THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1174, 8 July 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth a stage —Hcywood. (By SrLvuis.) "The Belle of Brittany." This is the title of the next bill to be submitted to playgoers by "The Arcadians" Co. The story is of gossamer quality, but serves admirably to link together a sequence of the brightest musical and humorous episodes. The vivacity and merriment of the production are not to be resisted. It is liberally inter.-parsed with musical numbers for both principals and chorus, many of them of charming quality, and on the humorous side in counterbalance is characterised by genuine drollery and much that is farcical. AVliy millers' daughters should bo so proverbially fascinating has yet to be explained. At any rate, Babette, the prettv heroine of the piece, is the daughter of Miller Poquelin and his amiable spouse. The day fixed for her wedding with Baptiste Boubillon, the famous Parisian chef, irhora she lias not yet seen, has arrived, and the air is full of festive preparations. At such a critical moment the old legendary village trysting-tree takes a hand in the game, for under its shade, while the convent bells are pealing, Babette meets young Raymond, son of the Marquis de St. Gautier, a circumstance which proves quite tatal to the chances of the great culinary artist. The marquis, when he sees the trend of events, creates some uproar, but pecuniary considerations have a pacific cftect, and "everything develops right. In fact, the" good humour of everybody is positively contagious. In the second act the chateau of the marquis is represented en. fete, and the handsome interior depicted furnishes a suitable environment for costume display and happenings contrasting with and elaborating those of the first act. H. B. [rving's "Hamlet." Of H. B. Irving's "Hamlet," the "Sydney Daily Telegraph" says:—".Mr. Irving proved liimsclf not merely by his great heritage, but by his own conspicuously brilliant attainments. His Hamlet is intensely human, as well as virile, distinguished for imaginative charm, and, above all else, natural. Indeed, the quietness of the whole scheme of the production must have surprised any who were accustomed to the more robustious namlets. How vastly artistic was this deliberate reserve employed by Mr. Irving! There was no straining to make points, or to get the lines of Shakespeare over the footlights. In short, the new star offered his audience a. graphic psychological study without in any way appearing to do so—which, after all. is that true art which conceals art. He was no moody, contemplative philosopher, but a kindlydisposed yout.h, naturally hesitating at the terrible enterprise east upon his shoulders. Yet he possessed a remarkable capacity for reflective self-analysis, as he revealed in the 'rogue and peasant slave' speech, which he charged wirn .1 luminous glow 'that meant a great deal to a full appreciation of his view-of the character.

"An ungainly gait and certain mannerisms of speech could not, of course, escape notice. Mr. Irving is tall and mteuuated, and as he walks his toes turn inward. What he lacks in beauty of form, however, is more than atoned for by his striking, sensitive face—the face of a Hamlet, grave, stamped even with p.. wistful, haunting melancholy. His v«i<v? is clear and capable of singular effectiveness—at one time liieh-nitched, at another suavely used in the middle regie.. ter, at.another away in-the lower ranges. Sometimes this low key wa= employed m such a curious fashion as to suggest Mephistophelcs rather than Hamlet. Tho pronounced mannerism, however, was n. decided drawl, which, without being aggressive, certainly detracted from tUo elocutionary grace of the star. It intruded itself particularly'in Boirie of the soliloquies. The lino 'Frailty, thy name is woman' was delivered in this way; and the word 'monstrous' and the first svllable of 'distraction' at the beginning'of the speech '0, what a rogue and peasant slave am I' furnished emphatic examples of .this peculiarity. In such cases, it Reemed quite a descent to the theatrical. Frequently tho phrases were uttered staccato, with an abrupt cutting off. At odd limes, but ■ not often, there were little tricks of the old school in enunciation. 'All this admitted, it remains a fact that it was a sheer delight to hear Mr. Irving's delivery of tho famous speeches, from the variety and meaning which he imported to them. One realised the beauty in the human voice in such moments as that of tho lines over the skull of Yorick—

'Now, get you to iny lady's chamber, and tell her, let her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must come. Malco her laiurb at that.'

This was one of the most moving incidents. of the play. Above all, throughout, were the temperament, the personal magnetism, which made the part of Hamlet live.

