Mimes: Music: Records

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 34, 8 August 1925, Page 21

Mimes: Music: Records

BY "ORPHEUS."

THE SHOWS. Grand Opera House—Denis Kehoe, "Mother Muchree," season opens to-night. Guy Bates Post, 29tli August. "Kid Boots," 2nd September. His Majesty's—Vaudeville. De Luxe Theatre—Pictures. King's Theatre—Pictures. The Tivoli—Pictures. Artcralt Theatre—Pictures. Our Theatre—Pictures. Empress Theatre—Pictures. Shortt's Theatre—Pictures. Strand Theatre—Pictures. Britannia Theatre—Pictures. Princess Theatre—Pictures. Queen's Theatre—Pictures.

Mr. Guy Hastings, recently leading man with the Nellie Bramley Company, has joined Anderson's Dramatic Company, at present playing Adelaide. :■ Marcus Clark and Company, Limited, have bought from Fuller*' Theatre*, Limited, the Princess Theatre, m Central square, Sydney, for £40,000, with the objeot of extending their present premises. The theatre will be ished.John D. O'Hara, whose acting m "Lightning" is well remembered m this country, recently stated m Melbourne that at the close of his Adelaide season it was very probable that he would retire from the etage and settle down m Australia. . The announcement that New Zealand is to have the comedy success, "Cappy Ricks," after its record-breaking Sydney and Melbourne seasons, will give pleasure to thousands of Peter B. Kyne readers. Few characters m fiction give a dramatist better opportunity for laughs, and critics who saw the play m Melbourne and Sydney declare the stage version outdoes the book for sheer comedy. Ward Lyons, who is considered by Peter B. Kyne to be the ideal "Cappy," after the New Zealand tour, goes direct to London to recreate his remarkable success m the first London performance of this play. The New Zealand tour will be under the direction of J. C. Williamson, Ltd. Among the passengers ( who, arrived by the Maunganui from Sydney this week was a party of five vaudeville artists on the Fuller Circuit, who will shortly be appearing m Wellington m a particularly entertaining performance which will take older residents back to. the music halls and the songs which made them. They are Veterans of Variety and have teen appearing m Australia at Fullers' theatres following upon a South African tour. The party comprises Jake Friedman, the original happy Dutchman; Alfred Slater, the original whistler m the "Bowery Boy" from "The Belle of New York"; George Campbell, the well-known light comedy entertainer; Lily Bur nan d, the original singer of "Two Little Girls m- Blue," and Florence Hinton, the creator of "Little Annie Rooney." "Kid Boots," the new J. C. Williamson Musical play to be seen for the first time m the Dominion at the Wellington Opera House on 2nd September, is not the romance of the beautiful daughter of a wealthy boot manufacturer. There are more silk slippers m the show than boots of kid or any other kind of leather. "Kid Boots is the caddie master of the Everglades Golf Club, Palm Beach, Florida. The book is by Wil)iam Anthony M'Guireand Otto Harbach,* and the plot suggests the' inimitable golfing stories of Pelham G. Wodehouse; of gallant young men accomplishing impossible strokes and making prodigious drives for the hand of the beautiful daughter of the club's wealthiest member. There is a real golfing atmosphere with everybody, handling drivers and mashies as if they knew all about them. Quite possibly; they do, for golf is a popular sport with stage folk. Mr. George Gee, for instance, is no mean exponent of the game, and as Kid (Boots he very cleverly burlesques : the harassed club "pro," who tries vainly to teach the game to fluffy-haired maidens. Josie Melville, who plays Polly Pendleton, will be well remembered as Sally. ' . - /•• The announcement of the appointment of Mr. James Watson, conductor of the Lithgow Brass. Band (N.S.W.) to the conductorship of Wanganui Garrison' Band will' be read with interest by the many people, m this city who are interested m bands and band music, says "C Sharp" m the Wanganui "Herald." Mr. Watson takes up the leadership of a band whose reputation throughout the years of its existence is an enviable one, and whose record surpasses that of any other band. Mr. Watson is the successor of men of outstanding ability and enthusiasm, and the citizens : of Wanganui will look forward to seeing one of its oldest musical organisations "come back," to lead the Dominion, once again. Th» Picture*. * "Wonderful London," an educational film of great value, is to be screened, m Wellington m about a month at one of the bigger theatres. It is undoubtedly one of the best interest films ever shown m thiscountry. For one thing,, it marksa distinct advance, for, its scenes are alive with the atmosphere of London. The film is a mixture of. history with topography. London characters, old and new, flit m and out of the scenes. It delves into ont-of-the-way corners, points out unknown or unremambered beauties, catches glimpses of the very lives of representatives of the swarming ■ millions of the inhabitants. It includes many scenes of more than usual historical interest. Waterloo Bridge, the Strand, Tower of London, Westminster, are a)." seen, but abovo all are the many quaino scenes along the shores of the Thames. Miss Lillian Gish, whose work m "The Orphans of the Storm," "Way Down East," and ."Broken Blossoms" caused her to be recognised as the screen's foremost emotional actress, added immeasurably to her laurela by ■her portrayal of the tragic heroine of "The White Sister," Donna Angela. "The White Sister" has been acclaimed as one of the four really great pictures of all time, and this spectacular and heart-gripping drama of the girl who renounced everything m honour of the memory of the lover she supposed to be dead will soon be released m New Zealand by Me.tro-Goldwyn. "The White Sister" was wholly filmed m Italy and m Africa, Ronald Colman and Barney Sherry _ appear m support of Miss Gish m. addition to selected Italian players. Mr. Beaumont Smith, the Australian picture producer, has announced that, he has decided to make a super film, entitled "The Birth of Australasia." "It will be the biggest thing ever attempted m Australasia," says Mr. Smith, "and will cover the story of the Commonwealth and New Zealand from the days o£ the earliest exploration. It will not be purely historical,, but a typical Australasian story will run throughout.", Mr. Smith has been engaged for a considerable time on research work for this production, and will commence actual work on the film m a few days. Scenes are being taken ■throughout the whole of the Goninioiiweiiltlr, and liiiuiy peoplo will l>o required (6 impersoiinte ninny' ui'll.known figures m tho history of Australia and ' New Zealand. The produo - tiou is estimated to cost ul Icubl £15,1)00, Mi\ Beauiaoyt S,£}ith/ l^a made, nxm-

