THE THEATRE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 4 April 1925, Page 12

THE THEATRE

PEOPLE. PI.AYS AND PICTURES. Air. W ill Percy, the ex-Todardiun, is sin! appearing as principal voiiieun.n in ’lyalinra in England. Anangaments are being iiiaile in London ■ for a tour of llie Dominion; i leginning in No; ein her,,' of a i:uno..s Eiigiisn rpiurnuo. Miss Ngaire fhipson, the •'Wellington girl who got her iirsi big chance with t’ne Hampnrey Bishop Company, is new in London, studying further for a stage career. So great was the success of “.Monsieur Beaacaire” at . Jie Be Luxe. Theatre, Wellington, that after a t eii night inn there it had to be transfered to the King’s Theatre to allow the crowds an: opportunity of seeing it. Rudolph Valentino is. seen at his best in “Beaiienire.” The Hawera selison opens on Easter Monday for a three night session. Sir Rider Haggard’s “She’’ is to be fiiimeJ by an English company. Air. Thurston Hall, the American ac-tor, will go to Brisbane alter the Melbourne season with “'So 'lbis is London,” a clever comedy. The company comes to New Zealand later. Marie Obrelli’.s famous novel, “The Sororww of Satan,” is being made into .a P'aramoin.iP. picture by D. \\ r . Griffith. .. ; • . , Miss No-la. is to be leading lady in R.uilaiH Hayward's latest production for Maori War Films, Ltd.' '“East- of Suez,” in which Muriel Stare was seen in New Zealand recently-, is to be screened, with Pol a. Negri and Edmund Lowe in. the principal ro-les. Arrangements are being made in London b.vr Mr. E. J. Gravestocir, me aeu-Known impresario, for visits to the dominion of a number of - attractions. which will be awaited with interest, name C.ara Butt and Mr. Kenneney Hunuoru, are to make a tour 01'Australia and New Zealand, although the date of tlie commencement of tire tour is not yet fixed, as Dame Clara is at present'in a priv ate hospital undergoing a sngiit operation, which wilt pieveiu ner from appearing on Hie.concert phulorin tor at least two months, miss Stella Murray, the New Zealand Contralto, a native of Christenurcii, will returr re New Zealand some time in August ..ext, and will give some concerts. Air.. Gravestock comments that j she is quite a popular artist in England, and that she had done very well.' He is also bringing out Sir James Alarcliant, • fc.B.EL, L.L.U., E.G.bv, r.R.A.S., E.B.S.Ed., ‘undoubtedly tlie greatest authority on racial questions, to Australia and New Zealand,. Tlie tour will connim'ence in Australia some time in July or August next. “Peter Pan” will be released in New Zealand soriie.time tms year. Accoidliig,, to the critics ttie film version, wiiich has been pioduced by Paramount, does credit to the various stage versions of Sir Janies Barrie’s great work. “Peter Pan” is one of the year’s lug attractions. “Thrill upon thrill is provided in “Jealousy.’’ a rattling sea yarn, starring Matheson Lang, London’s matinee idol« Victor Seastrom, the talented Swedish actor and director, and Jennie Hassleqvist, the blonde film star. Not only are there storms at sea, adventures with smuggled cargo, a mutiny aboard, and a fire at sea, but even more exciting are tlie emotional struggles and conflicts of two men and one woman cast by fate on tlie same ship. “Three Women” shows how good a picture can be when made unde's tne supervision of a faultless director like Ernst Lubitsch. May McAvoy, Alarie Prevost . and Pauline Frederick share the tri-stellar honours, supported by Lew Cody. .Alary 'Carr, AVillnrd Louis, and Pierre Gendron. The “f-don’t-eare-what-people-think-of-me’.’ mood in which all of us find ourselves at times is challenged in “Being Respectable,” and show's conclusively that, whether we will or not, we are ■>il t " tc bound by the bonds of convention—and that these bonds of convention are constantly saving us many a lieart-ache. Alonte Blue and Marie Prevost, those favourite screen artists, who, have been apnearing together in lendmg roles so freoyiently of late, are or irnii'ent in the cast. Louise Fazenda, Bene Rich. and Theodore A’on F.ltz are other players of importance. , Seventeen men and a lone woman in a snow-swept trading post in the Hudson 1 Bav .country, is the basis of tlie story of “Jan of the Big Snows,” James Oliver Curw.ood’s latest Master picture. According to latest reports from movieland. Fred Thomson, the daredevil Western star, is' paying pretty dearly for his absolute refusal to use a double. to substitute for him in performing hair-raising stunts. Several broken bones have been Fred’s portion of late, but lip now appears to be well -,n tlie wav to a complete recovery. Every picture-goer who appreciates orood' open-air drama tinctured with romance. will wish him well. Thomson's '•yfort Afnsier picture is “The Mask of Lopez.” One of the musical celebrities to visit tins country should be Madame rasa fttraJia, who has recently sailed trom nonaou to commence her Australian i and New Zealand tour. This brilliant dramatic soprano is supported oy a strong : concert party, the combination being completed by Mies Bessie oriffitns, Mr Arthur Jordan, and Mr Bindley Evans. Noel Allen, a young New' Zealander' who has been seen in leading roles in several musical comedies in Australia, nas now taken over the role of Alberto in “\\ iidtiower.” This part was originally played by Dancer Fred Mackay, and more recently by George A’ollaire. Alien need to be a sheep-farmer in Hawke’s Bay, and' Went to Sydney with the Maud Fane Company. He has played juvenile lead in “Sally,” “The From Nowhere,” and other productions. New Zealanders saw him in “The Beggars’ Opera.” “Helen’s Babies,” a Baby Peggy picture, follows tlie story more closely man the average film adaptation from a popular book. Baby Peggy is said to be positively at her* best in the production, her acting being natural and entertaining. There is soon to be put into production a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”' This book, which was a best-seller When grandma was a girl, is “Aly Wife and I.” The oldsters of to-day will her it was read by about everybody who could read, along with “Me and My Neighbour,” by the same author.

The iiipifc performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in Japan took place at Tokio in December in line with the Beethoven centenary celebration in other parts of the world. Dr. Tainura, professor ait the imperial Music Academy, made the arrangements; Professor Gustav Kron directed. Bach’si double concerto was played at the oanie concert. Mr. a Bun Wilkie will temporal ily j forsake ’ Shakespeare in Mei-tamme at Easter, :i,s he wi ll pi od uce rt,lie. oh U B>'ii;s|i colneuies, “ft he Schorl ln> • Wanda!,’ : :.‘*Tlie Rivals” and ‘ .she .itoqps to -Conquer.’ In a speech’at Melbourne Mr. Wilkie sn.iil that in another two jeans. hf» hoped to have produced the .L id Slink e.spea re’s plays', and* on at ‘‘Measure lor Measure” was .now being leheairsecl, Glenn Hunter liar- been ■ ngage.i as the star of the production “Once a Peddler, ’ by Hugh AfcNair Hehlar. ■ Gloria. Swanson, the Paramount'star - , wiSlj married to the Alarquis de Falaise in Paris recently. Lloyd Huglies has' the leading role in “The Desert- Flower,”, a new First National feature. Pauline Frederick, screen’ -and stage actress, arrived in Sydney on the Ventura from America. Her first trip to New York in four vears is ’ mid to have brought \ iola Dana .more than a featured ro'e in “The Necessary Evil.” a First Nat ino a! production. • .. ' Mr. William Stack, an English Shakespearean- aefcor of distinction, -is a. member of Air. Maurice Alcccoyifceh’s Company. which will open at Wellington -at. Faster. The Sistine Clho<i ’• will ■ open their Australian tour a.t..Perth next month. D°me Oara Tlntt will sail from F.niHand for an Australian tour on July 31. Sir Harry Lauder is bonked to open his tour f ef New Zealand at Invercargill in May. Toni Mix, moving-picture cowboy otar, recently renewed, -his contract with William Fox. producer, who