THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1204, 12 August 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth a stage.—Heywood. (Br Sylvius.) "Jack and the Bean-Stalk." Thursday next will sec the curtain rise on the fitt'h J. C. Williamson pantomime to tour tho Dominion—".tack and The Bean-Stalk." ' Tho conventional story shows tho poverty of poor Damo Trott and how her son Jack took .11 tortoiseshelled prize cow, with a hide wrinkled with anxiety, for sale, parting with her to th 6 fairy. "lauthc," whose/bag of gold changes to beans before Jack reached home again. Constantly changing scenes of beauty show where tho beans are thrown, and the magic atmosphere, is at once created in the simple, captivating melodies of "It's Growing." ' This prepares tho audience for the transformalion scene, which takes place in the middle' of the evening instead of at tho end.' Of

the ballets there are many. There is tho danco of little Glow Worms, ivitli an unseen chorus 'of dainty ringing bells and quivering'interrogations for strings.and flu'to leading to the "Ballet, of the Beanstalk?' The big "Alilitar.v ; ,Ballet,;' f ,,**Tho ' Danco •of the" I'ollies," the - "Ballet of Dolls," and several•othors. _ The storming and subsequent destruction of tho Giant Blundcrbore's- castle, .the building of the/AusaraHan-destfoyer-Parrimatta.-and. the night of the mysterious aeroplane, are particularly line in spectacular display. In his .writing of the story Mr. J. James Hewson has, it is said, been singularly considerate of tho young people. He follows ,the : romantic old story closely. The sight" of what' looks, like a "really" giant, .stalking' across tho singe, holding easily in one hand tho unfortunate- "Mivvins 1 ' (the foot page) should prove a source of delight to the little ones. .This especially-.as the Giant Blunderbore in question call"only be seen from the' lowest : down, the ; 'head. and,'shoulders towering among the.sky borders and electric.floats. .By way of, the remarkable popularity that "jack and the Bean->Xtalk" • has already achieved both in. Melbourne- and Sydney, it may bo interesting to mention that tho total number of performances in tho former city was 136—greater than any other pantomime ever staged in Australia. ' "Our Miss Gibbs." That much-talked-of production, "Our Miss Gibbs," is to commenco a season in Wellington on October 11. Tho season will last for a 'fortnight. Writing from Sydney, Mr. Hugh J. Ward says:—"'Miss Gibbs goes to iS'cw Zealand complete. It will bo produced in Wellington and Auckland exactly the same as in Sydney during its eight months' run here. The cast will be the same, t'ho scenery tho same, and there is absolutely not ono detail that

is being neglected in our endeavour .to give anything but a metropolitan performance." The Prisoners' rrlcnd. 'Showing 20(H) prisoners how easy it is to escape from tho thraldom ot handculls and man-holds of. all sorts was one of Nicola's experiences when in the East. It was at Manila, in the Philippines, that Father Ncary persuaded the Yankee conjurer to give a show before the inmates of tho biggest State prison in the group There must have been over 'JflOO present squatting on their 'haunches in the prison yard, enclosed with grim grey walls 20ft. in height. A photograph of the sceno is distinctly interesting. On account of the heat every prisoner is wearin" a broad rnushrooin-tonped pith hat. ami the effect resembles that of a crowd of people with their umbrellas, up. Nicola enjoyed tho show just as much as tho native prisoners, many of whom were from the interior and had'never seen a show of anv kind in I heir lives. A series of photographs were taken by one of tho prisoners, copies of which .were handed to Nicola and his manager (Mr. Chas. Hugo) twenty minutes after they were taken. ' Nicola remarks on a. peculiarity of a Chinese audience. In Australia and New Zealand, Chinese are the least demonstrative members of an audience at any show. II is not so in China. When performing

in Peking, lie was requested lo make a pause of two or threo minutes between each trick, in order that the audience could discuss how it. was clone. During those three minutes the theatre was a Babel of gabble, each oue telling his neighbour how ho thought tho trick was (lone, or how Nicola must bo in league with the Evil One. At' one performance the boy Emperor was present with a big party-ami Nicola was ordered at one time" to cease performing in order that (he party.might take tea. Irving Probably Homing, "He is the most intellectual actor which wo havo ever had in this country, as far as I can understand." writes Mr. Hugh .T. Ward of Mr. H. B. Irving. "There is a wonderful charm about his performance of 'Hamlet' and the production, as Irving said himself, compares with the London I hope to arrango for him to go to New Zealand." The New Zealand tour of "The Wanderers" has been extended for a furthor

six weeks, after which the litttle company visits Tasmania, and afterwards Queensland. Mr. John Ryan, basso, lato of the Auckland Lyric Quartet; and Mr, A. J. Black,' monologuist (and crstwhilo lay preacher, of Auckland), are recent acquisitions'to''the conipatfj'i'', ... Edward Harrigan, the well-known 'American actor of Irish types, died on June ,fj.,. '- ...;• ,'• .