THE SHOWS.

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 17, 21 July 1928, Page 25

THE SHOWS.

Town Hall— Organ Roclta!. every Sunday. 8.30 p.m. Alfred O'Shea. tenor, 28th July. Concert Chamber— Victoria College Dramatic Club, "Cousin Kate," to-night. ■ Clement- May Recital, 23rd July. - Mrs. Ethel Mackay's Pupils, 24th July. Esther.Fisher, pianist, 26th July. Opera House—; "Trial of Mary Dugan," 20th July. His Majesty's— Itoruc. Grand Opera Season, Slst July. Eegent—Vaudevillo and Pictures. 1)0 _u__ Theatre —Pictures. Paramount Theatre—Pictures. King's Thoatre-^-Picfures. Artcraft—Pictures. ■ Our Theatre—Pictures., Shortt'a Theatro-^Pictures. Strand Theatre—Pictures. Britannia Theatre—Pictures. Queen's Theatre—Pictures. Princess Theatre—Pictures. Kilbirnie Kinema—Pictures. , The Palmerston North amateurs will probably, attempt "Katinka" in November. ' The Manawatu Play Club's next venture. Willi be "A Midsummer Night's I>ream, "• with Mendelssohn -music. ';■' A new musical comedy to be produced in Australia is "Hit the Deck," which will.be played My ",Tho Girl Friend" Company: at the conclusion of its present -Melbourne season. ' Both these plays are to tour New Zealand this year. Mr. Seymour Hicks and his wife, Miss Ellaline Terriss, have been touring in Canada for five months, travelling 13,000 miles in that country -(writes "The „ Post's" London representative)."' "The great success of the" tour," said Mr. Hicks, "was my wife.,,, She had intended to play in only one piece, but she was so popular that she had to act at every performance of every play we gave.f, M|r. 'Hicks said that far more^ companies with recognised English actors and actresses at their head Should go to Canada. "The Canadians are starved for English plays by English companies.. I .am going back there at the end of the year," he added, when speaking to the theatrical representative of the "Daily Mail." ■ The keenness for grand opera is fully evidenced in the booking now taking place for the Fuller-Gonsalez Italian Company, which commences its season at His Majesty's Theatre on Tuesday next. -The box plan is open for the first eleven nights of the season, and a marked preference is being shown for the better-known operas, and to meet the-demands, some of these will necessarily have to be repeated. In all 17 nights will be played, and the present intention is to stage 14 different operas during that period. One of 'he most beautiful of the lesser-known operas in the repertoire of the forthcoming season is "Norma." It is well over 40 years since this opera was last seen in New Zealand; the Simbnson Company playing it in 1880, and the previous Italian company to stage this tragic play presented it in Dunedin in, 1873. During the recent presentation of "Norma" in Dunedin by the company shortly to open at His Majesty's Theatre, Wellington, a critic wrote as follows: — "Dramatic ability was a powerful factor in the duet "Sola furtiva," by Norma and Adalgisa, and the terzetto by Norma, Adalgisa, and Pollione was made inspiring by the thorough understanding between the three, singing and acting of a high-class order being adorned by countless matters of detail that come from intelligent study. The telling top A in unison served as the climax to a great scene, and the audience broke in with thunderous applause before the curtain fell. In the last act the acting was almost painfully intense. Signor Fumagalli and Signofina Silvestri were well backed up by the other principals, and the chorus work was reliable in every particular. It is very rare to find the ensemble so satisfactory in an opera. The audience recognised this, and the finale was a stir-. ring blend of applause and acknowledgments." A comedian has returned to the management of his former triumphs. "Rose Marie" is to bo revived in Australia, taking the place of the somewhat costly and not altogether successful "Princess Charming." Mr. Frederic Bentley-has returned to England and the J. C. "Williamson management looked around in despair for a Hard-boiled Herman. When the record-breaking musical play 'commences its second circuit of Australia, the comedian's part will be in the hands of the inimitable Phil Smith. His "camisole for a hot-water bottle" was one of the gems of "The Maid of the Mountains"; his Herman should be a comedy gem, for Phil Smith still has that stamp of artistry which made him a great comedian. In writing of a recent recital by Miss Esther Fisher, the brilliant young New Zealand pianist, who is to give a grand farewell recital in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on Thursday next, under the direction of E. J. Gravestock, the critic of the Nelson "Mail" says:— "Since the visit of Carreno to Nelson many years ago, we cannot remember ever having a feast of music of such a high order in one single recital as that given by Miss Esther Fisher in the School of Music last evening. It was a wonderful performance, with music ranging from the grandeur of Bach to the subtlety of Debussy. All, too, must have been, amazed at Miss Fisher's technique; endurance, and verse, which carried her triumphant through to the ■end, despite a most exacting programme =and the heavy calls which the large audience could not help making oh the performer.; .... . The programme. open- j ed with "Siciliana,' sixteenth century Italian, 'dance' (composer unknown), transcribed by Resphigi. 