THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 18 February 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a thbatre; tho Iv.irtli a stage.—lley wood. (Bv Sylvius.) • , Miss Margarot Coopar. An engagement of great, importance to amusement-seekers will bo ran, approaching '■ i;isit;'\ under tho management of-Messrs;'J. and Ji. Tait, of .-Miss Margaret Ccopcr, tlio .'English mor.ologno entertainer, who has becomo famous for her entertainment entitled "Songs at tho Piano. 1 ' Some few years back Margaret Cooper, happened,to ap:, 'pear'at'a charity concert, being 1 then quito unknown to fame, and fortunately the-managing* <dircctor of tho I'alaco Theatre, .London, heard her, and immediately offered her an engagement, tho original term being for three weeks, but so enormous was. tho success achieved, by her that tho . engagement was extended to . six months. Her first salary was a very modest one per week, but eventually before her first season terminated sho was, it' is-stated, able to' command "an * amount of -£200 per week.' Margaret Cooper , is'unquestionably olio of tho groatest'.favourites in London to ; day: r -Sho'; : har s-j: delightful; personality, : is' fiiie iu'lier. wbrk/.and is a thorough'musician, into. ili<j[ . bargain. Some-of her- bost-kjiown successes .arc "Hullo, Tu -Tu," -"Hido • and ; Seek,"* "CatchMMe, ."Cupid," "When I'm Grown. Up," and "Waltz Mo Around Again,-Willie."; After her singing ,of tho last-mentioned song, all London started humming, this catchy air. "Uko the Brook.;' . A lady who was-at tho, opening performance of "Our Miss Gibbs" in Sydney has since been homo to England with her husband, and is now back again; and the other'evening'wont onco again to see the ■ Gaiety success.'. Sho oxpressed pleasurablo surpriso to find that tho piece was still ■ playing in Sydney, and enjoyed tho performance as much as .over.' "Our Miss Gibbs" has now been'playing fivo months in Sydney. .. ! ; - '

Stella" Pat. Campboll Marries. Tho. English stage will'loso.'a promising actress in Mrs. Patrick Campbell's daughter, Miss Stella Patrick Campbell, who is to leave London ,to ho -married at Mombasa, on tho British East, African coast, in April next. Her friends, of .course wanted her to havo tho wedding in London,, but tho pageantries •of social events never appealed , to : tho, young actress at any time, and a quiet ceremony ill Mombasa, iwhere rico.is respected as food and not used for attacking purposes;, and whero tho snapslinttersicomo in singlo spies rather than jn battalions, is all comfortably in tho lifescliemo of ono who, although on', tho stage, has never-been'entirely of it, and whoso ways nro thoso of.tho silent and watchful student. Sho is to bo married to Mr. Morvyn Beaili, who is tho son of tho vicar of Dealings, a pretty Suffolk village a .few. miles'boyond'lpswich; and employs tho spare .'moments of 'a justice of tho pqaco ,in Mombasa in tho study, of uncommon '.languages, sciences, and religions.'- 'People; are asking themselves how o;i'eaJ-th}tli6;young actress will bo ablo'.'to,s'ettlo';dqwn to lifo in Mombasa (such-asf it is) after having folt tho glory of being a ■London leading lady, and achieved that/which she dared not hope to achieve when a juvenile stage aspirant in tho hands of. Miss Rosina I'llippi, whoso. led her to her present liigli'position- at tho Que'Cli'snThoatra.:(whore, sho is playing the rolo of Princess ClcniCiVtilia). Tho answer is in that her, inherited talents notwithstanding, Miss Campbell was never really fond'of th'o "stago or of stage • lifo-' Sho has; had more hpad in hor work than heart all tho way 'through.' She has a strong-leaning towards literature, and it is more, than probablo that as. Mi'S- Morvyn . Beach : alio .will occupy, much of her time' in Mombasi witii the pen. :

