EASTERN SPECTACLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18461, 26 July 1923, Page 9

EASTERN SPECTACLE.

" CAIRO *' AT HIS MAJESTY'S, TRIUMPH FOE OSCAE ASCHE. The effect of Oscar <Asche's "Cairo" upon the senses is little short of overwhelming. It . may be ' described as the last word in modern sta.ge-craft.'. As a spectacle it is a ' striking example of the wonders which the wizards of production can conjure up before the vision of dazzled spectators. It offers a succession of scenes so gorgeous, so brilliant, so kaleidoscopic in colouring, and so sensuous withal, that there is no scope for the exercise of imagination on the part of the beholder.

The magnificence of the various Orien-, tal settings and insets, -. the astonishing' lighting fvnd shading effects, and the hand-1 ling oi the animated ensembles show tha j touch of a master director.: This lavish i : splendou? would well befit the greatest play that could be written into it, and the fact that the one it does embrace is riot a great play comes; out - by the very force of contrast. "Cairo" is like a resplendent painting,: glowing with ', colour, but weak as to subject matter. The picture, so to speak, pales into mediocrity in comparison ; with the ■ frame. f'< It needed a Shakespeare to provide the drama for this sumptuous setting.. .-- At its first ' presentation, in New •• Zealand at His Majesty's Theatre ; last , evening, j "Cairo" was witnessed by a crowded 1 house and its success was never for ;a j moment in doubt. Latter day productions I have come to bo lavish to a hitherto un- j foreseen degree, and as , a type this one , stands head and shoulders above its 'pre- | decessors. Nothing more ornate in <he way of scenic effects has been offered to ' playgoers in this city. Those who love j to revel in , the pleasure to be gained by! feasting the' eyes upon highly artistic - } scenes and costumes, and upon dances barbaric, bizarre and > classical, will find much to delight them in."Cairo." It is a triumph of staging, grouping, realism, and elaborateness of detail, showing sheer genius -in its preparation and presentation.; • Remarkable Work of the Producer. The Egyptian Palace: scene. . with: its , stairway ballet, or series of ballets, and . its ultimate wild carousal is as thrilling as anything previously attempted here. The episode is staged with the utmost skill, and with an eye for the sensual, with the result that what transpires may be. said to closely approximate the actual, ;.o Oriental history tells it. The stage and . stairway are crowded at the close of the scene with apparently intoxicated revellers ! exhausted' after indulging in » 'Bacohana- i , lian; orgy. It raises : visions • of : ; ancient j Rome, and . of the days of Cleopatra, and j carries the spectator away, on a wa_ of I enthusiasm. Preceding th"is finale to the ; act the dance; scena introduced is a wonderful feature, almont beggaring description • ' 1 I ; The . reputation of Oscar. Asche as a producer must inevitably be enhanced .by this latest achievement, and he will probably be content with fame for this side of his art rather than for the dramatic side. " Cairo," as : a play, . falls short of the highest standards of dramatic art. The story is not by. any means an enthralling one, ; nor. are the , characters drawn with very special care. Possibly it is that the vision is so 0 insistently assailed by en. ticing. and colourful sights that the melodramatic- plot loßes its significance and fails to greatly _ impress. '.'Th©. interest in the production is certainly sustained more by the ever-changing ecene» than by the tale unfolded or s the people of the play, with the single exception of Ali Shar. ; ■ Oriental- Music a Strong Feature. Another factor . which ; serves to r fascinate the senses is the music of' " Cairo," by Percy ; Fletcher. ' I The. . necessary atmosphere 1 might almost ' have been created by the score . alone, and, though, its function .in that respect .has ' been , largely taken over by the scenic artist and the costumier, .in conjunction with the ' producer, it . yet "retains sufficient influence; to intensify the general effect; created by the spectacles paraded before th«

