FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 19712, 12 November 1927, Page 16

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

fßy iorrERER.3 j -Ste;

Mr Charles Norman, tlio popular comedian tlio Bandbox Revue Company, now at tlio Princess Theatre, will be seen to great advantage in the next show in several little sketches introduced in the first half. Mr Norman

is an untiring worker' and, making a specialty as he does of his dances, should be always able to earn a living with his leet, if he should ever have the misfortune to lose his voice.

■ The revuos presented by the Gayle Wyor Bandbox Company at the,Princess Theatre are meeting with great favor, and every change of programme is-eagerly looked forward to. This is due to the high standard for which tho author must be given credit, and also to the capable manner in which they are handled by Mr Wyer and his popular company. Mr James Hay, tho leading tenor of the J. 0. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, opening here on Monday, has a remarkably clear and _ pleasing tenor voice, and he sings his '.'.solos with rare expression. Ho speaks . his lines clearly, and his gesticulation • is never exaggerated. One of the leading teachers of elocution and singing in London has expressed his opinion

that “ James Hay would bo as much - at bomb and just as effective in grand opera or drama as ho is in Gilbert and; Sullivan or musical comedies. He is one of the most finished, performers I have seen for many years.” There has been some discussion in England as to which is tho most familiar song in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, of which we have .a welcome local revival on Monday, and up to the present tho point has not been determined. In Now Zealand a similar dis- :■ mission arose, and at tho conclusion the agreed to differ. It all depends ■on tho particular tastes and inclina- ; lions of the disputants. For instance, ‘ Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes ’ from Tlio Gondoliers,’ and ‘ A Wandering 'Minstrel I ’ from ‘The Mikado ’ are • familiar to thousands, and would bo near the top in a popular voting con.test. ‘Poor Wandering One,’ Mabel’s pretty song in ‘ The Pirates of Pen- - zance } ’ is Known to many, while the . Sergeant’s song in tho same opera, and ‘l’ve Got a Little List’ from ‘The Mikado ’ would all get liberal support, .as they are familiar to so many. For .the reason that it has been sung so often in New Zealand, ‘Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes ’ would probably be the most familiar Gilbert and Sullivan song in the dominion. It is more than probable that when tho J. C. Williamson Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company completes its tour of the dominion Jt will be disbanded and not bo reconstituted for many .years. This is to be regretted, for a revival of these clever musical satires, the work of two of England’s greatest songsters, librettists, and dramatic authors, could surely be made at more frequent intervals. It is not an easy task, however, to gether together an effective combination to do full justice to these gnehanting musical extravaganzas. f The New York critics are saying a -good deal .about the young English i actress, Miss Cecile Dixon, who isplaying in ‘The Mariners,’ by Clemonce 1 Dane. Miss Dixon, that is her own name, was in Mrs Patrick Campbell’s short-lived play, ‘ Tho Adventurous Age.’ For a year or two she was act- ; ing with George Arliss. She was hardly :; inut of her teens when she went from ■ London to New York. While Miss i* Dixon was acting Ibsen’s ‘The Master ”Builder’ at Birmingham in 1924, she ; : attracted the attention of John Gals- ■ worthy, who selected her to play the - part of Phyllis, opposite George Arliss, in ‘ Old English ’ at the Ritz Theare, New York. Miss Dixon is a first cousin : of Mrs L. Bartloet, of Epsom, Auckland. ■ Ethel Irving Is appearing in ‘The ’ Pagans,’ at the Q Theatre, London. ; Mark Daly, who was the leading comedian in musical comedies for the Fullers (‘The O'Brien Girl’) a few > years- hack, is doing well in London as Fred Dombev in _ Dagnall’s three- :: act farce, ‘Nearly Divorced.’ Also in the cast is Fred Lloyd, here with Hicks, ,< as a sporting baronet. Tho comedy is ; drawing crowds to tho Duke of York’s Theatre. ‘ Tom Walls, a comedian well remembered here in comic opera, is, with Ralph Lynn, the life and soul of ‘ Thark,’ at the Aldwych, in London, : Lynn and Walls are now in their sixth year of stage comradeship. _ Their facility in turning out bright dialogue and a plethora of comio business is responsible for the success of 1 Thark,’ - which is the name of an old Norfolk country house, presumed to be haunted and wherein most of the scenes are : laid. Mr Adrian Holland, of Prahran, Viotorn, a well-known Australian pianist, has secured engagement as accompanist to Dame Clara Butt on her provincial tour through England, Scotland, and -Ireland from September 21 to November 26, Ho will probably ,go to . Canada, New Zealand, and Australia with Dame Clara Butt and Mr KenLnerly Rumford on conclusion of the ‘ English tour. Gaston Mervale, who plays the Lord Chancellor in ‘Castles in the Air,’ in ; Sydney, is one of the few Svengalis , who play the piano in ‘Trilby.’ In England he won a great reputation in tho role, which he also played here to Nellie Stewart’s Trilby. Mervale .* waa a noted Black Michael in ‘The Prisoner of Zenda,’ and Talleyrand in ; ‘ A Royal Divorce,’ and also impressed ; as Cardinal Richelieu in ‘Under the Red Robe.’ Mr G. I*? Peterson is at present touring New Zealand in the interests « of Wjrth’s Circus, which arrives at Bluff on November 21.

