STAGELAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 138, 10 May 1930, Page 7

STAGELAND.

(By “Jack Point.”) Leon Gordon is playing in Sydney in “White Cargo.” Nat Madison, now Noel Madison, has been producing “Rope’s Find” in Los Angeles. This play by Patrick Hamilton was done as “Rope” in London. It is a thriller without the usual stage machinery. The annual report of the Auckland Operatic Society stated that a successful year’s work had been completed, the most noteworthy of the society’s activities being the production of tho musical comedy “Florodora.”

“A Country Girl” will be revviod in Sydney this evening. “Jew Suss,” with Matheson Lang in tho leading role, has just ended a long and successful season in London, and has gone to the provinces. Despite the competition of the talkies the Humphrey Bishop Company is ae popular as over, and is at present doing good business in Queensland. Josie Melville is duo in Sydney this month. “Sally” will bo revived. Lance Fairfax is going to England. He is not playing in “The Merry Widow” in Melbourne with Gladys Moncrieff. When Edith Taliaferro opens at the Sydney Royal on May 17 she will have for her leading man J. B. Rowe, who was such a tower of dramatic strength with tho last Vanbrugh-Boucieault Company. She will also bring back in her wake the popular Ethel Morrison, who has done so well in musical comedies in New York since she left Australia some years ago. The first play will bo “Let Ue Be Gay.” Two offers have been made to buy Daly’s Theatro, one of London’s best-known theatrical landmarks. One is by Woolworth’s, Ltd., and tho other by an American syndicate which already owns several important London theatres. The lease, which has 40 years to run, cannot bo sold without the consent of the ground landlord, the Marquis of Salisbury, and his opinion has not yet been obtained. Gladys Moncrioff has had a signal honour bestowed on hor by the famous composer, Franz Lchar. She received a portrait of himself, cordially inscribed. Tho revival of the famous opera in Australia synchronised with tho birthday of Lchar, who was born in Hungary in 1870. Miss Moncrielf starred in the composer’s “Bluo Mazurka’’ at Daly’s, London. Alfred Frith is wandering about the country trying out his concert company, writes a Sydney correspondent. Union Theatres, Ltd., have given him and his manager, Basil Doan, of tho music firm of William Dean, some country dates, and if they provo successful Alfred and company will come into tho city and open up at tho Savoy Theatre. He would like to make it a sort of intimate theatre on the lines of the London Follies and the organisation of the London Co-Optimists—-that is a company which share expenses and profits. Irene Vanbrugh returned to the London stage in. a part which Bernard Shaw wroto for her about 25 years ago, but which she had never played. It is the part of a young woman “acrobat” in “Misalliance,” originally produced in 1910, and now revived at tho Court Theatre. Miss Vanbrugh i 6 supposed to "arrive by falling out of an aeroplane, and later to “juggle with seven oranges.” The “juggling” is done off stage. Mr Shaw calls “Misalliance” “a debate in one sitting.” “Love Lies,” at Melbourne King’s is quite a family affair, writes an overseas correspondent. Richard White (correct name) is manager and instructor of dancing; Les White, tho next brother, plays the butler of tho show; Dorothy White, the only girl of the family, plays Dinkie Maine; Eric Edgley, another white brother, is associate manager; the youngest brother is Clom, known as Clem Dawe; he is principal comedian, and his comeding is good. The orchestra is conducted by Gregory Ivanoff, who is married to Dorothy, and is consequently a White brother-in-law. Mrs White, the mother of the family, keeps an eye on the whole show. She was formerly a notable dancer. James Hughes, whose death was announced the othor week —he was here as Sergeant Malone in “Rose Marie” —made his debut at the Sydney Royal as Albertoni, the Ringmaster, in tho attractive musical comedy “A Circus Girl,” on May 9, 1903. Ho made a great hit with “Thu Whip Song” in the second act. Ho next scored as Billy Breeze in “The Bello oi Now York,” whose song, “We Will Stand or Fall Together,” is sometimes cut out now. Other roles were Fo Hop, tho Chin cso student in “San Toy,” and tho brigand Santa Cruz in “The Runaway Girl.” His best hit in comic opera was the soldierlj Lefebvre in “The Duchess of Dantzic.”

A Melbourne critic 6ays of “The Merry Widow” : “Gladys Mdncrieff’s voice triumphed over every one of tho owner’s manifest disabilities, which include an inability to really portray a Sonia that captures the imagination or the • Viennese spirit of caroless gaiety. The impres sion deepened that musical thirst is like the othor variety—deprivation only intensifies it. Baron Popoff was in the familiar hands of Arthur litigant, the most intelligent comedian in Australia. Romola Hansen was a now Natalie, and contrived to give depth and artistry to that frivol-, ous lady. Herbert Browne was a model lie Johdon. His tenor was as sweet as they make them, and its possessor throbbed with romantic emotion. Previous mummers have handled Prince Danilo differently, but Michael Colo’s version may be said to have had the charm of youth and spontaneity.” A Melbourne lady journalist wrote by tho last mail: —Melbourne’s appetito for light music of the pre-jazz era continues unabated. Following the extended run of “The Maid of the Mountains,” “Tho Merry Widow” made a successful reappearance at the Royal, with Gladys Monerieff as Sonia giving double encores at frequent intervals. Miss Moncrieff makes her first entry in white georgette with cascades of glistening fringe, and rivulets of diamonds decked her dark hair. As part of her black-and-gold Marsovian outfit a bird of paradise trails from her headdress, and moderate sized black millinery of modern mode replaces the cartwheel hat that used to deck the widow at the finale. Romola Hansen, a Melbourne girl, is Natalie, slim and pretty in draperies of cctfal pink. Heaps of white tulle appear beneath her royal-bluo velvet coat of tho la6t act. Piles of flowers were heaped on the stage at the final curtain on the first night. If tho Taits want to make a sensational rocovery in the sphere of legitimate they might do worse than import Mei Lanfang, China’s greatest actor, and his company, writes a Sydney journalist. Mei, a slight, handsome youth renowned for his interpretation of feminine roles, has just taken New York by storm with a series of Chinese comedies. All the critics paid their tribute to his marvellous pantomime, which speaks a universal language, making the plays perfectly intelligible to tho Westerner. Mei drew 10,000 dollars a week during a recent season in Pekin. The new comedy by Bon Travers, “A Night Like This,” appears to have made a hit at the London Aldwych, with Ralph Lynn, Mary Brough, Winifred Shotter, and Tom Walls in the leading roles. Mr Walls in the role of a policeman, and Mr Lynn as a young man about town who confront the leader of a gang of thieves to recover the necklace stolen from an actress, are responsible for most of the humour. Mr Travers, in an interview in the Era, tells how the writing of the piece began. “Some time ago Tom Walls and I were driving up to town one morning from Epsom, when we saw throe policemen coming off duty. ‘I shouldn’t mind playing a polioeman,’ said Walls. So I set to work out a story in which a character of the Ralph Lynn typo and a policeman would participate,” Incidentally Mr Travers, some of whose comedies have been produced in Australia and in New Zealand, stated that when, after prolonged discussions with everyone concerned in the production, he settled down to the actual writing of a new play, he spentperhaps a month in completing an act. Taking into consideration the re-writing which had to be done, each play took about the best part of a year in its construction.