DRAMA OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18019, 18 February 1922, Page 3 (Supplement)

DRAMA OF THE DAY.

Writing from London a few months ago Mr. Frank Hutchens, woll known in .Auckland, referred rather unhesitatingly to British music. He wrote:—"London simply bubbles with talent and ' go-' The rise of British music is like some resistless tide. Vaughan Williams is a great man, and a fino man personally. Hoist is nervous, but sincero and a strong character. Ireland is still hovering between a poet and a pedagogue Bax is a dreamer, but does not always see his dreams clearly. The R.C.Ms is perhaps the centro of the new British school." British music was represented on Mr. Hutchens' last recital programmo by " A Portrait'' (from " Three Lyric Studies"), also "Twilight Hills" and "Wind Sprites," from "On Surrey Hills," by Matthay, and " Night Fancies," by Dale.

Feodor Chaliapin, the distinguished Russian bass, who is touring England and America under leavo of auseuco from the Soviet Government, received a vociferous welcome on his appearance in New York in his greatest role—that of Boris in tho opera, " Boris Godunov." Mr. Chaliapin is built for the part. Ho is a man of great size and of immense breadth of manner in pose and gesture, but most of his histrionic effects were brought about with continenco of method until tho final outburst of hysterical emotion. This was most clearly demonstrated in tho great scene in which Boris sees tho ghost of tho murderer, Dmitry.

Louis Bennison will shortly be arriving in Melbourne Tho famous leading man will make his first appearance in " Johnny Get Y'our Gun," a pjay he made ono ol the most-talked-about productions on Uio American stage. Louis Bennison has also appeared on tho "silver sheet," and is declared to be ono of America's handsomest screen heroes.

News has been received from London regartiinc the success of Miss Maggie I Dickinson,, which indicates that the future of the brilliant young Australian dancer in London is assured, On tho donclusion of her present touring engagement Miss Dickinson and her husband, Mr. Sidney Culver, will open in Loudon in a new revue under the management of Mr Do Courville, and the salary runs well over three figures. A recent issue of the London Sketch proclaimed the rising of a " star who will reflect as much glory upon the Commonwealth of Australia the land of her birth, as Melba, has done. This is Miss Maggie Dickinson, Australia s own Gcnec."

Some productions at present running in London aro: "The Yeoman of the Guard at Princes Theatre, " Charley s .Aunt aft the Duke of York's, revival of The Maid of the Mountains" at Daly s, Welcome Stranger" at the Lyric, r 'The Sign on the Door" at the Playhouse, Paddy the Next Best Thing" at the Savoy.

Jascha Rpivakovsky, the remarkable young Russian pianist, who shortly commences his Atistralian and New Zealand tour under the J. and N. Tut management, is one of tho few musical geniuses whose wonderful ability, demonstrated in childhood, has not departed with his growth to manhood. Jascha Spivakovsky was born 25 years ago near Kieff, w Russia, At six years of age he was a musical marvel, and the euperstit.ous peasants regarded him with a strange awe as someone not of this world. As ho grew up his powers increased instead of waned, and at the age of 10 he was famous for compositions that the best masters in Moscow and Petrograd were delighted to play. Spivakovsky has appeared all over Europe, and his first appearance in London created a sensation.

The American dramatic critic, Alex- ! ander Woollcott, has the following to to say upon tho subject of revivals which are at present so pupular with both British an American managers and produccrs:—"This wistful turning back to the magic words of other years has been prompted bv the collapse of so many plays on which the managers had fondly counted to keep their stages busy throughout the winter. The average playgoer has been extremely and disconcertingly astute this season. Here and there he has mulled a play, but lor the most part ho has shown an uncanny discernment ill the avoidance of stupid pieces, has exhibited a new and defiant refusal to pay 2.85 dollars for an entertainment worth, at a liberal estimate, about 47 cents. Confronted thus by an offish public, tho producers havo been obliged to spend their hoards of manuscripts like tipsy tars and now they must needs fall back on the trusty plays of other seasons. Tho wily Mr. Bolasco began his season with two revivals, and not long ago a shrewd prophet of Broadway predicted that there would soon ho a stampede to follow his example. .Already such resuscitations are upon us. ' Bought and Paid For,' ' The Chocolate Soldier,' 'Alias Jimmy Valentine,' 'Tho Squaw Man,' and 'Salomy Jane' are specifically announced and others are under consideration."