"The Gay Crlssttc.-",.. • - ; In jrelbourho-Clio-principal'"theatrical evenb' ; o'f- the' - booii 'the first production - tn'.AusU'alia of "The , Gay Uf-isette,"; by tho now/ Clarke-Meynell Comjo , Opera ■ . The now "musical frivolity" 'is by;Georgo' Dance, in timip past respoiisibio' for the book of "Tlio ; Gay- Parisierine:'-'.: -Tlio' Lady Slavey,"-.and ?'The : VCliineso Honeymoon." -whilstlino, ipiusiocis by Messrs.. Vousdeii and' Vernon: The titlo refers.j to Babettc, wTi'o.'rulW' off • ono night from tho "Academy for' Daughters of Reputable Widowers,"' to\ havo a' good timo in Paris, where she is mistaken for a grisetto by Captain Jack' Canary. As tho story develops it transpires that. her -fat',her. .wishes her tu marry tho Sultan of -Sahara, but . tlio resourceful Jack disguises himself as that monarch, and so carries off tho prize after all.' Miss 'Florence Imcson is warmly praised for. her piquancy as, Babotto, Iter song, l "Cupid's Range," with a graceful danco as' the mischievous littlo' sod of love, and repeated shots with a ipea. rifle 'at rows'.of dolls, proving 0110 of tho' successes of the evwiing. Mr. Frank/Lincoln's'.mercurial ■ as tho lover, -and, Mi\'l r rank !Danby' as Colonel'PonirPom,, with 'tho : popular song, "Captain - Gin-gin-gor" (many times encored),woro associated in tho fun,- with-Miss-Nell Finnis asan arch domestic,. Miss Knislit as. tho manager of,a chateau, and Mr. Frank Compto.ll as tho real Sultan,. "Wo Can't Bo," Etc. Tho new play by Mr. Henry Arthur Jones. "Wo Can't Bo as Bad as All That, .."is .said to, liavo ,won complqto success in Now York, whcro.it had its promioro last mouth. "According to the New Yorki correspondent of the London "Daily Telegraph;" it will rank as tlio strongest work -Mr. • Jones has done sinco "Mrs. Dano's Defence," to which it boars somo resemblance, _ containing more comedy and; a 'striking scene, which is perhaps as strong as the cross-cxamination. sc'cno in tlio earlier play. • The; piece in likely'to cause con-' siderablo discussion in Anglo-American circles as-to. whethej - a faithful: pictiiro of English" society. ' In an- in-; terviciv.' Slri .johes disclaimed- any in-' tention to arraign English society geiK ernlly,; said his object was rather to bring an indictment against tho worth-less-and corrupt' elements that always, infest any wealthy and leisured class:Ho, pointed out that, judged by tho; plays of Molierc and our .Restoration dramatists, tlio wholo of French society under Louis XIV, and tho. wholo of late seventeenth century English society. might bo .accounted', as sensual, frivolous, and corrupt, and ho claimed •that this clas3 will alvvays-bo tlio legitimate,mark and prey of the comic dramatist. In the- play , itself 'ho, anil-: oiniccs this point of view-by makingSir Ralph Newell sa.Vj "Look at the setmv cousin lias got dowii hero," implying: that-it is a particular sot that comes under his lasli, and not> tlio .wholo of English society. Miss Kathcrine Kaelrcd is highly praised for her "delicate,' refined, sincere method," and amongst others 'enthusiastically spoken of is Mr. William . Hawtrey.v. i ; Sho Wanted John. Mr. John Leminoiio . has many interesting ■ littlo incidents to relate regarding his recent, tour with Madame Melba, and perhaps-one of .tlio most acceptablo to Australians will bo tho one- bearing upon tlio engagement of Mr.- John .M'Cormack, who is to .bo incliidcd -in "the .company'to appear out hero in September. Somo' timo ago Madame Melba.- was asked by Herr Dippel to give a season of grand operain the United States, but when .' ilia

diva learned that her r.cceptancc of the otter would mean no fewer than five trips to and from Now York " and Chicago, sho resolutely declined, stating that the •travelling would'be altogether too .much for her. Some weeks later, however, When the Australian singer was .appearing at Covent Garden, she font Mr. Lcmmono in search of llerr Dippel, and when he presented himself she told him that sho wanted liiin to let her liavo John M'Cormack for her grand opera'season in Australia. Herr Dippel maintained that ifcV was- absolutely. impossible for him to" liccedo to the request: lie pointed oiit._ that John M'Cormack was olio _ cii the strongest attractions for the New York season, and that ho could under no circumstances part with him. But Madame had lfiado up lier mind to havo the tenor, and she held out for about half an hour, bringing nil her persuasive powers into play. Still'Dippel was obdurate. 'Then as' a last resource she caid: "I'll tell you what I'll do. If you will let me have John I will do that journey from New York to Chicago as many times as you like." That promise broke down the objections, and Melba gained her point. Having accomplished ' "her desiro with tho American management, it next remained to obtain tho consent of the powers that be at Covent Garden, but. this was also carried through successfully,; despite tho fact that M'Corjnack's Jnbseiico will mean tho curtailment of the Covent Garden season' at a time when tho Coronation festivities' will make it an ■exceptionally interesting and brilliant period in tho annals of the famous theatre,' '

Notos. Mr. William Anderson has commissioned Mr. Roy Redgrave, to drainatiso a new version of Thackofayls. "Vanity Fair," making a big star part of; Becky Sharp for Jliss Eugenie Duggan. The pieco is to bo staged at the. Kinsus Thoatro shortly after the Draniafio Company's return from tho west. Mr. Redgravo is making a. big feature of the act depicting the famous ball given by tho Duclios's of Richmond on tho evo of Waterloo.- This, with its wealth of colour; tho gorgeous unifoims, tho marching of' tho troops, and the subsequent tableaux- of tho .battle, will bo olio of tho biggest ani most ambitious elfccts Mr. Anderson has ever staged.

A pretty themo in D. Edmund's, now* Australian play, "'My Mate," ii'o)V : be-_ ing' produced at the King's Theatre, Melbourne, is tho quotation of passages from tho poems of Adam Lindsay Gordon by tlio two principals, both of whom ato ardent admirers of Gordon.

Mr.' Tom Graves, comedian, and Mr. Dutton Nicholls, and Miss Marguerite Loroy, dancers, arrived in Melboun -i by tho Otway on Monday last. .Tlioy como under engagement to the/Claikt and .Meynell management. ,

Miss Kathcrine Kaelrcd, known out hero as Miss Elbert-Oi'ten, a member of tho Julius Knight Company, has proved a great success in America in tho leading rolo of "A Fool Thcro Was," and has been lately engaged by Mr. Henry Arthur 'Jones to star in his new piece, Can't-Bo As-Bad As All That," in America. *

: "Tho Whip.V which has proved so successful at Drliry Lane, , London, is most undoubtedly duplicating its-Lon-don success in Australia. It has already registered its 50th performance in Sydney/ and is still keeping no.its popularity,'wltli tho bublic, who 'appreciate to- the ' full 7 its exciting .episodes and its fund, pFpathos. and humour. ' •