Mimes and Music

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 56, 15 September 1928, Page 25

Mimes and Music

cv "OHPHEUS"

Jimmy Godden will go into "Good News" for the Sydney presentation of this new Fuller musical comedy. Long Tack Sam and his company of Chinese acrobats and wonder workers aro returning to Australia to tour tho Tivoli circuit. VM% Norah D'Argel (formerly of Wellington) was broadcasting from Daventry recently. Nelson music-lovors are looking forward to the visit of Miss Vera Moore, a talented pianist who hales from Dunedin and completed her musical studies in London. Miss Moore is to give a recital in tho School of Music on Wed-, nosday next, writes "The Post's" Nelson correspondent. t "Outward Bound" has been revived in Melbourne by Joseph Cunningham and Zillah Bateman, who are now playing under the Fuller management. A gold cigarette case and an illuminated address were presented to Mr. J. Nevin Tait, director of the Williamson Grand Opera Company, by the New South Wales Musical Association _ in appreciation of his efforts in bringing grand opera to Australia. The Margaret Bannerman Company will open a New Zealand tour in Auckland on 3rd October. Tho Wellington season will commence on 27th October. (One of the comedies to be staged will bo "Our Betters," which ran for two years in London, with Miss Bannerman i the leading role. By arrangement with Messrs. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., thq successful musical comedy, "High Jinks," will be produced at the Opera House by the Masterton Amateur Theatrical Soeioty for a season of six nights, commencing on Monday, 17th September, A feature of the production is tho dressing and scenic effects, which are most elaborate. The scenery has all been freshly painted and secured from the Wanga-

v-'r|nui Society. The production is under the supervision of Messrs. T. Vaughan X*'^ and W. E. G. Paqualin. This year quite '.'•''ilia number of new artists will fill the t^-S cast, both, in the major and smaller ..-;i-M parts, and'a strong and capable orches- ; *;-"-;^tra will assist under Mr. T. Vaughan. '•*'''!% The young Bussian pianist, Shura 14v>J Cherkassky, set Australian music-lovers ;";"'?(iall agog. He has caused a tremendous sensation by' his phenomenal pianistic '-Kif 2 ability, and his tour of the Dominion, ;.:v£^whieh commenced in Christchurch last :*:.".'•;week, will doubtless see a repetition of ■/-vphm Australian success. An Adelaide ■.-r/\ ] critic writes: —"Everybody is talking r°-Viof the wonderful playing by the Kus-*;Y..-i|sian boy,'Shura Cherkassky, justsix-■.'ivv-iilteen years of age. Someone though t--'■l/'jlessly said, 'I don't want to hear this :*' 'i'i-4 precocious child.' Said in ignorance, '.v-t'fof course, for the wonder of it all is ;Y;':*jthere is absolutely nothing of the child ;vs"4in his performances. His art isbeauti:i.V> jfully mature and polished, most music J !K!#klly and spiritually .satisfying^ It is {*■ O-'jwonder-playing. In manipulation and he o'ertops all the fam■jY* .*4ous pianists—Backhaus, Friedman, ''>fiMoiseiwitsch —we have recently heard. '&V'vAHe brings to all the old masters a freshCT?iViness of conception indescribably won- *■;,"?»% derful. He' gives to every note its &'£& own clear value with a ring in its tones i^SjHthat rounds it like a superb pearl. The' "•;■??'" magnificent power of his sonorous i'l'^chords is only equalled by the sensuous r/-'-^- beauty of his delicate pianissimos. Such '..^richness! Such delicacy! The tones ;K'Hvhe gets out of the piano are simply i"-v£V amazing. He invests it with a won- /«■-*";< derful singing tone that is indescrib-,?-V^able. His audiences sit breathless, ;':".!V"3immovaWe, as though fearing to lose /.■^vthe fainest echo of any one of the delinotes." V^A'l The dramatic company headed by Mr. 'f'rilLeon Gordon arrived in Wellington '^i'l'^ffrom Napier on Wednesday, and left -V'i^for Sydney yesterday. At Napier the !,v; i^first performance in Australasia was jsi'iv'^'given of Roland Pertweo and Harold Play> "Interference," which iiiv.'r^wap Sir Gerald dv Maurier's success last #-$£*year in London. The play narrates the Ijf"..''""serious position a distinguished London .'iyS^urgeon is placed in by reason of one :''"."£'of his patients being found poisoned in own rooms. All the evidence points to yJ/'/r. the doctor having been the last person *fy,t'fseen in the murdered woman's flat, but if^jjiithe denouement is anticipated by the *>n'-ft'.inurder taking place in full view of the by a man who was years Hi^i «")before the lover of the doctor's wife. ■i'-'fS^Pl6 lo^e °* the surgeon was finely en-W.j£s-Bcted by Mr. Hallard (who was last S^jWJiere with the Vanbrugh-Boucicault Com"ril'V*^P any)> 'whil3*' Mr. Gordon scored as the t^ljvjbonsumptive wastrel, who ends all in- | 'o,L'\f&eTference by poisoning the evil woman ji-rfCtipefofb he drops dead. This is the secpremiere by a Williamson com•r^ »£Jj>any in New Zealand thiß year, the j i"*^2# tner teing "The Silent House," by the Moseovitch Company. ' A young actress with the J. C. Wil■.yVVfSiamson London Comedy Company t,■•",:;?J^eaded by the famous actor-manager, !Vvv£<-<jVtr. Percy Hutchison, is Miss Joan who hails from Liverpool. Miss /*£t"jtogers is surs to make many friends .**;,, f,;Jn the Dominion, for she possesses an j;tiij>ttractive personality. Formerly a -;V{'»J,Member of the Liverpool Eepertory So*i;V'.>tioty, in which she was a most able -\v:^: i>upi], Miss Rogers had a two years' '>' iijngagement with Mr. Henry Baynton, v »i"4he noted English Shakespearian actor. .■•*," j- Still adhering to costume drama, she ; *; ,',|oured Great Britain with "The Wan- .*■ ".^ering Jew," in which she played the '■>: ■','," p^arta oJ Judith and Gianetta. Her en-'f""i-?,T;agement by Mr. Percy Hutchison ;../:;-, narked an important change in her ,'-■.■:' Career, as it brought her into touch .' : ' r V-.^>ith what is admitted to be a most .■■.,.;■• difficult branch of acting, viz., farcical *..'■( tjomedy. j ■. <:;»]- r'i In Dame Clara Butt's life story the ».*VvjJompiler, Miss Winifred Ponder, tells r th® firs* time the romantic story ,' ; ; ..',•' 'it the prima donna's love story. And -,■ ■\T'iner6 can navo been few more attraccourtships. Much of it was con- -■_■;; n flueted on the concert platform, for y'.'f-'rXr. Kennerly Ruinford and Madame \:.yJ\C''laia, Butt wero often billed to appear '■'•■r//together in duets. At that time it • ■ ':'•.- *fn& the fashion for singers to sing from ;, ;"*-'he print, and ho used to pencil notes Uv'-P heron margins. Often these wore in « ">'. •'/erman or Italian, and night after 1,;.'-;* \!ight, as she opened her song, she ;■'.,- U"--7ould find a new one neatly pasted over .'"./.;.";h» old. Then fato throw into his

