MIMES AND MUSIC.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 23, 27 January 1912, Page 13

MIMES AND MUSIC.

(By "Orpheus.")

f THE SHOWS. ! OPERA HOUSE H. B. Irving Company, in season to 10th February. Allan Doone, 17th February. George Marlow, 27th April to 18ttt May. Williamson's "Everywoman" Company, 25th to 23th May. Williamson's Pantomime. 17th to 30th July. Williamson's "Blue Bird" Company, 14th to 27th August. Oscar Ascho Company, 19th October to 2nd November. THEATRE 11OYAL. Fuller* Klnemaeolor Pictures SKATING RIXK. Fuller's Pictures. THE KIXG'S THEATRE. Royal and West's Pictures. STAR THEATRE. Star Picture Company. ST. THOMAS'S HALL. West's Pictures. THE NEW THEATRR. MacMahon and Donnelly'* Picturei. BIJOU THEATRE. Bijou Picture*.. fiHORTT'S THEATIIE. Shortt's Pictures. Mr. H. B. Irving, who will make his initial appearance in Wellington at the Opera House to-night, first played "Hamlet" at the Adelphi Theatre three Jor four years ago. His age at the time was the same ac that of his father (Sir Henry Irving) when he, first appeared in that part. Included in the caste of "Hamlet " when Mr. Irving first appeared in the piece were Mr. Oscar Ascho as the King and Miss Lily Brayton ac Ophelia. In commenting on the performance, an English critic wrote of Mi-. Irving's interpretation as a "brilliant triumph gained by thoughtful ability and genuine dramatic power." Mrs. H. B. Irving, or Miss Dorothea Baird as she is known 'on the etage, will appear as Ophelia. A member of the company \vho_ created a furore as Claudius in " Hamlet " in Melbourne and Sydney is Mr. Frank Tyass, who spent twenty-five years of hie career with the late Sir Henry Irving. Mr. Fred, Duval, who has steered many combinations towards big houses and consequent financial success, is to be connected with the Marie Baines Company during its West Coast venture. Thereafter he will take up the work of advance agent for the Allan Doone Company. At uresent Mr. Stanley Grant is m charge of affairs of the Irish-Ameri-can singing-comedian's company. At Easter time the Maribw management will produce in iihe. Dominion "A Girl's Temptation," which is declared to be in all respecte a fitting follower to "The Bat> Girl of the -Family." ' Like that affair it hag played to capacity business everywhere, and has proved as great a joy to the people at large as it has been a grief to the few superior persons who cling to the belief that the theatre should educate as well as amuse. The Marlow management' will present Mr. Allen Doone to the people. of Wellington on 17, th February. He is described on the posters as an Irish singing - comedian. According to the Australian ■ journals he is an actor who i& ' well fitted to play the parts he does, and has been well guided in his choice of plays. "Sweet County Kerry," the first which we are to see, has been a great success in at least two continents. It has been described as clean, wholesome, pretty, bright, and witty. There are plenty of opportunities for laughter. The scenery astonished the people on the other side; it was more than realistic, it was beautiful in at least one set. The death 6f Johnny Riley. at the Old Colonists' Home (Vie), in his 93rd year, leaves W. H. Ford, of Oxford-street, Collingwood '.(Vic), the oldest living, actor hereaboutr— and possibly the oldest soutb of the line. Ford was born in 1830, and was playing at' Astley's Amphitheatre, London, at the age of six years. His mother and grandmother were at Astley'6 before him. Riley was an older man, and the senior of Ford <on the Australian stage. But Ford is the older stage hand. He came to Sydney in 1847. Johnny Riley arrived in the first '40's. — Bulletin. Though New Zealand is apparently to be left lonely in so far as vaudeville entertainments are concerned, the Australian centres should be well supplied, if there is truth in the rumour that a scheme is on foot to -establish another great circuit. The Sydney Sun, which i# responsible for the statement, declares - that & prominent Melbourne financier ii about to Wsit America to make tho necessary arrangements for a enpply of artiete. The project would, of course, involve the building of new theatres in cv.cry centre, > and it is not yet certain whether the promoters ' have overcome the -'greatest difficulty, in that direction— that of securing suitable' sites. ' The New Zealand tour, which has been arranged for Allan Hamilton's Repertoire Company, is as follows: — Auckland, 26th February; Gisborne, Uth> and 12th March: Napier, 14th, 15th, arid 16th; Hastings, 18th; Wellington, 19th' to 26th; Chrintchurch, 28th to 4th April; Dunedin 7 /Easter. When 'f Paseers-By " is produced at the Melbourne Theatre Royal to-night, playgoers will sets a comedy-drama which has proved an enormous success in England and America. "Passers-By "is the work of Haddon Chambers, the Australian playwright, who is said to have already