WELLINGTON REPERTORY THEATRE.

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 107, 2 November 1939, Page 22

WELLINGTON REPERTORY THEATRE.

t?©©©©©©©S©©©©®e©©©©©S©©©©©©©©©©e©©SS©©©©©©ee©S©©©©©<s o o I NEWSREEL NEWS I o o O Metrotone News, at Majestic Theatre, Tomorrow: O JJ War in Europe, films from the front. . . . Official pictures of con- JJ 0 quest of Poland and gallant defence of Westerplatte, near Danzig. . . . © © 233 rescued passengers of torpedoed liner Athenia arrive at Nova Scotia © JJ ... Special—German U-boat raiders filmed. JJ O' Paramount British News, at Regent Theatre, Today: o O ' M. Daladier visits the Maginot Line and other scenes of French JJ J) war preparations. ... First pictures of British Army soon after landing o O in France. .. . Pictures from America include Queen Mary and Nor- © JJ mandie in dock and work on Allied plane orders going ahead in antici- JJ o pation of repeal of arms embargo. .. . Official German pictures include © © Herr Hitler watching armies near Warsaw. .. . Plight of civilian Poles JJ JJ in war area. .. . Statement by captured R.A.F. pilot. . . . Work in Nazi JJ © munition factories. . . . "Roughing it" on Home front. © o o J> Paramount American News, at St. James Theatre, Tomorrow: JJ 0 Special—War.comes to England; first the realisation, then organised © ©. preparation. . . . Pictures of magnificent organisation of A.R.P. . . . © **: Scenes of wholesale destruction of Hitler's book "Mem Kampf." . . . JJ ©/ Scenes at Waterloo Station as thousands of children depart for safer © © areas. . . . Similar scenes of children being evacuated from other large 2 JJ cities. o o o © Cinesound News, at Majestic Theatre, Tomorrow: O © Air-raid precautions—full-dress rehearsal is enacted at Newtown in JJ O presence of Governor, Lo^d Wakehurst. . . . Punters attack the Caulfield o © "Siegfried Line" in endeavour to pick, winner. .. . Hundreds of © JJ machinists in Commonwealth clothing factory meet huge rush orders «J © for military uniforms. .. . Governor-General, Lord Gowrie, reviews © © military in training at several camps near Sydney. . . . Old school ties JJ JJ and flappers make spectacular display at the Sydney Sports Ground © © while schoolboys strive to gain coveted honours. .. . Queenslanders © JJ handle wild horses in preliminary training for military service. ... § o Kiddies emulate Sir Malcolm Campbell's run on Tasmania's highways. O o o © Pathe Gazette, at St. James Theatre, Tomorrow: © JJ Survivors of torpedoed Athenia go home aboard now-famous City of © © Flint. .. . Bromwich in action, as Australia wins Davis Cup. ... © © R.A.F. rescue of sinking ship—captain of vessel tells his story. . . . JJ O French tanks entrain for front. . . . Other scenes of preparations in o © France and England. O o ■"■ , o JJ Fox Australasian News, at. King's and Plaza Theatres, Tomorrow: JJ © Australian naval manoeuvres. . . . "Hiawatha" choral ballet. ... © © Old Melbourne Cup fashions. , . . Rivette wins Caulfield Cup. . . . Wel- © « lington recruits m camp: JJ © o is©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©©-©©©©©*©©©©;."*

, St. John Ervine's now famous play "Robert's Wife" is the Repertory Society's choice for their next production, to be staged in the Concert. Chamber shortly under the direction of Mr. Leo dv Chateau. The cast will include Mrs. Mary Mackenzie. Margaret Cairns-Cowan, Ailsa Newton, Patricia Ahearn, M. Vide Helyar, Algernon Deuber, W. F. C. Balham, Greville Wiggs, Eric Lawson, and P. B. Benham, Mr. Ervine has been writing plays since 1883, when the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, produced his first—"Mixed Marriage." "Jane Clegg," "John Ferguson," "The Wonderful Visit" (with H. G. Wells) "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary," "The First Mrs. Fraser," arid "Anthony and Anna" aye perhaps the best known apart from "Robert's Wife." The lastnamed is generally claimed to be his best play; it made an instantaneous appeal to the critics when it was first produced at the Globe Theatre, London, on November 23, 1937, and that it also appealed to the public is indicated by the fact that it ran continuously to packed houses for no less than eighteen months. "Robert's Wife" is a" good play because it is, about real people and real ideas and because it has life and movement and humour. Moreover it deals with self-sacrifice. The main thread of the story is: Robert Garson, the Vicar of St. Michael and All Angels, is a highly-respected and popular man whose wife, Sanchia, has public activities of her own, - including a birthcontrol clinic. The latter, of course,is condemned by most of. the -Vicar's parishioners and is likely to.be harmful to his advancement. In addition, Robert's son has assimilated some communistic tendencies at Oxford which eventually land him in prison. However, the Bishop interposes on behalf of the son and Sanchia finds her true self and sacrifices her activities in the interest of her husband. ' "Robert's Wife" is naturally well written- and constructed, and the several issues interwoven make it absorbingly interesting and compelling.