THEATRE'S INFLUENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17853, 6 August 1921, Page 11

THEATRE'S INFLUENCE.

SOME PHASES DISCUSSED.

THE PEOPLE AND THE STAGE j « BT J T.B The theatre as an institution has been j ', attacked in a determined manner by the j j Rev. Joseph W. Kemp. who. it may be assumed from the nature of his calling, ! has had - but little, if any, experience , thereof. A little knoweldge is a dan- , gerous thing. No person who is unac- ! ? quainted with the taste of fruit or its I effects upon Che human bodv would be ' considered fit to judge the exhibits at a j ' fruit show. He would almost ..ertainly' dislike fruit, which would set up a biaV in his mind at once. It is scaicelv necessary to state that Mr. Kemp is" wrong in his condemnation of the theatre »in<e the fact is obvious. A Final! percentage! of theatrical productions merit denunciation, but they are the bla. k sheep, he-. cause of whom we must not denounce the , entire mob. Looking back upon an experien' e of the theatre extending over more than 40 years, I humbly rejoice to say that in the circles in which 1 am known I am still re- , ceived with respect, denoting that mv I friends and acquaintances have not yet marked any serious signs of derrxTalfsa- ' tion in nie. I commenced going to the! theatre in England as a child, rav first visit being paid to the Crystal Paia* e ! Theatre, where the attraction" was W. S. ' (iilbert'a travesty, "The Palace of j Truth." Since then, as playgoer and re- j viewer of piays. as amateur actor, and j amateur dramatist, 1 have kept up a con- ' stant association with the home of the \ drama and the. drama itself. In the light, ' of that experience let hie assure Mr. I Kemp that the small percentage of vice 1 have perceived and witnessed, both in. i front of the footlights and behind them. ' has left me clean-minded, while the large percentage of knowledge 1 have gamed ; and the great number of plays which : have elevated human nature in my eves, have helped to build up my character ' and give me a deeper love for "my fellows. The Shakespearean Tradition. Judging by his recent discourse. Mr. ! Kemp has no quarrel with Shakespeare. | That is a comforting rellection. At the ! same time, had he been a constant theatre- ' goer, he would have known that the motifs of many modern dramas and comedies have been founded upon the motifs in Shake spearean plays. Come to think of it, the bard of Avon left very little in the way of plot or theme for any other dramatist ' to seize upon as new, nor did he hesitate to tako for his subject the basest passions j to which humanity is heir. Even the sex ' problem was discussed by Shakespeare, ' yet one does not hear that his works have j debased those who have read or witnessed , them. The theatre may be a commercial insti- j tution, as Mr. Kemp asserts, but my ex- I perience is that, from that very point of view, it is not the habit of managers with j I their own gain in the balance to produce plays of a degrading nature. When they I have done so they have speedily been made aware of the unprofitableness of it, for the great bulk of the play-going public demand the clean play, and will stay away from the other kind. T recall such plays as " Sweet Lavender," "A Little Ray of Sunshine." " The Admirable Criehton." " David Oarrick." as glowing examples of the great number of plays the moral influence of which was good, the atmosphere of which was sweet and wholesome. What place they, and hundreds like them, in Mr. Kemp's " University of Vice" ? Instruction and Amusement. Even in the sheerest melodrama of modern times it seems to me the villain always and inevitably suffers for his misdeeds, and virtue is ever triumphant in the end. Some of these melodramas have a greater uplift in them than some pulpit sermons have. When it comes to farces and musical comedies, the playgoer is subjected to no serious .influences. The great majority of these are constructed solely for the amusement of those in search of relaxation. Some of this type of play skirt the of good taste, as do certain vaudeville offerings, but so much depends upon the spirit in which these doubtful things are accepted. A comedy situation may be entirely free' from offensiveness which, if set out in serious drama, would justify condemnation. The theatre, also, is the home of opera— comic, light, and grand. I reio'.lect very many in each category, but can remember none which ever sent me away from the theatre ashamed of having been there. Grand opera has lived for years without many modern additions. The old classics have been repeated over and over again, and that surely signifies that they have been recognised as worthy, and not demoralising. In the lighter realm of opera what have Gilbert and Sullivan done for the English-speaking race? Ifave they demoralised a single soul? Their works have been, and are. and ever will be a constant source of joy. They are the most perfect ' blends of clean humour and charming music, and who shall say that such elements, feven though they do belong to the theatre which Mr. Kemp asks young folks to keep away from, are not for the betterment of all who can enjoy them?

Practical Christianity. The slur upon members of the theatrical profession which Mr. Kemp has been pleased to utter has been resented in the form of a dignified rebuke by one entitled to speak for that profession. But what has not been said is that iD the community of the stage to-day, as in the past, 'there are men and women of the highest ideals and the most charitable views of humanity. Chorus girls earning a few pounds a week are notoriously trenerous to,, their own folks. Not one of the many who come to Auckland with visiting plays but can be seen at the chief post office on mail days sending postal orders to their mothers or relatives in Australia for amounts representing the greater portion of their salaries. No actor and no actress can be in distress without his or her colleagues coming to the rescue. And as with the members of the chorus, so with the principals. The profession is full of men and women with sound moral convictions and unblemished characters.