THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 740, 12 February 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

'^ l 0 .World's a theatre; : the. ..Earth astage.—Heywood. :

(By SriiVius.) . - Actress and Field-Marshal. : Lord Kitchener just missed' seeing Hiss Beatrice Dny'in "A Royal Divorce" in Sydney. : Ths Field-Marshal and the acti'ess met in South Africa during: the Boer Y/ar. ' . Chatting a few days ago, tho actress said: ."I- mcfc Kitchener through General. Tucker. We were allowed to set people into tho conquered territory, w u r - rfc , Fleming got our. company together, and played forty-four weeks in. 'Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Bloeinfonteui. Wlule in' the last-named town we were not permitted to leave the outposts tor six months, and our Wednesday afternoons, instead of being devoted to matinees, were, given over to 'the .convalescent hospital, for . which concerts, and t entertainments were, carried: oiit. -Uunng tho war I had an experience I 1 shall not -readily ; forget. My little son nn d I travelled over 100 miles in a Cape cart, .with only a Basftto boy. We went om* whicli is just outside Jjauysmith, driving-eight miles—no road, and hardly a track.' oUl i_second visit to Johannesburg,« Wilson Barrett was appearing in. one , theatre, _and our. company was at' fthe other. The .theatre was bought for nights, and the seats were put up for auction at the Stock Exchange, the pro-' ceeds going to the Institution for the Jmpenal _ Light. Horse and: the South Afri3J°rse. : Lord AFilner and his 'ataft .were present, and Lord Kitchener ti;ayened T from Pretoria for the .second l 1 1?:! « - ii honour of receiving them." v '.'Lord Kitchener' has a very strong lace a face -in which every nerve . is alive—anil lie has tho most wonderful eyes." ; .-Being., tall, his'appearance .'is very commanding, and ;he stands out .as ■a" man among-men. I don't think he is a woman-hater; in fact,.: I P.m':siire -he is i notße. hates ..women' only wiien.thoy interfere with; war,. and I don't- blame uim...' " ... v. .' . .. -, . /,.. Comedy Unrehearsed.'' / George Grossmitli was two-and-sixty on December .8, and, .whilp,.we, congratulate him;, we ought to pour a. libation to the memory of Sullivan, who discovered him and gave him to .'tho theatre-going world! (observes a London writer). "Sing that as .'loudly as'you can," said the composer,; striking D. in: tho treble. "G.G." ? a y°- invoice.,."Now .sing is John Wellington Wells,"' : said Sullivan. "G'.G;" did., "If- you can do. that, 'you can do tho rest,'-/ said Stf W. S.- Gilberts collabbrateur, and forthwith he allotted him .the part in "The' Sorcerer"which .brought him to fame ' via the Savoy, i.-"G.G."...'never.- made'-a mistake but once, and, that was when; pressedyfor .time, ;.hp dressed^in a cab. while/driving' to an engagement. He saw .a crowd pouring out .of a ,brilliantly-lighted building, and 'concluded .that; it was, his audience,! disappointed, at his non-appearance. '"Go -back!/Go. back!' ItV all ;.right, 'George ■Grossinitli. is liere!" he shouted through the: cab window. ■: Too lato he. discovered, that' his supposed. audience was a congi-e-, gationleaving, chapel. .; /■....

"All Right, My Boy." . Various personal reminiscences are contributed by Lewis Waller to the'.Deceni-ber.."Strand,.-Magazine." As with so many other successful- actors, the stage. f :to.' ; havo ha'd ,an. overwhelming- attraction for ;;him'.front .the'-first.' ! All other occu- ; pati'oiis-WCTe/'irksonie, and;nothing would. ! do.;but::''the".boards." He describes tho•,enthi}siasm with which', he threw up a. .'commercial' life ; ::for : h'is /first- chance: <be- , ■ 'forft thP!footlights.'-.He it' part'iii'Toole's Theatre' iii' London.'' ' "1' was oil fire, .and .bent.'on-making tlio most of the!: opportunity.' . I.', went .back! ' )iP to keep .the ,appointment. ; Jiiat'wasjmaap'for nie, and'-, rehearsed, the. :-pai'6 loh'J.feblarik stage ) W.. fcy .-.'ability;-: At- tho!eiid r ' of ./tlio/'first;. '. .scene,.,to'-iiiy. overwhelming; delight,' Jack \ ;Billiiigtoh;;'came -up to me; and patted- ;mo' - en. the :^ipulder.'',;! ! All rig4t,'my;boy,',.wris , nis j kinalj'.'s eiicburaging > j remark,; rf.'ypifll do.'?-Jl'ho'words-were'few,but to me they :exp^esscd'^even'thii!'g > - for; did they I. iiot mean; that at -last itho moment had ar-' rived; wbon'l,could;burn my"boats aiid' devote' ''all /my' future,, energies to:' the .stage? I ■retuj'ned/hoine feeling'as if' I. wore! treading on air,.'and! a few nights' later," in -March,' ,1883, I .made my .first—. 'professionals-appearance." .;; ,j;;. ■• ./ Notes., • • .' ' '; ! !!v!,