view. • . 1 ; . v ; . Truly Oriental in ; tone-colouring, the mu<sio accompanies the, action- almost 1 continuously. It is : replete with r insidious melodies, ;; haunting ■ airs, - and seductive blarmooiuqs,, .forming -in •-« its : entirety a' musical ; poem of ,• outstanding: ; beauty. 1 : Played- by a, skilled , orchestra under the | baton of Mr. Adrian Annadio it receives fuM ;■ ■ justice.,V.; The • company finoladea | several male : singers in: the chorus, and ! they have important interludes of choral I singing, all effective, ' and none more so' than the song , ofy.the y pilgrhhp, " Hast Thou Been to Mecca !*' the solo' 1 to which is admirably sung by Mr, Oliver Peacock. | The vocal gems -of " the production > are j allotted '• to the (. character of ;; Zoajmnrud," I prettily played by - Miss Bene) Gold.' She 1 has a very dulcet soprano voice of beautiful tone :• and modulation, and. sings most expressively. : " My. . King of . Xxsve,'^ " Wher. ; Love Knocked] Upon the Door," and " hove in "My Breaat," - are bet chief numb era, ; ; each ( - having a beauty ;of its own and each . being ; rendered ■ with , artistic skill by both singer and orchestra.; Subtle Character Study of taa Wrestler. ,a Other ; sinking examples of the composer's gift for, assimilating the - Eastern atmosphere and imparting,'ft to his ' work ijfn " Cairo" are ; From Bagdad -v Wo Come," sung by Oscar ' Asche and chorus —a.* markedly characteristic introductory number music : ■to : the dance-poem, " Hear Thou My Say," recited effectively by Miss Doris Champion, a semi-tragic Sharazad, The Kin of Nur-Al-Din," and the ballet and incidental music. Throughout expert , use is made by the composer of „ his drums and string' instruments, / and the recurring wail of many of the drawnout -notes, is - both •(. alluring and true to | conceptions . of the . m«k>dic strains of the land of the Nile. v'' ' Oscar ■; Asche in the dominating r^le; of Ali; Shar, wrestler,' boaster and wit,'-, to I say ' nothing of his leadiness ;to. be ;'B. j rogue, makes , his - study .irresistibly % con- [ vincing. The portrayal is remarkable for the subtleties and 'by-play introduced, making the character a many-sided one, and one to like withal.; ; There is a forceful 'dramatic ; sub-strata underlying the work of the actor-producer, which serves as a ; fine contrast to ; his' merrier ; 171 cads. The latter are typified in the scene on, the i bank's -of .the Nile when, by beguiling,!' he. first arouses; the anger of the pilgrims bound for Mecca, and ' subseauently robs 'them by j a cunning ruse, j Oscar Asche has a personality not to bo J denied ;or overlooked, and : his Ali Shar I takes rank 1 with his best artistic creations.

Many . Other . Notable ■ Features. Mr. Wensley. Russell : plsvys , exceedingly well ' the ' part of V Abu, a clown, * halfbrother.: a3 it : were to Pagliacci," yet of a modern type. * His fine tenor voice is heard to advantage in " From ' Bagdad; We Come," and in ' bis . solo, " -A- : Fool i There' Was," a i number rather ' outside ! the sphere of the rest, of the music, v but cleverly conceived nevertheless, and ably written.,! Of striking merit i is ; the performance of Miss Jessie Page, as a ■ Chinese J woman. She emits stra.nge squeaks, in gibberish for the most part, but makes the role one to be recollected afterwards for all that, by reason of her fidelity to character. As the Chinese husband, Wei-San-Wei, Mr. Mason Wood is ■ also exceedingly good, and his solo, '."Me Welly Good!, Old Chinaman," is one ••• of V the •"hits "'of the piece. i The interest in the spectacular . phases of "Cairo" is accumulative. ; By , rare art the producer leads the onlooker gradually from the dark to the lijrht, and back v again. Opening outside the gates of the - city, the' scenes progress to the brilliantly lit gardens of the Sultan , (Mr. Harold Franklin), the;: dim lit. old, Egyptian palace, and ruined temple in the* hills, 'and,, in between, the blazing scene in _the slave market. - It; is all very bewildering and fascinating. ' Tho production has only a limited sigasoa to run, and % the first , matinee f- be , given 'On Saturday, afternoon. :; '