THE THEATRE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18143, 8 July 1919, Page 6

THE THEATRE.

DRAMA, MUSIC AND THE SCREEN.

(By- PROMPTER.)

Home music journals announce the death of Camille Erlanger,-the, distinguished French composer, whose remains were interred at Pere-Lachaise. France has recently lost three notable musicians, first Claude Debussy, next (Xavier Leroux, and now Erlanger.

Mr John Galsworthy had reached tlie age of thirty-eight when.he published his. first widely read novel, “ The Man. of Property,” in HKXi. In an earlier year-lie had made a voyage to Australia. His plays -as well as his other writings show deep sincerity, and a refusal to. gain success by cheap effects or easy witticisms.,-

Walter George’s Sunshine Players, at present appearing at Fuller’s Dunedin theatre, will pay a return visit to Christchurch shortly and make a very welcome reappearance at the Opera House. The company has several new revues for presentation here.

Miss Hilda, Spong, who made 1 Already appearances in Australia, and returned from America to play the' namepart in “ Every woman, ” has “suddenly revealed herself, as a ‘character’ actress of ability, ” says the “New York Herald. ” Miss Spong, who is playing in Sir James Barrie’s “ Dear Brutus,.” explains that she has no objection to wearing ragged attire or looking old, and that she lias always wanted to play character parts: “Do your best in the,.part you have —that’s my idea,” .she adds. “It makes you a favourite with the audience, and it. is the audienco that' counts.”

Mark Hambourg had a, curious experience recently. According to tho Brighton correspondent of. the London "Daily Telegraph,” ho was giving a concert in tho Brighton West Pier Mall, and while playing the-heavy part of Chopin’s “Ballade in Erin a j or,” itwas noticed that something was going rvrong with the instrument. Shortly afterwards the whole pedal mechanism dropped away from tho body of the piano. For a period it looked as though, the performance had come to an abrupt, conclusion. Fortunately, there was present in the audience a gentleman who evidently understood pianoforte construction. He volunteered his services, and, with the assistance of Mark Hambourg himself, managed to remedy tho defect. The concert., was suspended lor ten minutes. The audience took the incidents with much good humour, and heartily applauded the vigorous effort of both the artist and the welcome stranger to restore the situation. , i

A new British tenor has been unearthed, . m whom great hopes are placed, states the London “Daily Mail. He was to be heard on- May 5 in the performance of “ La. Boheme” at tho reopening of Covent Garden Theatre. l.he name of the new tenor is lorn Burke. He was born in Lancashire, Irish Ijy extraction and Italian by training. Not many years ago he was working in a north country” coal mine. His remarkable voice won him new friends, and eventually he made a sdhtary appearance at a London ballad concert, which, however, was little noticed owing to a still incomplete musical training. Then he went to Italy, where lio spent four years and a half, first training, then singing in opera up and down tile land from Milan to Naples. He returned to London with all the Italian vocal traditions and a knowledge of the chief roles of the repertory. One who has heard Mr Burke sing says:—“lt is a warm and rich young voice, a lyric tenor of. the real sort. His art is solidly based on highly developed breath-control, the only foundation, of course, of bcl canto. Hearing him sing in (everyday clothes passages like ' E hieevan le stelle’ and ‘ La donna o mobile,’ one gathered that lie had wonderfully assimilated the typical ease and fervour of the best Italian operatic manner.” Italian music is Mr Burke’s one interest. His favourite part is the rminter-liero of Puccini’s “Tosca.” He was to. sing Covent Garden in “ La Bolieme, “ Travinta,” “ Rigoletto” and other noted works.

Caruso recently . celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his entry into operatic life, the function taking place in l\ow York. The correspondent of a London newspaper wrote of the gathering as follows:—“ Everybody who is' any bony made a point of attending. -Before the civic ceremony there had been a programme of operatic snippets, which enabled an audience representing receipts to the tune ot* £SOOO to hear the great tenor in scenes from. ‘ L’Elisir d’Amore,’ ‘I Pagliacci ’ and ‘Le.Tropheto.’ Caruso was, according to the critics, in glorious voice, and one of them remarked that ‘he looked as if ho were twenty-five years old ,and sung like twenty-five instead of celebrating his silver jubilee.’ After the music came speeches and compliments in eulogy of the famous singer, Mr Otto Kahn, as chairman of the-Metropolitan Opera Company, leading the way, and declaring that posterity would envy the opera-goers of to-day for having heard the most perfect voice of its generation. ‘ Bearing a name,’ lie said, turning to Caruso, ‘which has become a household word throughout the world, you have retained the plain human qualities of a man and a gentleman, which have won you the affection of those whose privilege it is to know you personally.’ In his reply Caruso obviously spoke under the stress of great emotion. Uttering a few simple words in English, he concluded by saying that never would he forget that occasion or cease ‘ to cherish in his heart of hearts his affection for his dear American friends.’ The stage was strewn with handsome gifts presented to the popular artist in token of his jubilee, and the whole of the Metropolitan Opera forces, were assembled on the boards to do him honour. As a final touch, Geraldine Farrar embraced him, and then called for 1 Three cheers for Caruso.’ She did not call in vain.” It is recalled that tho late Sir Charles Wyndham’s very first appearances were nt the so-called Cabinet Theatre King’s Cross, where English stage aspirants of tho mid-nineteenth century were allowed to appear in large parts or small according to what they could pay. It naturally cost a good deal more to be cast as Hamlet or Brutus than as. the First Soldier or a minor ltoman citizen.

Borne years earlier Dickens described this kind of playhouse, in which he had probably appeared; and the practice, states' the “ Argus,” survived quite recently in certain Melbourne and suburb ban productions.

TVliat Dame -Melba ha 9 done in Mel-; bourne, at the Albert Street Musical,'; Academy, where she has established aschool for promising singers, who come irom all over the world for training; given under her general supervision, sc Ruth St Denis, the famous dancer, proposes to do for aspiring dancers,” sayi a Canadian journal. “Miss St Denis; is wedded to the thought that only the; highest of ideals are worthy of the great profession in which she is such; a shining light. Her earnest devotion to the higher purposes of the theatre is inspiring, and should be an example, to the whole profession. ‘ Wherever 1 go,’ she remarked in a recent interview, ‘ I am constantly approached by, young people who want to be dancers, singers or actors. The majority of them, haven’t a cent to their names, anti through necessity they are forced to stifle their craving to express themselves in art. They follow the line of least resistance and strive to forget’ their hopes. "What I want to do is to help these children and let them express themselves as they desire.’ It 1 is to obtain money for this project that the famous dancer continues on the; vaudeville stage-”

Some of the most ambitious efforts of the kinematograpli have come froni JLtaly; their number is added to by the new film “ Fabiola,” which was exhibited recently at Home. Tho Pain- 1 tino-Gines Company, of Rome, has established a unique reputation in reviving for posterity the glories and. the sorrows of early Rome, for a whole series of films have dealt with the sufferings of the Christian martyrs; “ Fabiola,” of course, is based on Cardinal Wiseman’s story, which Father Vaughan describes as a blend of realisms and idealism which will appeal to m large section of the community. The original story is treated with the utmost reverence, and is adhered ta with considerable fidelity—not always tho case where one lias films adapted from other Sources. The result is an amazing succession of stage pictures of Roman life at the opening of the fourth century, when Christianity was steadily making its way, despite the oppression of a military autocracy- l