;Tiie. author .of.;" The Little Damozel," the -. latest success iit Wyndham's.;Theatre, .Loudon, .which had' thd honour of receiyiug a.. Royal "command" a, few days after production,' is a. yoimg/Irishman: iof. twenty-eight, named Mr. ; Monekton :Hpffc, who,- ten .years ago, .ran away ' to London; as lie; did not wi6li ;to enter the priesthood (says; .a London, exchange). He secured an engagement .with a travelling theatrical' company: at.'a/salary, of/one guinea; ;per, week. v= Since then -he has, played;every, kind of part, and of recentyears has" travelled the .small towns with his : own, companies, jbut; being embarrassed by ' the, payment of authors? fees, decided to write liis own plays'. ■; This was the-origin, of ."Tho, Little .Damozel," tho writing of :wliich! was commenced! on Jan-..uary.-l and completed'on January 31; last.. ' Even millionaires are .unable 5 by 'their, great :wealth\to secure harmony among theatrical stars; Two of .the leading members of the millionaires' .theatre conipaiiy in New York' have .resigned. -Probably it was discovered' to bo impossible to find; two ; lines of! type each of which would, lie/bigger than the .other for the names of the.principals; on the;play-bills. ; :An;illusion''of. lingering,youth;is lent by tho modern method, of shaving clean. So nccesstu'j'.is this quality; in some' ■worlds -that .George Alexander and Lewis Waller '.have discarded beards ..they adopted in ."Lorrimer Sabiston" and "Sir' Walter. "Raleigh." . , Prank Richardson, who liiis become his own disciple by , tak/iiig':oft';'pveh!'his ,moustacho; claims' to havo been the depiliitatpr .in each case. ■, ;!'' .Rutland:BiiTringtori: is a.man of..'few;, words.; Going into a music-shop to- buy. 'for.,'a.' present the" score of one, of; the Savoy operas, lie said to the assistant in his quiet way:," 'Mikado' libretto.". Tho salesman frowned. .• "What's that?" ,lie asked.;-' ".'Mikado' libretto," repeated the other.! "Mo 110 speakee Italiano," said the assistant, shaking-'.his head. A one-act-play, "The Knife," written by Henry Arthur Jones; (writes a.London- . contemporary), ivill ,be produced - by.'Al,fred Biitt in the Palace Theatre. This is tho first time that one of pnr leading dramatists . ha£ .-writtep for the . variety stage, aiid great interest is being taken in .the.' fact that. Violet Vaubrugh and Arthur . Bou'r'chier. will make their first appearance oil a music-halL stage. In a recent friendly cricket match, His Majesty's versus' the Theatre 'Royal, played in Melbourne recently, Mr. Oscar Asche made' top . score for the . He; lifted the|"'first. ball 'clean, out of tho ground for six, and, displaying all the vigour and force that ho ■ exerts as "Othello" and "Count Hannibal," won the ,match for his side. , "Where Children Rule," by Sydney Blow and' Douglas Hoare, is a children's play-that was produced with great success at the Garrick Theatre, London, at Christinas. , • "The City," the / latest, play by' the late Clyde Pitch, lias been produced in New' .York with enormous success. It is written down as tho dead, draiiiatist's greatest play. ■ ; .

The:iiaine "Melba" was, coined for Mrs. Armstrong, of Melbourne, when she made her. dobut as an opera singer, at Brussels iii. 168". Now (says the Sydney "Sunday Time's") wo havo "a young singer in

the comic opera line who is professionally known , jfiss - Maio Sydua. It should go without ;saying that Miss Sydna is. a Sydney girl/ She is tho daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Atkins Peach. Having Iteon engaged, for the. new Clarke and Meynell .Comic Opera Company, Hie lyric soprano is now on her way-out from, England. Soon, after her voice attracted attention iii Sydney three or four, years ago, Miss Peach was sent to London, and there she went'through the full course of. study, including opera, lit the Royal College of Jiusie. Towards the end of'last year the young, lady ' sang at -a .fashionable "at h0m0,"., and tile offer of, a gcod engagement by the Clarke and Meynell. manage- . rnent followed.