bauds a ballad that tho two were to make famous all over tho world, and which ssrvod as an ideal medium for a proposal. They sang the song often together, and one night ho made it clear that he was making his appeal to Clara in' her private ' self, and not to tho singer. She sang the last verso as an acceptance, and the audience little know that the two left the platform an engaged couple. Lily Elaiu, tho popular London stage star, is following in Sybil Thorndike 's footsteps, and is taking her owu company to South Africa to play in "The High Road" and "Tho Trial of Mary Dugan." A handsome offer to appear at the Regent Theatres in Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin was made to Captain Kingsford Smith and Lieutenant Ulm. A reply received in Auckland from the airmen read: "Thanks for the offer, but we must definitely refuse it, as our policy ia not to commercialise our flights by theatre appearances. Best wishes. Kingsford Smith Ulm." Claude Tanner, the young New Zealand 'cellist, who is shortly returning to Wellington after having studied at the Eoyal Acamedy of Music in London for the past four years, intends giving a series of recitals shortly after his arrival in the Dominion. He has been successful in securing his L.R.A.M. degree, certificate of merit, and also the highest honour obtainable at the academy by examination—"Honourable Mention." At the end of his second year, Claude Tanner was appointed subprofessor of the Royal Academy, and has. held that position up to the present time. His recitals will no doubt create considerable interest in musical circles throughout the Dominion. Gregan M'Mahan is putting on a season of Barrie plays t-t the Palace Theatre, Sydney, opening on Saturday with "Dear Brutus." Cecil Kelleway is included in tho cast. Two big successes in Sydney at the present time are "The Silent House" and "Other Men's Wives." Tho first is being played by Maurice Moscovitch at the Theatre Royal. It is a mystery drama. Mr. Moscovitch gives a startling performance as a Chinese, Dr. Chan Fu.1 The other is Walter Hackett's "comedy of amazing adventures," in which Margaret Bannerman is appearing at the Criterion Theatre. Though a comedy, there are many exciting incidents, including a murder, in the intriguing plot. Louis Goodrich, a wellknown English actor, has arrived from London to join this company. He will take the place of the late James Lindsay. Dale Collins, the Melbourne author and playwright, has written a play, "Passengers," which will be produced in the English provinces for three weeks in October, and will then be staged -in London. The scene of the play is on a small steamer between England, and Australia. Harry Cohen will be the producer. During the last few days interest in the forthcoming production of the local film comedy-drama, "Natalie of Napier, "has grown apace, and great preparations are afoot for "shooting" scenes immediately the producer, Rudall Hay ward, arrives, states the "Napier Daily Telegraph." : It is to be hoped that good weather will favour us, so that the town will look its best for ccreen purposes. The producer will have quite a number of good-looking young people to choose from when ho arrives, and the leading roles should not be difficult to fill. Quite a number of local riders, 'with some, splendid examples of horseflesh, have offered to appear in the riding scenes, and are determined to show that New Zealanders can sit a saddle as well, if not better than, the American cowboy. Further details of the film and reports of the progress of the production will appear in these columns from day to day while the film is being made. The local players who are chosen for the parts will be announced when the producer has I had an opportunity of interviewing ' them. ■