Plays – Players – Pictures

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 120, 16 November 1929, Page 27

Plays - Players - Pictures

THE- SHOWS.

!To\tu 'Hall—' '». ... -1 Organ Recital, .'every Sunday, S.3o"p.m. , Owra House— : '.'■ v "Journey's- End/ in season. His Majesty's— % Revue, ' Jlstatlc—i'ictures. Begem—Pictures. ' Be Lv«- rueatre—Pictures. .Paramount Th'cutY<i—Pictures. : -rings TQcatre-r-Pjctures. Artcraft Theatre— 'Mcfures. vtir -Theatre— Pictures "" Theatre-Pictures. Britannia 'Vbeatre^l'lctures Queen's riicatre-^Picturca " Princess Tbeatre— Pictures. / Kilblrnle . Klnems—CU-tures. ■ Anne Croft, who was in' New Zealand in "The Girl Friend," writcss from Lori- ( don, under' date 4th September:^"! had a very. w'oiidei-fuT trip home; went up to Cairo.aiul s'aw'the pyramids and the. Sphinx,' and the' wonderful Tutankha-i men collection. In fact. I nad a delightful voyage^ and arrived home to : find Leslie .Honson waiting for mo to' play.-in/his "new-piece at the Hippo-' drome. However, befi/vp we would got busy on this, Sir Alfred. Butt begged him to help lrinr out by opening the new .Dominion. Theatre with the: American shpw 'follow Through. 1: This piece :.was":feally.'f6r; Jack Buchanan, but he did not like it,; and so Leslie had to shelve-his shbw~and company, and do follow Through1' first. '1 am liow under contract for' Clayton and "Waller " for their new operetta to open tho Palace, London, in November—'the try-out in -the provinces in, October—so soon I 'Shall be-very ..busy ."I am working at my singing for all I am worth, because this is to be a-very singing show. That r ..seems .to be. the great thing in London ;. at present. Comic opera is back in full fl .force; . People: seem to be tired of ■ : jazz."' ?■ ,One of the principal. J. 0. Williamt\.soii... Christmas; .attractions for New ' >ili-be:: Ziegfield's big musical ■;;? H<i:;'.iaancing production.- '(Whoopee,". (I*l4;was recently produced with ,ol^t::■standing.sueccss: at the New Amsterdam :!™ptKi T°T'?°.*j and was also listed ;-aa One- of the; £Vosti:.varied' a'nd'spectaeurSiar:.sh6w3 evtj|ygep"n wi Australia. -It"is ..:.the!intention.:'fif J|lie.^r ß i to send over •ip.-: new : > eombmatibn-. of -imported and i^Bgtralianaiia Ife\v Zealand artists,'and WfiUeady-preparations are well inland .'^or, ~{fie~ cpmiiigT!Js'bmiiiibn' lourl"Some l>ef"the artists'Syho: have been appearing '.-in-"Whoopee" .in the Australian pro■;..auction are" -Beulah Pearson, Charles :.;■ Bylber,Blo.restv*STarnall, Jane Se'lsj'Gen.|j, levieve M'Cormack, Leyland Hodgson ■ !.: Jessica '\Harcourt, Queenie Ashton j;i James. Hughes/ Fred and George Con- :,, yngham 7 -,and:l'red Hawthorne. Many ■;•; .of. these, .artists' will make their first appearance in" New Zealand at Christinas. v. .Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller are 1 "Xt present ' contemplating the arranging S^'t OUr of New Zealand for Gregan M<Mahon. Mr. M'Mahon is at present ..appearing with great success in Mel- ».■ bourne, and it is anticipated his season theie will run for some time yet. After that New Zealand will most likely be . the next move for this popular pro- ■ .ducer and his company. Plays in his : repertoire include "The Fanatics," "Bird in Hand," "Message from Mars," "The ' Play's the Thing,'? "Thunder in the Air," ; and several others of particular appeal. : Following the announcement of the ; arrangement—not v amalgamation—be- ; tween, the Fuller Proprietary and J. C ■ ■ .Williamson, Ltd. (Aust), whereby the Fullers' Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, and the Williamson's Tivoli Theatre, Sydney lave been closed, there is now only one vaudeville theatre in each of these ; eities-t-Fullers' Theatre, Sydney, where -brank O'Brian's "Revellers" are in season, and the Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne at which house the famous English Lotmga has opened. ■<*-... to the WellingtonChoral Union on the excellence of the arama^ie, production of "Hiawatha" >vere,tendereed at the final performance on Saturday night on belialf of the Auckland -Choral Society. ' Amongst those present in the audience were Air. 0. 8.-Hummer (president), and Mr. Colin Muston (eonductpr), of the .Auckland body, and.at the close of the evening, Mr. Plumnier, rising in his

