THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 710, 8 January 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

Tho World's a , 'theatre;' tho Earth a : stage.—Heywood. :" •■'■" , .'..;■ . ' (By . Stlviosl) '.•'■' , ... ''the Climax." ! V : "The Climax," a daringly original play which created.somo stir in' tho artistic world of Now: York w ; lien produced about tho middle of last year, has. been pro-, duced at-Her: Majesty's, ■■ Sydney, overy' afternoon since December 28, so tfo.t tbo Commonwealth raay. now bo said to .pos'Sess an afternoon theatre on the lines, of the London one. "The "Ciima'x"- only employs four people. Adelina. ■ von Hagen (Miss. Florenoe, Young) has come into New. York to have her voice trained, and takes up her residence with the . Golfantis,the older Luigidlr. J. B. Atholwood), her teacher, and a distant , relative, and Pietro (Sir. Dion Titheradge), his son, a fiery.musical genius who: conceives a passion for; Adelina.. Tho fourth ■ character is.Dr. Raymond (Mr/- Reginald . Roberts), who has'.followed ■ towii because, he wishes;.to marry her,,and.because he has views opposed to. a stage lifo fora ,; girl. Much of'.the, charm of the play. , exists in the pictures it presents of apartment life-.. in . New.. York." The. dramatic noto is. struck: -when;. Dr. Raymond -deprives. Adelina of.. the,, rise'- of .her voico by; mental suggestion, and her 'despair at not being able to sing , Pietro's "Song of tho Soul" is so great that she is about to attempt suicido when .the old music master .appears.. When so. bereft .of. lier great gift, she consents, to ■marry. Raymond, arid the preparations f or the marall round. , her, when .seated at; the, piano she finds;.that her. voice hail returned, and Raymond confesscshis part in its.disappearance.; She.declines to forgive him, and turns to her'gift. , of: song. Even • as .Dr/v Raymond, crushed' and heart-sore,' says, farewell, Adelina emits a burst of-ynolody.Vbut as the 'curtain falls she weeps on the old music master's I shoulder; and the impression conveyed is that there is still hope.for the:doctor. : "Considerable;interest (says the "Daily Telegraph") naturally' attached'' to Miss .Florence Young's appearance oh tho dramatic stage as- Adelina. . Miss :Youn's, though not plumbing the depths of the character .very far, succeeded in develop-, ing. its brightness.. and ' humour 'quito, ; deftly, and firmly sounded the noto of pathos, in. ; the'story of tho girl's early experiences in. New York, and that , of; tragic despair in>. the bitter revelation .that her career is over. / The collapse of the voice ■ was adroitlyj-indicated by. Miss■ Young' in tho broken attempts to" run up. Hie; scale.- . The ■ great success "in. "The Climax," however, was ■ achieved by. Mr.J. B. Atholwood, in his performance aa the. , music .teacher,'Luigi Golfanti. Ho secured.-the atmosphere-;of. the piece ar- ; tisfcically. -Theportrait of. the old , man,: 'with beaming face, wisp Of. hair; .and broken. English,.;was remarkably true in his kindly :.simplicity ■ and benevolence; his.childish glee over, a renovated suit.of. clothes, .his pathos .as well as humour.' Mr. Dion. Titberadge had not sufficient dopth as Pietro.'-.' -Indeed, so far from suggesting, an, inspired-musical genius, he .played the role , as a cross-grained young man,., ywho was somewhat matter-of-fact , in ,his love-maliing.. ,Of course, -a , genius may be.cross-erained; but he is something, elsoas -well.. However,'tho amusing scenes over.: the . pupil, .-.were) carried through' briskly,- and the exhibition of passion, at the accusation' levelled by.Raymond against .the'.stage was. fully convincing. Mr. ; Roberts was apt*to..bo-.theatrical as the-i doctor, though ho successfully portrayed emotion , in'.the.scehe. whore Adelina's throat is;being;treated." "C..■,:,'. ■ "The. Great Mrs. jAltoway." ';',^ v ." ''%'■ ?:■:. •' This:.is itho.title -of the' play:,chosen by Miss-Lena Asliwell for,thordisplay;of her fine- dramatio powers at. the Globo Theatre, -London; , : Tho "play, .which has , scored'■a" fair., , success,, is' from , the. pen' of: Mr. Douglas Murray.. "Tho Great Mrs.'. , Alloway;";;say's"the "StariV. dard,"-is; not: a -.pleasant; Etpry'.Vjlt. con-, cerris; Mrs. Hartlaiid,' rich) respected, belo'vcd.'inhbrbeautiful.Sussex homo; Her ■ton''■■George.', is'- 'to - marry, -the -'. : sweeti "daughter -of' tho 'village '.clergyman/ : MrJ.' : l Hartland hates stfariKers, , 'arid will seldom. see.thom. Sho. tells-'her'son" that.'all me'ri nris: villains- whore women : aro cpneeruod,.'! adiuros him.\ to be true .tb;-Ethel, who. is to be his; wife;'■■Theiith'ere arrives from :inaia ; a.'rctired general.