'La Tendre Nanette' (Couperin) was a charming little number in the Bococo style, played with the simplicity suitable to the musical, expression of that- period. 'Bonrrce in B Minor' (Bach-Saint Saens) will live in the memory. In, her beautiful tone-shading and refined treatment of this number Miss Fisher revealed herself as a true artist by hor suggestion of the spirit of this old-time French dance. . . The concluding item on the programme was Caesar Franck's monumental work, 'Prelude, Choral, and Fugue,' which might be styled a tone poem, calling forth as it does all the powers and imagination of an experienced virtuoso. It makes tremendous demands on the performer, but Miss Fisher was easily equal to the task. Miss Fisher's recital will live in Nelson's musical history." It is pleasant to hear that Sir Arthur Pincro, who is 73 years of ago, is busy at work on a new play (states a writer in the "Manchester Guardian"). He was too busy on it to spare time for the interviewers to-day. Only once since the war has a full new Pinero play been produced, and that was "The Enchanted Cottage" in 1922, though there have been West End revivals of "Iris," of "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," and of the ever-delightful "Trelawney of tho Wells." A one-act piece, "The Private Room," is at present in the Grand Guignol progranTme at the Little Theatre, where its mild charm provides a contrast with the sensationalism of its companions. Sir Arthur Pinero is an example of vigorous old age, as he showed when he came but of his semi-retirement from stage affairs to conduct the rehearsals of this little play. Ho is a familiar figure in social-London, with that striking countenance of his that has been tho subject of so many easy and good-humour-

ed caricatures. It would be interesting to have an opportunity, as one hopes will soon-be the. case, of seeing how an- . other long Pinero play is received. We ; shall probably see a return to Pinero, for his qualities of precision in language and. situation have an antiseptic quality which will surely preserve his best pieces,through various revolutions of fashion. It is curious to reflect that there was a timo when a play as "A Wife Without a Smile'- was considered really too daring. We have changed all that. Pinero. was, of course, an actor in his early years, and I think it was. whilo he was a member of Irving's company at the Lyceum that he began to write plays. A new play by Mr. Berin Lovy, author of "This Woman Business," is regarded as something of an event in London theatrical circles (writes "The Posts.- London representative). "Mud anil Treacle" will bo produced at the Globe Theatre, with Miss Tallulah Bankhead, Mr; Douglas Burbidge, Mr, Erie Maturin,' Mr. Robert Ilerris, Mr. Lamont Bickson, Mr. Ivor Barnard, Miss Ursula Jeans, and Miss Mabel Terry-Lewis in the cast. Mr. Basil Dean is the producer. The author is a nephew, of Lady Myers (lato of Auckland), It will be good news to readers throughout the Dominion to, hear that. Mr. Robert Goddes (Auckland) has been-selected to play the lead to Miss Lilian Davies in the new musical comedy, "Marjolaine," by Mr. Russell Janncy, of "Vagabond King" renown. "Marjolaine" is tho , dramatised version of "Pomander Walk," and is a costume musical comedy of George 111. period. The east will be entirely British .and the play will be beautifully produced. It is to.be tried out in the provinces this month, beginning with Blackpool and Manchester, and in June it. will be put on at the Gaiety Theatre in London, where the "Vagabond King" is still drawing excellent houses. Mr. Geddes is, naturally, much pleased with the contract, and he is anticipating tho production with '. great' interest. The New Zealand sin- ] ger is woll known in the provinces, for ', it is not long since the conclusion of the "Rose Marie" No. 1 Company's tour, in which he played ' the lead; : During,the long run of "Rose Marie" : .at Drnry Lane, Mr. Geddes did not ; often have the opportunity of appear- ■ ing, for he was understudy to Mr. Derek Oldham, who was very seldom out of the cast. Each time he did he had a great reception. Mr. Geddes's voice is very pleasant to hear, and he '. is a man who acts efficiently, with dignity and good'judgment. He was very successful in "The Silver Cord" with Miss Lilian Brqithwaite at St. Martin's Theatre during the last month of its run. London-New Zealanders will anticipate. with pleasure