place in tho gallery, said ho thought the occasion was. sufficiently important; fo.r a 1 few wdrds'of commendation, from a kindred .society.' • The work of the chorus.and the orchestra, he." said, hud been outstanding, and had given Mr. Muston and himself tße." keenest pleasure. f'.The ' complete "success of your performance," said' .Mr. .Plumper, "is all .tho more'pleasing as legitimate entertainment is at present in the melting PQtj.and we are told that "the'talkies will overwhelm everything. ""I must congratulatd you 'on the brilliance of your production.' I have' seen many beautiful pictures,'but few more alluring than the^neMrs. Winnie Fraser presented fo-mglit. ,'Persevere' with your- good work, and I am sure that your union will goi on" as merrily as the brook we have, heard falling' so musically upon the ssage to-night." Hoot Gibson has started his ■second 1930^ production, «The' Xce" Eider," by William DuUley .Pelley."'':Tll'e east includes Eugenia Gilbert,',' Harry Tqdd, Joseph Giiird, Monty Montague, John Oscar, and the perennial Jim Covey. . Fannio Br'ice's new 'pictu'ro is based on "Tho Champ," "a story-by" Joseph Jackson. Gertrude A'stpr" and Pat' Cot I lins hava been' added "to a, cas,t that already includes Kopert "Armstrbng and Harry Grgen. 1 ' ■'""/■ American ..musical comedy, despite the contention of its detractors, remains the high point so far achieved by tho local practitioners of the theatre (says tho fi New York HoraldTribune"). It has, it is true, reached a- place where it has lost much of its originality and freshness and "has bpen definitely set" in a "'stolid, conventional; and somewhat fatiguiug moiild that is | both too juvenile and "tdo-'generaUy unimaginative for the comfort of its more particular admirers. 'In "plot, dancing,' and comedy'ii; has/despite tho. number °* reraarkably export'comics'at" large^ become >as routinfc as a form letter, and its music and chorus numbers "9V? gro.ivn too doriniteiy regulation to soem freshly amusing." Nevertheless it retains a gusto, a general liveliness and a feeling for the hardier manifestations °f youth that somehow make it more honestly distinctive than its "dramatic c9™PQtition. Its chie| defects are,' no doubt, this awesomely definite mould in which tl^e necessary bpy:andTgiii plot is bound to be cast, and : tho conventional manner in which romance, chorus numbers, and. huinoin- aro combined and inter-related as though according to_ some scientific formula. There ,is still, of course, that Anglophile heresy that the .English revue •is somehow more admirable. Undeniably there is a certain informal quality, a definite freshness, and an unusual quantity of tastefulness in such a superior London show as Mr. Coward's "This 'fear of Grace" that give an impressive credibility to'such a contention. Even., in such an offering, however, there is an inferiority in pace, production, and colpur which hints modestly that tho foreigners still have something to learn from Mr. Ziegfield and Mr. Whito. A dramatisa,tion of the muchTtliscussed book, "Jew Suss," has just been produced in England by Matheson Lang." The "London Era" says: ?'Jew Suss" is inaking a deep impression, it is recognised that this dramatisation : by Ashley l)ukes of Fpuchtwanger ?? impressive novel is one of tho best thingsin which Matheson Lang has been seen. Ifci conveys profound understanding o£ the character of the Jew, yrho descends from the highest power to the deepest tragedy and sorrow; and in the compact fullness of the plot and its many dramatic figures prominent parts arb taken with auccess by Frank Harvey (well known in Australia and New Zealand), A. Bromley Davenport, Felix Aylmer, Veronica Turieigh, Joan Maudo Mary Sheridan, and Peggy Ashcroft. According to the ?'Daily Chronicle" cinema correspondent, "The American Prisoner" restores one's' wavering j-faith in. British pictures. / It is a genuine piece o£ work, expertly directed, and clearly destined to bo a popular success. . "It. is a. credit"to 'British International, and places Thomas Bent-' ley with Alfred Hitchcock and- Maurice Elvey as one of the only'throe'diiiectora in this country' who ■ haypj on results?

