Mimes and Music

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 20

Mimes and Music

•V "ORPHEUS"

THE SHOWS. Grand Opera House—Otcar Asche, ISth August. Benno Hoiseiwltsch, 6th September. Town Hsll—Amy Oastles, 11th, Mb, and 15th August. His Majesty's—Vaudeville. Artcraft Theatre—Pictures. Our Theatre—Picture!. Empress Theatre—Pictures. Shortfs Theatre—Plcturei. ' Strand Theatre—Pictures. ' ■ • Britannia Theatre—Pictures. -'■ : . Princes* Theatre—Pictures..; Everybody's Theatre—Pictures. Queen's Theatre—Pictures. Paramount Theatre—Pictures. ■,

M. Benno MoiseiwitscK, who will commence his New Zealand tour at the Grand Opera House,' Wellington; 6th, Bth, 11th, and 13th September, has been described as "The Wonder Pianist," and it is probable that none other of the many pianists who have visited Australasia has aroused the enthusiasm which has always greeted this great and popular artist. That is, no doubt, partly because he has not waited until hia hold on tho Old World should lessen with the passing of youth, but chiefly because to hear him is to realise that he is the tradition of the world's great pianists. A Sydney critic writes: "Moiseiwitsch's technical achievement is amazing, it is hard to imagine more wonderful bravura playing'than that in the Reval 'Tocata' (a novelty in Australasia), in which the eye literally lost the performer's hands in a blur of moving whiteness. Hfs rendering of Beethoven's greatest Sonata is an impassioned thrilling performance." If the unanimous eulogies of Australian critics stand for anything, music lovers in New Zealand may confidently anticipate a memorable musical'event. : '■■"■•

A large"number of artists, most, of whom, are strangers to Australia, reached Melbourne on R.M.S. Orvieto from London last week. Amongst them were two Australian favourites returning from abroad. They were Miss Ada Reeve and Mr. Alfred Frith. Miss Ada Reeve was recently forced to. abandon her season in Sydney owing to a nervous breakdown, and,she has now returned with health restored 1, as her numerous admirers will be glad to learn, afterja holiday in England. 'She is on herj.way to Sydney, (reports' the, ''Age"), where! she is to join- the-Jiusgrove circuitjjand if her jiealth; permits she will produce three reTOefrin; Australia.; These wUlibe "Pines aricTNee'dies". and "Whirr ligigsV and another new revue, yet unnamjßd. Her admirers ; will be disappointed to hear Miss Reeve intends to leave the stage in two.years' time, after playing in Australia and London. While in England, Miss Reeve visited many theatres. She saw. many shows, some of which were good,. but the others rather poor. At the present time, she uaidj. there was a decided depression in the'"English theatrical.-.:. world. Plays which; would have: been successful in ordinary circumstances had been abandoned: after running . a week or two.: There! was a great, scarcity' of :money. The-IBngKsn public was burdened with heavy taxes, and found rigid economy" neoeßßary. Naturally, amusements were the first to suffer. Mr. Alfred Frith, accompanied by his wife, is also on his way to Sydney, after twelve months' holiday in England and France. He will appear in a musical comedy entitled .■The Cabaret Girl," to be produced by J. 0. Williamson early this month, to be followed by -"Whirled Into Happiness," another araical comedy. In England, Mr. Brith did very little acting. H» raited many theatres as a spectator, howerw, and came to the conclusion. Australia was well catered for. Many t <rf th* plays, of course, were good, but man£ wn» not worth' consideration.

3Mb N(pi'» first American-made pic"*O% "Bella Donna," adapted from the ,-ibmou novel by Robert Hichens, has tMOB completed, and is listed among the me Paramount attractions to be screened here in due course. Declared by , criticg to be the teinmph of her dramatic Ijjenrog, it i« an ideal feature for her iwonderraHy magnetic personality. This was _the picture which brought Miss Nefcri to America, and it is under the (tutelage of American directors that she lias made, the masterpiece.

