THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 948, 15 October 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

' ' •" oThe World's a theatre; the Earth a stage.—Hcywood. • ;V (By Syi.vius.) The Next Dramatis Attraotion. After ail that has been said and written about Clyde .Fitch's sentimental idyll, "Lover's Lane," there is bound to be a lively,interest-in : its advent in Wellington on Thursday fortnight, particularly, as thocasto on.that occasion will include such popular stage favourites as Mr. Harry P.limmcr, Reynolds Denniston, Lizette Parkes, 'and ' Mrs. Robert- Brough. The play 'has been well received in Auckland, where no fewer than ten performances : were given. A featuro of the performance is the celebrated children's scene, , "sweet' enough to attract' all the mothers in the country," said one writer. This made such a hit in Auckland that letter after letter appeared in the Auckland _ papers asking the management to give a matinee performance. This took place on 'Wednesday last (Labour Day),'and was a . great success. How could it be : otherwise with Lizette Parkes /as,;' the .'tomboy Simplicity Johnson, wliom Parson Singleton takes in hand to tame, when all' the world :'has let ! her slip. ' There has been a good deal of conjecture as to the whence of the name, "Lover's Land." It should : bo explained that love is the . most powerful motive in the play— everybody loves somebody, and all the world love's a lover,'" and as' the action .of the'play:'resolves'- round'.the Rev. Thomas Singleton down the lane, the primrose path, which ileads to' : tho little • village church is .called Lover's Lane. A'point is'made of ; emphasising the simple beauty of the'name in two ex- . quisiteljvpaiyted scenes representing the Lane in : autumn and spring, iutb which Mr; Whaite,: the Sydney.artist, has put the best work of his life. During the Sydney season these: scenes used .to got rounds, of- applause 1 all ..to- themselves.' An advertisement in this . issue draws attention to the dates 011 which' "Lover's: Lan 6" will be produced in the towns between New Plymouth and Weilington. . ... ' .' The London Dramatic Season. : " ; "Gordon Inglis" ;(from London to the. "Bulletin'-')Managers here, .011; .the whole,_ did well during -1909-10 (the theatrical year starts with September).. •Forty-iiiiie. iiew\ plays .of, two. or, more' : acts,.were ;.produced,, 10 musical-.plays,. 26 one : act shows, and-four pantomimes. There were 38 revivals. ;" "Our ' Miss Gibbs" 'and' "The Arcadians" are still going, strong in ",tlieir ,'second, year, while other good 'runs •' wero put • up by; "The •' Blue Bird" (274 nights), "The Brass Bottle (244), "Don" (208) "Arsene Lupin" (199), "The Little. Daniozel'.' ".- (191), "The Balkan Princess" (176),-."Smith", (168) . .'.'The House of Tempbrley" '(161);-"'?' Alia- -Jimmy.'. Vil-; : entine" (150))! - ."The iWb.ip," -"The Dol-. Jar • Princess,"- "Tantalising Tommy," and "The Bad Girl of the Family" all have a kick left; In- revivals,. Fred. Terry, and Julia Neilson added 154' nights to. the vast-total of "The Scarlet Pimpernel," and George -Alexander, after soino unprofitable ventures,; has> found financial -peace in Oscar' .Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest."' Shakespeare - has , had a slump. In 1908-9 the, total.;.number of performances of tlio. Immortal- Bill's .plays"was 213, ,and in .1909-10 .140—"King : Lear"(35),. "Merchant of Venice"- (33), "Richard III" : : (2§),' and ; ','Tlie' : Merry Wives- of Windspr" (14)' being the favourites.,l:;: ' Australia's Santuzzas. •,' Strahge,*- isu't 1 : it p •i'*! a"Sydney: paper) Madame Calye,/the original ;Saiitiizza .in'"Cavalleria.Rusticanaj'-,- will , at- tliei. Town jHall • Hvhile-the; Mascn^i.;ppera;, : [formed: at-tliefTheatre Royal;, with.; Amy. Castles, an Australian, >in the - principal part: . We : haven't' liad;."Rustic--Chiv-: :alry!'-T-t6i. giv.e -.the: ; opera "its English - hame-T-iii. Sydney, since 1.1901'. -, -V:-' '1 ■; wfjll'.',remember.;- the • performance noted/ • Sigilorina :Bassich, a' magnetic little';, black-hwred jroirian;i;;:and,^L'arritzaj.,',the big: dramatic tenor, was 'Turridu; v> Bas- ■ ;teich/intensity, -hor-calnr-impassive .malignity" fascinating 'like thebasilisk staroof aboa' constrictor. It mado oiio shiver, -and by comparison, t.TurriduVeemed'a'big,.blulf,'' . healthy' -schoblboyVHo; had; a''»vibrant declamatory' 'te'hbr,\ whiph .''fpUsed .; , ; t-ho :aUdiehce. 