begun to understand what tlie talking .picture is all about. This is a most satisfying' production which' will delight the public- becauso it has colour and,;comedy and, a^bovo all, tho sincerity which comes of a director having great experience, and being tho master of hio medium." !fu 1915 Mavgar'et Baniieriuan was in thecliorus o,f f Tina. at -fho Adelphi Theatre, London. Last mouth she returned: there for the; fij'st .time as leading lady ill;-■'.'< The Tiger in Men." -It was her first London appearance since her return from- 'Australia and New Zealand. The trouble with the play, which . concerns an expedition to . tho Malayan jungle,'_is 'that pne ahvays feels and hop.es that tho big thrill is coming,! but'it never .quite does so, writes a Ldnflon. critic. Miss Banner^ man plays "the girl, who is rather an obstiMato, opinionated person, with a quiet sincerity that is appealing, and she looks beautiful —perii'aps just a trifle7 too beautiful and tidy ■ fo,r the Malay jungles'. ■ Lan Hunter' is admirable as the Englishman, 'and tlie author has his big acting montent in the second act as the nerve-wracked Frenchman. . *• The Dummy," an all-talking picture, which will bo released shortly in Ne«; Zealand," contains many talkie favourites'in the cast.' "'Euth Chatter ton, Fredric March, Jack Oakie, Zasu Pitts, Eugeno Balle.tte, Mickey Bennett, Fred Kohlor, and "Spec" O'Donuell are featured in the production. " HTho Blue Lagoon," the famous do Vero Stacpool'novel, is-being" "directed by Herbert. Wilcpx as an all-coloijr and all-dialogue film. The production is being filmed in.the.South'Seas. The first all-talk-ie picture to star the popular eomedja'ii Begihald . Denny, is /'Embarrassing Moment's." Playing opposite Denny in this hilarious comedy are Mprna Kennedy,-- who plays one of the principal, roles in the big Universal Super, "Broadway," , Otis . •Harlen, the Captain Andy of "Show Boat," William Austin, and others.-. _ • William Haines has the starring role in an all-taßting version of "Get Rich Quick Wallingf ord," which James Cruze, heading his own producing organisation, will direct. Dance hall scenes aro usually common to modern pictures; and unless they possess an unusual point of appeal, they drag on tho public's "niiud. In the U.F.A. production "Hurrah! I'm Alive!" the dance hall scenes are inevitable to the continuity of the picture, but the producers have oyercome thisby introducing an'entirely ne^v and novel effect. The centre of the floor was constructed in the shape of a circu-