New York's sixty-three legitimate theatres have a total seating capacity of 67,784. The largest is the Hippodrome, ■witha 6eating capacity of 4651; and the smallest is the province town playhouse in Macdougal street, holding 190. Heralded as one of the mast stupendous offerings of all time, "The Covered WagEOn" is billed for. screening here under the Paramount' banner -some time' thi» year. Some.idea of its magnificence may be ascertained from the following facts :"■ Xhe cast.numbers SMOjithere are' some £00.: wagons/ 1000 horses, 500 buffaloes, 1000' Indians, and 600 oxen. Extraordinary interest in the opening bf the box plans for the first six nights of Oscar Asche's production, "Cairo," was taken in Auckland, when 11 persons assembled at the entrance to the box office to undergo an all-night vigil pending the opening of the doors at 8 o'clock, the next morning. A managerial announcement read: "A queue will be formed from 7 a.m.," but so impatient was one man that he arrived on the spot at 4.30 p.m. the day before, and took up his stand immediately outside the door as 6opn as the shop closed. :He was the first-comer, and was on* the'scene 15£ hours before the plans were opened. He stood alone for but 2i hours, two other young men arriving at 7 p.m. ' Thereafter a steady, trickle of young men come along, until at.midnight "11 persons sat in a group in the doorway. One man lay asleep on the hard stonework with his coat for a pillow. Two others sat on boxes with their heads resting in their hands; while the remainder reclined in yanous attitudes of fatigue, conversing in low tones with their companions. Two of the: men were furnished with thermos flasks and sandwiches; the remainder arranged among themselver to repair to a neighbouring place of refreshment in relays. By midnight all had had sup-

, 6s, Eoßina Buekman'g welcome back to inland accompanied by her husband. •Mr. D-Oialy, after her visit to her native land, .was dramatic in its Old World appeal. - After spending some time in New York-and meeting many old friends amongst the artists singing at the Metropolitan; Opera House and elsewhere, they sailed' for England by a line of steamers that touohes first at Liverpool. When a few, hours distant from that port and opposite the Island of Anglesea. where Mr. D'Oislv has a farm amidst the Welsh mountains and where the people still speak very little English, they were delighted to see- a huge bonfire from a peak bidding them welcome to the land of the Smyri once again, in the old Welsh manner of celebatihg some great event. The singers were naturally de.lighted at such a ;pictarjßsquo r : welcome: home.- "Mr. D'Oislv writingto a friend in Auckland, says that, although they are ■ happy at heingiih the;Homeland v orice more, his thoughts continually return'to, New Zealand with its beauties and sunshine, and they J6nd It' hard to be. reconciled to England's grey skies and winter w.eatber. Mr. D'Oislyalso refers casually to the •wonderful . reception that Miss Eosina BucknrnnbM had in London, and states ! that they have a tremendous number' •f engagements to fulfil both in London

and the provinces. Miss Rosina Buokman was to make her re-appearance at the opera at Covent Garden when he wrote (of which success we have alreadybeen informed). Miss Buckmari will do a few guest performances during this season. .

Of ''Cairo,", which is to be staged by Oscar Asche under the management'of J. O. Williamson, Ltd., at the Grand Opera House, on the 18th met.,. % Melbourne critic says:—"Oscar Asche is a great producer and 'Cairo' is great in production. ' For his purppse Oscar Asche has put together a ngat framework of drama and comedy with immediate popular appeal. Applying to this framework the arts of the producer, he has provided an entertainment of exceptional magnificence. 'Cairo' is described as a 'Mosaic in Music and Mime.' Mr. Asche has obtained results of remarkable splendour in the combination of scenery, costumes, lighting, movement, and repose. There is rare beauty in scene after scene, and the beauty is so varied that there can be np feeling of monotony. Always 'Cairo' is a delight to the eye, and the music, the drama, and the comedy fit well into their places." In "Cairo," it is said, Oscar Asche has opened the great green gates of romance and antiquity and shows the throngs of picturesque men and animals of Cairo, the glorious gardens of the palace, the evening beauty of the enr. campment by the Nile, the luxuriousnes6 of the harem, the glories of an old palace of Egypt, the barbarism of the slave market, the delicate lacquered beauty of a Chinese house, and the incarnation of the ruined temple of Cleo■oatra.

