The theatre

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6918, 23 July 1932, Page 10

The theatre

(By "Jack Point.”)

"Tilly of Bloomsbury," lan Hay’s delightful comedy, is to bo dono by local amateur players in September, and Mrs. Linda Bennett, whoso acting is always so finished, will be prominent. The rolo of "Tilly" is a charminglypathetic one, and the play itself has many attractive features. New Zealanders saw "Tilly of Bloomsbury” dono professionally in 1920, with Prank Preeman (later Baldasarro in "The Maid of tiro Mountains," in Australia only) Dorothy Scacombc, in after years a musical comedy star in London, Emma Temple, George Blunt as the pseudo butler, and others. The memory of Mr. Blunt’s acting lingers. Elsie Prince, who was here in "No, No Nanette," "Lady be Good," "Sunny," etc., was playing lead in the musical comedy "Just Our Luck," in the English provinces, -when tho last mail left.

Josef Szigeti, tho celebrated Hungarian violinist, will commence a season at the Town Hall, Sydney, on duly 29. Ho is esteemed in Europe as the finest of all violin exponents of Brahms and Bach, and as an unflagging propagandist of the modern composers. Szigeti will celebrate his fortieth birthday during the Melbourne season. Preddio Porbes, who was in Palmerston North some time ago with an indifferent musical comedy company, playing "Lido Lady" and “Tangerine," is to have the chief comedy lead in a new musical show in London next month.

The Levin amateurs, who gave a highly creditable interpretation of "Tho Belle of New York," in Palmerston North last year, have "High Jinks" in rehearsal. Tho production dates are August 4, 5 and S, at the Regent, Levin. Paul Vinogradoff, a Russian pianist, who graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire in 1911, will givo recitals in Auckland on July 26 and 29. An cxtensivo tour of the Dominion has been arranged. Nellie Bramley has been many weeks now at tho Melbourne Palace, and has a certain popular following. "Paddy the Next Best Thing" was a recent revival. Miss Ulu Hancock has done some clever work on the amateur stago and should give an intelligent interpretation of the part of Mabel Dancy in "Loyalties." Versatility is her strong suit. The Galsworthy role i 3 something different from anything she has yet rehearsed.

"Blue Roses," tho musical comedy headed by Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard, will open in Wellington on Wednesday. The rather famous Aus-

tralian pair wero last in New Zealand in "Tho Cabaret Girl” and "Kissing Time," Miss Elliott playing lead in tho first-named comedy, and Maude Pane’s part in "Kissing Time.” That was in 1923. Londoners have made much of them in tho intervening years. An Australian paper says that they arc both mellowed and improved by their oxperieneo in the Metropolis, and that tho play has "jolly music for the not ovor-strong voices, agile dancing and funny dialogue, to which is added horseplay that seems popular." Prank Leighton, Cecil Kolleway, Dulcic Davenport (Pifi in "The Belle of New York" last Christmas Eve) are some of the people supporting Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard. The most interesting novelty for the Metropolitan Opera House in New York at tho cud of the year will be "The Emperor Jones." The text of this opera has been based on Eugene O’Neill’s play of the same name, and tno music is by Louis Gruenbcrg. Rossini’s opera-buffa "II Signor Bruschino” and Richard Strauss’s "Elektra" will also be new to audiences at the Metropolitan. Tito Schipa and Prida Licdcr —London critics acclaimed Licdcr as "Isolde"—will join the company.

"Happy and Glorious," a play by Wilfred Walter, an English actor of some note, was produced recently in Sydney by tho Margaret Rawlings company, who have been eminently successful in "The Barretts of Wimpole Street." Tho theme is, to put it generally, tho effect upon two sensitive individuals of tho great and moving changes which the last twenty yoars

liavo evolved in the social organism. The play is presented in a series of 15 episodes, divided into three acts and ranging over a period of 12 years. The manner of presentation is symbolical rather than direct.

Beimo Moisewitsch will give another recital in Sydney this evening. His first concert was on July 14, when there were selections from Bacli-Busoni, Beethoven and Chopin. The second recital included “Etudes Symphouiques” (Schumann), Chopin's “Ten Etudes,” “Andanto Eavori” (Beethoven) and Liszt’s “Sixth Rhapsodic.” There were also selections from the works of modern composers, including Palmgrcn and Da Falla.

The Sydney Repertory Society recently produced “Something Wrong,” an Australian comedy by Morris Hay. The scene is laid on an outback station. Other Sydney amateur productions have been Lennox Robinson's “The White Blackbird”—a play of family hatred and squabblings—and S. N. Bchrmau’s three act comedy, “The Second Man” —a Now York setting and the. old theme, whether one should marry for love or money. This evening, the New Repertory Theatre in Sydney will present “Rhone for the Dr.” and next Saturday “Anna Christie.” The well-known Grogan McMahon players in Melbourne have Marcel Pagnol’s “Topazo” and “The Pigeon” (Galsworthy) in rehearsal. “The London stage has complete]}' abandoned the ‘harmless’ aspirations of the pre-war period, and is all for sophistication and ‘perfect frankness,’ assuming, no doubt, that it is no longer possible to shock present-day theatregoers,” writes a correspondent. “Many things that arc said and done on the stage here, quite openly, but with extreme good art, would cause horror and controversy in the Commonwealth and New Zealand. At the moment- there are at least half a dozen plays in the West End which call for extreme broadmindedness on the part of the audience.”