STAGELAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 74, 22 February 1930, Page 7

STAGELAND.

(By “Jack Point.’’) The Fuller musical comedy company will stage “Tangerine” at the Opera House this evening, and “Lido Lady” on Monday evening. “Tangerine” is not exactly new —the Fuller-Ward combination played it some years ago—and “Lido Lady” has ben done in Australia by the Elsie Princo-Jimniie Godden company. The celebrated Phyllis Dare played lead in “Lido Lady”—at the London Gaiety—two or three years ago. It is the type of musical comedy that would appeal to West End audiences. Alexander Watson, the English elocutionist, will open at Christchurch to-night. Another Christchurch attraction is the Jim Gerald musical revue company. “The honeymoon Girl” is the offering. “The Last Enemy,” by Frank Harvey, the actor who has been playing the Duke in “Jew Suss,” is somewhat on the pattern of “Outward Bound,” says a London critic. Mr Harvey has an admirable central idea for his play, but something in the production, and in the rambling consequence of the scones prevents it from ever developing in a persuasive or moving degree. Mr Harvey has very nearly written a fine play; had it come out just as he intended it it might have been somethink remarkable. Leyland Hodgson has signed a contract for two years in Hollywood at one hundred pounds a week. May Beatty has another contract; so has Nat Madison. So have Beppie de Vries, Reg. Dandy, Reg. Sharlnnd, Mascot Ralston and Sam Wren. All our old favourites will be coming back to us on the screen quito-soon. Josie Melville is still not well enough to appear in the musical comedy “Follow Through,” which replaced “Turned Up” in Melbourne. “Turned Up” was a failure. The “Follow Through” cast includes t»us Bluett, Cecil Kolleway, Madge Aubrey, Molly Fisher, Edwin Brett, Nora McManus (understudy of Annie Croft in “The Girl Friend”) Mary Lawson (an English importation) and Jack Dunne. “Journey’s End” continues to draw the curious, and the houses are packed nightly, wrote a Sydney theatregoer by the last mail.

The “Whoopee’ company will return to Palmerston North next month for one night. “The Student Prince” will be revived. This delightful musical show was well mounted and had a very effective cast when it was played here in the November of 1928. There were the outstanding James Liddy, Boppie de Vries, Adele Crane, Millie Engler, Vera Spaul, Arthur Stigant and Herbert Browne. Rehearsals have been actively ontered upon in Melbourne for the London Gaiety musical comedy success, “Love Lies,” with which the young Australian .firm of White anu Edgley will commence their entry into theatrical management. The English artits. Rita McLean, Betty Eley, Bobby Gordon, Peter Lane, have arrived in Australia, and other members of the company are Clem Dawe, Dan Agar, Les White,, Dorothy White, Mario Baton, Paul Plunket, Douglas Calderwood and Sheila Shanon. Meanwhile, “Love Lies,” with Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard in the leading roles, has reached almost the end of its first year at the Gaiety Theatre, London. A burlesque company headed by Ernest Lotinga, an English comedian, v. ill open at Auckland to-lnight. Mr Lotinga is a well-known figure on the London stage, and he will present four of his most successful musical farces—“ August, 1914.” “The Police Force,” “Khaki” and “Full House.” Included in the company are the Hardgrovo Brothers, specialty dancers, who provided one of the bright spots in the Melbourne production of “Clowns in Glover,” and Karyl Norman, who is stated to bo one of America’s cleverest female imeprsonators. The prices being charged in Auckland are 3s, 2s and Is. "New Moon’ is down to run until Easter, but to bo on the safe side the chorus and ballets aro rehearsing for a re viva! of “The Belle of New York,” writes a Sydney theatregoer. This has not actually been cast yet, but the spade work will be done in case of emergencies. Marie Bremner should make tho sweeteH “Belle.” She has just tho demure reserve for it. After that revivals will be the order of the night, and the next scheduled is “The Girls of Gottenberg." “Tho Girls of Gottenberg” was originally done years ago. It has pretty music by the late Lionel Monckton and tho late Ivan Caryll, the two most talented musical comedy composers tho English theatre has known. To celebrate the 400th performance of the Williamson production of “Mr Cinders” at tho Adelphi Theatre, London, a dinner dance was organised by the Firm and took place at the Kit-Kat Restaurant. It was attended by leading social, theatrical, and other celebrities of London, and special “turns” wore given by members of tho “Mr Cinders” company. According to the London Daily Mail, tho restaurant where tho celebration took place was “crowded to the roof,” and the event was "one of tho most brilliant and - entertaining social functions of the year.” “Mr Cinders” will bo 6taged in Australia in due course. It will also be produced in New York by the Firm, but not until after it has run its course at the Adelphi Theatre, London. Josie Melville will probably appear in tho leading role in Australia.

Gladys Moncritfff has signed a contraot to rejoin J. C. Williamson, Ltd., as leading lady. She will appear in revivals of old musical plays, in which she sang with distinction, and in new pieces. She will again be heard in “The Maid of the Mountains,” in which she gained her greatest triumph. The season will probalbly begin in Melbourne. Miss Moncrieff’s salary is said to be higher than that previously accepted by her under contracts with J. C. Williamson, Ltd., or Fuller’ Theatres, Ltd. Sho is to receive more than has ever been paid by “The F’irm” to an Australian artist. A new company will bo formed to support the star. None of the principals ol "mo Ne.v Moon,” the musical play now being staged in Sydney, will bo members of tho new combination. In addition to “The Maid of the Mountains,” “Katinka,” and “The Merry Widow” will probably be revived. Muriel Starr intends to return to America to perform for tho talkies, and hopes to dispose of her business affairs to permit of her leaving within the next six or eight weeks. She considers that the talkies have taught audiences to become blase, by the fact that no applause is necessary for shadow actors. Muriel Starr has started on a suburban tour; her company will take the adventuro with her. writes a Sydney journalist. The down fall was duo to goneral theatrical depression and also to the worst play that Sydney playgoers can remember seeing. It was a propaganda piece about the war and called "The Enemy.” Miss Starr, optimistically, thought it would be a good foil for “Journey’s End,” but she was ill-advised. “Tho Enemy” is a melodramatic American sensation play. Not one line rang true, not one situation was human, The Palace, therefore,, goes “dark.” Mayne Linton, who is a member of Muriel Starr’s company, was anxious to run plays there with own company on a National Theatre basis. I understand that there was oven some talk of introducing the word “Art” into the title. He collected some money for backing, but not enough, so it had to be sent back and the plane cancelled. I gathered from Mr Linton’s conversation that ho still thinks there is money to be made out of such a movement, but ho places more reliance on tho "naughty’ play than the the one with a highbrow “art” tone to it.

Lance Fairfax is going to try his voice out again in “New Moon” tho night this letter leaves for New Zealand, states a Sydnoy journalist. It seems a pity that he should attempt to come back so soon, because his voice was very bad after laryngitis, but, being physically fit) in other ways, he is probably chafing at “lying off.” Again, it is one of the heartbreaks of the stage for Sidney Burehall. Having made such a signal success of the leading part of Robert Mission he now has to step down again for Lance Fairfax to return to it. However, Sidney Burehall has so proved his quality in the time he has played the part that he. can never be relegated to tne back row in musical comedy work again. He is a young man who has arrived. The public like him, and they want him.