the produc- ' tion of "Marjolaine" at tho Gaiety. Critical musicians often decry Gounod's "Aye Maria" as not being sac- ' red in character, and imagine this to be owing to the supposed light character of the composer in religious matters. They evidently do not know that Gounod, when he first wrote it, did not intend that it should be sung as a sacred piece. He composed the melody to a tune which occurred to him as he played the first Prelude in Bach's "Forty- ' eight, "and set it to a verse by Lamartine, the words of which are to the effect that "the book of life is far above all other books, and we fain would linger on its pages where is the ono we love." It was a real love song, because it was intended to" draw the attention of a young lady with whom Gounod fancied himself enamoured. The : young lady's mother, however, while approving of the music, objected to the words, and she herself tried to fit the "Aye Maria." She was not very successful in this, so that when she showed her effort to Gounod he felt compelled to lend his assistance, with the result that the work •as it is now known: came into existence. So far as I can understand from information received or gather from references in a number of newspapers, the habit of "rovising" operas and plays and of dressing them in more or less unorthodox costumes, is somewhat more active in the United State than it is here, writes Robin H. Legge, in the "Daily Telegraph." "Hamlet" and so on, adorned by West-end tailors, we know, of course. But I think no one as yet has thought fit to produce Opera in 'modern; costume. ,In fact, most of us who have experience of, say, Covent Garden opera rehearsals in the old days, know how perfectly hideous such a thing would be. It is not conducive to appreciation of the premiere to have seen the hero the day before in a cloth cap, the palest of yellow brown boots, a long, strong cigar (with a straw in it), strutting, like a. peacock about the stage. Nor can"! imagine that it makes for perfection of interpretation that in Gounod's "Faust" there should lie two representatives of the role, one the young Faust before Mephisto transmogrifies him, the other —after that function. A correspondent tells me that the American Society for Opera in English made use of two singers in their recent production of the opera in New York for the role of Faust; that Siebel, no longer a little maiden, was transformed into a young tenor; and that Mephisto became a kind of degenerate intellectual. Of what when all is said and done, is the real advantage of all these transmogrifica-. tions? Complaints are rife across the Atlantic "as to these alterations in the classic and pseudo-classic opera, It seems that Mme. Jeritza, on her first G

appearanco at the Metropolitan Opera House as Carmen, sang the Seguidilla ■while lying full length upon the table. If I recollect rightly, tlio same singer last year sang "Vissi d'Avte" at Covent Garden whilst prone upon the floor, so the attitude seems one particularly affected. Of course, opera singers must have their little ways. Did not that consummate artist, Antonio Scotti, sing the prologue to "Pagliaeci" in conventional dress clothes? All this, however, i? quite distinct from using two personages to impersonate the twin characters of Faust, the philosopher and the cavalier. Throe, hundred and thirty-five years ago a number of patrons of the fine arts at Florence conceived the idea of combining music and the drama, somewhat like the ancient Greek plays in which words wero set to melody and mondy, only in more concrete musical form. Jacopo Peri's "Dafne," composed in 1594, was the first work of the kind, and owing to its success Peri was invited by the dilettanti to compose a greater work for the celebration of the marriage of Henry IV. of France with Maria di Medici. The result was "Euro dici," the first true Italian opera. It is interesting to note that Peri, in having his orchestra (such as it must have been) hidden, had anticipated Wagner in this respect. Montevorde (1568-1643) revealed greater possibilities, dramatic orchestral effects such as pizzicato and tremolo, and his pupil Cavalli introduced the operatic area fully, and others continued the work until Scarlatti (1659-1725) made great improvements generally in the form. He composed 108 operas. Pureell's (1658-1695) "Dido and Eneas" is regarded as the first English opera. Meantime a number of French and German composers kept the operatic ball rolling until Gluck (1714-1787) influenced all other composers to a great extent with works of great beauty, such as "Orfeo" (1762), "Alceste" (1767), and others that are still performed. Handel must be credited with very fine operatic works, although he made no advancement upon the art of Scarlatti. Passing from Gluck on through the operas of Mozart, Weber, Donizetti, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Gounod, Massenet, and other