Though the dates of some of the many J. 0. Williamson attractions for New Zealand have been altered, the dominion tour of ‘Rose Marie,’ as mapped out by Mr Bert Royle seems likely to-stand. If so, this wonderfully successful musical play will be staged in no less than fourteen cities and towns—one of the most comprehensive tours ever arranged for such a big attraction. The tour commences at Auckland on December 21.

Vera Pearce _is _ appearing in * Castles in the Air ’ in London in the role of Mme. Joujou Durant, a part that will be played in the Sydney production by Byrl Walkley. The story of this musical play was written by Raymond WV Peck, who has the gil of narrative and the skill of putting

:i £|w’sJotfißgs -«a fto people of flee Stage anf Screen " aiaff <m the latest recorded Music.

words together. The music is by Percy Wenrich, who has included in this score not only one big song bit, but quite half a dozen. There is ‘ Lantern of Love,’ ‘Baby,’ ‘I Would Like to Fondle You,’ ‘ Batavia',’ and the passionate ‘My Lips,'My Love, My Soul,' all of which will soon he played and hummed and sung by all and sundry.;

Negotiations may be completed this week for the disposal of the big block of shares held by Hugh J. Ward in J. C. Williamson, Ltd., bringing to an end his association for twenty-nine years with the firm, first a,s an actor and afterwards as director (says a Sydney paper). Mr Arthur Allen, acting for himself .as well;as others, has been mentioned, as. tho prospective purchaser, and the price is stated to be considerably over £60,000. If the sale is completed, Mr Ward may forsake the theatrical business for at least ,a year, as his time will be fully occupied in the erction of four blocks of flats, containing over 100 apartments,, on bis Darlinghurst and Double Bay properties. Later, it is declared, at tho request of an influential group, Mr Ward may go into a now company which proposes to launch out with the building and management of theatres in tho principal capitals. A most extensive tour of the provincial towns of New Zealand is being made by tho George Wallace Revue Company, which started out from Dunedin on September 2, playing a number of the southern towns, thence to the north through the Manawatu district. Following Wanganui, tho company played tlio Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, and Wairoa districts, thence through the -Manawatu again, clow;i the Main Trunk line as far north as To Awamutu, thence to tho Rotorua district back on tho Main Trunk line, and this week will he pre. sorting -their popuar show at tho Thames, Waihi, Paeroa, and Hamilton, prior to tho company going south again to tour the West Coast. An all-round success has beon Fuller’s first revue company to tour New Zealand, and return dates are everywhere being eagerly looked for.

