STAGELAND.

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 253, 20 September 1930, Page 7

STAGELAND.

(By “Jack Point.”) “Hold Everything/’ a musical comedy, is being played in Wellington by the Clem Dawe company. It was produced some months ago by a Williamson company, including Alfred Frith. Palmerston North will welcome the play early next month. “Lilac Time” is being revived in Melbourne. Harriet Bonnot (of “Rose Marie”) made-her dobut in the loading role in Australia in 1926. Mario Bremner is lead in the present production, and others in the cast are John Ralston, Herbert Browne, Loslie Holland, Arthur Stigant, Lilian Crisp, Leo Franklyn and Sidney Burchall. The new Australian play, “Governor Bligh,” dealing (with dramatic license) with incidents in Australian history, proved so successful in Sydney, where it had a run of six weeks, that Allan Wilkie will produce it in other centres throughout the Commonwealth, and eventually bring it to Now Zealand. “A Runaway Girl” is being actively rehearsed at Taumarunui, and will be staged next month. “The Three Musketeers,” the spectacular musical play in which Dennis King, Marie Ney (the Now Zealander), and Lilian Davies had the leads, was withdrawn from the Drury Lane Theatre, London, on August 30. It commenced on March 28. The comparatively short run is a big disappointment to Sir Alfred Butt, who had hoped it would prove the “Lane’s” biggest success. The next production at Drury Lano will probably be an Edgar Wallace thriller. According to a wireless message picked up in Wellington this week, Cecil Kelleway, the well-known actor, collapsed late on Tuesday night in Darlinghurdt, Sydney, while returning home from his performance at a theatre. He is at present under close observation in a private hospital in Sydney. Mr Kelleway has ofton been in Palmerston North. He is one of the best musical comedy players the Williamson firm has under engagement. He has been playing in “Follow Through” at Melbourne with Elsie Prince, Josio Melville, Frank Leighton and other wellknown people. “Jane Clegg,” one of St. John Ervino’s strong dramatio plays, will be presented by the Auckland Little Theatre Society from October 1 to October 4. Sybil Thorndyke played the name part in the first English production of the play. St. John Ervine is probably the most notable dramatic critic in England. He has written few plays, but those few are gems of their kind. His latest, “The First Mrs Fraser,’ ’is still playing in London and is just as popular at the end of its first year as it was at the beginning. Marie Tempest and Henry Ainley are the leads. “Jane Clegg” is a play worthy of the Little Theatre. It is strong* fare, set in a mining town in England. “Eldorado,” which is to reopen Daly’s Theatre, London, is the work of coloured British subjects, Ernest Trimmingham, who wrote the “book,” and Rutland Clapham, who has provided the music. It is expected to restore the departed glory of this famous theatre. The departure of this theatre’s old-time glory definitely begun, I think, with the peteringout of the excellent revival of “The Dollar Princess” five years ago, writes Harold Conway in the London Daily Mail. Since then there has never been the atmosphere which one had always associated with the most famous home of musical comedy in the world. A big musical production, “Follow a Star,”-is running at the Winter Garden Theatre, London. It opened on September 10. This piece has an exceptionally strong cast, including Jack Hulbert', Sophie Tucker, Claude Hulbert, Charles Courtneidge, Alfred Drayton, A. W. Bascomb, Irene Russell and B e dy Davies. The distinction of receiving the highest salary ever paid in vaudeviile in Australia lies, probably*, with Ada Reeve. For Miss Reeve’s big earnings, it is necessary to go back to the Hugh D. Mclntosh days—l9l2 to 1921, says: an Australian paper. “In her first engagement with me,” he relates, “she got £560 a week—all for her little self. The second time 1 played her on terms. Her share frequently panned out at over £IOOO a week. Out of this she had to pay her own supporting artists. But the amount for herself would still be well over £BOO a week.” - How do managers estimate an artist’s value? Just to the extent he or she pleases or attracts business to the theatre. Some may be dear —a bad bargain—at £ls or £2O a week. Others —in rare cases —cheap at £250 or £350 a week. Mr Mclntosh could give an instance of an artist, justifiably commanding £250 in London, and engaged by him at £175 for Australia, who merely—in his own words—drove the people out of the theatre. Failures subsequent to the Mclntosh regime include Harry Green _ (£2OO a week). To-day this artist is getting £SOO a week with Paramount Pictures, Ltd. The explanation is that he was unable to repeat the vaudeville success he had been in America. Fortunate big-inoney engagements wore Long Tack Sam (£SOO a week) and the Ingenues (£4OO a week). There were ten in the former combimvtion, and eighteen in the latter. Long Tack Sam drew up to £2700 a week, and the Ingenues the record for the 1922-23 period—£3ooo a week. It will be observed that all these salaries fall far short of some of the weekly payments made to Ada Reeve. Consequently it is a vastly expensive artist that Sydney is again seeing in Miss Reeve, with her return in “Pot Luck.” With her is Alfred Frith, who probably got his top-money with William-son-Tait, Ltd., in his last engagement (running well into three figures) —due, to some extent, 1 6 the fact that the Fullers were at the same time competing for his services. Two other members of the company are Hector St. Clair and Roy Rene tMo). The former has assuredly touched £SO a week, and for years, it is safe to say, Mo handled at least a similar amount from Fullers. There was a sudden and welcome boom in variety last week, says a London paper received by last week’s mail. Doubtless the change in the weather helped to improve the box office figures, but the boom was mainly due to the splendid programmes provided by the halls which cater for vaudeville patrons. The Palladium played to record figures, and at Victoria Palace the management had the unusual experience these days of turning money away, not only at the last performance, but at the first as well. The same state of affairs existed at the Coliseum and the Holborn Empire, and there is a strong rumour that one house which went over to the pictures is seriously considering the advisability of going back to variety. The boom bears out what we have often declared in these columns. Variety is the'favourite entertainment with the British public, and if managements pub on good programmes they will get all the support they want. There has also been a great revival of interest in musical comedy and dramatic plays, particularly at the matinee performances.

Robert Chisholm, former musical comedy favourite in Australia, and now a star in America, is to have the lead in “Luana,” a musical version of the play, “The Bird of Paradise,” in New York. Mr Chisholm was here some years ago with Gladys Moncrieff in “The Maid of the Mountains.” Hie Auckland Operatio Society’s revival of “Tutankhamen” will commence on Thursday, September 25. The original season of “Tutankhamen” some years ago broke ail records, and gave the society a big bank balance. It was a very spectacular production. The following are the members of the Humphrey Bishop Company, who will begin a season in Auckland shortly: — Humphrey Bishop, Walter Kingsley, Elaine Maye, Frank Egan, Thelma Trott, Hilda Reaux, Ralph Hedley, Les Desiroe, Nick Morton, Maurice Barling, Billy Monte, Margaret Blackburn, Gwen Weston, Doris Burt, Denis Shand, Harry West and Fred Webber.