-Sir '.Charles Hewitt-Gore,, and , we find that' Mrs. Hartland :is".wearing a ! .dreadful;ring v -with , ."a sinister reputation, in the-'stonb of which there is a. subtlo poison, v : Wo. hear, , top,of the suicide of-a splendid fellow—and , Mrs;.'. Hartland -. faints.-v '' Tho , -''retired goneral discovers that Mrs. Hartlahd is nono other than the', great .Mrs. Alloway, tho 'woinanwho ."blaicdithrough. , India, , ' raining men and-sending .them .'to-their. death; and from this -point the play, held nnd. gripped ;.tha..attention; "-It hadl' all been,' leading; up -.tbi this: < Mrs. .Hartland idolises, her, son".- .'AVhafwill.tho general do?, for'the general-is a relativo of'tho 1 , fianceb. ' The , "mom'ents ! wherein.'; Mrs. Hartland ..waits' for tb'eir rohrrri 'from tho visit ; which , .; she ..knows will .discover, everything, to tho'general "palpitates , '—? for. it is Miss Ashwell'who: was waiting. Her,' uncontrollable delirium of, delight when , the boy dashes'.into tho room,andkisses ;her.was finely, true, for' it'is Miss Ashwell "who was:, expressing varied omotions foms, with that strange, subtle, , tigerish quiehido . of j which she alonoi holds ; the' secret on . tho '■' English stage.'... Tho."general' has told'Georgo,Hartland 'nothing. : : . .-'• '■■''}• :v .'; ; .■'••'. '- '■'■■'■ ■ .''.But-.jthere . followed long, , '.tense scenes betivebri. Sir Cliarles'^and.. the,woman.. Ho insists that .tho-marriage must ba.broken off, as the, price of. his silence. 'She will not submit to tells, him , her, etory.;, : Hcr ruination of men.has been;a set l plan," a , proincditated. revenge against tho,sex'for.the'"'wrong done her. by ono man. ■< It:'was a , very dreadful wrongbut .the; thing is riot, convincing. One does not; believe • in. this kind .of • vengeance—so' illogical and so impossible in a'-woman not: originally base. -.'However, , ' that was tho.reason'of all her■:wickedness, nnd. now;.sho : -has been.' trying, to atone;for many years,-,;arid l .to.-."fprget.; These;scenes, , as;acted: with, all-Miss. Ashwell's Jfierco restraint -and volcanic ■expression, with' her quick, spasmodic ges-' hires, which seem '■ so': natural unprenieditated, and mean : so (siuch, and by Mr.l'rcd Kerr, whose placidity and urbaiiity as the general'.,. do not hide the struggle which tho man is feeling in his. desiro to do right without,: letting the i'wrbng ■' 'go : unpunished—theso ■• scenes, magnificently ; represented, gave to tho pluy.'a certain: attraction,; and were in 'themselves ■'■': '/decidedly. 'stirring and dramatic.; , ; i'-.'."i[--''-' .':'■■; ■ 'v , ;-/; ' V- , -'' ' ;"Lovq in : a; Tangle." ; ;,.;;.;,.: : . .''TJovo'.in a Tangle":(says' the "london Sporting and Dramatic News" of .November 27) could never have. been: thought of. for-regular production;- Its , author, Mr. 11. B. Vogcl (son 'of;'the la to Sir. Julius ■Vogcl),. had writtenifor it -.somo lively 'dialogue, but had constructed , its tlireo acts-.upbri a hackneyed thomo, fit only for a comedietta, , and riot, too fit "for that. TJio "tangle" of its-.hero- and horoino's lovo ;is- made •' entirely; by \ themsei[ves .through: their . fancy.: for. mutually-: concoaling from one; another either who they really aro or what they, really ..feel; , I do not, know whether Mr. :Vpgel. is- a Radical, and ;if that bo tho reason whyhe made titled folk 6'f; nearly all'.'his' , foot ish dramatisipersonne.' Bnt ; l am quito sure, that;his Marquis, and Duchess, his Earl who masqueraded, as : a tutor,, nnd his: Countess who' gave -her heart where sho idared riot givo. her 'hand,:'behaved with- so little;,.common\ sense -thnt. they plight well have, been designed to furnish arguments for. tho abolition, of;the , Houso, of: Lords. far. as 'it had any ascertainable- dramatic ;point, .'tho play was dealing; for at least nn. act nnd u half with a foregone conclusion, at which it. eventually. arrived .by tho jiid of a needless episode-riot Joss forced than ..unconvincing. hoftoyor, .though, "Lovb in a Tangle" was, it was not amateurish in-its , interpretation, except perhaps on the part; df -Miss: Ella Erskiric, whose agreeable intentions ns tho heroine wore occasionally rather awkward in their' execulioii.' Miss Erskinb, however, ox-, hibited most promising .intelligence, while .Sir. Walter I'carco. boro himself' witli manly'caS3in tho Earl's, aimless 'imposture, arid Miss' Mary Wcißall : and Miss Helen: Rous were'hs , natural "as--might bo" in their stiff dowager-'dignities'...- ■■■■'■"■, Pushed Into the Business.: ;: '•: ' ='.' .It was spnicwhat.'by.-.aocident that Mr. Bert Gilbert .(coincdian of. tho'"King of Gadonia" Company) found his , forte. He;comes of ii. stock conucctcd. for,generations with the stage,-his grandfather, C H:. HrizelwopdUthnt: .is tho comedian's real liameVliavins . been: ;i prolific drama; -tut, and his.father a lssste. oud author.