: "The Merry Widow" is going so strong at Daly's that there seems to be no. reason why the original run should not' be equalled or very nearly approached,, says a London paper.

Pat Haiina's Diggers have been playing a veiy lengthy season in Perth. They are to appear in Fremantle before going to St. Kilda, Melbourne. Julius Knight was in Perth recently, but would not consider a proposition to appear there. He has continued his voyage to Africa. :'. A brilliant young Australian soprano, Miss Ethel Osborn; is coming to New Zealand, under engagement to the various Male Choirs of the North Island. Her dates in Auckland will be 30th August and 3rd September. She is said to be blest with a pure clear voice of extraordinary, range. . Sh Walter Davidson, Governor of New South Wales, publicly complimented Miss Osborn upon her singing at a recent Conservatorium concert, and described her as "a second Tetrazzini." She is at present' -touring in Queensland under engagement to the principal choral and orchestral societies there. ' . ■

The versatility of Miss Ethel Morrison, who started her stage career as an amateur in Wellington, and who will be seen as., the Grand Duchess in "Sybil," has been shown in frequent changes from play to play (says the Melbourne "Argus"). Comedy, drama, musical comedy, and comic opera are forms of work in which she has made many appearances. It. is seldom quite certain which will be her next type of character, for in an •emergency Miss Morrison receives cud-: den calls to : Sydney; Melbourne, Adelaide, or New Zealand to take up a part for which it has suddenly been fpundi that no one <else is available. ''

With "Rockets" booming at the New Palace Theatre, Melbourne, and "Tangerine" drawing packed houses in its sixth week at the New Princess, Mr. Hugh J. Ward seems to have caught the present mood for musical shows both ways. The former revue of the true episode type presented on an unsually lavish scale by what is practically an all-star cast, and the latter a musical comedy with a reasonably coherent plot to hold the stage while the beauteous damsels of the chorus and ballet and one or 'other principles are changing their clothes; While some theatregoers have expressed a decided preference for one or other, the great majority appear to be determined to see both performances. Allan Wilkie, though he failed to induce the State Premiers of Australia to give him certain concessions, is still on the job. He is due to return to Sydney next Saturday, but there is no theatre for him, and hence he is going to introduce Shakespeare to the Conservatorium, which is a distinct novelty. Miss Frediswyde Hunter-Watts has returned from her trip abroad, and will ■ resume the leading roles. . "The Tempest," "Henry V.," and "A Winter's Tale" hare' been aded to the repertoire of the distinguished Shakespearean producer. Miss Nina. Oldfield, the actress, in a lecture on "Through the Stage Door," at the Eclectic Club, in London, described stage life as a world of romance and 6tern reality. She complained that the stage was crowded out nowadays by society people with friends or influence, perhaps, but no idea of work. In the good old days.an actor or actress had to be able to take part, whereas to-day they specialised in one type, so that it was very difficult to become great in the work. She had found that theatrical people were no better and no worse than others, only a little more tolerant. Actresses were often more domesticated than people thought. Her advice to the young actress was, ■ "Never grumble, keep up appearance, and don't bs down on your luck."

Mr. Cyril Mackay, whose death at Brisbane \vas recorded last week, made his first appearance as juvenile lead with Margaret Anglin in."The Thi«f,". about 20 years ago. . Margaret Anglin was so pleased with him, that she said he was the best juvenile she had. played with. He remained with the J. C. Williamson firm for a number of years, during- which his principal appearance was in "The Englishman's Home." Joining the J. and N. Tait Company, he appeared with several productions by Emilie Polini. The principal of these were "De Luxe Annie" and "Eves of Youth." He was also a success in" "Out There," in which Sara Allgood appeared. In recent years Cyril Mackay had * appeared in numerous productions, and took part in several Australian film, plays. Just before his death he was appearing at the Theatre Eoyal in Brisbane.

