STAGELAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 79, 2 March 1929, Page 7

STAGELAND.

(By “Jack Point.”)

The Vanbrugh-Bouicault Company will linisli at Wellington on Wednesday in “Mr Pim Passes by.”Bland Holt, ithe vereran actor, was recently seriously ill at his Melbourne home. Allan Wilkie and his Shakespearean Company are playing at Auckland. Iliey open this evening in “The Merry Wives of Windsor.’’ Margaret Bannerman is appearing in Melbourne in a new comedy —“The Marionettes.” Leon Gordon is appearing in Melbourne in “The Plying Squad.” This is supposed to be the play concerning which Edgar Wallace, the novelist, sued a London, critic for saying he wrote “muck.’ “Lido Lady,” a musical comedy with an English atmosphere, opened a<t St. James's Theatre, Sydney, last Saturday;. Elsie Prince, ivette A.nning, an importation from London, Jimmie Godden and Charlton Morton are in the cast.

“The Vagabond King” Company went to Christchurch last evening. They open in the Southern City tonight. Eastings, Napier, Palmerston JNoitlx were the only “smalls” visited After the Wellington season the company will .sail to Melbourne. Either “The New Moon,” with music by Bomberg, composer of “The Student Prince,” or “The Showboat” will be produced when “The Vagabond King” nam ended. . Nellie Bramley is still crowding the Royal at Brisbane. vVlien the last mail left “Within the Law” w.as being presented, with Miss Bramley as Mary, t urner, the innocent salesgirl sentenced to three years for a tneit someone else committed. . •George Gee is still in “Virginia, the successful musical comedy at tiio London Palace; Dorothy Lena, Mane Burke and Howett Vorster are in “The Showboat” at Drury Lane; Byrl Walkley is on tour in “The Showboat.’ Other actresses known to us and on tour in England are Josie Melville and Thelma Burness. , . Erica Morini, the Viennese violinist, who is young, beautiful and alreauy famous, will play to Sydney for a brief season in the Town Hail. Her first concert is arranged for Easter Saturday.. She is aged twenty-three, and has been “out” already tor 13 years. The hirm has acquired the Australian rights to “Billie,” George M. Cohan s'play now being presented at the Erlauger theatre in New iork. The American musical comedy Will probably open in Syuney, and with a cast of principals from hew iork. Mr (Johan has aiso arraugecl to have “iUilie” presented in London this season. Herbert Mundin, the English comedian, has renewed his contract with J. (J. Williamson, Ltd., and will continue to play the leading comedy part in "Desert ttong,” so Sydney will see him after all. Ae and Lance Fairfax (as Red Shadow) are the “big noises” ot the piece.. “Desert Song ' lias already nad so many changes of cast that some wit has called it "Deserted Song.” ' The leading lady, Virginia Perry, has gone bacK to England (or is about to go) and Marie Bremner, who was understudy to Harriet Bennett in “Rose Marie,” is getting her lire. chance in the role. , ■ Pavlova will arrive in Australia by way of the Orient, and she is to open the new Brisbane Theatre on March 30 with a fanfare. It is Queensland's good fortune that her boat will arrive about a. fortnight previous to that and so she will pay a fleeting visit with her full company to several of the northern Queensland towns, commencwith Townsville oil March 20. She will be in Sydney at'the Royal (as arrangements now stand) on April 13. Arriving iq Sydney on March 6 is yet another Russian pianist—Jascha Spivakowsky, who was through Australia seven years ago when in his early ’twenties. He has put in a lot of earnest work in Europe, and is returning with a leaning lor Bach arid Brahms. The arrangement just concluded by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., to present “This Year of Grace” in Australia will not only give the revue the distinction of being the only piece of its kind ever presented in London, New York and Australia, but will also bring Noel Coward's earnings from the revue up to about £30.1)00. “This Year of Grace” was hailed as brilliant, original and revolutionary by all the New York critics except George Jean Nathan. That redoubtable rebel painstakingly went through the thing and showed that all its devices had been used before, not once but many times.

Alexander Brailowsky, a Russian pianist, will make his first appearance in Australia at the Sydney town Hall on Saturday, May 10. The London Westminster Gazette states: “He is beyond question one of the greatest living pianists.” Among his teachers he reckons Lescheizky, Busoni, Plante and Moszlcoroski. Chopin and the composers of his own country are Brailowsky’s favourites. After the termination of its Melbourne season, the Little Art Theatre Company will be known as the Art Theatre Players, and become a professional organisation. It will mark its debut as a professional body with the presentation of Galsworthy’s “Windows,” at the Theatre Royal, Hobart, on March 9. The i company has just done “The Rat Trap” and “The Vortex,” by Noel Coward, and “Pygmalion” and “The Doctor’s Dilemma,” by Bernard Shaw. During its existence, the company has performed 10 plays by Shaw, one by by Sudermann, two by Noel Coward, and one each by Strindberg, Eugene O’Neill, Githa Sowerby, Stanley Houghton, Tom Robertson, Lennox Robinson, and the Australians —Louis E-sson, Furnley Maurice, and McCowan Russell. Two others were from the Grand Guignol series. The following are lines from a London Comedy—‘The Play's the Thing.” ‘What’s your unlucky day?” “My unlucky day’s Tuesday. You were born on a Tuesday.” “I’ve got an ideal!” “Beginner’s luck.” “If that’s all there is. to writing a play any fool could do it I” “Well, look at the fools who do!” “I think a glass of sherry is suggested.” “No, two:” “I talk in my sleep. I’ve heard that I say some of my brightest things then.” “Never surprise a woman. Always give them plenty of time.” “I meant well.” , “Never mean well! It’s fatal.” “Do you know what’s happening to you? You’re beginning to think, and that spells ruin.”