MIMES AND MUSIC.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 133, 12 June 1909, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC.

COMIKu EVENTS. OPEKA HOUSE. Allan Hamilton Company, season close 6 tolight. Harry Richards, 14th June to 25th June. Meynell and Gunn's Opera Company, 26th fune. Pollard Opera Company, 26th July to 13th August. Jfellie Stewart, 16tb to 2Sth August. J. C. Williamson, COth August to 12th Sepeinber. THEATRE BOYAL. Fullers' Pictures, in season. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. y Royal Pictuie Syndicate, in season. Mr. G. Homan Barnes arrived in Wellington this week to forward matters in connection with the opening in the Opera House of Meynell and Gunn's English Opera Company in "Miss Hook,, of Holland," on Saturday, 26th inst. The company, as has been noted in this column many times, has been most successful iii Australia, the pantomime, "Cinderella," which it will also stage here, having established a record run in Melbourne. "Miss Hook, of Holland," was also played for a lengthy period. "The Belle of Mayfair" will ilso be staged. Geach's Dramatic Co. has met with much success on its tour of the Domin«on. "Lured to London" has proved a big drawing card, the sensational dive jcene being one of the factors. In Dimidin, when Miss Ethel Buckley dived Into the water, a sailor from a warship in port was carried away with excitement, and rushed on to the stage, calling to Miss Buckley, "Keep up, I'll give you a hand !" The Geach Company returns to New Zealand early next year with a new repertoire. The dainty and fascinating little Dutch personality, "Miss Hook, of Holland," who delighted audiences of Sydney and Melbourne for fifteen months, will shortly arrive in Wellington. T?ie little lady is the title of the quaint Dutch comic opera which will inaugurate the season of Messrs. Meynell and Gunn's English Comic Opera Company, at the Opera House on Saturday, 26th June. The company is at present appearing to crowded houses in Auckland, where a record of fifteen performances was concluded with the pantomime "Cinderella." "The Belle of Mayfair" is now the .attraction in that city. Both these pieces will be produced during the Wellington season. Ifc was at first the .intention of the management to tour "Miss Hook, of Holland," later in the year, considering the expense entailed in the transport of the big pantomime, but tho thousands of requests received from all parts of New Zealand for "Miss Hook" Tirevailed on the management to include this remarkably popular play in the company's repertoire, and with this end in >iew the play has been shipped to New Zealand. "Miss Hook, of Holland," «pas the first play in which the present jompany won its laurels in Australia, md will naturally form the initial proiuciion of its Wellington season. The jompany includes all the original "Hook" favourites — Messrs. William Cromwell, Edwin Pratt, Harold Thorley, Tom ?ayne, Miss Ruth Lincoln, Miss Merelith Meredro, Emmaline Orford,- Essie '?errin, Daisy Belmore, Helene Rose, ')nd Dora Denton, who are tho most jonspicuous amongst the stars.

Rupert Clarke, Meynell, and Gunn's New English Company made a great success in Henry Arthur James's masterpiece, "The Hypocrites," at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, last Saturday. The piece, caused quite a sensation, particularly in the third act, where the Rev. Edgar Linnell expresses the hypocrisy of those around him, who would effect, his ruin. Miss Gladys Harvey, as the wronged girl, Rachel Neve 5 Mr. Harcourt Beatty, as the courageous curate ; and others were conspicuous f or some fine acting. The piece ran for over five weeks in Sydney to enormous business. Mr. Henry Kolker puts the case of "naturalism in acting," about which there is so much controversy nowadays, in a nutshell — "We hear much prating about naturalism in the theatre — the holding, as 'twere, the mirror up to natjire ; but I am strongly inclined to th: -At that naturalism, like morality, is a matter of geography. W hat may I c perfectly natural to the volatile and effervescent Itilian would be the height of exaggeration in the stolid, philosophical German. The English people are in the full state of their development, or nearly so. The American people are in the very middle state of their development, and are struggling still with the natural resources of their country. It naturally follows that the Englishman is characterised by a repose that to the American closely "resembles apathy, the American by a restless energy that to the Englishman appears too violent uj reflect nature, and yet each reflects faithfully the national spirit, and in that sense is 'natural.' For 'American' one may read 'Australian,' and discover why it is that so many English plays