The prologue to the "Beggar's Opera," spoker by the Player and the Beggar, gives us some slight indication of what to expect if the play ever reaches New Zealand. Here it is:—Beggar: 'I am a beggar, and if poverty be a title to poetry nobody can dispute mine. I own myself of the Company of Beggars, and I make one of their weekly festivals at St. Giles's. I have a small yearly salary for the catches I sing, and I am welcome to a dinner there whenever I please, which is more than most poets can say. Now . I have composed an opera, both the words and catches thereof, and " Player: "As we live by iJie muses we encourage poetical work wherever we find it. The muses, contrary to all other ladies, pay no distinction to dress, be the author even a beggar we push his play a s far as it will go, so although you are in need of success we wish you success heartily, which is out of the common, it being the custom to. wish success only to those who need it not." Beggar: "I cannot sufficiently • acknowledge your charity in bringing this piece on the nfcage. It's a mighty string* piece; I hope I may

be forgiven, but I have not made my opera unnatural, like those in vogue. This is t\i<i most natural opera in the world. It begins in the house of a receiver of Etolen goods, and ends in the condemned hole. Every personage in it is either a highwayman, a fence, a gaoler; a pimp, a trull, or a trollop— in short, there is not an honourable man nov an honest woman among 'em. But all is human." Player: "Have done upon this topic. Foul not thine own nest. See, _ the actors are preparing to begin; it is time ■ foi us to withdraw. Mr. , play away the overture."

The charming custom of expressing appreciation of public entertainers by gifts of flowers has never previously been so extensively followed as it was in connection with the premiere of: "Rockets" .at,the New Palace Theatre, Melbourne. At. the fall of the curtain a seemingly never-ending procession of theatre attendants bore down upon the stage with countless floral emblems, • some sweet posies of choice blooms to some of the most elaborate examples of the florist's art ever seen in Melbourne. The charming Pounds- Sisters and other delightful people who have put "Rockets" over with such a decided bang, were literally enveloped 'with the floral offerings, and the stage transformed into a bower that would have filled oven Titania with envy. So great was the interest in London theatrical circles in the Australian debut of Lorna and Toots Pounds that cabled orders for flowers were received in Melbourne a few days before the first night of "Rockets" from Mr. Charles Gullifer, managing director of London Theatres of Variety, Ltd.; Harry Day, by arrangement with whom "Rockets* 1 is produced by Mr. Ward; Mr. Chris Warner, manager of the Palladium; Horace Sheldon, musical director of the Palladium: Mr Albert de Courville, producer for Sir Alfred Butt at the Empire Theatre, Leicester Square; Mr. Hugh D. M'lntosh, M.L.C. of New South Wales; Mr. Albert E Abrahams, part proprietor of the Era London Stage Journal; Nora Delaney (Lady Maxwell), who was in Melbourne a year ago, and many other friends of the Pounds Sisters. To these must be added scores of floral tributes from Melbourne admirers of Lorna and Toots and other members of the "Rockets cast.

Bach, like Shakespeare, is for all time and for all men, says Mr. George Sampson in the "Quarterly." He is a universal genius, the last of the medieval composers, andthe first of the moderns. Just as no poet can write without some influence from Shakespeare, so no musician! can now keep Bach out of his score Ihe best of Bach, like the best of Shakespeare, has an idiom that transcends its own age .-md becomes the speech of every age. They are the greatest masters of rhythmic utterance we know and the magic with which they set rhythm against metre they might have learned from tach other. In their moments of simplicity as well as in their flights of complicated beauty they can achieve triumph effects too audacious for other men. is almost amusing to recall that both have been denounced for their incorrectness" and ii.fifference -/v- 63• J ? hfF c is in both a largeness and breadth of understanding, a sense of human joys, as well as of human tears. Mr. Sampson points out that Bach had a feeling for character, for humour, and tor action which causes regret "for the comparative absence of secular cantatas from his vocal work. What he might have^done can be seen in "Phoebus Sid oftL frt ™ humorous distraction a drama most wonderfully laid out.