teen feature pictures within the past i four years. Mr. Edward H. Benson, -special rer presentative of United Artists, was a through passenger on the Niagara this • week, but owing to arrangements made necessary by the shipping strike he spent five days m Auckland. Mr. Quinn, the New. Zeajand manager, took advantage of his chief's enforced stay m Auckland to introduce the American visitor to most of the exhibitors m the Auckland district. A special pre-soreening of. Douglas Fairbanks latest production/ "Don Q, Son of Zorro," was also arranged, and was attended by a repre"Kiss Me Again," a Master picture, m which Marie Prevost, Monte Blue, Olara Bow, John Roche, and Willard Louis shine, has proved a red-letter win-* ncr wherever;it has been shown 10 far, giving assurance that fans everywhere are m for a. great treat. Gramsphons Notti. Users of the gramophone will read with interest. that an electrical process of gramophone recording has been acquired by the His Master's Voioe Gramophone Company. By the new process it is possible to record the moat complex Wagner score, or the moat modern dance music, m complete detail, representing not only each instrument of an orchestra large enough . for Covent Garden, but at the Bame time, and without any.confußi.on of sound, all the principal singers and the chorus too. The invention .also makes it possible to record many sounds, and some musical instruments, hitherto regarded as unr»cordable. ■ .... The recording of the Fantastique Sym- , phony (Berlioz) is the most ambitious enterprise of its kind to»date (remarks a London reviewer of a coming recording). It shows us that one of the leading French orchestras is neither better nor worse than the .English ones. The work of the conductor, Rhene Baton, is sound, andi. the records should be of the utmost value to enthusiasts who live out of reach of our laTgo orchestras. The recording of so elaborate an orchestration U remarkable. ■ "Decameron Nights," by Herman Finck, is rendered by the orchestra bearing his name. It has had to be re-issued to satisfy the danumd for this highly romantic and tuneful music. The selection recorded includes: the "Crusaders' March," "Carnival Chorus," "Gondoliers' Serenade," "Love'is Love," and the "Bridal Procession." The "Carnival of Venice".;».» simple tune, for all it is so bright and original. It is much affected by pianists and violinists as a means of showing what they can do m the way. of variations. Bnt an astonishing treatment has been Accorded to it. by the famous band - of the Carde Republicans of .France, a body of artists of the first rank m the esteem of French musicians. A record of their performance of "The Carnival" is really a display of instrumental virtuosity which one is inclined to associate with the violinist orpianist rather than the instrumentalist m, a military band. The playing is ornate m the extreme. When the band-plays m its entirety it sounds as one great instrument, so perfect is the time, so exact the precision, so exquisite the light and shade. This is a splendid. record with which to start a collection of high-class band records. It is issued by Columbia. • .. . : The following notes from advance reviews refer to coming records:—The De Keszke Singers, a beautiful balanced male quartette, have recorded two folksong arrangements by Vaughan Williams, " The Winter is Gone" and " Bushes and Briers." I prefer the former (Bays a reviwer), but must say I am influenced to some extent by the clarity of the words. On either side, however, the singing is first rate. To appreciate to the full, the Mayfair orchestra's rendering, m two parts, of Victor' Hollaender's " Sumurum," I should imagine (remarks a reviewer) one would require to see this play without words, which is being revived at the London Coliseum. The music itself, however, is interesting, and is presented attractively by the orchestra con^ ducted by the composer. The hit scored Toy " No, No, Nanette," is reflected m the appearance on the H.M.V. bulletin of recordings of the most popular songs from Vincent Youman's musical comedy. H.elen Clark and Lewis James sing "Tea for Two"' and " I Want to be Happy." After you have heard the songs once or twice you Will agree (says a reviewer) that, while they are perhaps not exactly elevating, they are decidedly infectious.