that have been a success in London are not considered good business for this country." "As You Like If will be the next addition to Miss Nellie Stewart's repertoire — in fact, the company have it already in readiness for the present Adelaide season. Miss Stewart came out this time with a powerful ambition to present another Rosnlind to Australian audiences, and to that end had most carefully studied' the part in London. Her reading of the part should, in view of her own native talent, be worth going a long way to see. Her company, as at present constituted (says an Australian paper), seems particularly well suited to the interpretation of Shakespeare's arcadian comedy. Mr. Claude King is to be the melancholy Jacques; Mr. Langford Burton, Orlan do,- and Mr. Harry Ashford, Touchstone. Miss Rosslyn Vane has already shown us abundant proof that she will be excellent Celia, and Miss Harriet Trench's talent for character-acting will ensure a fine Audrey. Mrs. Frederick Moves is to be the banished Duke, Mr. Alfred Tapping old Adam, and Miss Marjorie Chard a dainty shepherdess. Miss Tittell Brune being well-known to Mr. Charles Frphman, who has been in touch with her Australian career, and is perfectly aware of her success as the youthful and visionary little duke in "L'Aiglon," niany people saw in her approaching visit to London the possibility of her appearance in that character. -Hitherto, Rostand's poetic comedy, made familiar throughout the. United States by Miss Maud Adams, had only been staged in London in the original French for half a dozen performances by Sarah Bernhardt. But now, at last, the English papers announce that Mi.=s Adams i? to vi?it the metropolis with a complete company at the end of the present year, in order to appear' as Romeo, and in "L'Aiglon." This plan removes from the category of the remotely possible Miss Brune's chances of _ appearing in the character — a fact which her Australian admirers will regret.

West's Pictures .are to have a house of their own in Melbourne, at the corner of City-road and Sturt-street, a site that is opposite to Olympia on the one h_.nd and the Glaciarium on the other. The original idea (says a Bulletin contributor) wae> to erect a wood and iron structure, but the Jaw of the South Melbourne City Council required it to be built of brick, and the end of a long controversy was a 'decision to give the local bricklayers a first-class job. At the present time the West's Proprietary is paying a huge rental for Olympia, a not very lonely edifice of iron and wood, which stands just outside the limits of the South Melbourne Council's "brick [ area." The show will soon begin to save money by being its own landlord. Also, it will have a building exactly suited to its picture requirements, i.e., big enough to seat 3500 people comfortably without bringing the stage or "screen" too close to the front chairs. The inevitable Pitt, M.L.C., has completed the plans, and, on the word of Manager J. A. Miller, the new West's Theatre, or whatever it may be called, will be ready to receive pictures by Ist September — a month before West's lease of Olympia expires. "The Silver King" hat. replaced "An Englishman's Home" in Melbourne, with Mr. Henry Kolker and Miss Ola Humphrey in the chief characters, a fact which draws attention to tho number of artists who have appeared as Wilfred Denver in Australia. The list includes the following names : — G. S. Titheradge (1884, 1885, 1886), Lawrence Cautley,' George Rignold, Edward Sass {who has also played the Spider), Walter Bentley, Scot Inglis, King Hedley, Wilson Barrett (1898 and 1901), Harry Plimmer (and also the Spider), Julius Knight, and Henry Kolker. No other modern drama can furnish a record that even approaches this one. Many famous artists have played Daniel Jaikes, and innumerable leading ladies, from Annie Mayor to Maud Jeffries and Lilian M'Carthy, have appeared as Nellie Denver during the period of 25 years covered by the Australian career of this popular melodrama. The success achieved by Rupert Clarke, Meynell, and Gunn's pantomime of "Cinderella" in Australia — it put up the world's record of 17 weeks in Melbourne — was justified by the triumph it achieved at the Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool, last year, where it attained the record run for pantomime in England that Chribtma?. Playgoers, both young and old, have at all times had a soft spot in their hearts for "Cinderella" ; but one of the reasons of the remarkable success of this pantomime is that it is an entirely different "Cinderella" to any that has ever been staged before. It is, in fact, on entirely differ«nt lines, being more of , the nature of a comic opera pantomime. The story is interesting, the music is pretty and catching, there are plenty