MUSIC AND DRAMA OF THE DAY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18547, 3 November 1923, Page 8 (Supplement)

MUSIC AND DRAMA OF THE DAY.

f THEATRICAL NOTES. ■ p ■ -m* — Melbourne's Theatre Strike. -'Melbourne theatres recently experienced the novelty of a strike behind the scenes. The trouble, which had been brewing for many months, came to a head like a bolt from the blue, and a few minutes before the usual time of starting the performances the stage hr.nds at the principal theatres walked out in a body, and left the proprietors and managers to move their own scenery, with whatever help they could obtain. At the Princess, King's and Her Majesty's Theatres the performances were carried through, but the Theatre Royal was closed after a large audience had assembled. The trouble did not extend to the Playhouse, where Mr. Allan Wilkie's company is producing Shakespearian plays*, nor to._tho vaudeville and picture theatres, where scene shifting is not a great item. It TST said tTYat the trouble arose through the decision of the various theatre managements to enforce a provision in an arbitration award, under which if. is permissible to "intermingle" the stage staffs — the scene shifters, property makers, mechanics and electricians.

• The large audience at Her Majesty's Theatre quickly became aware that something unusual was occurring behind the scenes. The orchestra was some minutes late in making its appearance. There it sat in its quaint garb of 200 years ago, and leisurely handled the instruments, while, the audience waited for the curtain to rise. But the minutes passed, the lights went down, and yet nothing happened. The audience became - impatient, and it was whispered that trouble had occurred with the scene shifters. Then the curtain —an inset scene of old Charing Cross— seen to move and ■wobble. It rose a few inches, a.-d displayed the trousered legs of a valiant official who was endeavouring to raise it higher. But after many struggles the curtain dropped back into position amid the laughter of the audience. At tins stage, Mr. G. H. Smith, manager of the theatre, appeared in a box and announced that industrial trouble had arisen which, although not directly its concern, had involved the firm. Craving a few minutes' indulgence, he expressed a hope that in five or ten minutes the audience would have the pleasure of witnessing the performance of ** The Beggar's Opera." The audience cheered and waited in patience and good humour. Shortly after 8.50 Mr. P. Finklestein appeared before the certain and announced that the hands concerned in the trouble had "locked" the curtain before .their departure, with the result that it could not ''is moved. To overcome that difficulty, the curtain would be cut away. The audience again cheered as officials appeared, and, standing on ladders, cutaway the curtain, thus displaying the inset stage with a narrow wooden stay, the only obstacle between the players and the audience And so the play proceeded. By shortening the intervals the lost time was made up, and the strike consequently had no real effect upon the progress cf the play. The audience, in fact, had the 'added interest of watching the slight reconstruction of the stage for the setting of the different scenes. The artists entered into the spirit of the thing witti zest, and the audience thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment. Plays and Players. Priscilla Verne, one of the best known of earlier Australian vaudeville artists, is meditating a -return to the footlights. <. Mrs. Allan Wilkie (Miss Hunter-Watts) a few weeks ago sustained the loss of her lather, Mr. J. Hunter-Watts, who was a -prominent political economist in England. The Westminster Glee Singers who are short'iv to pay New Zealand a return visit, have a. pleasant habit, which might with advantage be adopted by other concert artists. "They announce the names of their encore pieces and the composer before they start'. Mr. John . F6ulds, the brilliant English composer, whose remarkable " Armistice Requeim " will bo played for the first time at the Albert Hall., London, on November 11, has invented a new percussion instrument, consisting of hundreds of small cymbals. These give a curiously-persua-sive golden "shimmering" sound.

Just before lie produced " Send for Dr. O'Grady," the late Sir Charles Hawtrey underwent the Steinach operation for the renewal of youth. Apparently this simple operation cannot stop the progress of death, for the play was cut short prematurely by his death. Marie O'Neil and Arthur' Sinclair both made big successes in the piece.

The Humphrey Bishop Comedy and Operafic Company which opens in Auckland a few days before Christmas is composed for the most part of well-known English artists led by Mr. Humphrey Bishop himself, who conducts the orchestra. Comedy predominates and the vocal side is said to be exceptionally strong, including as it does Mr. Walter Kingsley, a noted London baritone.

Anna PavJowa is returning to New York. Since she was last seen there she has made a tour round the world, carrying her art for the first time to Japan, China, the Philippines, Straits Settlements, India and Egypt. The results of her observations in all of these climes have coloured the new ballets and shorter dances that she, has been presenting in England and which she will introduce to New York at the Manhattan Opera House.

Mr. Edward Branscombe, director of the Westminster Glee Singers was a member of a very old established institution which used to offer an annual prize for an original composition in either madrigal or glee form. On one occasion Dr. Callcott, a noted English composer submitted nearly 100 separate pieces, his reason being "fo show that if deficient in genius, he was not wanting in industry," and though he won the prize, this had the effect of the. club limiting the number of items to 12.

