THE THEATRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17335, 25 November 1916, Page 12

THE THEATRE.

(By CRITICUS.) In an interview given during hi* recent stay in London, Sir Herbert Tree talked interestingly of conditions in America.:— "There can be no doubt of it," he said, " New York is tremendously interested in the theatre and all concerned with it. Far more than with us, it has become part of the national life, a fact reflected by the unusual prominence given to it in the, newspapers. To argue that tho interest thus displayed' is wholly superficial would be entirely erroneous; it lies deeply embedded in quite a considerable number of people. Magazine articles, and even books, are devoted to the subject, and it would not at all surprise me if eventually- the theatre were to become the chief and most powerful; factor in the United States as a medium of .artistic expression of all descriptions.*'! believe, too, that the cinema will, to a much greater extent than now r , be pressed into its service for the pictorial presentment of, say, battlefields find other moving events. That it is destined to oust the fchcartro from its place is, in my judgment, a mistaken view, for even now I detect signs that tho taste for the spoken drama is once more asserting its supremacy. The cinema'jS true mission is instruction, although doubtless there will always be a public for films of an amusing and rollicking description.

" As in this country, the revue has overrun America, and still displays tremendous vitality. My experience is that the American type outstrips the English alike in novelty of idea and in genuity. Meanwhile, the. serious play has been rather submerged, but', as I have hinted, it is again becoming the vogue, and, personally, I have had nothing to complain of in tint respect. In the United States there is an enormous student public. For example, you have the Drama League, a very important and earnest body, a nd the Washington Square Players, -who are doing exceedingly useful work by the production of new pieces largely of tlie Grand Guignol pattern. The lat-' ter is quite a paying concern, and sufficiently prosperous to bo now building a theatre lor itself. Tho great tragedy of the theatrical world over there was the failure of the Century Theatre, which, in happier circumstances, might easily have been transformed into a National Theatre. As evidence of the publio love of the higher farms of entertainment I instance the Metropoli-. tan Opera House, which has gradually become a self-supporting institution, and i«et> year showed a handsome profit. ,

. For my own part, lam done with cinema work, j The .' Macbeth ; film " was followed by one dealing with a typical American subject, "The Old Folks at Home,' founded upon a wellknown novelette. Nothing could bemore fascinating than life in California. The evenings are cool, the people oharming. and as I had my own bungalow, I was able to do r* little entertaining. Everywhere the English are most warmly welcomed. As io th< future—well, I cannot yet say anything definite. I want to do a new production of 'Richard ll.* and I have still to redeem my promise to produco a Shakespearean Cycle. Also, as.ycu know, I brought home with me a plav entitled 'The Great Lover,'.,of which I have the highest hopes. In it I .aha. 11 play the part of a famous operatic singer; however, if you are good, I promise you shall be spared any display of my vocal powers. Then, again, ' i have ready for the Press a volume of stories, tho longest of which I wrote when I was in California. It .is • called ' Nothing Matters'—rather an inviting title, isn't it and admirably suited to give tho critics a useful lead.'' The Sydney "Daily Telegraph's ". dramatic critio recently wrote: —" The last scene in 'Romance/ in wince Cavallini stands at an open casement and in a voice full of emotion returns her thanks to the populace who have assembled her hotel, is by no means original ae far as this country is concerned. Old playgoers will recall an. event which is still fresh in the minds of most o*f them, and which oc-' curred on the eve of the departure from Sydney—and Australia—of Katherine Hayes, an Irish prima donna who had won fame in the Old Country and America some years before. During her Sydney season her admirers wore ribbons and bouquets—supposedly "her colours "—and on the night prior to her departure the horses were takeu from the carriage which was to convoy her from the theatre to her hotel, and the vehicle was then hauled in triumph N along the streets by her cheering friends. The difference between tho scene in ' Romance' "and tho one under notice was that the farewell address was not delivered by Miss Hayes herself, but "by one of the leading politicians of the day. ' Yet there # are manv who have watched the scene at the Criterion Theatre nightly who have had the temerity to say thai the event was the creation of a ploywright's imagination."

'" There is no Teason to worry about the so-called slow development ol American music," said: Pasquale Araato, tho renowned baritone of the fllei tropolitan Opera Company, m answer to some question on the subject of American music and American art in general, "because, as a matter.of .act, rt lias not been really slow at all. lne fact of the case is," he continued, " that America is still a comparatively « voting country, and therefore all its art is comparatively young art. It v<i I take some timo for it to reach full growth, but it is bound to arrive a« Siat point eventually, as long; as there is a sufficiently great potential desire for it to do so existing in the minds of a number of Americans. Of course, there are certain national characteristics which impede the evolution of art in this country, hut that has been true of European nations a* well. An American neglect of manner is the fact that over hero * manner' ia nearly always declared to be 'mannerism.' That is because by nature Americans are a conservative nation of individuals, who hate to be conspicuous or different, HecaUße they are afraid of being called queer. For this- reason, for example, everyone dresses like everyone else, whether the style in vogue is becoming to every ones personal appearance or not. This continual striving after sameness make? artistic endeavour difficult, for an artist, above everything else, is an individual with ideas peculiar to himself. But musicians are breaking away frcm their wish to bo all alike as individuals, and they will break away fi'om it as a nation in time." :