THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1265, 21 October 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth a stage.—lleywood. (Br Stltius.) The Grand Opera Season. The writer has been fortunate enough to witness most of the performance which liave ljeen givcci in Sydney by the Alelba Grand Opera Company. 'Ihe experience has been a most exhilarating and pleasant one. In respcci to some of these performances it is difficult to chcck one's enthusiasm, not only for the personal artistic excellence achieved, but in tho extraordinary lavish manner in which the operas are mounted and produced. It was a night to bo remembered when, on Monday \rcek_past, Melba reappeared alter a fortnight's illness, as Marguerite in "Faust," with John M'C'ormack as Faust, and Edmond Bonrke as Mephistopheles. There was .£IOOO in tho house, and people stood three deep round the back of tho circle, glad to get tho opportunity of doing so at lis. a stand. The gallery peop.e —tho genuine music-lovers—commenced to assemble at 5.30 a.m., bringing their luncheon* with them, and camp stools on which to make themselves as comfortable asi>cs.siblo during the long wait, 'l'hcy were admitted early in the afternoon, and, long before A p.m.. the gallery was packed, SO per cent., or more, being women. Listen to their chatter—of Melba, Wayd.T, Cisjeros, Bonrke, the operas, Covcnt Garden, great musical nights—nothing but music, and still music. It was fine. The.-e seasons of grand opera—this in particular—is creating a gre.it public for good music in Sydney, and is elevating the taste in those arts which are the hand-maids of music. TTere and there one could see a vocal score of tho opera, and half a dozen heads clustered round it, gossiping on this or that artist's interpretation of a certain passage, and all were deliriously keen. Hats oil' ! No hats anywhere at tho opera! A lady was noted leaning over at the back of the dress circle during one performance. One of the attendants respectfully asked her to remove her colossal head-gear. , She took, it tho wrong wa\, of course, and whispered intensely that she would do nothing of the sort. In a few moments Manager Goodman, polite and tactful, made a similar request, but her Merry W'dowshin's back was up. She just would not. "Madam, you must remove your hat," said Mr. Goodman, "otherwi'o you must leave the theatre, and you will have vonr money returned!" Madam saw that f'ore was no resisting such authority, and, with very had grncr, rippo' l her hat oil, teann? In hair re" savagely in doing so. The audiences are model ones. Onro the curtain is up all chatter ceases—ceases really when the handsome Angelini takes up his Ixiton, and, thereafter, there is no sound save that which comcs from stagewards. "Faust" and the Diva. And what a performance! Pome peculiar peoplo who take a keen delight in decrying everything under the sun hare said that yon sec all when Media appears on the concert platform. They attribute tho calm reserve with which the diva interprets an aria on the concert platform to lack of temperament— they want it thrown at them in lumps, as Calve docs, before they realise (hat an artist possesses that elusive attribute. There is a finer quality of temperament, which can exercise restraint when circumstances call for it. One only sees half of Melba when she sin?s on the concrt platform. It is then with her purely interpolation and vrcalism, without the histrionic trimmings. See her as Marguerite, and yoii'scc Marguerito just as demure a German maid as Goethe pictured in his immortal story, and in the unfolding of the character the artist enthrals and fascinates by the perfection of her conception. In the garden scene with the_ jewels, Melba became as light, 'coquettish, and as winsomo as one would wish a young girl at play unseen to be, and, all through her unconcerned mumming, came tho silver thread of her perfect voice—effortlessly produced, the music faultlessly phrased. No centro of the stage and limelight-catching for Melba! In this scene sho fairly frolics with girlish glee as she tries a hundred effects with the jewels, and it camc to tho audience as free, spontaneous, and artless, which, after all, is the perfection of art. At the end of tho third scene— Valentine's death—Mellxi. again shows her histrionic ability. She knows now, and tho lovo for her dying brother is that of a woman who has been through the fire. Then, when fully seized of. the fact that her lover has brought about Valentine's death, sho brings down the curtain with a burst of wildly hysterical laughter, tho premonition of the derangement of minjl which follows. So telling was her effort at this juncture that she had to respond to eight recalls. Again, in the last act (tho prison scene), Melba demonstrated her talent as an actress, acting the distressing, all-demanding mad sceno with amazing abandon, without once imperilling the (lawlessness of her voealism. I have not heard Scmbrich, Des-tinn, Mary Garden. Olive FremstaAt, or Tetrazzini, and some other distinguished artists in the operatic world, but if thev approach Meiba, grratnew is fl>e>'rs. Melba was supported by John M'Cormack, whose sweet, lyric tenor resembles some wonderful new discovery in reeds. His diminuendo is tho most beautiful I hare ever heard in a male, voice. His pianissimo is a caress; ho has a forte of wonderful quality, and is a very decent actor. Erlmond Bonrke is a fine Mcnhisto. Vocally he is not brilliant—he is sound—but he is an excellent, actor, and, moreover, he has the magnetism of the Irishman. lie gets well over tho footlights. and cannot help being popu'ar. Incidentally, Miss Kosina Buckr'au performed and sang most creditab'y as Martha. The male chorus was weak and poor in qnality, but the female w-as excellent in both voices. The performance concluded with a great ovation. "The Speckled Band." "The Speckled Band" is now running nt the Sydney