From childhood '< Mr. Gilbert -acted in the company. in which his mother was leading lady,.' Splaying child parts. One . night ho.was, by way of a joke; thrust on in a._ certain piece attired in a. pair of his big brother's.trousers, a very-bald wig,. and a very bushy black beard.. In such gujEo ho suddenly developed "his comedy vein, and has stuck-to it principally ever since. His aim has always been to diversify-his ■ impersonations— never '.to'be the samo in any two, and here his early., training, comprising,, as it did, a full course in the usual stock business, assists him materially. At Home Mr. Gilbert is well known, both.in London and the provinces, especially in Birmingliam and' As: in the pureuit of his OTofession, so in the fol : lowing up of his hobbies, , the comedian is nothing if not thorough. His pet hobby is photography, in connection with which he is naturally' proud of, a bronze medal and other awards ho has, sained; for his \?ork. He always "travels" four cameras, and his time out of.doors'is , largely occupied in snap-shotting." Painting; ' versifying, and- music fill- in such spare'time.;as falls to Mr. .Gilbert's lot, and, curiously enough,, his-muse,is , a serious one, as tho ballads he has published Wsitify. 1 ; ,0n : the- stag«, ■. then, .he looks, as it. were, iupoa the.funny side : of'things;" and-off , 'the stage -'he .takes - a .' genial outlook upon life and enjoys its. recreative side. Mr..'Gilbert,,who on the occasion of his last visit to New.Zealand, met with-an accident.that-incapaci-. tatcd him for.soriie;.wecks.'is nowintbe best of health.—"HeraW.',' ;.'.;.' Miss '.Madge M'lntosh, • lately starred by Meynell and Gnrin;, through Australia 'and-New Zealand, is in the London caste; of "Tho Groat Mrs. Alloway," in which, tho.titlo role is.:.played by Miss Lena! Ashwell.■''.-. "" ."' '•■':,:'.'■;. •--:.':-' ~ •■'.■..'; ■ Mr.' Seymour Hicks produced, on November' 22 at the London Hippodrome' ■ "Mitislaw, or tho Chancellor's Ruse," -a. light Viennese musical domedy, . written by Franz Lehar, the composer of "Tho Merry. Widow." ■, Miss Zona ■ Dare, as the Princess, Maurice Earkoa as: the Prince, and John Lo Hay as tho Chancelloivwere in the cast,, and a success .was scored. . ■ Mr. Henry Kolker : writes me.from Detroit, Michigan,. that ho is. on tour ; with" Nagimovn, the great Polish , actress. Ho hopes to appear as,a."star" in Eugene l Walter's new play, "The Last Muster, ; > about, tho middle of January. .•'•;; •■: ■ ; ; ■■. "Mr. Arthnr Wontner, as Glcorge.:Hart- ,; land, proves;himself ; t0..b0.a ;youu'g. actor 1 of. resource, .variety, naturalness, , ,, ; arid, quiet strength—lib: will go .far, and : . is quite one of. the imost.prbmisinp: of :tho; generation 'laiocking at the door.'" ..This : in-the London "Standard" of Mr., Arthnr !■ Wputner. in.."The Great Mrs. .Alloway" (a :new , play by''■Mγ;'.Douglas Murray) r an actor who supported -llr. 'Julius ~' Eui2ht.ihyNew r Zealand:two'. years ago.,'