Mr. Dennis Noble, who is playing in "Head Over Heels" at the Adelphi Theatre, London, is also assistant lay vicar at Westminster Abbey. He. is the only musical comedy actor who ever held th« Abbey appointment, and appears in "Head Over Heels" by special permission of the Dean and Chapter of tho Abbey. He was a chorister at Bristol Cathedral before the war, left the trenches to join the Fifth Army Concert Party, and twelve months ago, after some stage experience, joined the choir at Westminster Abbey.

Mr. W. S. Percy, the popular comedian, who has been delighting Australian and New Zealand audiences for the past two yearsafter a lengthy sojourn in England ' l 8 again leaving. Recently he received! a cable from Sir Oswald Stall, one of the ior<-, m o at English managers, offering a | rucrative engagement m London. Mr. ! and n w 6a A ately cablcd *' s acceptance i i'v l^ 0 "' 111 '' iron, Svdnev last ■ Kn r Nov-W^^hSvSg Miss Kate fKittv\ n • to Auckland afteroo np '° I,has returned I .which she studied £•"• '' ,bro:i(i du ''»>«' great masters until * &n 5 i . untVsr ,he honours at CovSt'^ achl «ved «** Pion has appeared »»»',' , Mlßs CamK..ya! Opera J" * PH^ a * , ° nna °* the Royal Carl Ro* a ooe/ fl r int (!iird «»- chief Philharmonic Sori P t;« an c y ' ,£ nd the ish Isles. She is C £ tn,,lv f thR Brit " and Australia prior tiT -7- CW ? oiiliu,d %-. ■ where she is P to si ,?, \™ im & A ln „;. ca m - records. Miss Campion is „W?? >'■£.'..**« E Taylor, her Wk " ? life ■•. JUTS. *■>-, * a J> •» net husband belnjr a vmii ;.; . Ja»wn xmpressano. « "V»ng ■ a veil-

IN FILMLAND. 1.. » —- ■ The Romance of The Cinema. The romance of the cinema reveals a. career of amazingly rapid growth. i Only twelve years have passed since the first Wild West films were shown to children in shops on Saturday and Sunday nights, for the modest fee of one penny. It is estimated now that over 20,000,000 visits are paid every week to the cinemas of the British Isles; the amount of capital invested in the industry in England alone is well over £50,000,000, and film artists, who at one time were content with two or three pounds per week, now earn, in some cases, as much as £100,000 or more annually. Naturally, there were fortunes for the pioneers of this young gold-mine. One of them, now a millionaire, was formerly behind a counter.

An ex-working tailor has recently purchased a world-famous West End theatre for a sum considerably over a quarter ot a million. Two South Wales tradesmen, one a dealer in furniture and the other in watches, bought a cinema there four or five years ago. To-day they own eight prosperous picture-houses round about London, bringing in a htfge revenue. Of course, there have been failures, but these can usually be traced to lack of enterprise, carelessness, or bad judgment. There is a man in London to-day who would jump at the offer of a job at £3 a week, vet not very long ago he owned a super-cinema worth £150.000. But such cases are rare, and the number of bankruptcies among exhibitors is scarcely more than a dozen during the past t\\\> j years. To-dav a palatial up-to-date cinema. I built to" hold 1200 to 1500 people, _ will j cost at least £50,000 from start to finish— i the Regent at Brighton is stated to have j cost £400.000— and many of the London 1 houses to-dav are worth anything from i £120,000 to £500,000.