'like ■' a*; series; ' of I"'galvanic' shocks.. Dani .wis a member of the sdme company,- but' his '.voice served for "Lucia," '"Rigoletto," and lighter- romances. • ' • Miss Ceorglna Delmaiv ' . , : Among the'''artists who 'have ,arrived, quietly in', Australia'-—they usually come; with .a;clamour':oftrumpet's—isiGeorgina'Dolmar (Mrs. H: Winsloe'Hall);who ; appears- to'. have ' succeeded , Signo'rina 'Maria Pampari, as one of the .'prima: donnas',with - the: Grand Opera. Company'; even' as Reginald Roberts has succeeded John Zerga. Miss Delmar is evidently a- vory versatile, artist, for on turning up her career, I find that though she has appeared ill grand opera (secondary roles) and with the (Uarl Rosa Company, most of 1 her work has been in ljglit:',opera—in-jS.uch roles as Norah iri i "Shamus O'Brien," the. Bettina in "La Mascotte," VMddle.' Lange in "La Fille," and Madame All-. got.. In- later , years she toured i ':in "Madame Sherry" and "The Duchess of, Dantzic," under , Geo. Edwards's management. In 1905-6 she was principal boy in the Manchester pantomime, and the same at . Birmingham a year later. Yet her repertoire- includes "Carmen,''' which she has been, playing successfully in Sydney, with the ,Grand' Opera Company. A Twelve-Foot Hat. - Nellie Stewart will have to increase the sizo of her cart-wheel hat in "Sweet Nell of Old Drury." Miss' Violet Halls, an American comic opera artist, has had a hat made , with 'a, brim twelve feet 'in'- diameter. • When the curtain goes up she stands with her head bent, forward, so that the audience sees nothing but the flower-decked top of the hat, which acts "as a screen, hiding her completely. -Then she lifts lifer head revealing vherself . : in'..'a. '''stunning'.' cos--1 tunic,; with tho : eriprmoui.hat -brim be- • ;: imi.\W'i'*'(backcrp«nd.V. This hat is used in music-hall "turns. , Croat Theatrical Season. ' 'Smith,"i Somerset Maughan's latest ' play, is to, be produced by Mr. John : Drew, in New York duriiigtho season now approacliirig. W. H; - Crane will appear in a now George' Ado comedy, ! entitled".' 1 "U.S." Minister, Jackson." ! Under ■ Belasco's -.management David Warfield (famous for his "Music Mas- • t'er") will appear: in', a new character study aiid possibly as Shj'lock in "The Merchant." Blanche .Bates will appear , in a now comedy by Avery Hopwood, 011- : titled "Nobody,'s Widow." "Le Scandale," a brilliant play from the pen of Henry Bataille, will see ICyrle Bellew as a head-liner again. Otis Skinner will satisfy the demand for more of "Your Humlile Servant," and when a-.succes-sor is needed it will be ."Sire," a transcription from the French of Henri Lavpdan. Pinero's brilliantly writtenbut only partially successful play "MidChannel" will bo exploited by Miss Ethel Barrymore. Miss Bessie Abbott will star in Mascagni's opera "Yso'uel." Billio Burke will continue as "Mrs. Dot," and the "Blue Bird" will be produced at the new theatre with Mar-

gucnte Clarko- in tho chief role. Southern, Julia Marlowe and ltobt. Mantell (who it was rumoured was to visit Australia this .year) will .moot the demand for Shakespeare, • and Arnold Daly' will sensationally deserlj Sham for Shakespeare. lie is to wrestle with "Ilainlet" for no particular reason. Fritzi Scliofl' is to appear in a musical version of "Trilby," and that delicious artist, Marie Tempest, is to appear in "A Thief, in the Nighi;." Wm. Gillette, James K. Hackett, Madame Naziinova, Hattio Williams, Hilda Spong, and Helen Waro aro also included in the list of "stars" who are to. scintillate this season. ■ A Modern Morality Play. Unique among dramatic waitings is Walter Browno's "Evciywoman,"' a modern morality play soon to he produced by Henry W. -Savage.'.. Suggested by tho famous fifteenth century morality, "Everyman," which attracted such great attention: a few seasons ago jn America and in England, this remarkable effort strikes into an entirely, untrod field. It deals with the daily life of Everywoman, a character designed to typify tho sex,as.a whole, carrying her through many and varied experiences—and concluding with' her wonderful discovery, the discovery that is the moral-of the drama. The play will call for a very large cast 1 a\id an exceedingly elaborate' scenic equipment.; Competent judges who ,have examined the manuscript predict that "Every- . woman" . will create a sensation.— "Theatre Magazine." It is announced from Belgium that three private performances of "Mary Magdalene," a translation by Mr. Alex- , under Teixeira de Matton from M. Maeterlinck's play,will be given in London in the'coming winter. '