STAGE AND SCREEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 April 1932, Page 3

STAGE AND SCREEN

The Nelson season of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. Company will eoniinence on Thursday next with the performance of “The Gondoliers.’ 'lbis will be followed oil Friday with “The Mikado,” on Saturday afternoon with “Tho Pirates of Penzance,” and tlie season will conclude with “The Yeomen of the Guard.”

Gregory Si mud. who is appearing with J. C. Williamson’s Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, was loth to leave bis farm at Tunbridge Wells. A Sydney acquaintance who met this actor in London prior to his coming to Australia, and New Zealand, tells that most of his spare time is spent on his beloved farm.

Work lias commenced in earnest oil (lie British operetta, “Good Night, Vienna,” starring the musical comedy and screen favourite, Jack Buchanan, who recently took up a British contract which gives him .01000 per week. Anna Xeagle, beautiful leading lady of the current London stage hit “Stand bp and Sing” (also with Buchanan playing the lead), will appear in “Good Night, Vienna.”

The Royal Wellington Choral t nion has listed six works from which lour will lie selected ultimately for this year's programme. Gounod's “Faust will be given for tlie first concert, and “The Messiah" will, of course. b ( > performed for the fourth. The other two will lie chosen from “.Lucia di Lammeimoor,” which was given there some 10 or 12 years ago, with Miss Gertrude Johnson as Lucia; Haydn’s “Creation,” which would be an appropriate choice in view of the bi-centenary of the composer’s birth being celebrated this year; Coleridge Taylor’s “Hiawatha,” in costume; and Wallace’s “Maritaim. ’

Now making his appearance in New Zealand is Ivan Menzies, the notable Gilbert and Sullivan comedian. He is a Lancashire man, the soil of a wellknown surgeon at Kirby-in-Furncss. But for an accident in his life —the European war—which curtailed his studies at a public school, he would have been practising medicine himself, hut a regimental concert party, a village. pantomime produced near his home, and one or two other exploits of tlie kind finally led him astray. He joined the D’Oyley Carte Opera Company, spent a short time in musical comedy and the Ghauvc Souris, and went over to legitimate comedy at tho Lyric, Hammersmith, as understudy of Sir Nigel Playfair (who Mr Menzies now boasts “became a knight shortly afterwards”). Before stepping into the black hustle of Charley’s Aunt, in the recent London production, he took over the part relinquished by Ernest Trucx in “Good Morning, Bill.” Mr Meuzies’s hobby is motor-boating. Ilis boat Diukie can do 40 knots, and lie modestly admits that lie holds one or two motor-boat records.

It is some years since Gregory Stroud, tlie popular operatic baritone, appeared in the role of Nur-al-Din in “Cliu-Chin-Chow.” Mr Stroud has done a good deal of work in musical comedy and Gilbert and Sullivan operas in London, in which he will he seen shortly in Nelson.

The great Viennese composer, Carl Milloeker, wrote “The Beggar Student,” which has just been completed as a lavish “talkie” for early release. Millocker is a modern conlposcr who has had his name attached to some of the biggest musical successes on the Continental, English and American stage. “The Beggar Student” is a comparatively light story of a bombastic member of the nobility, who, not being able to bring his wooing of a lovely lady lo a successful conclusion, calls in a, debonair and handsome student to make love to the girl and then hand her over to him (the nobleman). But, anil there is usually a large “hut” in such tilings, the great lady, under the impression that the handsome young mail is a prince, falls in love with him. Interest is greatly heightened by tlie appearance of Lance Fairfax, of Dunedin, New Zealand, famous for his Red Shadow in “The Desert Song” and his Escamillo in “Carmen.”

The Russian pianist- and composer, Rachmaninoff, is probably best known by his Prelude in C Sharp Minor, a composition of which it is said he is not particularly proud. Hen* is a story apropos of Ibis that sounds too good to he true. Two years ago Rachmaninoff was to have gone to Australia, but, hearing that Australians were very fond of his C Sharp Minor Prelude, and dozens of discs and rolls had been ordered by (lie music firms, he decided to cancel his engagement, not thinking much of the popular taste!

According to the London bureau of the “Christian Science Monitor,” M. Feodor Chaliapin, Russian basso, may appear in a sound film, written by Air Charles Chaplin, to ho made in French, German and English. Negotiations are said to have been in progress for some time, tlie chief obstacle to an agreement being that the singer’s terms were too high. Some adjustment, apparently, was reached by Messrs Chaplin and Chaliapin during a conference at Biarritz. Air Chaplin then came to London and wrote tlie story, which is understood lo contain incidents from AI. Chaliapin’s career. It includes a scene in which tlie singer is iluiig into prison for being a pacifist. He is released on the outbreak of the first Russian Revolution, and tlie film fades out with the singer murmuring “I wonder,” as la* listens to the shouts of “Liberty” and “Freedom.” The picture is to present AI. Chaliapin in scenes front “Faust” and “Don Quixote.”

During the filming of “The Passionate Plumber,” Busier Keaton, who lakes (he main part, entertained his two hoys on the set. The cameraman begun to complain Unit someone had moved liis camera several inches, the property man could not find half of his equipment, and several lights went out mysteriously. ’The director, Edward Sedgwick, asked the hoys it they would not like to visit some other set lor a while. Suddenly the ’phone rang on the stage and someone said: “Tlie Keaton boys are visiting tlie William Haines set! I wonder if they have seen Marion Davies and Clark Gable yet. I'm sure they would enjoy going (lien*!” From all over (he lot calls poured in requesting that the hoys visit some other place Ilian the one in which they happened to be. "Well, there is one advantage in their mischief,” Keaton explained, "I always know where they are—so many complaints come in requesting them to he removed i ”

Mickey Afonso. Hu* amusing rodent, is tremendously popular in Germany where, in many of the cafes tlie beer “steins,” or mugs, now carry an imprint of Mickey, and drinking songs

have been dedicated to Walt Disney s international star —“Alichael Alans.” The restoration of an orchestra to the Civic Theatre is an excellent experiment that will he watched with the keenest attention by all those who have Hie interest of music at heart, and more especially by tlie professional musicians writes "Orpheus” in the “Star.” If the enterprise of the management is rewarded by better attendances, other picture houses may follow suit, and thus provide employment once more for a class ol the community which lias been doubly stricken, by the business depression and mechanised music. Success will mean such a lot to these unfortunate musicians, sonic of whom, I am told on good autliorily, are at starvation’s door, and if is to he hoped sincerely, il only from the liuinanitaiian point ol view, • that the public will give its support freely to those theatres providing "desk and blood” orchestras. Personally, the writer lias cvciy confidence that Hie new Civic orchestra will he appreciated 'greatly by the theatre's patrons, for it is a good combination that has pul in a great deal of arduous and painstaking rehearsal under a very conscientious and artistic conductor. Ibis means that il will, no doubt, set a very high standard of performance. _ Should its success be the means of giving employment to professional players m oilier theatres, these players would he well advised to hear in mind that the permanence of their rc-employmcnt would depend to a large extent upon (lie merits of their performance. Hi other words, the public Inis been educated up (o and will expect something lief ter than was provided by the pi'etalkie orchestra, and this “something better” can only he achieved by hard work and artistic attention to detail.