Theatre Poyal with Wm. Desmond as Sherlock Holmes and Mr. Gorton Mervalo as the half-crazed Br. Rylott. It is a weird, grim, little story, in which the Anglo-Indian doctor has already portioned out death to one of his daughters through the agency of a snake, which he puts. in her room through a hole in the wall. He seeks to take tho life of tho remaining daughter by the same means, but is checkmated by the alert Holmes. Miss Dorothy Dix, a young and very handsome actress, adequately portrays the terrorised girl, and Mr. Mervale gives a Svengali-like impersonation of tho crazy doctor, but Mr. Desmond hardly conveys the correct impression of the calm, implacable, cocaine-loving Holmes. Pcrhans the best bit of character acting is that given by Mr. J. B. Atholwood, as Dr. Bylott's aged servant, who is throughout the story a picture of abjcct and most pathetic terror. Miss Ethel Irving. What a pity it is that Miss Ethel Irving is not to visit New Zealand! Tho pros and cons have all been discussed in Sydney, and wo are not to see tho clever littlo lady, who, to-day, probably has no rival as a comedienne in high comedy. In "Lady Frederick" Miss Irving charmed t'ho hearts and minds of all Sydney, and tho result has been a boom at tho Criterion Theatre. Lady Frederick is a dear delightful Irishwoman of the world with whom everyone is in love, and who is ever and always up to her eyes in debt. The play is almost "Oscar Wildish" in that it is shot by a flight' of brilliant epigrams,, the dialogue is subtle, studied perhaps a trifle, but, even so, delightful, and Miss Irving's faint Irish drawls, and tho finished point which she gives to every dotail, without appearing to do anything of the kind, hor gift of absolute repose, correct poise, and keen comedy sense, all make up an actress whom all playlovers will regret not. having seen. Shaw and Shakespeare. So far George Bernard Shaw is only known in the library or those places where hook-worms burrow. There arc somo who cannot tolerate Shaw; others who think ho is great fun; and a few who believe in him. The last-named take an intense delight in rubbing their fingers along tho edge of his hard, sharp cynicism, and the blue steel spear-point

of his probe. Whatever anyone in Taihapo thinks of Shaw does not' concern Mr. J. V. .Montague, tho offending lioncl and front of (lie Auckland Shakspere (Dial's tho spelling of it in this Society next week, but ho is agitabvl quietly as to what Wellington folk think, as he is tn give them "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" at. the Concert. ChamW on Tuesday evening next. On the Monday evening preceding the Auckland Show Sociely will read "Twelfth Night." What; thev will do next, Mr. Montague alono knows, hnl, there is a literary and elocutionary sirocco due in Wellington on Wednesday next, and these Shawksperians do not* intend In he strangled by any of our Wellington Capulet?. * "Hamlet" at Christmas. Wellington is to enjoy solid theatrical fare at Christinas this year. The Opera House will be occupied by Mr. H. B. Irving and the complerc Knglish company which has been supporting him in Australia. The season will open with "Hamlet," and wo shall probably also see tho son of the groat. Trving, in "The Lyons Mail" and "Louis XI." At Auckland the Christinas dates will be filled by "The Chocolate Soldier" Company, headed by Miss Winifred O'Connor, who was here recently with "The Arcadians." Notes. "Sweet Nell of Old Dniry" is the latest announcement in picturodom. Last week at Bondi, Sydney, Mi?s Nellie Stewart and a complete company were engaged in acting a condensed version of tho drama for tho Spencer Company, under the direction of Mr. George As a mat tar of fact, the demand for locallyacted picturos is now so keen that few actors and actresses are "out of *a shop" in Sydney. Mr. W. S. Percy's picture, "All for Gold," taken by was quite a success. It will seen at tho Kins s Theatre lure shcrtly. Mr. Percy informed tho writer that at. the termination of his present engagement with J. C. W illiamson, Ltd., two years hence, lie intends to go in for the production of pictures on a large scale. Much may happen in two years' time, and Mr. Percy may ill bo spared from the musical comedy stngp. ■ "Nobxly's Daughter," being played by tile Plimmer-Penniston Company, commences its sixth week at Palace Theatre, Sydney, this evening. This p:ay will l>o poen in Wellington towards the end of .lanuary. Besides this popular play, which has proved a money-spinner, this company will present "Inconstant George" and "Smith" during its coining tour of New Zealand. There is a possibility of Mr. John M'Cormack, the eminent tenor, now appearing with the Melba Grand Opera Company in Sydney, makni'r a few appearances in concert in Wellington and Auckland at the termination of his present engagement', son.e twelve weeks hence. He is desirous of peeing Kctorua, and would li!:o to take in the North Island en route to America. Sir Arthur i'inern's "romic play." "Preserving Mr. Panmure," comnicnced its first' tour of the provinces in August with an entire ]/>ndon company from the Co:r.cdv Theatre. The company, which was selected and rehearsed by ih? author, is headed by Miss ISmma IJutohison (sister of Sir Charles Wyndham) and includes Mr. "Robert Noble, who took up his part al short notice, and received the congratulations of Sir Arthur Pinero after his lirst performance. Mr. Noble is a son of Mr. If. T. Noble Beasley, of this c-itv. He forsook pharmacy for tho stage eight yearb ago and, afW spending a couple of years in Australia, left for England, where he is now making steady progress in ihe profession. Mr. Cyril Maekay is to plav tho title role in the new play, "Alias Jimmy Valentine." which is to be prcdnrH by "The Spcckled Band" Company in Sydnry shortly. Mr. Mackav has done some notably grod work with J. C. Ltd., of recent years, and well deserves promotion to stardom.