FORTY YEARS AGO.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVIII, Issue 18599, 29 December 1920, Page 6

FORTY YEARS AGO.

EXPERIENCES OF VETERAN ACTOR. CHAT WITH MR J. F. GRAHAM. One of the most interesting personalities who has visited—or rather revisited—Christchurch for some time past is Mr Joseph F. Graham, a veteran actor now appearing with The Man from Toronto ” comedy company at the Theatre Roy*s- - Graham is a charming actor ii his portrayal of an old family .lawyer in “ The Man from Toronto,” and in private life he is equally pleasing. His knowledge of Christchurch goes back over forty years, when he appeared here as a member of the company which “ opened ” the old Theatre Royalopposite the present structure. ■ This was in 1876, and the company was under the management of Mr Hoskins, the man who helped to make Sir Henry Irving’s career. The play produce! was Sheridan’s “School for Scandal”

“I remember it well,” said Mr Graham. “We opened with the National Anthem. Everyone was in evening dress —very imposing. The prompter appeared to be the only person without white gloves. Like most theatrical people, however, he was never at a loss and slipped upstairs where lie dipped his hands in the .priming potA lew seconds later he re-appeared with ns well-fitting a pair of white gloves as could possibly be imagined. This was ip the old 'Theatre Royal. I remember the original Theatre Royal also. It was built on the same site as the old theatre.”

In those days, Mr Graham added, an actor *' was ” an actor. The bill was changed every night, and if there were a matinee there were sometimes more than six different shows in a week. Sometimes of course a play ran for a season, ns was tho oase erf Boucicault’s “ Tiie Shaughraun,” produced in the old Theatre Royal. Reverting for a few minutes to his own career, Mr Graham said that lie left the stage in 1898 and for some thirteen years mannered the Prince of Wales Theatre in Birmingham. He had no intention of ©ver “ going hade into harness ” again, but Mr Robert Courtneidge offered his daughter a part in “ The Man From Toronto ” and asked him to join up with the company also. As he wfts very anxious to see Australia and New Zealand again he took to the boards once more and came with the company on its Antipodj ean tour, Mr Graham was the first ? reducer and stage manager for Sir rank Benson, the noted English actor, and also played second to him ir his leading roles at Home. William Hoskins. who opened the old Theatre Royal in Christchurch was _ the late Sir. Henry Irving’s original, tutor Mr Graham said. Irving was in those days a bank clerk, and used to go to Hoskins’s hotel at 8 in the morning fefore going to the bank and Hoskins from liis fed used to give him an hour’s elocutionary lesson. Irving had informed the speaker that he owed everything Hoskins—not only his training for the stage, hut because it was he who persuaded his mother to let him become an actor. Mr Graham was one of the stewards at Sir Henry’s funeral in Westminster Abbey. Mr Hoskins also opened the old Theatre Royal on Lambton Quay, Wellington, now a police station, and the Princess Theatre Dunedin. On one occasion Mr Graham was here With a company—the Lingards—who played in the old Oddfellows’ Hall, Lichfield Street. ’An actor’s life in those days was no sinecure. Often they had only a few hours’ sleep, snatched after the morning rehearsal, as after the show at night they had to read up their parts, for rehearsal at 9 a-m. of the next night’s show. Their remuneration was fair—if they got it. On Ms return- to England Mr Graham appeared with the “ Drary Lane Company,” in 1879. As an instance of the many parts an actor was called upon to play with a company in those days Mr Graham mentioned an average weeks ■work On Monday he was Young Marlow in “She Stoops to Conquer” ;ren Tuesday Jack Absolute m the “The' Rivals”; Wednesday, Fanshaw _in “Weak Women”; Thursday, Leviscn in “East Lynne”: Friday, Lisle Leveret in “ Our Soldiers” and on Saturday a heavy part m the Corsican Brothers.” Mr Grahamalso.played for five yeare with the late Mr Kendall and Mrs Kendall in America, and-Eng-land. Mm Kendall he considers to be England’s greatest actress. Reverting to early theatre days in. Christchurch, Mr Graham s«d that there was an old music fell at the back of Warner’s Hotel. Tbetheatres in New Zealand all had tin roofs and when a hailstorm “happened, along - the play had to be suspended, as tbs actore could not be heard. In those days actors had to find their own wardrobes. Prices for admmion were, if h© remembered rightly, 5s far the circle. 4s for the stalls, and Is few the ft pit.” On one occasion he “doubted eight parts in a performance of “ Flowers of the Forest - at the old Theatre Royal. . Naturally Mr Gimfem Sees a vast change in Christchurch. When he was last her© only the foundations of the Cathedral had been laid. The Post Office was then in Market SquMW, near whore the Victoria Street bridge now stands. “ There was only decent bridge in these days,” said Mr Graham, “ now every Mayor seems to havo built one to get his name on the corner stone.” Everybody rode horses m those days, and every shopkeeper had four hitching posts outside hi 9 shop. The only tradesmen’s shops ho remembers are‘Messrs Petersen’s and Beath’s. Beath’s had their own currency in those days—tokens worth a, penny each. As pennies were very scarce these tokens were almost legal tender, and one could trade them anywhere in Christchurch. Mr Graham left New Zealand for 1 Home under somewhat unusual circumstances. Ho received a cablegram callino- him to England, but like most actors had not the wherewithal to secure a passage. He was in Napier at the time and knew there was "nothing doing ’’'there, as the people had lust had a two rears’ drought. Accordingly h* came 'down to Christchurch, where he was well and favourably known, and engaged tho Theatre Royal for a benefit concert for himself. With" one assistant, a lady, ho gave a number of scones from various plays and netted a sum of £l9O. • 6 Many and varied were the anecdotes nnd incidents related by Mr Graham to show that an actor’s life, if a hard one at times, is nevertheless full or variety and never lacking in incident. Mr Graham had hoped to_ return Home via America to re-visit many familiar -scenes. Unfortunately, however, he is not in good health at present, and as Mr George Tully—“ Tlio Man From Toronto”—is due back in England in April, the company will travel Homo direct at the conclusion of its New Zealand tour, in Auckland