MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 9, 10 January 1920, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus.")

THE' SHOWS.

Grand Opera House—Williamson Grand Opera Company, in session. Concert Chamber—Daisy Kennedy, to-nielit His Majesty's—Vaudeville. Th» Kind's Theatre—Pictures. Artcraft Theatre—Pictures. Our Theatre—Pictures New Theatre—Pictures. Empress Theatre—Pictures. Shortt's Theatre—Pictures Strand Theatre—Pictures. Britannia Theatre—Pictures. Everybody's Theatre—Pictures. Queen's Theatre—Pictures. Paramount Theatre—Pictures

Perfect in every detail, and so small it will lie within a space covered by two half crowns laid side by side, London now boasts of having the smallest violin in the world. It was made by the well-known violinist. B. Vanderm'eulen, and is exquisitely constructed as to scale. The exact measurements are: Violin body, 1 11-16 inches ; violin, over all, 2| inches; bow, 3 9-16 inches. "Kissing Time" will be the next production of the J. C. Williamson Royal Comic Opera Company at Melbourne Theatre Royal when "Theodore and Co." has completed its allotted run. "Kissing Time" was played in America as "The Girl Behind the Gun." It is running in London to enormous business, and ranlfs with "The Maid of the Mountains" aB one of the most remarkable musical successes the English stage has ever, known.

Miss.Kathleen Levi (Dunedin) had an enthusiastic reception when she gave a pianoforte recital at the Steinway Hall this week, and the musical critics are highly complimentary, writes The Post's London correspondent under date 20th November. For instance, the Morning Post says: "There was much to enjoy in her playing for it had the qualities that are best summed up in the word proficiency. Her conception of Scarlatti had the proper sparkle* and, where required, smooth gentility, and her idea of Beethoven's Sonata in E., Op. 109, constantly called attention to the charm and worth of the music. Her interpretation of the Variations was especially pleasing in its freshness a-nd sustained vitality. Native music was best represented by No. 6 of Mr.*, Tobias Matthay's 'Monothemes'—an attractive bravura study—and an excerpt from Mr. B. J. Dale's Sonata. Miss Levi's playing always conveyed a sense of ease that inspired confidence—a large factor in an audience's enjoyment." And in the opinion of the Daily Telegraph : "One's first impression on hearing Miss Kathleen Levi play the piano is that she is a very competent young pianist."

Mr. Bert Bailey, who has had long experience of the Australian stage both as actor and as manager, is paying his first visit to England. Looking at some of- the London entertainments of the present aftei-wai period, with freshness of view and yet with expert theatrical knowledge, he has formed various interesting opinions. These are expressed in letters to his partner, Mr. Julius Grant, who is still in Melbourne : "I had a chat with .Robert Courtneidge," writes Mr. Bailey, "with reference to 'On Our Selection.' He read the script afterwards, and wrote me he thought the comedy immense, and had an excellent chance, and he would he willing to do it with us if a theatre could be obtained. That is the great difficulty here—getting theatres. The men playing in theatres here are paying as much as £500 weekly, and even at that price theatre? are unobtainable. These theatres pass through the hands of two, three, four, or five lessees, all sitting back and getting, a profit on their particular interest. In the provinces the same difficulty occurs with theatres. The attractions are' so varied and the difficulty of remaining in London so great that the local manager can pick and choose, and to a great extent name his own. terms. I have seen several shows here, and let me say that we have listened in Australia to a lot of talk that was simply nonsense. I do not know what they were doing here a few years back, but I do know what they ■are doing here now. I saw the revue of 'Joy Bells' at the Hippodrome, ons of their biggest theatres; prices from 7s 6d to 2s, tax excluded. George Eobey is in this show—the best comedian of his class that I have ever seen—not only excellent in his songs, but excellent in the sketches, and excellent in one bit he does in a straight make-up and an ordinary walking suit. This production has 32 girls all told, and in only one instance are they all on together, at the end of the first act. One big nnmber they do, where the girls are dressed as birds, consists of six dresses worn by six girls. All their numbers are worked as a. rule by eight girls. Another feature is the entrance of six girls, each of them dressed as the load m' a. grand opera, such as .'Rigoletto,' 'Carmen,' 'Madame Butterfly,' etc. The ballet consists of 15 girls. Bear in mind, this is one of the big attractions in one of the big London theatres, with a stage bigger than the King's. It is not in the number of people that they use, but in the use' they make of them, and the show is excellent and well done, but I have seen no 40 and 50 girls in fours of different costumes. You do not see the girls crowded together like a suffragette mass meeting. You get the full', effect of every costume. I next ■went to the London Pavilion—Charles Cochran's production of 'Afgai,' an extravaganza in two acts, with John Humphreys and Alice Delysia as the stars; both excellent, Delysia exceptionally so. •She speaks with a broken accent; good actress, good singer, and a good looker. The prices at this house range from 12s to 3s 9d, tax included, For experience, I went to the grand circle, the same ■position in a theatre as our gallery, tipup, upholstered seats, 5s 9d. This show is a success. At the matinee yesterday it was packed. The dresses received special mention. The girls number 16 all told. Of these one-quarter wore similar costumes; the other 12 wore each a distinctive costume. I saw the first act, which played one hour and 25 minutes, and not one change of costume was made by either principal or chorus during the whole act. Their idea is evidently few girls, few costumes, ■but good. There were 18 in the orchestra, and the show was good and well ■done. The numbers are beautifully dressed, and when you have 12 girls who do not change once during the act naturally you can afford to have 12 topnotch costumes, and then spend not anything like we spend in Australia. Now, the •London Coliseum, the ' finest London Theatre I have been in so far. They had a vaudeville programme, prices 8s 6d to Is 3d. tax included; if booked 6d extra, boxes £7 7s. A vaudeville bill, as I saw it, mainly with acts of the same calibre that we have seen on the Rickards and Fuller circuits. I also saw a feature ballet at the Coliseum. This consists of 12 girls without a star dancer—not 50 or 60, but 12, and the dancers are just good dancers; no better than the ballet we can put together in Australia without the slightest worry. It is not a matter of numbers of people or numbers of costumes; it is a matter of good production, good stage management, and good lighting. Living here is very expensive. "Anyone who says you can live cheaply in London wants to think again; you simply cannot. Houses and flats are almost impossible to obtain, and hotels are almost prohibitive, Bushrangers are driving taxis here,"