drawn over £30,000 in royalties from the play. In affdition to Miss Hilda Spong and Harcoort Beatty, the ca6fc of "Passere-By " will include Eardley' Turner, Goerge Miller, Arthur Styan, Emma Temple, Elise Clareris; and Little Eileen Dunn. New Zealanders are to be afforded an opportunity of seeing, by medium of the kinematograph, Madame Sarah Bernhardt in one of her triumphs. The exclusive rights of Bernhardt' in "Camille," in wnich the celebrated actress appears for the firat time in any photo play as the central figure, has been secured by West's Pictures, Ltd. Wests Ltd. have also arranged for a film in which Madame Rejane takes the leading part in "Madame Sans-Gene." Madame Rejane is one of the best-known and most popular actresses on tho Continental sta<*e.' The Allen Doone Company wilf appear in ,the four principal towns of New Zealand only. The reason is that the elaborate 6oenery could not be mounted on any but the largest stages in the Dominion, and it is also v;ery expensive to move it about and great care has to be taken in handling it. The New Zealand dates are as follow :— Christchurcli, 24th January to 6th- February ; .Dunedin, Bth February to 14th February; Wellington, 17th February to Ist March; Auckland, 4th March to 16th March.- At the conclusion of the Auckland season the company will leave for -Melbourne, where a season will be commenced on 6th April and extend to 28th J.une. The Woods-Williamson Dramatic Company, at present in Adelaide, will make its reappearance in a Melbourne metropolitan theatre next month. Since 16th December the company has been showing to continuously large audiences at the Adelaide Royal, latterly 'in "Boy Jim." This ie a sporting and romantic drama, and has been one of the chief successes of the Woods- Williamson Company's repertoire It is Miss Maud Williamson's 1 four-act dramatisation of Sir A. Conan Doyle's great novel, "Rodney Stone," and in it "Boy Jim" (the role created by Mr. Alfred Woods) outs "Ted Wilson, the Champion of, England," in a contest for the title. "Barabbaa," which plj£ ran lor 'i week, -to -packed hou««,

before "Boy Jim," is Mis« Williamson's dramatisation of Marie Corelli's novel of that name. Responding to the toa^t of "The Drama" at the Dramatic Fund dinner in London, Major Drury touched rather neatly on the actor-manager nuisance. According to a summary of his speech given in the Daily Telegraph, he said that if Hamlet had had to address a twentieth-century playwright he would probably, at the risk of outraging metre and grammar, have made one of hi 6 famous sayings run, ''The actor-manager is the thing." Shakespeare had only to hit upon a workable idea and then let himself go, untrammelled by modern conditions, and with perfect contidence that he would with very little tiouble be able to tit the playeit to tho play. But th<» intelligent public nowadays insisted upon the personality and the idiosyncrasies* of it<3 favourite actcr dominating the part he poitrayed, whether it be that of a bailiff or a right " honourable. Consequently the modern playwright had to v»v«»rbe the Eliza bethan method. His first concern must be to fit his play to that actor-manager whom he designed should have the privilege ot producing it. If he failed in that vespect he might just as well, as a general rule, commit his two or three yeare 1 work to the flames, for it was a thousand to one against its being likely to fit any other actor-manager. The announcement that Miss Ethel Irving is to visit the Dominion will be welcome news to lovers of -good acting. Miss Irving is jast concluding a return visit to Sydney, and the arrangement was that she and her company were to return to England, paying a brief vis.it to Perth en route. Miss Irving :<s a etar of the first magnitude, and playgoers can look forward to a rare treat. Touching on her farewell in Sydney, the Daily Telegraph had this to say :—: — "The visit of this distinguished English actress has been of rare value Lo the Australian stage, since it has enabled playgoers to observe the f-nished methods of the modem echool of aot:ng, ac illustrated .by one of the most gifted exponents of the art. She has given Australians three eminently fine<ci&racter studies, in Stella Ballant/ne, Lady Frederick, and Lolette-^-all full of Jife and animation, and distinguished one from the other withremarkafeleeubtlety. No one will- forget the charm of Lady Frederick, with her mordant wit and careless humour; the distraught emotion of Stella Ballantyne, in her faraway home in India; or tho impetuosity of the frantically-jealous Lolette. Playgoers will only hope that Mic6 Irving will come back this way aoon — but, as to that," we' are far away from London, and the visits of stars' of euch magnitude must therefore be of the rarest. All that Miss Irving can promise is that she will visit Australia some day, if . a suitable opportunity should offer. She may be