NEW HIS MAJESTY’S

Evening Star, Issue 22106, 13 August 1935, Page 8

NEW HIS MAJESTY’S

SIR BENJAMIN FULLER DELIGHTED AN ASSOCIATION OF VIVID MEMORIES Visiting Dunedin for the special purpose of attending the reopening of the new His Majesty’s to-morrow evening, Sir Benjamin Fuller spoke to-day of the many pleasant and vivid memories such an event brought back to Him of his long and eventful theatrical association with Dunedin.

Sir Benjamin naturally made a close inspection of the rejuvenated His Majesty’s and is delighted with the transformation effected there. The plans for this reconstruction were prepared about seven years ago, but for various rea-

sons the work had to be put off. Sir Benjamin is quite confident that liis faith in the theatregoing public of Dunedin will be justified and that the new theatre will stimulate all the branches of entertainment. Dunedin is a centre with vivid memories for the Fuller firm, and Sir Benjamin was greatly intrigued with the very full list_ of successes (presented over a period of 30 years in the old His Majesty’s) that was published in the ‘ Star ’ on Saturday. Many of these artists and companies received greater support here than in any city of the Dominion. Sir Benjamin mentioned here, in illustration of the interest that Dunedin almost invariably displays in all the branches of entertainment, that Menhuin’s appearance in this city marked the largest gross takings of any single concert in his New Zealand tour. He also spoke of previous successes presented here that drew more practical support than anywhere else in the Dominion—the last German opera company, the first ‘ Mother Goose ’ pantomime company, and the second tour of the Gonsalez opera company. These, and many other such productions, conclusively proved, he thought, that the people of Dunedin have always been “ theatre-minded.”

Sir_ Benjamin considered that the legtitimate stage had recovered, and was still recovering, a great deal of the ground it lost when the talkie invasion swept in. An age-old institution like the stage could not be disposed of overnightj and now, more than ever before, the lamp qf Thespis was being rekindled by the healthy little • theatre and repertory society movements throughout New Zealand and Australia. Sir Benjamin was quite convinced that the death-knell of vaudeville had been sounded. Several years ago, he “said, there were 1,000 houses in America running vaudeville programmes twice a day all the year round. Now they were gone. In England one could count the music-halls that had previously enjoyed great popularity, on the "fingers of one hand. Vaudeville might be revived but it would be only a spasmodic reappearance. Even if it were desired, the question of supply of artists would now prove a great difficulty, for most of the people concerned in this branch of entertainment were engaged in pictures and radio. Sir Benjamin added that, in the meantime, he and his firm were concentrating on pictures. The presentation of a film of the quality and interest of ‘ David Copperfield,’ which was coming shortly.to the St. J ameSj would serve as an indication of their policies in this respect. At the same time, Sir Benjamin was keeping a weather eye on the legitimate stage in all its varieties to fulfil the definite needs of the theatregoing public. At the present time ‘he was negotiating for a tour of the Dominion by the world-famous soprano, Florence Austral.