introduced this popular actor to the public and ma le him a. picture favourite of world-wide renown. The transaction included the purchase of novels by well-known authors, depicting life in Western America. The contract for Mix’,si exclusive,, services by the Fox company extends to the summer of 1928. The deal includes Mix’s horse Tony, also • a familiar figure throughout the mavi ng-nictu re world. An outstanding feature of “The Bridge of Sighs, ’ now nearing completion, is . tlie big Ice Palace scene, in which several -hundred extras in iceskating costume take part with exhibitions by several fancy ice figure artists from the vaudeville stage. “The Titans,” a novel by Charles Guernon, has been purchased for the use of House Peters, following his present production, “Head Winds,” by A. M. Sinclair Wilt, which will be released under its original title. It ha,s been x-eferre,l to in the stud in as “Overboard.-” Blanche Sweet first got into the Griffith studio ill reply to a. request for a dancer. She was a young professional dancer, ami had no thought of being a movie actress. AVith Griffith's strange prescience in detecting genius, he l made her an actress. She Vas one of the finst gi.rls of the screen to show symptoms of real greatness. Miss Bathie Stuart, known, throughout New . Zealand as “the girl who sings Maori songs, ’ has accepted an engagement with Mr. Beaumont Smith,and 'wil-Lpray feminine lead in his newest- production, to be entitled “The Adventures of Algie,” to be made in New Zealand and Australia. Air. Eric Harrison, who ha,s been engaged by Beaumont Smith to play the “heavy” in his production entitled “The Adventures of Algie,” is not a newcomer to the screen, though thiis will be his first excursion into the realms! of “villainy.” Air. Harrison has had experience in English and American studios, having played in the British production of “Westward Ho,” and also, leading man opposite to Constance Talmadge in, tlie screen, version of “Scandal” and several other screen plays. Air. George Walker, representative; of E. J. Carroll, the Australian entrepreneur, lias arrived' to make arrangements' tor the visit of famous artists and combi nations % 1.0 New- Zealand. First on his visit will be the visit of Kaais Hawaiian Troubadours, a combination of twelve of , tlie world's picked artists, from Hawaii, singers, dancers and imstnimenta lists in a beautiful musical ensemble entitled “Honolulu Night'.'.'’ This is a musical combination that .should appeal very nuicih to the people of New • Zealand, They, open a tour at Auckland in Saturday,' April 18, doing the principal towns of the Dominion, and sailing for America, on July 19. Next -omes Mies Edna' Thomas, the world famous singer of Negro Spirituals. Miss’. Thomas is the possessor of a beautiful and cultivated contralto voice, which she Wes with great artist’c effort in the rendition of these ’vault,if'll darky soniew of slavery days. Thcmia.i wlm i= oh the water on ho,” wav to New Zealand, brings with he- .o. compnay of excellent entertainers. Afr. Robertsonhs lovely old country residence, “Riverside,” at Blockhouse Bay, a few miles. from Auckland, wa« rbo-ren 'as location for the, commencement of work'bn scenes in Reaumont ncwe=t production. , entitled “The Adventures of Algie.’’ Some remarkably eccentric “types” were used 'in the “down on the farm” shots, which should pwve upmnrious’v funnv on the screen. Several corned v scenes' have been made on the ctction. at Henderson and also, at Glen F-ien. where tlie “movie actors’’ provided a. =miree of amusement for the whole towpshic. who. turned out ,<?n ■miaisice to see the fun. The * company 'eft for Hie Waikato, where it is exported that some interesting pictures will be made, to include sieeuesi with Mr. Damnier at, the Nginpunw’ihia Rn-o-atta.. Tlie party also gceo, to Rolo'r'ua. where much, of the arti-m in the rt.orv takes .olore. T.ater New Plymouth, Wertinirton, Ohi-istrlmrch and D'liiiedin will he visited and scenes filmed.