SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 775, 26 March 1910, Page 10

SOCIAL AND PERSONAL.

"Peter Pan" in Wellington—An Interview. -. - "Peter Pan" is a person with' whom we all feel that we are acquainted. We know him as well as wo do "Hamlet," and, indeed, save for the fact that J M. Barrio was more successful than Shakespeare in keeping his play free from familiar quotations, it might, be said that "Peter Pan" enters more into tho talk of to-day than "Hamlet" does. Even to the shops be comes, and lias there not been a, great vogue for. "Peter Pan" bags, as for "Peter Pan" collars, while we are all.so well trained in the proper thing to, do, when we are asked whether we believe in fairies,' that as 0119 walks down the street now and sees tho question staring out from a hoarding it is hard : to refrain 'from actually clapping ' there-'.in the public road, though no doubt one would greatly alarm the horses and the unlettered passer-by in doing so. It did not seem at all strange, but, on the contrary, made/one feel reminiscent, to be sitting iftptilie back of the stage on a huge black*gun, on Thursday night, while the first dress rehearsal

was in progress, a scaly crocodile'lying at one's feet, with cruel jaws wide open, and the most horrifying, blood-curdling pirates pacing restlessly up and down, in bravery of blue and white and crimson, just waiting a chance to pounce upon their prey, while from theifrontof tho stage one could hear children's happy, excited voices and. the tinkle of the fairy's bell. After a while they came off, the children in their night clothes, and such a pretty girl is Wendy no wonder the lost children wanted,her to be their mother. Last of all came "Peter Pan" himself, a charming, gallant,, slim little figure, in brown hose and red leather jer- . kin, with the most ravishingly inconsequent little cap of brown ivy leaves and red feather, perched on his elfish,, curly head—surely a Peter that Barrie would have.recognised.with pleasure.. But when the play is going on "Peter Pan" is altogether too elusive-to be. captured for a moment, and it was not till the next day that he could talk about himself, and of course by that time he was a pretty, charming •' girl with her hair down. Young as she looks, and probably Miss Lizette P.arkes is the youngest "Peter Pan" that'thero has been, she has already been on the stage, she solemnly declares, for eleven years, and she says it with such an air. of good faith that one believes her, incredible'though it seems. '.'''■' She has been hero before with a Meynell and Gunn company, when she played the part of Nello in "Her Love Against the World," a part in which she'made a distinct success. She'has been in musical comedy as well, and it was she who, when Meynoll and Gunn produced the "Belle of Mayfair," with an English actress' as, the BelleY was called upon at four days' notice to' fill that position herself, and played the part through Molbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide with great success. It was at comparatively short notice that she was called upon to take the part of "Peter Pan," and the company generally havo had very little time to study the fantastic story. Those who know Miss Parkes's work are inclined to think that she will make a much greater success of it than Miss Tittel Brune did, and she certainly looks tho part., To-night Miss Parkes plays "Peter Pan" for the first time, and of course it is too soon for her to be able to say much about it, but as she chats about the play and the witchery of it, it is evident that she has fallen under tho author's spell. When Miss Brune was playing "Peter" in Australia, Miss Parkes was always engaged on her own work, so she has never seen the play, and she gives an entirely new conception of the part, which means a good deal, for, as one can understand, there is no mortal counterpart of "Peter," and he has to be invented. "Boys' parts require a'great deal of study," says Miss Parkes, "and you have to keep constantly noticing boys to see how they do things, and what their little characteristic tricks are. 'Peter,' of course, is not an ordinary boy. He is an elfish being, like no boy one ever saw. He is possessed throughout the play with one -dea—the dread of ever growing up. It is in his mind the. whole time, and it bothers him dreadfully when the lost boys beg him to he their fathor, as Wendy is to bo their •mother. If ho does that it meanß he will have to be grown up, and 'Peter' cannot bear tho thought. There are practically no songs in the piece except a little snatch that Wendy sings, and another of -Peter's, but there are several, dances. Right at the beginning, you know,.Peter does a shadow dance, as he chases his shadow and trios to fasten it on with a piece of soap. Some of the things in the play are—well, you know, Barrie does know how to, touch the feelings, and when Peter talks in his odd way about the love that ho has never known, and when he says good-bye to Wendy, it is just a little too pathetic." It is not all pathos in "Peter Pan," the story of tho boy who had a boy's ideal" good time, and who makes his clidd audiences love him. The actresses who have played the part, most successfully. Miss Maud Adams and Miss Paulino'Chase, are quite grown up, and yet they have entered delightfully into the boyish part, and one fools that Miss Parkes's youth and buoyancy of disposition should go far towards making her rendering of tho part-a very successful one._ She is looking forward to playing to crowds of children, and does hope they will enjoy the story—why, surely. J ,

Balls and bocials will now bo the order of the day, and the greatest problem, which is always hard to solve, is soiue-l-hmf? that will put a Rloss on the floor, and this lias how been found in a preparation called Mazurka Ball Room Floor Polish, and is applied bv simply sprinkling the preparation around the room. It causes 110 dust, and gives a beautiful polish. It is sold only.in tins at Is. and 2s. each, solely by Frank Shaw, ChemistOptician, Medical Hall, Manners Street, aid Tho Cecil.Buildings, Lamb ton Quay.

