STAGELAND

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 134, 6 May 1933, Page 12

STAGELAND

(By “Call Boy.”) Ella Shields, the popular English male impersonator, terminated her long anti successful engagement with the Frank Neil Revue Company at Auckland a few days ago, and was given a very, warm-hearted farewell. She' sailed for England on Monday. Pat Hanna, the well-known leader of the Diggers, is making personal appearances on the stage in Melbourne during the run of the film “Diggers in Blighty.” “Our Miss Gibbs,” with Madge Elliott, Cyril Ritchards and Gus Bluett in the leads, is repeating .in Melbourne the success scored in Sydney.

There is a movement on foot to supply Wanganui with what is described by the Press as a long-over-due want, in th» shape of a Repertory Theatre.

The Christchurch Operatic Society staged this week “A Runaway Girl.” A London message says that Dr. Malcolm Sargent, who recently underwent an operation, is cancelling his visit to Australia, where he was to conduct the Broadcasting Commission’s orchestra for a season. He is taking this action on his doctor’s advice to enable a complete recovery from his operation. Anthony Kimmins, tho author of “While Parents Sleep, which has been running for over a year in London, and is now attracting crowded houses in Sydney at the Criterion Theatre, has become a film actor. His life has been full of surprises. Originally he was a naval officer. Having suffered injury in a ski-ing accident, he found himself faced with four months’ convalescence and enforced idleness; and, to while away the time, set to work on a play. Like R. C. Sheriff when he wrote “Journey’s End,” Mr Kimmins had only an unassuming performance by amateurs as the goal of his efforts. The eminent London producer, Leon M. Lion, saw the play, however, and at once snapped it up. Recently Mr Kimmins had been under engagement to an English film company, writing stories and dialogue. He 'was reading a part when one of the directors was struck by his possibilities as an actor, and arranged for a screen test there and then. As a result ho was promptly offered a contract.

A London correspondent says: After much hesitation —for nobody has seemed inclined to make the first move —theatre managers are coming at last to the conclusion that the only way to restore real prosperity to the theatre is to reduce the price of seats. Although there is no suggestion of any concerted movement it is significant that several theatres are making changes practically at the same moment. The Duchess Theatre and the Lyric are reducing prices within a week of each other. The Garrick is selling cheap seats everv Monday, and the experimental “shilling theatre” at Fulham is filled every night “to capacity,” which suggests that there are plenty of people who will be theatre-goers if the theatre is not too costly. Writing to the Daily Mirror, London, Miss J. H. Chalmers, of Scarborough, states that the best play she ever saw was “The Bells,” with the la-te Sir Henry Irving in the role of Matthias. She writes: —“It is more than forty years since I saw it, but it lives in my memory as though it were but yesterday, and for days after I seemed to hear those weird sleigh bells ringing in my ears. Of Irving’s interpretation of the part there can only be one opinion. It was a masterpiece. He seemed not to act but to be Matthias, and you felt that the man was absolutely living the part, and when, after committing the ghastly crime, he was haunted for ever bv the ringing of the bells you could only feel intense pity for him. Then, when the final curta-in fell, the actor had so made himself one with the character he was depicting you felt nothing but relief when the grim. visitant Death had taken him from his misery and remorse.”

VOICES FROM THE GODS,

HUMOUR IN THE THEATRE. The voice from the gallery is not so active in the theatre to-day as it was at one time, but it has been responsible for some classic laughs, especially in heavy melodrama. When a version of “Monte Cristo” was produced at the Adelphi—says Mr John Aye, in a collection of amusing stage stories, entitled “Humour in the Theatre”—the play dragged badly. At length the curtain rose on a darkened bedroom in which an old man sat beside a bed, with a lighted candle. “I say, mister,” shouted one of the gous m the ominous silence, “we’re not keeping you up, are we?” Arthur Roberts was once persuaded to take part in a romantic play with Florence St. John, and came on in the likeness of the starving poet, Chatterton. The audience, however, preferred Arthur Roberts, the comedian. “Chuck it, Arthur, old sport,” came a voice from the gallery, “and J>ut a btt of red on your nose, mo lad. A rapt audience watched, with bated breath, the plight- of the heroine. Deserted by her lover, cast off by nor family, dogged by the villain, she was at her last extremity. ‘ I must end it all,” she wailed, “I must indeed end it all; but where can I buy poison. 11 You try tho bar of this theatre, missie,” came a voice from the gods. The final word is not always with the audience. A fit-up manager who had experienced a very bad made Ins meagre audience a fanroo speech “1 have to thank you one and ad ” lie said, “for the noble way in which you rallied to this-er-Temple of Thespis. 1 thank you for tho kind manner 1 in which you have patronised “ur efforts.”. Then, after a moment s i.uf or rellectiou, lie added. l>ux, uou i i Jn T hkd opened a season on Sa The vanity of actors and actresses is “ d “i'vi'ms dear child,” ™« to bill tho '.»<!• be’’’’‘Alasl ” my 6 dear friend,” replied A i.timv can 1 do so? You know. ’ar<fto give Die ’and where the ’“’There isa Ve stoS'of a celebrated actor , in ~yLYL| into his club and made f h ° the telephone box, leaving the onen so that he might be overheard 1 “Hello, hello,” began, “is that Ym* X (naming a manager high rthe M s.e-rSl' »™ld)F (taUrt vour letter this morning, but £IOO a v ”l ia no good to me. You 11 make it £l5O ? No, £2oo' is my pnce.no a penny less. You agree to £200? Very well I’ll come round to-morrow and sign the contract. Goodbye. The actor came out of the box and beamed on the listening crowd. At that moment the club secretary entered ths room “Excuse me, sir,” he said, but that telephone has been out ot order since yesterday. We’re expecting a man in to seo to it shortly.”