One small cinema, seating only about six or seven hundred, is actually valued at £160.000, and recently an ' offer of £850,000 was put up for seven London picture theatres. In some cases houses are rented, although to-day it is practically impossible to tret a West End house on these terms. The highest prices are obtained in London, hut the provinces are not very far behind, especially in the great industrial and holiday centres. Thus, £2500 a year was recently asked for a house in a northern town, and another in Kent is rented at £2000 per annum. Notes and Comments. Blanche Sweet has returned to the screen in a prominent part in Metro's "Quincy Adam's Sawyer." In a recent exhibition of patented articles in London, a curious exhibit was a. special type of loot-gear for cultivating Charlie Chaplin's famous walk. Lupir.o Lane, the well-known English actor and dancer, has signed a two years contract to appear in Fox film productions, at a salary of £15,000 a year. A shipwreck was staged so realistically in the San Francisco Harbour, for Thomas H. Ince's "Anna Christie," that the life-saving station mistook the activity for a signal of distress, and quickly sent two lifeboats to the rescue. Dead English kings and queens sauntering through the grounds of Windsor Castle and on the famous East Terrace caused a sensation there recently. Queen Victoria! was seen being wheeled in a bath chair by her Indian attendant, accompanied by King Edward when he was Prince of Wales. Henry "VIII. and Anne Boleyn walked together, while Charles I, tripped down the steps from the East Terrace, to the picturesque lawn below, where Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex walked together. This pageant of dead monarchs was staged by the Samuel- ! son Film Company, who are preparing a picture of historical interest for the Great British Film Week next February. Mary Pickford is trying to escape from . . ". Mary Pickford. Rumours that the world is not so much in love with its sweetheart as it used to be have reached the ears of Mary herself, with the result that the simple, unaffected girlish figure which has almost monopolised the film public's affection for 12 years may soon disappear from the screen. It will be replaced by a Mary more staid, more mature, but not., it is to be hoped, less charming. Mary's popularity has never fully recovered from the set-back of her unhappy divorce tangle, in which she was far more sinned against than sinning,. The new Mary will first be seen in a passionate Spanish role, and for this film she took the step of engaging the services of Herr Ernst Lubitsch, creator of German film art. admittedly the best builder of screen spectacles. " Then she will he seen as Juliet, in a film version of the Shakespearean tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." Associated with this film is a rumour, not less tragic, that the pari, of Romeo may be played by Mary's husband, Douglas Fairbanks. Anything I might happen where Douglas is concerned, and the distance between garden and balcony would offer no barrier to his athletic manner of love-making, but I cannot believe that Mary would ever allow Douglas to go through Shakespeare in leaps and bounds. Finally, the new .Mary will appear as Dorothy Vernon of If addon Hall, a :ole which is the dearest wish of her heart.

Figures which have just been issued at Washington illustrate the statement that the United States still retain a practical monopoly of the film supply of the world. From the beginning of the year until July 31, a total of 112,195,654 ft. of film were exported from America, with a value of nearly 4£- million dollars, as compared with an export of 104,921,934 ft. for the corresponding period of last year. On the. other hand, import* of filim into America have decreased materially, and for the half-year they showed a decrease in value of nearly one million dollars. This year 89,058,258 ft. of film have been imported, as compared with 130.972,758 ft.. for the corresponding period last year. These figures include all classes of film find they prc\e the popularity of American made film both in the raw and mmufactmed state.

In connection with American film expoit from the beginning of this year until July 31, it is interesting to note that the largest amount of finished filmthat is, film on which cinema plays nave »' ready been photographed—went to .Australia, which received nearly 11,000,000 ft. —equal to nearly twice the amount that was sept to England. At the oilier end of the scale stands Siam, which received only 480 ft. Quebec and Ontario received 8,635,000 ft.; ' Argentina, 7.060,000 ft.; Brazil, 6,285.000 ft.; England, 5,G93,000ft,; Japan, 3,692,000 ft.; Cuba. 2,474,G00ft, ; New Zealand. 2,036,000 ft.; France, 1,973,000 ft,; Denmark. 1,738.G0Gft.: Mexico, 1,737.000 ft.; China, 1,466,000 ft.; Straits Settlements, 1,136,0'>.)f*,. ; and the Philippine Islands, 1,255,C00ft The figures for India and Britisli South Africa are especially interesting, as they bear out the contention that those countries ate indebted to America for nearly a ; l their film:;, which arc shown both to Europeans ami natives. To India as much as 2 C46,000ft, of film wero exported, and to .South Africa, 2,307,0C0ft. Austria received only 4000 ft., and Germany 790.000 ft. In the mont.T. of February alone, 270,000 ft. were exported to Germany, but after I"hat, through internal dissensions and the co'i*eque'it difficult'es of shipment, ihe figure in July fell to 13,000 ft. Only 3000 ft. were sent to Ireland, and none to Scotland ; but these I countries were hugely covered by the ex ports to England. To the Dutch and trench.West Indies none were sent, but w«riL Br, . t K h West Indies 1.326,000 ft exported. To Palestine and Syria ISia/^OOoTt'. 1 ' imd W the Hedjazlnd

MUSICAL RECORDS. ■ 11 «» — Among the new records tho Apollo Orchestra is represented in a pretty little intermezzo entitled "' Peter the Vaga bond," on the. reverse side of which is one of the latest fox-trotsi, "Why Cry When We Part?'' Why indeed? The appealing " Last Waltz" of Oscar Strauss, has been recorded by that excellent musical combination, the Black Diamonds Band, which has added on the reverse side of this capital 10-inch recoil! Gene Williams' " Caravan" fox-trot. A tenor bracket that ought to be acceptable for sing-songs at the week-ends is Lewis James' " For the Sake of Auld Lang Syne," quite a captivating waltz theme, and Victor Roberts' "Why Should 1 Cry Over You," which as *»3rybody knows, is a good fox-trot,. As a song it certainly goes. Bandsmen in particular, and those generally who like cornet solos will lit interested in a new record by Herbert L Clarke, " Russian Fantasie.' and a scherzo, "Showers of Gold." These are played bv this well-known executant s characteristic finish and style. Also, they are. his own arrangements.

