THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 775, 26 March 1910, Page 14

THE THEATRE.

•IrKo World's: a,' theatre; the ; Earth' a ;•-..■■;stage.—Heywood.- . / ■'-'.'

(Bi SiLvros.)

; ; »»Peter Pan" To-nighti .Those ,who have made arrangements .to be present at,the first production : of J. M. Barrie's beautiful play, "Peter. . - '? an ," at the Opera House,this evening V; -must.leave their years and cares 'at ... home, and forget'that they have ever ~: grown' up. Not that "Peter Pan".' is wholly and solely a piay for children, ,: or is' in the least' like a: pantomime. . Barrie could never write -what we are '•/asked to accept as pantomime. He : .-invests, everything with a delicacy of :,: ; fancy: and a•' dainty ' sentiment that '■~., .makes- a subtle appeal to all. The :' magic that is in his ideas extends to his language. Those who have seen his "Admirable Crichton" > and "Quality Street" will know what I mean when I say, that the Barrie charm permeates , ; . : '"Peter Pan." It is a ;dreain play,.in .which Mr. Barrio has:endeavoured to set upon the stage the wonderful imag- , rnings of Darling children when : asleep. Petor.iPan is a Puck-like boy,-who en- ■ itersrthe children's room in search of ' his shadow, which has .been cut off, and induces the children to accompany him to the_ Never-Never-Never Land, where .they, live in a house built in thetree- ; tops,: and fight the bold, bad pirates under the one-armed Captain' Hook, a pernicious person who is haunted by a fearsome crocodile. There .are Indians, to<>--good Indians,, who are, Peter's. friends, and who. fight Captain "Hook, the captain being finally thrown into '.-.': the. jaws of the crocodile by clever 'Peter. But this'. tells' you nothing of. •;;. Nana; the'dog;'-', of the' Six Lost' Boys,; .: of sweet little Tinker Bell, the fairy, ; and a host :;of interesting; people who. :'. inhabit the wonderland of children's ; dreams. They must be seen to be ap- ■■■. predated. Mr. Thomas Kingston will > double the parts ofiMr. Darhng arid .. .Captain Hook.'and Miss Lizette Pnrkes, .'. a "star" for the nonce,, will be Peter,: '■tho boy who would never grow lip. The . iplay: is .said to be superbly mounted, ■.'.'.. and the contingent of little ones who will act the'dream have been most care- _> fully coached, in their part's. ,; "Peter ■, .Pan" is bound to please in Wellington.

The Repertory theatre. 7 7 -Our theatre in Wellington is a repertory theatre perforce, which is to say that' each company .that comes along knows perfectly: well: that it has ;to bring two or three plays;to last but a season, say, of a'fortnight.. So that the term repertory theatre has no special , significance in -this part of the world.' In.London, however, the aim and ambition of managers is to.; get told of a piece that will run—the longer 'the better. There is agrowing idea toth in London and - New York that these long runs are'not in the,best interests of the drama as a phase of art, And that; it would be better—for: actor 83 well as ;' the public—if, more •; frequent'changes of the bill wore made. The idea:is really;.a.reversion .to-the methods of; the old •; stock repertory companies, with -this ..difference .' that those/at the head, of...;the movement lave* definite ideals as to the class of play' to be produced. Mr. Charles iFrohman.is .initiating' the-' repertory theatre at ■' the .Duke of York's; Lon;do.n, and it. is so far,advanced on the ;ioad to realisation: that "he has announce^di:his'..programme, -which • is truly, >a,■ wonderful one.'. '■'■ Here ' it:is als: Pinero's ■'■ 'Amazon,"- "Trelawney of' the Wells," and "Iris"; Barrie's "Qualify Street,"; "The Admirable ; Crichton," - and /'What Every - Woman' Knows"; Bernard Shaw'sj "Man and Bupenttaiii!' ■'• "Mawit Barbara"; ..and., Dainma"'; -. Mr; GraS '.rille Barker's,:'! "The Voysey >,Inheritance" and "Prunella"; Mr. Gals"Strife"7 and "The Silver, Box";' Mr. Haddon' Chambers's;"The" Tyranny of Tears"; and wMr. -John /Masefield/s "The Tragedy of Man." '.-New. : . plays: "The -Sentimentalists,"; a comedy by. George Meredith,; not fin-' ished, ■ but, ■ as' it.'stands,' 'complete enough for production; "The Outcry," toy Henry: James;..':' Professor..;,- Gilbert Murray's translation of "Iphigenia in Aulis"; "Justice". and : 'The , Eldest Son," both by Mr. Galsworthy; "Misalliance,", by Mr. Bernard Shaw;' "The' Madras House,". by. Mr. .Granville Barker ; : two .oneict. plays by Mr." rßarrie;'■ new plays by.'Mr. W. S. Maugham and Mr. John Masefieldj/'and.','Chainsj"-by : Miss' Elizabeth .-Baker. . The _ season opens t with '"Justice,'': which 'will have .'five performances in the first week, and will: be followed, intheisame week, by' ."Misalliance." u The' first three weeks .will include twenty-four performances of six new plays.. A'fixed .company of first-lass .actors'and "actresses,has been engaged. , They will idrm.' a nucleus to • be.. added to as occasion arises for a particular player for ia particular part. Tie "producers" are Mr. .Dion Bou'cicault and Mr. Granville Barker. . :>■-. ;■

