MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 38, 13 August 1921, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus,")

THE SHOWS.

Grand Opera Hrase— English Pierrots, 20th August. Allan Wilkle, 29th August. Town Hall—

Jascha lielfetz, 17th, 22nd, and 25th August. His Majesty's—Vaudeville. The King's Theatre—Picture*. Artcraft Theatre—Pictures. ; Our Theatre—Pictures. Empress Theatre—Pictures. Shortt's Theatre—Pictures. '■ Strand Theatre—Pictures.' Britannia Theatre—Pictures. Princess Theatre—Pictures. Everybody's Theatre —Pictures. Queen's Theatre—Pictures. !■■■ Paramount Theatre—Pictures. ;

Mr. Sidney Culver and Miss Maggie DfKcenson, who were married in ,Melbourne a few months ago,, have, been engaged to appear at the" Queen's Theatre, London, in a new musical comedy, "Mary." They w'lll introuuee a new danoing turn. ! i

By the Marama from San Francisco there arrived several new artists for the Fuller circuit. These' are Richardson Brothers and Cherie, Berge, and English, and Zola Stantowne, and ttiey will appeal in Wellington next week. Miss Jennie.: Hartley, the bright star of the. "Sinbad", pantomime, has joined the Fullers, and will appear in Dunediri on the 22nd. Another popular artist is also due here, shortly, George Storey, the comedian, who met with a serious accident in Christchurch some months ago. Storey has completely recovered and has rejoined the Fullers.

Though many womer have appeared as Hamlet, it is' unusual to find one impersonating Sir John Falstaff. The feat was undertaken at a Court, Theatre charity matinee in June, when London actresses took all the parts in "The 1 Merry Wives of Windsor." Miss Olga Slade was Falstaff, and Miss Viola Treeappeared as Slender, Miss Marie Slade as Ford, and Miss Joyce Carey as Anne Page. • ■In these days of long runs it is interesting to recall that more than a few players have said that extended seasons, instead of making them sure of their words, have tended at times, to cause forgetfulness. George Gr'ossmith, the elder, once forgot the words of the Lord Chancellor's song in "lolantke." Ho confided to the audience that he had sung it 300 times, and that it was so long since-he ,had learned it that he had •forgotten it. Taken as a joke, this enabled him to refresh his memory by a glance at the book in the winglt. The opening of the new Theatre Royal in Sydney marks the progress of the policy of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., and J. and N. Tait in the erection of a. chain of , new theatres throughout Australia and New Zealand, which will represent the " last word" in 1 theatre construction. So far as New Zealand is concerned,- a commencement will be" made in' Auckland in the near future with the erection of the first of the new theatres. The site is in Queen-street, opposite Smith and Caughey's, and the new place of entertainment . will embody the very latest . ideas .for the comfort and con-

venience of patrons. • ' . The Allan "Willde Shakeßuoarean Company of forty performers, headed by Mr. Allan, j.Wilkie and Miss Frediswyde Hunter-Watts, will commencb a season at the Wellington Grand Opera House on the 29th instant. The openingl performance at Wellington will be the 252 nd 'performance given by the company since its inception on 11th September last at the historic Princess's Theatre; Melbourne." Mr. Wilkie intends to produce " Romeo and Juliet" for the first time during, the Wellington season. This will make the elev«nth play of the company's repertoire. It is am,open, secret that J.« and N.» Tait have paid the biggest, fee in their! long career as entrepreneurs to bring out to Australia and New Zealand the great Russian violinist, Jasoha Heifetz. There ia no doubt that Heifetz is the highestsalaried musician the world has ever known. During a twelve months' tour of America, Hedfetz received i a sum of £100,000: This wa? ■ exclusive of his gramophone royalties, which amount to thousands of pounds a year. Heifetz has become the; ; richest of all living musicians in the shortest space of time, but dfc is characteristic of' his artistic nature that, money has mo attraction for him. except that it has the power to buy him the comfort and peace his artistic mature desires, He makes his first apipeaarance next Wednesday at the Town Hall. . . ■ „

, The death of Howard Vernon- recalls the fact that one of his last tours with, his talented wife, Vinia De Loitte, was ir> New Zealand, and it was made nofcable by an^ exciting event. It was about 1906, and Mr.. arid Mrs. Vemon had formed a* strong company, and they remained in the Dominion for about 19 months, when disaster overtook them on the West Coast, their coach horses and everything: the company possessed be-' ing lost iri a flood while icrossing a, river on, a Government punt. Some solace was provided by the recovery from the Government of £2000 as compensation. Mr. Varnon had reached'the age of 76, and for some'years he 'had been conducting a book shop at Richmond, Melbourne.

J. ;C. Williamson, Ltd., have acquired the Australasian : rights of "Paddy the Next Best Thmg,"! the comedy which [Robert Courtneidge produced in London ■with enormous success. It has been described as another "Peg o' My Heart." A special company is being formed by the firm to present the play in Auetralia, the principals of which are now on their way from England in the Orsova, on board of which are also Dame i Olara Butt and Mr. Kennerley Rumford. The mew artists include Isabel Brosnen (who ■plays the leading role of Paddy), Doris Kendall, Spencer Fisher, A. M'Master, and Terence Maxwell.

" Handclapping in season and out of season has become one of the nuisances of the theatTe," writes Mr. A. B. Walkley, the well-known dramatic critic of The Times. "If you thing of it," he continues, " striking on© palm against the. other with a resounding smack is a queer way of expressing your delight. It suggests the monkey tricks of primeval man. I suppose, human, nature being 1 what' it is, it is hopeless to protest, to ask audiences to keep their applause for the. end of the act. People who go to the play for the play, who wish to lose, themselves in the dream the playwright has .woven for them, must continue to suffer (very literally) at the hands of other people who cannot dream out their dream, who wake up at brief intervals to give vent to their delight in 'a loud clap.' But on behalf of the quiet ones, the play-goers who wish to enjoy their theatrical illusion in comfort,, I protest that it isn't fair. . The effect of their handclapping would then be multiplied tenfold. Their enthusiasm would burst forth with all the greater violence for having been pent up. But, as things are, there is an explosion of applause at every'exit, at every tirade, nay, at every entrance, before the player ha« opened his mouth. ( Wliy not applaud before the act-drorj goes up? I know that a great obstacle' to ridding the playhouse of this tiresome habit is the players themselves. They say they cannot set on without instant applause. I cannot persuade myself that the true artist feels his art iri that way; he must surely be aware of the effect he is producing on his audionco, must know whether he is in touch ■wjth.lti without nooclinK the tissur-mci} of '» loud elfp,' I should have thought