THE AMERiGAirSTAGE

WHAT JOHN FULLER THINKS John Fuller, of Fuller’s Theatres) Inc., Australia, sailed last nigrit for homo via London (says trie Now York ' Morning Telegraph,’ of October 1) with the right to four New York successes in fas bag. Ho had bought ‘ Rio Rita,’ ‘ Good Nows,’ ‘ The Merry Malones,’ all musical comedies, and ‘ Tho Baby Cyclone,’ tho George Cohan farce for tho Auzucs. Rights to six other New York pieces , are in negotiation. Mr Fuller and Mr Rolls have been in America since August 17 (continues the journal). In 49 days they have seen 64 plays and musical comedies, in San Francisco, Chicago, Nov.' York, Philadelphia, Boston, Wilmington, Long Branch, and Atlantic City. They have inspected the principal l cabarets and motion picture houses in each of those cities. They have examined some of the mammoth new theatres and picture palaces from roof to sub-cellar, to gather new ideas to be used in construction of their own houses. And they have gone away not fatigued but delighted. Mr Fuller had not been in America for eleven years- The improvement in the American stage in all its departments he found almost incredible, “ New York is now tho theatrical creative centre of tho world, beyond a shadow of a doubt,” he. said yesterday just before sailing. “You are easily putting on the best musical shows, the best revues, tho best stage dancing of all types, and, taking it in the aggregate, the best acting, because you have the money to attract the world’s best talent. In dramatic productions America is fast overhauling the best in London. It comes hard for an, Englisuman to admit that, but there’s no doubt of it. New York mounts its productions better than any stage centre in the world.” Mr Fuller was pleasantly surprised to encounter almost no “dirt” in tho 54 pieces he has seen. “ In Australia,” he said, “ the New York stage has quite an unsavoury reputation. If it was deserved in the past, it can’t properly be said now. Australia doesn’t like dirt on the stage. We have no censor; the public simply stays away from off-color shows. That’s tho ideal censorship.

“They think abroad, too, that Americans care.only for jazz- The musical shows that are coming into New York, which we’ve seen in tryouts, disprove that, .Men like Hammerstein putting on pieces like ‘Golden Dawn’ -are courageous and real benefactors. That piece has beautiful music; it’s really light opera. The music of ‘ Strike UP The Band,’ by your man Gershwin, is another case in point, though I must say I thought the book was far inferior to the music._ (This has been withdrawn for rewriting.) “America ought to be proud of such men as George M. Cohan for putting on fine shows so perfectly clean. Ziegfeld impresses me. Dillingham is another. I could extend the list, but lot’s not be boresome.”

Asked how ho liked ‘ Burlesque,’ the first dramatic hit of the season, Mr Fuller said: “It’s a great show, but it wouldn’t bo understood in Australia, whore the people are not familiar with backstage life and its jargon. Your American public is well educated to what you call the ‘ inside of show business.’ I hope we?can educate the Australian and New Zealander somehow- Magazines like your_ ‘ Saturday livening Post,’ which are widely circulated over there, are helping to do that by printing stage stories, tout we don’t get much of it otherwise. As to burlesque, itself, we don’t have it in Australia, so they wouldn’t understand that play at all. “ The taste of your theatregoers is being improved very fast. The general standard of your shows has been_ incredibly raised in the 11 years since I last studied them.

“ I believe that the production theatres are gradually overtaking the motion pictures and are going to win back everything they have lost to the films. The films will still have their groat public, of course, but the stage, will bo stronger than over, and find a wider public. People who . attend the cinema will bo educated to the theatre thus, and will become patrons of tho stags plays as their minds mature. The stage producers have realised that they have to give the very best they can to meet the competition of the' pictures, and I see signs already of their success. Of course, I can’t ; speak with authority of your conditions in _ tho smaller cities and towns, ‘the road,’ but I believe that tho sending out of really good companies in really good plays will prove profitable .and restore confidence in stage shows presented in the smaller places..”

LATEST MARVEL IN M 8

A PUBLIC PERFORMANCE Music without an ■ instrument,-,music plucked from the air by the bare human hand, is tho newest wonder of radio science- “Tho music of the spheres,” some one has called it, arid it was first heard at Frankfort, Germany, on August 4, by a deeply interested audience gathered at the ,'exposition whose official name is Music in the Life of tho People. This remarkable inventionor perhaps discovery is the better wore! —achieved a successful performance of classical music, including works of Grieg and others, entirely without musical -instruments. .The music, we are told, was literally plucked from the air. The event was reported in ‘ Roclam’s Universum,’ of Leipzig, by Dr Rudolph Frank, who expresses enthusiasm for the now 7 and amazing art, and regards it as marking an epoch in musical progress.-;-Tiis: description of what the Frankfort audicncri saw -and heard is as follows:

“ From a small mahogany box, which serves likewise as a,music stand; there rises vertically a metal rod about'4o centimetres long (15) inches), while at the loft there extends another rod bout into the form of a ring. On the floor is a dry-cell battery, and in the background is a loud speaker. Box, battery, and loud speaker are .connected In' wires. “ A young man,'’the typical engineer, takes his place in front of this unpretentious desk. It is Leo Theremin, presenting for _ tire first time before an audience his invention of music, produced solely by tlio free movement of the hands in space. Slowly ho lifts his hand, holding it a distance of about one metre (39 inches) from tho upright metal rod. Tho movement produces a sound, the tone of which rises gradually, until it reaches a pitch which no > instrument, and far Jess the human voice, is capable of attaining “ Now he raises his left hand gently above tho ring-shaped rod, until it is about the height of his head. As he does so the note sounded grows louder and louder. Then he lets his, hand fall, as if to soothe the sound, .and this grows softer until it dies out in tho tenderest pianissimo. “It is evident that wo have here the essential conditions for the pro r duction of music—a variation in pitch on the one hand and in intensity on the other. The sounds, however, are more or less mechanical—soulless in character. The inventor himself points out that they lack the sympathetic quality which we call ‘ heart.’ In short, they do not vibrate like the music invoked by the human throat and breath, or by the human hand from instruments of wood or -metal,- ”>

Yet tho human hand, subtlest instrument of the soul, we are told, lias gone on to perfect this miracle, and the Frankfort audience listened spellbound as the inventor proceeded to transform tlio electrical currents surrounding the two antennae —the rod and ring—into an exact expression of his own emotions. Dr Frank continues with his narrative; “ Incredulous we gaze upon the young engineer. His looks grow fender.. The inventor becomes the musician. The fingers of his right hand vibrato like those of a violinist when he presses the strings. They vibrate in the free air, and a marvellously sweet, tone sweeps through the room. Invisibly a soul sings, and wo listen, thrilled. “ Now it sounds deep as an organ note, and now like a perfect viola, or a violin from tho hand of one of tho old master craftsmen. Again it resembles a flute or ,n huntsman’s horn. Whole # notes, halves, quarters, yes, even eighth notes are thus drawn from the electric field around the antennas, wo are assured, merely by tho motions of tho bare bands. There is no discord perceptible, even when this marvellous and mysterious .music is accompanied by a performer upon tho grand.piano._ The works of such composers as Grieg, Saint-Saens, Scriabin, are played. It is marvellous, indeed, how remote the tones of tho piano sound in comparison with the vital fullness and resonant force of those which flow from the mysterious electrical currents under the hands of Theremin. “As if these marvels were not enough, Theremin begins to repeat the piece. But what is this? The tones no longer come from the same place as before. We turn our heads; the sounds come to us like an echo—from behind us, from the highest, farthest corner of the room!

“ Now another young man takes his place in front of a second box, smaller than the first. These two technical musicians—tone engineers, let us call them—perform, merely by the raising and dropping and- bending of their gently vibrating fingers, music which resounds through the great room in pure and perfect tones.’’ But what is the secret of this modern miracle? Dr Frank replies that the explanations offered give our minds certain definite points of support, yet fail to make the marvel entirely clear. He continues; “ We learn that there are alternating currents of varying frequencies, which are conducted from the human body over the apparatus, though they are entirely independent of tlio body. The approach of the hands affects the frequency of the alternating currents which .surround the antennm. The nearer the finger comes to the vertical rod, the higher the note produced. The further the hand from the ringshaped antonmc, the louder the sound. By_those means are obtained every possibility of musical expression. The tone follows, in the minutest particular, the vibration of’ the lingers, the rhythm of the blood. “If one were to increase the strength of the effrrent, even to two '■iknyatts only, a truly disturbing effect would be produced by the transformed current. -The echo, whose amazed ear-witness I was, is formed merely by the reversal of the current, , “I firmly believedffiat in later times, when the present-, invention is perfected and elaborated, wo shall refer to the performance merely as music, pure and simple. Then it will bo recalled that it was:' first presented to the world on August 4, 1927, at tJjo exposition in Frankfort called Music in the Life of the People.” . •