of songs that cling to the memory, and the libretto is above the average of that usually associated with a pantomime. It fairly bristles with humour." The comedians are on the stage throughout the whole of the play, and their efforts are invariably successful, so well are they provided with laughter-making material. The new cast lor the production in Melbourne, to-night, of 'The King of Cadonia," a musical play by Sidney Jones, in which Mr. Huntley Wright was originally the principal comedian, and Miss Isabel Jay the soprano (Princess Marie), at the Prince of Wales's Theatre, where the piece ha'i been rupning since last September, will include a new baritone, Mr. Herbert Clayton, whose fine appearance should assist him as the (supposed) King, determined to discover why the Cadomans are so fond of assassinating their Sovereigns. Mr. Bert. Gilbert will be the timid Duke of Alasia, who, as heir-apparent, strongly objects 131 3 ascend the throne ; Miss Dorothy Q OU1 -t will be the Princess Mario ; Miss

Susie Vaughan will appear as the Duchess ; Miss Lottie Sargeant as the soubiette; Mr. Frank Greene in a. high comedy character ; Mr. Victor Prince, a son of Mr. Howard Vernon, in a. low comedy part ; and Mr. Arthur Appleby, Mr. E. Nable, and Miss Ivy Scott also I have parts. Two comedies and two musical plays formed the output of new productions in London during the last week in April. Amongst these the only one certain to j reach Australia is "The Arcadians," J which has already been secured by Rupert Clarke, Meynell, and Gtmn. Tbe London press is almost unanimous in the belief that with this piece Mr. Robert Courtneidge should fill the Shaftsbury Theatre, ot which he is the new lessee, for the best part of a year. The music is by Howard Talbot and Lionel Monckton, the book by Mark Ambient and A. M. Thompson, and the action opens in the fanciful region of Arcadia. James Smith (Mr. Dan Roljat), a London caterer, lands there from an aeroplane, shocks the inhabitants by fibbing, is thereupon converted into an Arcadian by sousing in the Well of Truth, and under the name of Simplicitas is sent back to England with tSvo Arcadian maidens as samples of the Better Land. The second act takes place upon Askwood Racecourse, and in the third the two damsels (Misses Ploren-e and Smith son and May Kinder) are found serving customers in the gorgeous conservatory 1 of the Arcadian Restaurant, under the direction of Simplicitas and Mrs. Smith j — Ihe last named not recognising her hus- i band owing to tire saintly comeliness j shed upon him by the Waters of Truth. 1 Ihe critics recommend "cutting" in the third act, which lasted "until after 10.20 p.m., and as that is the only fault found with the piece, ifc should teach the antipodes theoretically perfect. Ihe other musical play, " A Persian Princess, "' at the Queen's, though beautifully procured, is pronounced a failure. Mr. Sidney Jonas's music was considered commonplace, and the dialogue was alleged to be in the style of the following quotation :—": — " And keep your eyes upon me, I must own., like doggies keep their eyes upon a bone !" which, il is pointed out, would depress even Offenbach ! There were a number of good artists in the cast. Miss Euth Vincent, Miss Carrie Moore, Mr. Noel Fleming, a new tenor, Barton M'Guckin, and others. A rcmantic costume drama, dated 1801, brings forward Mr. Lewis Waller and Miss Maxine Elliott afc the Lyric Theatre. " The Conquest '* is by Constance Fletcher, but its melodramatic impossibilities, in spite of some clever dialogue, were * doubtfullj- regarded. Arthur E. W. Mason's new play, "Colonel Smith," is likely to succeed at the St. James's, owine to the popularity '■ of Mr. George Alexander and Miss Irene Vanbrugh. in {he central characters of the comedy. Theatrical Clips. — Mr. George Mario w has acquired the Australasian rights of Melville's latest success, ''Married to the Wrong Man." . . Geach's Dramatic Company opens in Auckland in "Lured to London," on the 21st inst. . . Messrs. J. and IST. Tait expect their Wilbur Wright aeroplane to arrive in Melbourne on Ist July. . . Mr. James Lindsay, who has visited New Zealand with Meynell and Gunn's Companies, leaves Australia for England in September. . . Williamson's "Jack and Jill" pantomime has been played IS9 times in Sydney and Melbourne. . . Mr. Henry Kolker has received a cable message from New York, offering him the star part in a new drama, by Eugene Walter, which is to be produced in New York in September. Mr. Kolker has accepted the engagement. . . There are three companies in Australia at present playing "An Englishman's Home." . . During Miss Nellie Stewart's last days in Melbourne she was kept busy by the autograph collector. On' one day* she signed 150 of her own photographs.