Q— lar disc, which revolves in the manner, of a. merry-go-round. Around this centre plane another concentric turning disc revolves in the opposite direction. This gives an unique effect, and to'gothey with a, series of clever camera shots makes the sequence an interesting feature of the picture. Loiioro Ulric, . having -just finished Frozen Justice," is preparing to start on "Kanaka Epse." ; x ■ . "Three Live Ghosts," based on the' successful play by. Frederic S. Ishain, has been adapted for an all-talking picture. In tho east aro Eobert Montgomery, New York stage star; Joan .Bennett, .leading lady of Eonald Colman in "Bulldog Drummond"; Claude Allister, the Algy of ".Bulldog Drummond," Charles M'Naughton and Beryl Mercer, who "acted on." the stage the roles they now play' in the film; Harry Stubbs, the Buck Bachmann -of ''Alibi s'; Shaylo. Gardner, the Lord Bellamont of "Three Passions ".; Hilda Vaughn, and Wilford Noy. The director of '' Three Live;; Ghosts "is Thorton Freeland, who assisted Eoland West in direction of "Alibi." '' Kitbitzor," an amusing all-talking comedy, featuring Harry Green, Mary Brian-, and Neil Hamiltoiij has been completed at the Hollywood Studios. Guy' Oliver, and Eugene .Pallcttd, two popular screen' character actors, play comedy roles. Ivor Novello will .be seen shortly in his iixst all-tulking production, "Symphony in Two' Flats,?' which is said to give-1 great scope for the remarkable musical talent of this,young star. Novello is, of .course, wo'rfd 'famous for his | 'Keep the Home Fires Burning," and is said to be a pianist of no nieuu note. He has a fine singing voice, and in this production he will sing several of his own songs. Four new and original songs'will be sung by Eddie Leonard, merry minstrel mail, in "Melody Lane," an all-dialogue and music picture. The songs were writtenby Leonard, whose /'lda, Sweet as Apple Cider" is still a favourite, and Jack .Stern, composer of a number- of song hits, especially for "Melody. Lane." The four>-now songs are "Beautiful," the theme song, "The Bogie Man Am Here," "Herp I Am," and "'Sugar Cane Around My Door." They wilT all be sung by Leonard in the picture which is a story of stage life. Josephine Dunn, plays opposite Leonard in. the film.' "The Eogue's Song,"^ in. which Lawrence Tibbett, the operastar is to make his screen debut, will be an. all-colour production. -Music. fqr this production is by Franz Lehar arid' Herbert Stothart and John Colton is responsible for the dialogue. Lionel Barrymoro is director,

while tho east includes Catherin Dale On;en in the leading feminine role, Maripu Schilling, Judith Voselli, Wallace Mac Donald, Lionel Belnlore, James Bmdbury, jun., a-n£ Kate Price. becrets of tho East" is an ima-ina-story of tho legendery Copper City oi Atlantis, and concerns All (an old cobbler), who is wafted away to dream^ land, to_find himself in the luxurious paLico of tho Sultan among hundreds of harem beauties. The sight is too much tor the poor cobbler, who is unused to such scenes of glory. Nikola Kolin, who plays the part of the cobbler, provides the comedy of the picture-, and is supPui* • V lan p«tro««*. Marcclla 'a t ' /Sues Peterson, Dita Parlo and hundreds of extras. : < Marjorie White is the possessor of a long-term agreement. Miss White won tier new contract through her work in Sunny Side Up," the De Sylva, Browu, ana aojuderson musical comedy starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell. " Alice Lake, has returned from vaudeville to play the role of Moosehido Kate a dance-hall.gii^ i a Lonoro Ulrie's first talking, picture vehicle, "Frozen Justice 'an all-talking drama of the Arctic.

A modern story, "Venus," Constance Talmadge's latest film, is based on tho novel of the-same name by Jean Vi"--naud, French journalist, "it presents Miss J?almadgo in tho role of the Princess Doriani, business woman of wide miluencc, owner, of a transatlantic steamship line, ;i vivid personality, independent in offico and in drawingroom. The light touches usually found ih_ Consta-hco Talmadge's pictures aresaid to predominate in treatment of this story.