THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1037, 28 January 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth a stage—Heywood.

(By Sylvius.)

rheatras and Thoatro Building. When recently in Auckland I' had the neasuro of inspecting tho reconstructed 3pcra Houso in Welleslcy Street—one )f tho Fuller theatres. This old houso -it was known as Abbott's Opera House twenty years 'ago—has had its nterior "make-up" so altered as to nc:omo practically new. As tar-as the. nidience is concerned, tho Auckland Dpera Houso is, in my opinion, tho best theatre in New Zealand. When 1 say this I do not say that it is tho best theatre for a production, as the stago room is restricted, and tho dressingrooms beneath tho stage are. not so coiirenient as in some theatres that-conic be mentioned.. But its design .and decorative- scheme are degrees better than' anything else in Now Zealand.. Hie altered ' seats 1700 people(Wellington Opera House about 14oU), and from'overv seat a fair view, is .obtained of tho stage—even to the back seat at the. side of the. gallery, lp do this tho rake of the galleries havo been steepened, the- bulges havo beat taken out of the balustrade of tho dress circle and gallery, and the boxes (tnree on each-side), which were formerly built at right angles to the stage,, are set on'the oblique, so that, looking straight out of tho box, tho occupants would bo looking at tho opposite side-of tho dress circle. Of course, tho boxes are, after all, of small consequence,- and, by cutting tho corners off, the occupants of the side seats of the circle-have an uninterrupted view of tho stage. Besides, the box-people merely havo 1' square their chairs to obtain just as good a view as any other .part of the house. The old circumlocutory entrances have been done away with, and straight entrances lead directly on tho street from tho ends' of tho circle and gallery at both sides of the stage. 1 heends of the circle have been lowered to such an extent that tho entrance consists merely of a dozen steps, tho slope of Wellesley Street assisting 1 in reducing tho height of tho stairs. A number of tho pillars liave been removed from tinder the galleries, and the old offices in the gallery havo been cleared away altogether. Tho interior decorative scheme is charmingly chaste. The whole of the dome, proscenium, the balustrades of the galleries, and the facades of tho boxes have been picked out in white and gold plaster work in high relief, while tho walls aro painted a prettv shade of blue, harmonising delightfully with tho now torquoise blue plush curtain. As compared with such a decorative scheme, tho Wellington Opera Houso is nowhere. Every colour of tho rainbow is used without thought .of achieving an harmonious design, and, when tho .phantasmagoric colours used in our proscenium havo been absorbed, there is cvcr_ a shuddersonio sensation to bo experienced by a glance-, at the wall-paper of the dress circle. Many, theatre proprietors might borrow ideas in decoration from Mr. White (of Dunedin), who designed the alterations. to the Auckland Opera House, and carried them out in the short space of twenty-two days. Everyono scouted tho idea that. tho work could bo done in tho time,'but it was done. Mr. White also designed Fullers' new King's- Theatre, off Karangahapc Road; Auckland—tho best picture theatre in New:- Zealand, possibly in Australasia. Within a few weeks Mr White will take in hand the re-erection in Courtcnay Placo of. His Majesty's Theatre, and later of tho Theatro Royal in Johnston Street.

"What Happanad to Jonos." v , ■Mr. Ceo. Willoughby's Comedy Co., playing l under arrangement with Messrs. Meynell and Gurift, is.to commence, a. brief season at tho Opera Houso on Friday next," February 3, when there will bq produced that cheerful laughtermaker, "What Happened to- Janes,"remembered as one of tho funniest far-, cical comedies over seen in New Zealand. Tho lato Charles Arnold made a fortuno

with this comedy. Pcoplo aro always prepared to pay for laughter, and they get their'full value in "What Happened to Jones." Mr. Geo. Willoughby is well known in Now Zealand. He brought •'."The Night; of the Party" to New Zealand last year, and previously had been associated with Mr. Hugh Ward and Mr. Edwin Geach. "Soven Days." Mr. Hugh Ward is to' stage a new-, farco entitled "Seven Days" (by Mary Rinehart and Avery Hopwood) at tho Palace Theatre, Sydney, this evening. There are open engagements, secret engagements, summer engagements, and broken engagements. "Seven. Days'" has a now one—a trial engagement. Bubbles Wilson has wearied of living alone. He yearns for a wife. He asks Kit M'Nair to share his lot. Kit.is not sure whether sho loves Bubbles or justwants to he a sister to him, so sho says —witli sudden inspiration and sparring for time, "Let's have a trial engagement." Bubbles asks, "Is thero any ..kissing.in.a..trial engagement?" "No," replies Kit; "that's ono of tho trials." Bubbles does not.seo tho humour of tho situation. Nothing, in "Seven Days" is funny to tho persons in it. That's what makes it so-amusing, to others. Tho predicaments and complications that swirl about the persons in the play, tho week of misadventures and mix-ups that start in a drawing-room, descend to the kitchen, climb to tho roof, and involve everybody, are cleverly handled. From the "Puff" Mill. . Tho nrcssman attached to the offico staff-of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has 1 , a ■ fino imaginative range. Hero is a good sample of one of tho office paragraphs: "A lady laughed not wisely but too heartily at .Her Majesty's Theatre one afternoon recently, with tho result that some of her teeth found a resting place on tho floor. . It happened just when tho lawyer asks the damo if her husband died intestate, and tho damo replies : 'No, ho died in Aberdeen.' . But there wero moro laughs to follow,' and more novelties to bo enjoyed, and the teeth wero a very secondary consideration. So they lay on tho floor in tho dark while their owner was feasting upon delights which appealed to tho i mental and visual appetite, and ._so satisfying did these prove that tho aids to mastication were left behind when : tho pantomimo was over, and it was ■ only when tho lady arrived homo and > settled down to tho prosaic affairs of I life that sho instituted inquiries rol garding her missing property."

