MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15646, 27 June 1914, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

BOOKINGS. • - HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE June 29 to July 11.— J. C. Williamson'* •'Forty Thieves" Pantomime. .„. • , July 27 to Auiruat 7.— O. Wlll'tmson a " Joseph and Ilia Brethren " Company August 10 to 27.-J. C. Williamson. Limited Außust 24 to 29.—Louis Meyer's and Beau mont Smith'* '' The Barrier " Company August 31 to September 16,-Gcorgo Willouehby's " The Kosars '' Company. Soptembor 17 to 21,— Harry Lander. September 38 to October 13— J. C. William son Limited. _ „..„. November 16 10 23.— C. Williamson Limited. TOWN HALL. July 7 and B.—Mißcha Elman. Miss Peak', Lapd, soprano of J. C Williamson's Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, soo-i to appear in Melbourne, has had a varied and interesting comic opera career. A role in which she achieved one of.her greatest successes was Nadina in "The Chocolate Soldier," which she played for two years in England American papers to hand record the continued success of a number of plays set down for early production in Australia by tho J. C. Williamson firm, l'hese include "The Yellow Ticket," tho intense drama of Russian official life, in which Miss Muriel Starr will take the principal part, and which is equalling the success 0: "Within tho Law" in New York. " Seven Keys to Bakipato," George M. Cohan's fantastic comedy-drama, has passed its 300 th performance; and -Potash and Pcrlmutter" is booked up for weeks ahead at the George M. Cohan Theatre. This is a humorous play of Jewish life on the East Side. " Otticer 666," soon to bo staged in Melbourne, is new being toured through tho States by seven companies. " Mr. Wj," tho powerful drama dealing with affairs in Hong Kong, will open the Australian lour of tho Louis Meyer-Beau-mont Smith Dramatic Company, is expected to arrive by the R.M.S. Orama soon. Mr. William F. Grant aud Miss May Congdon will be tho leading people of 'the combination. Both these artists have visited Australia before. In 1901 Mr. Grant played the part of tho Laird at Her Majesty's (Sydney) with Edith Crane and lyrone Power as Trilby and Svengali. His appearance in England as " Mr. Wu" earned him uniform praiso from the London critics. Miss Congdon raa'do hor Australian debut as leading ladv in tho long run of " Tho Fatal Wedding" at the Criterion (Sydney)) in 1906 m.der the Moyncll-Gunn direction, Miss Congdon, who' was originally educated as a singer at tho Brussels Conservatory of Music, stayed in Australia for moro than a year, and is an actress of Shakcspcrian and other varied experience.

Mr Graham Moff;t, tho author of "Bunty Pulls the Strings," which will wmnxuico •a Australia shortly, thus ditcourses regarding the play :— When tho idea of ' Bunty' occurred to mo I was in Glasgow. I got a notebook, went into tho Mitchell Library, and roughed out tho first act. I showed it to my wife when I got home, and she smiled. 'Graham,' she said, 'don't you think it would bo better to try and get staged some of tho plays you havo written already bofore attempting any moro?' Then I explained my idea of the development of the characters rr my new effort, and she became interested. From that . moment Mrs. Moffatt helped me tremendously. ' Bunty ' is really my conception of my mother, as it seemed, would havo been as a girl. I embodied a number of her Scotch experiences." Tho piece has had a phenomenal run in London, and will ho staged in Australia by the original London company, including Graham Moffatt as Tammas B'ggar, and Kate Moffatt as Bunty Biggar.

Miss Madge Mcintosh has becomo a London "producer." She succeeded Mr. Granville Barker as leasee of the Savoy Theatre on May 16, with "Break tlw Walls Down.' a rew pieco by Mrs. Alexander Gross, poet and dramatist.

" The Glad Eye," soon to be presented in Australia and New Zealand by tho Beaumont Smith-Louis Meyer English Comedy Company, is an adaptation of "Li Zcbre,' from tho French of MM. Arnicnt and Nanecy, who aro the two best-known and most popular farceurs in a country wheru this class of play must bo of remarkable merit before it is even tolerated. The story of " The Glad Eyo" is said to be a fountain of ceaseless mirth, tbo incidents bringing with them laughter of tho kind so rarely enjoyed—spontaneous and hearty.

Mr, W, R. Hunter, a young Now Zealand actor, has left Australia to try his li.ck in America, inspired possibly by tho success of Mr. A. Patrick in New iork. Mr. Hunter did some excellent work with iho Plimmer-Denniston Company, and since then has been with the Hugn Buckler Company at tho Little Theatre, bydncy,

Only two of Franz Lohar's operas, of which a dozen have succeeded in \ ienna, have reached Australia, namely, "Iho Merry Widow" end "The Count of Luxemburg." On Juno 13, however (says tho Sydney Morning Herald), the J. C. Williamson management added a third charming work to the list by staging "Gipsy Love" ("Zigeuncr licbe ") at Her Majesty's Theatre. Thero is a now prima donna irom London, Elsio Spain, tall, with fine eyes and classic features, as llona, the heiress in lovo with a gipsy : Miss Gertrude Glynn, very tali and slender, realising iurgenleff's allusion to "young saplings," who understudied Gertrude Millar as "Lady Babbie" at Daly's Theatre, and will play that character-, Derek Hudson, a young baritone, who has sung Wolfram and tho grand opera reperkmo with tho Beccham Company, .md will appear as Joszi, a gipsy; and Mr. Field Fisher, a new English comedian, caEt as Drajtotin, Ilona's father.

Mr. Charles B. Westmacott, who recently returned from Africa where ho had been in charge of tho Oscar Aschc-Lily Drayton tour, has joined Meters. Beaumont Smith and Louis Meyer's managerial staff.

Mr. Oscar Hammerstein has been defeated in his project to become a manager of opera onco again in New York. The Court of Appeal, by a deci on recently, affirmed the judgment of tho lower court, restraining him and his son Arthur from producing opera either in New York or Boston, until April 26, 1920.

The Mercantile Gazette reports registration of tlio following companies:—Hayward'B Pictures. Ltd.: Capital, £110,000, divided into 110,000 chares of £1 each. Subscribers ; Auckland—H. J. Hayward 3COO, Doineaica Hayward 3000; Christchurch— A. Herman 3000, C. 11. Oil by 1, A Rowloy 1, J. Morrison 1; Welling. ton—E. J. Righton 3000. Fullers' Pietures, Ltd. : Capital, £110,000, divided into 110,000 shares of £1 earn. Subscribers : Auckland— Fuller (senior), 24,999; Wellington—J. Fuller | junior) 24,999, W. Fuller 24.999, M. livers 1, A. K. S. Mackenzio 1, W. 11. 1). Bell 1, F. W. Flveor 1.

A Shakespero International Alliance has been founded by Mr. F. It. Benson and others in England to support Sliakespercan drama, and to encourage tho systematic study of the subject. The alliance's purpose is to establish an endowment company of Shake,spercan players to appear periodically in the. more important centres of England and America. Tho chairman is Sir John Ray Hill; deputy chairman, Llewellyn Howell; arid treasurer, H. C. Hoover, an American mining engineer. The secretary is Ben Allen, an American newspaper man in London. Tho organiser for tho United States is Miss Katherino Everts, formerly of Chicago.

Leipsig's annual subvention to its three theatres under municipal control, including tho Opera, amounts to over £30,000. Musioo-Dai&mccs.