contributors to Wagner, who revolutionised music drama, "Verdi, Strauss, Puccini, and others well known to the present generation, and whose creations are interesting in inviting an imaginative compari- ; son with what operas must have been at its birth in 1594. When Captain "Yon Mullery of the Emden, boarded the Sydney at Cocos Island to surrender to Captain Glossop, he utterered the usual formula, "I give my assurance that I, my officers, and men, will not in anyway interfere with the fittings of your ship nor do anything to hinder you in your duty, aud wo will bo amenable to naval discipline." Then, though Muller wore no sword, Glossop replied, "Tho British Navy honours a valorous foe. Please retain your sword." It was an. act of courtesy as well as a repetition of an action that from time immemorial had been one of the traditions of tho Navy —honour to the vanquished who had fought so .well. As well as this Glossop gave up his ca&n to his erstwhile enemy, and the treatment meted out to tho, defeated was tho subject for considerable comment for years after. This incident is vividly pictured in "Tho Exploits of tho Emden." •In his latest picture, "Horseman of tho Plains, "Tom Mix plays tho part of a champion rider and roper. Certainly no ono could be better qualified to live such a role, for Mix has won many awards since the National Riding and Roping Contest, held at Prescott, Arizona, in 1909, in which he won the first prize. Tho story of "Horseman of the Plains" is laid 3 around Prescott, and the picture was actually filmed there. - ■ " Hermann J. Mankiewicz, a former New York dramatic critic, is to write the titles for George Bancroft's new picture, "The Dragnet." Tho picture is a drama of the law's constant battle against the forces of crime in a big city. "Circus Rookies" is the title of the latest comedy, starring Karl Dane and George K. Arthur, with Dane in the role of a gorilla trainer, and Arthur appearing as a perky cub reporter. ."The Smart ■ Set" is William Haines's latest picture. Alice Day and Hobart Bosworth support the star in the romantic comedy of love and polo. As a barefoot boy of fourteen Richard Barthelmess first appears in "The Little. Shepherd of Kingdom Come." Barthelmess, one of the finest natural actors on the screen, has long been tho typical mountain boy in pictures. Only Barthelmess could give so convincing a performance as "Chad," the plucky little hero of "John Fox, junr.'s great romance of the hills. "Wings" is being shown in Australia. A complete mechanism for producing the sound effects will accompany "Wings" to every theatre in New Zealand and Australia where this picture is shown. This year Paramount week will be held from 2nd to Sth September, inclusive. Two new series of comedies, "The Confessions of a Chorus Girl" and "Sandy M'Duff," will be released next year. The former stars Frances Lee, the latter Jack Duffy. In addition to these, further series will be produced starring Bobby Vernon and Billy Dooley. Richard Arlen. plays the role of a tramp in "Beggars of Life." A screen version of the popular story by ' Jim Tully. Laura La Plante's latest feature, "Thanks for the Buggy Ride," was directed by her husband, William A. Seiter. The supporting cast includes jlienn Tryon, Richard Tucker, Lee

Moran, David Rollins, Kate Price, and Trixio Friganza. Tho story was written by Byron Morgan. Angelo Eossito, tho remarkable dwarf, actor who was discovered selling papers in Los Angeles and subsequently played in "Old San Francsico," starring Dolores Costello, is again at work. This timo he has been cast by John Adolfi, who is directing May M'Avoy in "The Littlo Snob." There is plenty of fun in Hal Roach's latest comedy, "Tho Family Group." Polly Moran is in the cast. Lois Moran appears in "Don't Marry" as Priseilla Bowen, a flapper who tries to cure her millionaire lover, played by Neil Hamilton, of his oldfashioned ideas. Marian.Nixon and George Lewis are in the leading roles in "Jazz Mad." Jean Hersholt is the star, while the supporting company includes Eoscoo T-ams, Torbon Meyer, Andrew Arbuckle, Charles Clary, Clarissa Selwynne, Patricia Caron, Alfred Hertz, and the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. . Picture-goers will be interested to know that copies of the "Adorable Outcast" have now arrived in New Zealand. After Norman Dawn's great success in producing "For the Term of His Natural Life," Australasian Films immediately lengthened his engagement for a production of the "Adorable Outcast." It is adapted from Beatrice Grimshaw's well-known work, "Conn of the Coral Seas.'' The principals were Edith Roberts, Edmund Burns, and Walter Long, and they were especially brought from Hollywood to. Fiji for tho one'picture. The other members of the east, including Jessica Harcourt, Jack Cavin, Conipton Coutts, and others wero sent from Sydney. In addition, hundreds of Fijians with their canoes wero engaged.