STAGELAND

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 283, 27 October 1934, Page 12

STAGELAND

(By "Call Boy.”) The Auckland Choral Union is to sing “Merrie England” shortly. The Te Awamutu Musical Club recently staged “The Gypsy Rover.” The death has occurred in London of Alice Hollander, the Australian singer, after a surgical operation. T. C. Murray’s Irish drama “Autumn Fire” 3n chosen by the Auckland Catholic Repertory Society for this production. Considerable success attended the presentation for several nights recently of “The Belle of New York” by the Wanganui Amateur Operatic Society. The takings for five nights amounted to £530. Miss Carrie Moore, the actress, has arrived in the United States from London. She says that she has no definite plans during her stay. She has no theatrical engagements. The Mareo Operatic Society, Auckland, scored a success with its presentation of Ivan Caryll’s romantic light opera, “The Duchess of Dantzig.” Margaret Rawlings, who was in New Zealand a year or two ago in “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” is to play the Empress Josephine in “Napoleon Bonaparte,” a new play in London. “Conversation Piece,” the musical play by Noel Coward, has concluded a run of five and a half months in London. In it Mile. Yvonne Printemps appeared in her first English-speaking role.

The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company is giving a season of opera in the United States. The repertoire includes “Cox and Box,” “Ruddigore,” “The Gondoliers,” “Trial by Jury,” Patience,” “Princess Ida,” “Yeomen of- the Guard,” lolanthe,” “The Pirates of Penzance,” “H.M.S. Pinafore,” and “The Mikado.”

Olga Spessiva, who has taken Pavlova’s place as the world’s outstanding classic dancer, is well known to London audiences. Some years ago she played the title role in “The Sleeping Princess” at the London Alhambra, and has been the classic dancer in opera at Covent Garden. The company that has been staging “Collit’s Inn” and “The Beloved Vagabond” in Sydney, headed by Gladys Moncrieff, is busy rehearsing the third musical romance undertaken by F. W. Thring. This is “Jolly Roger,” which will be seen in Melbourne before Sydney, since the same company is required in Melbourne during the Duke of Gloucester’s visit for a short revival of “Collit’s Inn.” Jack Kellaway, whose comedy and dancing, in association with his partner, Sylvia, are bright spots in “White Horse Inn” at His Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, toured with Sir Harry Lauder in 1924 through India, China, the Philippine Islands, Australia and New Zealand. He has also appeared with his partner in every country of Europe except Russia. In the London production of the spectacular production of “Casanova” he played the principal comedy role. The grand opera season opened m Melbourne with “Aida” at the Apollo Theatre. Madame Florence Austral was the Aida; Mr W alter Widdop the Radames; and Miss Muriel Brunskill the Amneris. The programme for the first week of the season was devoted entirely to Italian opera: “Madame Butterfly,” on Monday with Francesca Duret as Butterfly; then “Aida” again; then, on Friday, “La Tosca,” with Madame Austral in the title role. In preparation for the German . repertoire, Mr Charles Stevens has been engaged; and it is announced that he will sing Wotan in “The Valkyrie.” Mr Trevor Smith, an Australian journalist, and Mrs Baillieu, widow of the late Mr Kingsbury Baillieu, were quietly married in St. Columba’s Church, Pont Street, London, recently. The guests included the Australian High Commissioner (Mr S. M. Bruce) and Mrs Bruce, Sir Hugh and Lady Denison, Miss Dorothy Brunton, Miss Eve Gray, Sir Basil and Lady Clarke, Mrs J. C. Lavers, the bride’s mother, and Miss Dora Davison, the bridegroom’s aunt. Mrs Baillieu was formerly Miss Gracie Lavers, a popular and gifted member of J. C. Williamson’s musical comedy companies. Mr Trevor Smith went to London about 10 years ago, and made his home there. , ~, ~ , Philip Hargrave, the Adelaide boy pianist, is not yet 12, but into his short life has been crowded an amazing success that will be magnified as lie grows older and goes abroad, into a fame that will undoubtedly stir continents. It is the intention of Philip’s teacher and guardian, Miss Henriette Garnaut, to give her protege the benefit of study abroad, and after his New Zealand tour, which is under Tait direction, Philip will be travelling further afield, and maybe the next time Dominion music lovers are privileged to hear him play he will be a young man with a list of Continental and European successes behind him. At present he is Australia’s own, but before the outside world claims him, Messrs Tait have brought the lad to New Zealand for a comprehensive tour. He has the ordinary boy’s love of animals, likes history best of school subjects; loves practising, and thinks his wonderful gift quite a simple matter. His rare intelligence makes him a charming personality to meet, apart from the fascination of hearing him play. “Blue Mountain Melody,” which opened at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, recently, proved to be an extraordinarily successful musical playWritten by two Australians, Mr Charles Dewar and Mr J. C. Bancks, it was not only superior to many productions of the same type which go on in London; but it exceeded in interest and attractiveness several of the big oversea successes which have been transplanted to the Australian stage. It was, for example, a better play than “Gay Divorce,” says the Sydney Morning 'Herald. This success was all the more remarkable because the piece had been launched without any preliminary “try-out” in a provincial theatre. In England and America, men like C. !>• Cochran and George White experiment with their elaborate productions for four or five weeks in places like Manchester and Philadelphia, and often make sweeping alterations in them, before- facing audiences in London and New York. Even with spoken dramas, where the test is inflexible as compared with the fluid musica comedy form, it becomes more and more the rule to try conclusions with provincial playgoers first. Only a month or two ago, Margaret Lawrence and Douglas Fairbanks, junior, Luted in the English provinces with “The V Hiding Journey,” and the play never reached London at all. With these considerations in mind, one was surprised not to find that there were weaknesses in “Blue Mountain Melody,” but to find that these weaknesses were so tew ill number.