A Scholastic Appointment. The announcement which comes through a Press Association cable.that Miss A. AV. Whitelaw, of Auckland, has been appointed head-mistress of Wycombe Abbey School will "give great satisfaction to those women in NewZealand who are interested in education, for the position is one of the most important ones open to a woman teacher, and ttie fact that a New Zealander has secured it is most gratifying. Miss A. Whitelaw at present holds the position of head-mistress of the Auckland Girls' Grammar School. She is an '. educationist of great ability.. Her career has been one of uninterrupted success, and ■sho is now to assume control of one of the most important girls' schools in the Empire. Miss Whitelaw was educated in Auckland, and was, for nine years, attached to the school of .which she has just been appointed, being house mistress for six years. When the Auckland College and Grammar School was into two sections, she was chosen from a large list of applicants to undertake the work of organising and controlling the girls' section, and, during the three and a half years whicli she has acted as head-mistress, splendid, work has been accomplished. The Wycombe Abbey' School, to which she now returns, was founded by Miss Dove in 1896. The school is limited in number to about 230 pupils, all boarders, and these are divided into eight houses, all in tho grounds, which are some 33 acres in size. Excepting Cheltenham, tho school is tho largest girls' boarding school in England. Miss Dove, before that, had been for many years head-mistress of St. Leonard's, a large boarding-school for girls in St. Andrews, Scotland and in 1898 she gave up her work there to; found in England a school of the same type—' a school to do for- girls what Eton and Winchester arc .dojng for boys. High Wycombe, whore tho school is situated, is in Buckinghamshire, and is a small town half-way between London and Oxford. The school' is owned by a company—the Girls' School Company —and governed by a council. Miss Dove's resignation will be a great loss to education in, England, for she ranks as one of those who followed closely on the steps of the great pioneers of girls' education—Miss Buss and Miss Beale—and she most certainly has been the founder of schools of this tvDe for girls. There are now seveial others in England, but Wycombe Abbey still holds its place in the very first rank. Miss Dove about two years ago was elected Mayoress of Wycombe, an appointment ;that aroused great interest throughout England. An Afternoon Tea. A "cup and saucer" tea was given on Wednesday afternoon by Mrs. Berry, of M'lntyre Avenue, to Miss Nettie Levestam, whose marriage takes place on Saturday. A very pleasant time was spent, a guessing competition causing a good deal of amusement.'" During the afternoon musical items rendered by Miss Levestam and Miss Elsie Chapman were greatly enjoyed. was dressed in a. dainty pink muslin with a floral sash, the guest of;the .afternoon wearing a cream directoire costume, with heliotrope oriental trimming, and a -black hat trimmed with heliotrope velvet ribbon. . Among the guests were Mesdamcs Jessup (Ohakune), Jones, Levestain, Tolan, and Small (England),;

'"• Dr. Rosa Collier, the lady doctor of Clinton, has taken Dr. Ina Dugleby, of Napier, into partnership. Miss Whitaker leaves to-day for Kaponga, where she will be the guest of Mrs. Maclagan. ■ Mrs. H. H. Beetham, of Brancepeth, and Mrs. N. Beetham, of "Highmoro," Lansdowne, left on "Wednesday on a trip to Rotorua. "■ ; On Thursday morning Miss Ethel Garland, of the BtafE of the Government Printing-Office, was married to Mr. 1 Deare, of the same staff. The wedding took place at St. John's Manse, the Rev. Dr. Gibb officiating. ' Miss Davy and Miss Harriet Davy* of Wadestown, leave Wellington next week on a trip to England. They are to join the Orsona at Adelaide on her next voyage Home. . Mr. Tregear, Secretary' for Labour, and Mrs. Tregear are spending Easter in Napier. ' ; The following visitors are staying at the Columbia Private Hotel, Dower Cuba Street:—Mr. and Mrs. Dannevirke; Mr. R. Johnston, Haweraj Mr. and Mrs. Higginson and son, and Misses Higginson (2), W'anganui; and Mrs. and Miss Markey, Sydney. Mr. Thomas Fitzsimmons, accompanied by his wife, leaves by the s.s. Arakura on a return visit to Hokitika, West Coast, after an absence -of seventeen years. Mr. Fitzsimmons was manager of tho lithographic department of the "West Coast Tunes" for overi twenty-six years.