Little Miss EHecn Dunn, a solo dancer in "Merrie England," began with baby parts in pantomime, and has sometimes been disguised as one half of a comic animal. Last year she was seen in New Zealand as the small boy to whom the story of "Humply Dumpty" was told, and latterly she has played the Midshipmite in " Pinafore' f and other such parts.

There will bo quite a theatrical exodus from Australia by the Ormonde, which sails for England on February Tho passengers will include John D. O'Hara, Frank Freeman, Pirie Bush, Joseph Coyne, and several other artists who are either returning to London or are going there to seek fame and fortune on the stage in tho big metropolis.

The outstandinsc feature of tho new Gorman season is the unbelievably large number of French plays on tho Teutonic boards. Bored Americans, yearning for tho happy days beforo the war, assert that a perusal of tho Berlin theatrical calendar of to-day carries them back ten years to Broadway, a similarity heightened by tho fact that tho Berlin bars hold up their end of the affair very capably. A few captions critics assert that the rosemblanco would be perfect if only a few "comedy hits, direct from London," were offered. , .

One of tho most- successful of recent New York successes is " Kiki," described as a laboriously deodorised importation which sets forth the adventures of a French music hall director who, in order to spito another lady, takes a tempestuous and aspiring little Parisian guttersnipe into his houso and then finds that ho can't fen- the life of him get rid of her. In doing these didoes into English, says a reviewor, Mr. Belasco has landed (somewhat heavily) on tho expedient of writing it all out in the argot of an American chorus girl, with just asoupcon of French words and gestures. The central rolo is played with alluring and amusing gamincrio by Lenore Ulric, and, thanks to her, the piece socms likely to run forever or thereabouts.

A Now York revival of llio popular I.operetta, "Tho Chocolate Soldier," lias achieved- instant success. It comes, with its Savian satire on warfare, at a psychological moment in history when the nations are seeking to limit armaments. Perhaps that was why Lee and J. JShubcrt hrought tho celebrated Oscar Straus operetta back to life, as well as for tho reason that now is tho accepted time for revivals. Straus' score, as was expected, had worn very well during tho decade since it was first sung, for this light opera composer always has shown the facile gift of writing music that hand organs could not mutilate. As his latest work, "The Last Waltz," had occupied the same houso until recently with much eclat, first nighters were all the more impelled to comparo his later with his earlier work and it seemed that the latter at least fared very well in the musical argument. It can still bo whistled easily— nav, it will be. Says a reviewer:- " The Viennese never composed lovelier, more lilting retrains than ho did in ' The Chocolate Soldier,' and as ono listened to 1 My Hero,' ' The Letter. Song' and other fragrant harmonies it seemed againjhat they would sweep tho land." The Chocolate Soldier" wns first .produced in 1909, and was founded by its composer on Bernard Shaw's " Arms and the Man.

There was almost an understudy performance given of the " principal hoy's" role in the J- C. Williamson pantomime, "Babes in the Wood, on the first night in Melbourne, which would have been a most unusual, not to say unique, occurrence. Miss Norah Delany, who had been somewhat indisposed in the afternoon of the production, arrived at fhe theatre with her mind a blank as to her part. It was not till a. few minutes previous to her entry on to the stage that her memory returned. Probably " stagefright" occasioned lw nervousness was the cause of the lapse. Even seasoned artists suffer from the distressing malady on occasions. It is told of the late George Rionold that on a certain important " first night" he was so " nervy that on his first entrance ho forgot his lines. Edging over toward the prompters side ho whispered, "Give me the wore. The prompter, even more flustered than his chief, whispered, back, " Which word du vou want, sir!" Jlvsico-Dbauaiicus.