THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1252, 7 October 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE

(Br Sylvius.)

Tho Worltl"s a theatre; the Earth a stage.—lleywood.

"Our Miss Gibbs." "Our Miss Gibbs" will be presented by Mr. J. C. Williamson's Royal Comic Opera Company at tho Opera Ur.uso on Wednesday. October 11 . Of tho play it has been stated that the construction, is clover, tho book c.lai nod to be the best of modern attempts in this direction, whilo tho char.iclo'-isatioh, situation.;, and incidents aTO of that improbable character sacred to musical comedy.'- It is said iliat the mounting and ftaging arc really fine. There are two remarkably fine. lets". Garred's Store in tho first act and the Court of Honour at tho Franco-British Exhibition in tho second , act.--"Miss'Gibbs'.' will ba played by Miss Blanche Browne, the littlo lady who has enshrined herself in tho hearts of tho Australian public. A graceful dancer, a pretty singer, and a

fascinating actress. "The , company f "is- a strong one. It.. includes such .sterling artistS as"-Messrs; Leslie Hollahdf-Andrew Higginson, Fred Leslie, C. K. Bantock, and Bortio Wright, a famous English comodian, who will make his first appearance here in the part of "Timothy Gibbs," Missos Connie Milno, Nellie Wilson, Fitzmaurico Gill, Nellie Cabin, and Ivy Schillias.,,. .. *,•« ■*~.. • ~,-, Mervale and Desmond. Writing of tho .performances of Gaslon Mervalo and William Desinond in ''The Speckled Baiid," the Australasian" says:— ' ' "The new play is chiefly acceptablo for tho very fine acting of Mr. Gaston Mervale, as tho riiad surgeon. His violent maniacal outburst, suddenly controlled and restrained by the sense of caution, his temporising and cajoling when violence fails—and the insincerity of which ia indicated in tho impatient nervous twitching and snapping of.the. fingers; every Word and movement .indicates;/vvitliouf exaggeration tho lunatic. Hjsinatnral, almost to have his hands at once upon-tho-thfoats of those who cross 'his moods-'-'dr baulk his diabolical designs. Tho fear of punishment is the only restraint. It seems tq matter little to him that ho is suspected of murder, provided the means are not conviction and punishment avoided!' Half devil," half madman, the character is cleverly conceived, strongly drawn at the outset, and Mr. Meryale has backed up the dramatist in making it distinctly fascinating, yet in no sense melodramatic. It. is a very clever bit of work on both sides. Mr. Desmond is less distinctive as Sherlock Holmes—rather the ordinary amateur detpcHvc of fiction than the character which Ccnon Doyle has mado alive and familiar. Possibly because most people have a very clear idea of Sherlock Holmes, his strange gifts, and his stranger failings, or because. Mr. Cu'yler"Hastings in another play gave as a more convincing realisation of the character, it is not easy to satisfy 'an audience with a Sherlock Holmes upon anything liko commonplace lines. Mr. Desmond has some good scenes and situations. He makes them ' interesting, but not- quite: : convincing." "Tho Chocolate Soldier" continues to draw large houses in Melbourne where it' is already hailed as a work which is likely to vie in popularity with the late "Merry Widow." A Theory. Mr. H. B. Irvine touched on the matter in dealing with the Bacon-Shakes-pearo controversy, beforo tho Melbourne Shakesperean Society recently. Ho said that he was perfectly willing to admit that. Bacon wrote what was attributed t'o Marlowe, Spenser, Jonson— in fact, to all tho Elizabethan .writers of any note; that ho was a sort of commercial traveller of literature—if only the Baconian would admit' that Shakespeare translated .(ho 46th Psalm. "[ claim Shakespeare to have been the translator of that Psalm," said Mr. Irving, with a smile, and tiie explanation of his belief was as follows:—In the year 1610, when the translation of the Bible was completed, Shak-espearo was l(i years of nge. At the -IGth word in tho Ifith Psalm, the word "shake" -occurred. At the Kith word, reading from the end of the Psalm. Iho world "spear" was met with. At' tho closo of the Psalm was the word "Selah," tho letters of- which mado the initials of the sentence—"Shakespeare est libri nuctor hujus." The chain of evidence was complete, said Mr. Irving. This is Irving in lighter mood—what? Gilbert, the Father of American Copyright Lav/. Mr. Allan Hamilton has been relating the story of his theatrical life to the Sydney "Theatre." He si-ys that in 1882" he became associated .with Mr. D'Oyley Carte, of the Savoy, and by him was sent to New York to manage tho company playing "lolanthe." 'There was then no copyright law at all in America,", says Mr. Hamilton. "Wholesale pilfering took place in everything in connection with tho stage. In our American repertoire .was 'lolanthe.' Before.-wo had. been doing this a week .an opposition Tolnntho' wa> being staged next door. We wero under a. very heavy expenso in taking over ;ill the costumes' and scenery and, paying the duty thereon. On the other hand, the people, next'..door just fixed things up to suit themselves. In thn absence of a copyright law the general result, was that there would be half a dozen performances of thn same thing going on in every big.city. In the.=e circumstances the season-was proving so indifferent that. W. S. Gilbert himself caino across/ On the -lir.-=t -night-nf- his arrival ho made a satirical speech from the stage. lie thanked the New York public for their 'liberal' patronage, and expressed his regret that tl'cre was no copyright law for a man's brains in a country where, he htul been informed, a bee.r<engine could be patented and the in.

venter protected. It'was really Mi. Gilbert who iviis responsible Inr ilio Anii'iican copyright, lnw. His remarks .-el writers and legislators, thinking with the result that .-horllv afterwards (ho International Copyright Ad was rut Ih*>iigh. Of cniH-.se, Mr. Gilbert could not t pcnk without being willy and illuminating. Such was my personal experience (it , him. In the. same, company wo had Alfred C'clHer as musical dircct'ir."

Notes. Bertie Wright, the new comedian to appear hero in "Our Mks Gibbs," Ins probably made tho success of Ills career as Timo-Hiy Gibbs, u Yorkshire rustic. who wanders about London with a hugo euphonium under his arms plcadim, , lo be. allowed a. few bars from the "Death of Poison" just to show how well he can play it. Mr. Wright's bucolic stare, his eyes positively bulging' with innocence and wonder, his spontauiuus liumour and his mextinguisnable individuality keep Iho audience, in roars of laughter. lie. hails from the Gaiciy Theatre, London, is a good singer, an excellent dancer, and a. comediap with a dry humour that is invariably telling , with an audience.

After a successful se.ison at the King's Theatre, Melbourne, Mr. Walter Baker

ami Mis;; Frances :Eoss, supported by-, a. representative dramatic organisation,' will open at ; Auckland ou October -23, Hinder file direction of Mr. G. D. l'ortus, who has taken over the business of the Into Max Maxwell. The Auckland season will open with tho production of "Tommy AtkiiLS," which will Ixi followed by '"Tho .Secrets of the Harem;" tho mlieb-dis-curs-d Easter drama, which in point ;of' set-ting and atmosphere resembles Oscar Arches new play, "Kismet." The leading parts wilf be- taken by Jliss Frances K-oss find Mr. Walter Baker, supported by a strong array of talented'artists.'