STAGE FOLK

Evening Star, Issue 23029, 6 August 1938, Page 6

STAGE FOLK

RUTH DRAPER NEXT WEEK. Definitely in that category of great artists, presented to New Zealaudeio by the firm of J. C. Williamson, which includes such illustrious names as Ivtticl IrVing, Paderewski, Pavlova, Heifetz, Chaliapin, Sybil Thorndike, and Galh Curci, Ruth Draper comes to us with honours thick upon her from the great cities of the world and in the heyday of life. Ruth Draper stands alone as the greatest single-handed entertainer in the world to-day. But let us publish an extract from the * Manchester Guardian,’ one of the soundest and most reliable authorities in the British Umpire. Its dramatic critic writes: “ There must be many people accustomed to elaborate and costly films and a stage that seeks more and more feverishly to follow the conventions of the cinema, its speed and spectacle, who still refuse to believe that one woman with the minimum of make-up and no change of costume, whose only f properties ’ are a shawl or two, a chair, a table, a feather boa, a parasol, and a Baedeker, can hold an audience in thrall for two hours and a-half. Yet Ruth Draper can do this. Coming away from her performance we are halfcontent, half-bewildered by the richness of the experience that has been ours. We have not this night looked upon one picture, but have wandered at freedom down a long gallery of portraits. Despite the variety of the unique characterisation, despite the complex •beauty of her voice in all its shades of tone and articulation, despite the vast differences of meaning, her movements, and her flexible, flower-like hands can convey, there is something constant in all she does, some unifying quality of genius. The Dunedin season will be confined to two evening performances at His Majesty’s Theatre on Thursday and Friday, August 11 and 12, when different programmes will be presented. TIBBETTS MOST AMUSING ENCORE. At every concert Lawrence Tibbett, famous American baritone, who will be heard here at the Town Hall on Thursday and Saturday, August 25 and 27, is called upon to sing endless encores. During a recent recital in a midwestern city extra songs were demanded in such numbers that his long list of them was near depletion. Finally the last number on the programme had been sung; he had just come off the stage and his audience in the vast auditorium_ kept clamoring for him to return and sing just once again. Earlier in the evening Tibbett had given ‘ The Roustabout,’ a song which he has made famous. He makes of it a fine characterisation of a vagabond on a Mississippi riverboat who does not want to work and wails bitterly when forced to action. Its refrain constantly goes “ Never no sleep, never no rest.” At that particular moment when the audience was clamoring for more and the stock of encores brought along had already been sung, Tibbett in despair asked the manager, “ What shall 1 do?” “ Sing them the ‘ Roustabout ’ song again, it was such a hit,” came the life-saving reply. Recalling the strong appreciation given the earlier rendition, he decided to repeat it as the best way out. Reaching the footlight, he began to sing “Never no sleep, never l|o rest.” The peculiarly timely words immediately struck his hearers’ sense of humour and genial laughter swept the house. The next moment Tibbett caught on to what had unconsciously happened and he chuckled heartily with his sympathetic audience. • BURLESKE ’ BY STRAUSS. Following its admirable custom of performing at least one or two purely instrumental works during the season, the Dunedin Choral Society will introduce to music lovers an interesting novelty at its big modem concert next Saturday night. This is to he the ‘ Burleske ’ for piano and orchestra by the great Richard Strauss. The work, which is being done for the first time here, is a melodious and rhythmic composition that should prove heartily popular. Miss Mavis MacDonald will be the solo pianist for the presentation. BETTY BALFOUR TO TOUR. Miss Betty Balfour, the British stage and screen star, has been engaged for an Australian tour, and has already arrived in Sydney for her stage performances in ‘ Personal Appearance,’ an Australian and. New Zealand Theatres Ltd. production. Miss Balfour had been engaged by Messre J. C. Williamson and the new company that has taken over the firm’s interest has taken over her contract. Miss Balfour is known as the Mary Pickford of England, for she has had early experience of the film industry in Britain. She is a popular little lady, blond© and charming, and undeniably talented. ‘ Personal Appearance ’ ran for more than a year when produced in New York in 1934 by Brock Pemberton, with Gladys George in the role to be taken by Miss Balfour in the Sydney production. Miss George has since startled Hollywood with her remarkable talents as a film actress. KIRSTEN FLAGSTAD’S APPRECIATION. In the course of a newspaper interview, Kirsten Flagstad, the world’s greatest dramatic soprano and Wagnerian exponent, who has created a sensation in Sydney, where she has commenced her concert tour of Australia and New Zealand, said that she is never nervous on the stage, though she “ thrills with the excitement of opera.” Yet she confessed that to go to social parties and gatherings made her very nervous. She expressed herself as delighted with Sydney audiences. “ Richard Crooks told me how demonstrative they are,” she said. “ They are lively and quick to show their appreciation. They do not sit on their Lands.” Australian and New Zealand audiences will hear this artist, ranked as the world’s greatest dramatic and Wagnerian soprano, before Paris. On her return from the three months’ concert tour of Australia and New Zealand she will sing in Paris for the first time. OPERA ARIA CONTEST. For its annual grand opera aria contest for Australian-born and New Zealand _singers_ the Melbourne ‘Sun’ is offering again this year prizes to a total of 230gs—130gs for the winner, 30gs for the aspirant obtaining second place, 20gs for third, and 10gs each for five other finalists in the adjudication at the Melbourne Town Hall on October 13. Competitors must be of ages between 17 and 30 years, and they have to sing their arias in English, but these may be from any grand opera. In the preliminary contest, which takes place at the famous National Eisteddfod in Ballarat from October 4 to 7, only one aria will be required. Competitors must sing two arias from different operas, but including, if they wish, the one already sung at Ballarat, if selected to_ take part in the final. All particulars are obtainable from Mr L. A. Blackman, general secretary of the Ballarat National Eisteddfod, Box 33, Post Office, Ballarat, with whom entries close on August 10.