which tho victims huro'the poorest possible chance of having the many promises fulfilled. For; the sake of my profession, I am going to disclose the entiro in: Sydney, and, furthermore, will have the evidence and support of every memif 1 " of \ ny c . om P a "y-- Having played all over tho world, I have found no place in which artists should bo protected when leaving their own country, as they should bo, wlioir going to tho l'ur East."

A Boxer's Wife. x • Mrs. Robert Filzsimmons (now in .Sydney), wife of the famous■ boxer, Bob. Fitzsiinnious, lis an operatic ranger with, it is said,- a fine repertoire throughout tho United States. Mrs. litzsimmons arrived horo with her husband oiitlin Otranto, under chgagcnient to Mr. Hugh D. M'lnlosh. Mrs. Fitzsimuions is an actress and singer, and has for tho past seven years, when not engaged with her husband on tho vaudeville stage in special work, appeared under the management-of the well-known theatrical firm of.Klaw and Erlnngor. Her singing and acting pf "Tho Merry Widow," which ran lor twelve months at. Daly's Theatre, Broadway. New York, was received by press and public with tho'greatest approval. Mrs. Fitzsimmons was offered an engagement with Henry W. Savage to tour the States with his musical comedy company, but in consequenco of' Mr. M Intosh booking Mr. and Mrs, Fitzsimmons lor Australia she was compelled to refuse. Notes., . ;> .'.'■' At the conclusion of tho Julius Knight soa- »?"' 01 lcnartl Stewart becomes manager and Mr. Charles Berkeley advance' agent for- tho King of Cndonia" Company, to opon in Auckland on December 27. , Mr. Edward ■ Branscombe's "Scarlet Troubadours, who toured New Zealand earlier in the year, 'are to make their reappearance at' the Opera House-, on Friday next. Tho company embraces in its membership soveral very able vocalists who, arc equally at homo in serious, sentimental, and humorous songs, and musical interludes of tho typo which have made "Tho • fe' faraous in London. When last seen in Wellington tho Troubadours performed at the Concert Chamber, which hardly' afforded sufficient accommodation for the many who desired to enjoy the • fleeting hour in such bright company. Wellington may be depended upon to. once more bestow the same liberal patronage. in ■ a theatre moro adapted to the requirements of the show.

..' Mr. Eardley Turner has had rather a unique experience during his four weeks' appearance in the part of Jaikes in "Tho Silver King." In that time ho has played with no fewer than .five; Wilfred. Dnnvers-iirst with Mr. Julius Knight about five or six years ago, therewith Mr. Henry Kolker this year in Melbourne, w r ltn Mr- Walter Bentley in Adelaide, and with Mr. G. S; Titheradge in Melbourne and Sydney; .and in the .latter .city with Mr.- Harry Plimmor at the matinee in Sydney last week. •'•'•■■ -. ' :.

Miss Fanny Dango'is a very happy little person' just at'present, for sho'has with her sister (Miss Lydia Flopp), who only arrived from England last week, and is how under engagement to J. C. Williamson, who secured her services, on tho day after she landed in Melbourne. The two.sisters'-are looking forward.to appearing, together in the same company—an experience which they have never had so faiM Miss Flopp resorables her Slst er very strongly. She has a bright manner, a slight figure, an expressive face, and a crowning glory of golden hair. Her: stage experience began from the time she was a child,, for she left the Notre Damo Convent to take up work as-the middy in "Tho Geisha"—a. piece in which she afterwards appeared as Molly Seamore. Her London engagements for. tho most part,havo been with George Edwardes's companies, and her ■ favourite parts include Ellen, • n T,m! le Si rl from Kays" and Peggy Sabine in .Tho Cingaleo. Last Christmas she was principal girl in the pantomime at Leeds.

■ ■ Tho, musical.' sensation of tho : week is ■ the decision of the Wellington Choral Society to perform' Sir Edward Elgar's'imnressivo oratorio,-: "The .Dream of Gerontius, next-year, fhis' is,a- really .great work, keyed' up to-the highest .tone,--, and will make,- th'osi fullest" de.his bravo, endeavour, lo give ,u's'the best' that' Mr. Maugh.an.Barnett;\rill' n6t-.shirk l the-wbrk, ; as- was. the;case"in Auckland, >and that, all musical Wellington will rally round him in his brave, endeavour :to give us the best that' Elgar,has,given the world. The ivork demands a big, capable chorus, and a large orchestra of .skilled instrumentalists, who will find : that they havo their work cut out to master-the compooer's orchestral'intricacies. Such\a work" ,will' require three or four- months' assiduous .rehoarsal, ..but -.the,, knowledge,-.-that .'they tar© learning the music, of a'great oratorio, written by .perhaps 'the, finest.-.living : curiiposer,"should spur themontb.strict-and earnest study. Without.such'loyalty Mr'.' Barriott'cannot hopo to do it; acconililishment-.ne'ed'stb'p. no-, wlier'ei'■■.'.*'' ..-.'-',: .-'■".• '' :; -vi-"-.' ,; •; v.'.