A Romarliabla Woman. Mme. Georgette Leblanc, the aetrosswifc of Maurice Maeterlinck, author of "The Blue Bird," will, according •'to letters received in New York recently, make her first professional appearance in. licr husband's plays at the Chatolct, Paris, next month. She will play the role of Light. Mmo. Leblanc is a 'remarkable woman in many ways. Not only has she been a great aid to her husband, but as an actress she is considered one of tho foremost on tho Continent. Sho is a mistress of stage technique, and is proficient in several of tho arts. Sho lias not 'appeared on the Paris stage for over two years, save once when she presented "Pelleas efc Melisando" for charity.

About Foolshcad. Tho mercurial Italian bid-actor, Foolshead (well known to lovers of picture shows), was, when at school, tho dullest, most stupid noodle m his or any other class. Showing in amateur theatricals ho made such a spry "cc-

centric" of himself that a friend persuaded a bio man to include him in a street farce. Foolshead bad to go to sleep in an empty dray, into which was poured a load of rubbish which was to bo subsequently tipped out into a puud that needed filling up. Tho usual way is for tho bio comedian to allow tho stuff to bo poured over him, when the filming is stopped until tho pond is reached. Ho then gets under the rubbish, the film restarts, and we get tho finale. In place of emerging, Foolshead remained under tho unsavoury rubbish, breathing through a picco of gutter down-pipo ho had secured. He got the equivalent to Is. Gd. for that. Ho now gets £100 per week and expenses.'' Notes. ' A William Anderson Dramatic Company playing "The Prince and the Beg J gar-maid" will tour tho Dominion under tho management of Mr. M.icliacl Joseph. The dates arc as follow:—Auckland, May 9to June 1; New Plymouth, June 3; Wanganui, Juno s.and 6; Palmerstinn North, Juno 7 and 8; Wellington, Juno .12 to July 1; Dunodin, July 5 to 20; Invercargill, July 21 and 22.

- Mr. George Marlow has taken a six years' lease of the Princess Theatre,--Melbourne, which lie intends to use for the production of melodrama, in conjunction with tho new- Adelphi Theatre, now approaching completion in Sydney. 'The theatre will on occasions ho sublet to other companies with good attractions, but all vacant dates will bo filled by a Marlow Company. Tho Melbourne season has been inaugurated with a production of "The Bad Girl of the "Family," which is. shortly to bo seen in New Zealand.

' Miss Eugenie Duggan and Mr. Hoj Redgrave are appearing as Glory Qiiaylo and John- Storm respectively in a new version of "The Christian" at tho King's Theatre, Melbourne.

"Variety," a Now York theatrical paper, in'its Chriitmas number, placed Annette. Kello'-man, the Australian swimmer and div°r, seventh on the list of the highest-paid vaudeville artists in tho United States. Annetto is put down at 2000 doll-.rs a week. "Gertrude Hoffman heads tho list with 3000 dollars. Miss Hardingc-Maltby, of Wellington, who has been on tour with Miss Nellie Stewart, will return to Wellington in a few days, the New Zealand tour having -terminated. Miss Stewart now intends to tour tho small towns of Australia with "Sweet Nell of Old Drury." ..-'.'.

The dramatisation of "Tho Christian," which is to be "produced shortly by. William Anderson at the 'King's Theatre, Melbourne, is by Roy Rodgrave. . Mr. Redgrave will probably bo seen as John Storm. Miss Eugenie Duggan will appear as Glory Quayle. After a most gratifying provincial

tour of Great Britain, Mr. H. B. Irving and his company opened at tho Queen's Theatre, London, this month with a. now production, founded on A. E. W. Mason's novel and entitled "The Princess Clementina."