A great reception awaited Mr. Irvin* as ho followed the King and Queen on in the second scene of the evening. He dressed the part in the traditional suit of sables, but with almost severe simplicity; the thin chain of gold, and the, sword-belt and its trappings constituting his only adornments. Hi* form was en' yeloped in a black cloak cd-ied with broad fur. so that as he paused on the =teps leading into tb-e.rnom to receive the heartfelt greeting of the enormous house ha marie a handsome picture. The likeness to his father at once impressed everyMiss Dorothea Baird's Onhclia is referred to as girlish and undistinguished. The Passing Show in Melbourne. In Melbourne theatrical chances have brought forward '-'A Fool There V.'as" a'' the Theatre Royal. Mr. George Wi'lougbby's company played tho new piec?, and the fact that they had been identified cuehy with society plavs no doubt helped to accentuate by contrast the luridly melodramatic tendencies of Porter Emerson Brown's story. This story is the old one of a j-oung married mail ot tho highest-rjrospoeU who falls into the tails.oi a so-called Yamniro whilst crossing the Atlantic. "Wife, child, friend, everything goes bv the board." Later the victim takes to drink, and in the original stage version he died, leaving the Yamniro to seek another man, and the faithful friend to marry the widow. As now presented, the Yampire accidentally drinks poisoned brandy the husband has prenared for himself, and in that way all comes right. Miss Mabel ■Jrevor and Mr. Hugh Buckler successfully impersonated the central characters, •with' Mr. Gerald Kay Souper as the friend, Miss Elinor Poster as a breezy sister, and Miss Yiolct Paget as the wifc._ At the Princess's Theatre "N'obedy's Daughter," a very human eomedv. drama, closed a capital run on June ,10, and on Saturday last the AllauHaniilton. Piimmer, and Denniston firm produced "Lovers' Lane,'' which is new to the Yietorian capital. "Our Miss Gibbs" has passed, its fiftieth performance at Her Majesty's Theatre. The great event in Melbourne' will be, of course, the debut, of Miss Ethel Irving and her new English company at Hie Theatre Royal this evening, in "A Witness for the Defence." Preparing for Mclba.The chorus for the Mclba Grand Opera season is now hard at work under the guidance of Signor Sacerdotc, who has been specially engaged to superintend this important department The signer, who by his quid, patient, gentlemanly bearing, has won the hearts of all wifti whom he comes in contact, expresses himself as highly pleased with the voices at ■ his command, and the marvellous apti- j lude and ability displayed by the choristers. Already (hey have mastered n;> fewer than four operas—"Traviata." "Faust," "Othello," and "Samson and Delilah," and (more particularly in the ease of I ho liro Jailer works) i'his is no light task. Of course they have yet to learn tho business, but that I hey will not tackle until Mr. F..Rigo, the manager, arrives in Sydney. " Notes. One of llm recent visitors in Molbeurno to "Nobody's Daughter" a few nights azo w:i« the Marquis nf Linlithgow (son of the late .Marquis, who, as Lord nopetauir, wa*. Governor-General of Australia!. So deenly impressed was he with the ploy and the manner nf it; m'oscntalion by the Pliiiimpr-Deuniston Company, that he asked permission to "go behind,"

and there took occasion to compliment: -Mr. Harry Plimmer on the production, and the line acting performance iiMninsclfaml .Mrs. Jlraugli. "Nobody's Dauglit'.'r" is the biggest dramatic .-uc-ce.-s ardiWod in Melbourne for ve.irs. Miss EHiel Irving, the star English actrcs. expressed herself as surprised and delighted with the performance.

Miss Margaret Anglin was married in New York on May S lo .Mr. Howard Hull, a writer on the statT of "Everybody's Magazine."

''Loam lo bear failure anil crilieism patiently, since critics are rarely animated by any personal hostility in what they write about us," is a clause in Mr. H. B. Irvine's advice to the players of to-dav.

A new lending woman has been engaged by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., for Australia. Sue is Miss Dorothy Dix, a young lady of extended Loudon experience. She has played several important roles at some of the best, theatres, notably with Mr. Lewis Waller as leading lady during a good part of last year.

The English Pierrots, whose clever and refined performances have delighted many who have visited the Exhibition during the past six weeks, are to go on tour next week. The following nro (he dates so far booked:—Carterton, July 10; Ekctahuna, July 11; I'ahiatua, July 12; Feilding, July 13; Dannevirke, July It; Palmerslou North, .July 15 and IT; Taihape. July 18 and 10; Huiiterville, July 20; Wanganui, July 21 and 22; Marton, July 24.

Miss Dorothy Brunton, daughter of the late Mr. Brunton, scenic artist, made her first appearance as a principal in musical comedy in "The Balkan Princess" in Sydney on Saturday last. .Miss Brunton is a protege of Mrs. Hugh Ward's.

Mr. William Cromwell has been engaged as principal comedian by Clnrßs and Meynell to appear in their musical comedy productions at the Kensington Theatre, London.

Miss Winifred O'Connor, the prims donna of. "The Arcadians" Opera Company, will not, at the conclusion of the Australasian tour of the present company at Perth in November, return to England with the rest of the English members of "The Arcadians" Company, but will remain in Australia to join "The Chocolate Soldier" Opera Company, for which she has been specially retained as leading lady. Miss O'Connor will, therefore, not be lost to us, for we shall have the pleasure of seeing her in Wellington again when "The Chocolate Soldier" comic opera visits these parts early next year.