assured always of the most enthusiastic welcome from playgoers' on " this side of the world. ' Miss Irving's return to St. James's' Theatre, to appeal" ' once again with Sir George Alexander, will depend upon the length of run of "Bella Donna," which the well-known actor-man-ager had announced for- production about the second week of last month. He holds the option over a new- play from Paris, and* a letter received from him' by Mr. Porteous (Miss Irving's husband) shows that his plans are that this play shall follow "Bella Donna" whenever it becomes necessary to provide a successor for that piece, and that Miss Irving is to appear in it. Meanwhile she will fulfil a lucrative contract at a London variety theatre, where -she is to play the leading rolo in Sir W. S. i Gilbert's well-known "Comedy and Tragedy." A revival of "Lady Frederick."' m which she made one of the hits of her career in London, is probable, and it is also hinted that the star may appear as Tosca in Sardou's drama, which has not been played in English in. Lon- j don since the days .of Mrs. Bernard Beere, about 1890, at the Court-Thea,-tre. • s Writing of the, production of " Oedipus the King >f (which was successfully staged in London this month), a London paper last month stated : The production of Sophocles's ' " Oedipus the King " will probably prove one of the greatest dramatic events of the year. Mr. 'Martin Harvey ii&de arrangements early last year, ,to bring it across from, the Continent, where it nad already become a pronounced success by reason not only of it* own qualities but also because of the dramatic and spectacular genius .of Professor Max Reinhardt. In the' large cities of Germany it ha's attracted audiences of 4000 and 5000 people at' each performance, and St. Petersburg, a city always quick ,to receive new artistic impressions, has extended it a cordial welcome. The play is described as full of curiously striking and grandiose effects. On the upper stage, in clear light, are shown, for example, the leading figures of the drama— Oedipus, King of Thebes; Jo casta, his unhappy Queen; .Croon, who is to take the reins of power when they drop on the nerveless hands of the fallen sovereign, and Tireeias, the prophet of ill-omen ; to say nothing of those instruments of destiny, the herdsmen, who help in the. evolution of the plot. Then, below, in semi-darkness, are dimly revealed the figuresi of the chorus — the citizens of Thebes. 'So weird and original are the effects, and so striking some of the stage appliances which Professor Reinhardt has used to produce the impression he desires, that in Berlin, where the play with 600 performers wa6 presented in a circus, the crowds' packed the entire building, and an average of £1500, it is said, was the nightly return. There 'was some difficulty in fixing upon a suitable- building in London, but finally the Covent Garden Theatre was selected, after certain alterations necessary from the magnitude, of the play had been decided upon. It is only quite recently tht " Oedipub the King " was licensed for production in London. For a lone time consent was refused by . the Lora Chamberlain's office, even though alterations were made from time to time in the play; but since the establishment of a committee to help the work of tho censor the official ban na6 been 'removed. This is the third great production which Professor Reinhardt has recently brought to London. The first was the beautiful "Sumurun," played at the Coliseum with bo much success, and the second was "The Miracle," one of the Christmas attractions, which required 2000 people on the stage as supernumeraries. The translation of the play is by Professor Gilbert Aime Murray, who was bom in Sydney.' He is the son of the late Sir'Tereoce Aubrey Murray, who was' President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales, and is a brother ,of Judge Murray. LieutenantGovernor of Papua: v He left Australia at the -age of eleven, and was educated at Merchant Taylor's School, London, and at St. John's College, Oxford. He had a brilliant scholastic career, and obtained the degrees of M.A. (Oxford), Uj.T). (Glasgow), •D. Litt. (Birmingham), and has also received distinction as F.'B.A. and F. R.S.I. He was made a Fellow of New College, Oxford, in 1888, and from 1889 to 1899 was Professor of Greek at Glasgow University. Since 1908 he has been Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford University. Mr. Harry Lauder is- profoundly dissatisfied with English music hall managements. They -want to take everything, and leave you nothing, he says'. " "Here at home I only get £120 a' week," he explained, with some pathos, to an interviewer ;, and when he was offered -an engagement in New York at £500 a week he was not allowed to go until he had undertaken to pay his London management compensation at the rate of £200 .a week fov the uuexpired portion of hifl contract..