Williamson's Crand Opera.Company. Williamson's 7 Grand , Opera i Com-: pany..- commences Its career at the .-. Royal,; Sydney,; this evening in Puccini's " Madame Butterfly." An attractive cast has been arranged. On Saturday, nesday, ' and Friday the ■ cast will.' be as follows:—Oho OhoSan,'Bel. Sorel; Pinkerton, Johu : Yerga;: Sharpies, Antonio Yanelli.. On Tuesday, and Wednesday (matinee) and Thursday the parts ' will be; aHabbed, as follow:—Oho Oho San, Amy Castles; -Pinkerton, Fredk.: Blarney; Sharpies, Yanelli. Mt. Arthur Crane is to sing'the' part- of Sharpies at. the matinee. The oompany,will visit New .Zealand about July or .August—before the Melbourne sea:son:; ■ ■ '!.-■'. --.-7""- ; ; ,'" ■ Notes.' ;.'.-; 'Mr. Percy Clifton, who is to appear in |The Arcadians" 'at Melbourne during Easter, has made; a reputation both: as a ; character actor and a" comic opera comedian. One of the parts in wnich he figured prominently' was the "Cough Drop" in "Two Little Vagabonds." On the occasion of the London company visiting St. Petersburg to produce a number of the gaiety pieces, Mr. Percy Clifton, Mr. G. P. Huntley, and Mr. George Graves were the three character comedians engaged. At the.Hotel Cecil, London, a few weeks. back, Mr.' Patrick Kirwan addressed members of the Playgoers' Club and friends on the subject of "Vulgarity on. the Stage." The public, said Mr. Kirwan, was doing its best to make actors' and actresses vulgar. • A congress formed of the'most vulgar people in the community, and calling itself Society, had welcomed the acters and actresses into tho charmed circle, and as the latter were as a rule "the most innocent and childlike of beings," many had.been«weptinto the insidious . net. ■'....

Miss Beatrice Holloway will appear' with the Allan Hamilton-Max. Maxwell Dramatic Company in their opening piece, "Woman and Wine," at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, this evening. !Miss Holloway-will play tho part of Mary" Andrews, in which she had a great success five years- ago. with the Holt Company. The company includes most of the members of the Holt Company—Mr. Arthur Styan, Mr. Charles Brown, Miss Jennie Pollock, and Miss Mabel Russell. . ■

.Miss Olivo Lcnton, the pretty little Serio, who went Home about four years ago and has done ■ remarkably well, is now on her way to Australia, under ■ engagement to Mr. Harry Rickards. She is "starring" in a musical scena entitled "Harvest Time," written for, her by Mr. Geo. Hall, formerly con--Buctor of the Royal Comic .Opera Co.