Billy Murray— make way for the lion comique this time— in a fox-trot song how "I was Married up in the Air. and proceeds to relate that ho has been "Up in the Air" ever since. Bracketed to this whimsicality is a piece of sheer nonsense, which he calls " Jimbo Jantho." a good record for week-end gatherings.

Pryor's Band, which in the past presented gramophone enthusiasts with sonic delightful numbers comes forward among the new lists with two good march themes, " Manisot," and "The Kilties." The latter opens with " The Campbells are Coming," and later on there is introduced tho haunting strain of " Annie Laurie. '

Melville Gideon, whose tenor improvisationshe sings his own songs and plays his own accompanimentshave quite a following in this country, presents this month " When the Sun Goes Down," and " On the Banks of the Nile," in a style that ought to appeal to lovers of Saturday night sing-songs round the home tires or in seaside whares.

When it comes to a rousing march there are few bands so delightful to listen to as the famous Coldstreams, which this month presents a march bracket, " The Three D'G's" (Brooby), and the "Punjaub March" (C. Payne). Each is in the well-known style of the military quickstep, and is played by the bind with rare finish and precision.

An instrumental quintette composed ol violin, harp, 'cello, organ, and velesta ought to be able to produce some exquisite effects. This possibility is tested and proved bv a delightful record by just such a combination, which presents in a 10-inch record -which everyone ought to possess Desormes' " Serenade des Mandolines," and Varney's "The Dance of the Moonbeam Fairies." The effect is altogether charming.

A dance orchestra which invariably, in the language of its native country, " has the goods," is Paul Whiteman's, which this month is represented by two fox-trots—" Hot Lips Blue" ana " Tricks.'* One rather boggles at the exact implication of the title of the first of these, but the music at any rate iu full of lure. In each of these the feature is the playing of a few bars of introduction, the idea being to prepare the dancers for a successful launch, so to speak.

It is possibly true that however bad things may be "with us, individually ox collectively, they are worse in Russia. At any rate, Sam Mayo thinks so, in an amusing music hall ditty just recorded for the gramophone. Sam has a lugubrious down-trodden drawl that makes one think of a down-at-heel individual sheltering under a verandah on a wet night, and it is on this impression that he relies for the success of his jokes. His two songs, " Things are Worse in Russia," and " Ha-ha!" are screams. If you like this sort of entertainment Sam this time is a winner.

The introduction of the saxophone into dance orchestras has opened up possibilities for instrumental humour, as is plainly to be seen in a new offering by the International novelty orchestra, which this month presents two fox-trots,' which are distinctly funny" You Can Have Every Light on Broadway," and "Never Mind." The first of these opens with " Home, Sweet Home," punctuated with a laugh from the saxophone. These American novelties take some getting used to, of course, but one can imagine plenty of rallies in New Zealand where this record will be welcome. The same orchestra, by the way. also presents an attractive bracket in " Twinkling Star," and " The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.''

From a perplexed correspondent comes a complaint which must be familiar to all users of gramophones. When running a certain soprano record through his machine an annoying screech," technically known as " blasting" is heard on a particular note. With a baritone record —it happens to be one of Buffo's, the screech is heard on a different note. He wants to know what to do about it. In the first place, blasting is caused by a jangle of vibrations acting in. discord. Piano players are sometimes worried by a jarring sound in striking a particular note. This is due to the same cause. The remedy is to discover the cause. In the case of the piano, the jar is due to a discord of vibrations between those of the note struck and those set up in some object either on the piano itrelf or in the room. A loose screw in the candle-stick, a vase on the top of the —why do people put vases on the tops of pianos ? — a lamp shade loosely fixed, will do it.

lln the case of the gramophone the trouble is less easy to locate. The most common source of "blasting" is from the sound-box itself. To test that, take your sound-box and the records from which you get the " blast" along to a brother enthusiast and get him to run them through his instrument, using your own sound-box. If the " blast" is still there, the sound-box is the trouble. The cute is re-tuning, which is best done by an expert. The plate or tympanum of the sound-box is very sensitive to climatic changes, and gramophone enthusiasts, who have taken the trouble to master the technical principles underlying the mechanism of the sound-box frequently do their own tuning. Very often a Una of the screw over the small spring at the' top of the sound-box on the reverse side of the mica plate will do the trick, but don't fiddle with the thing unless you are either well up in the scientific lore of the subject, or are wealthy enough Co pay for your experimentation by buying a new "sound-box. Tuning a sound-box •» a long and ticklish business sometimes, h-fi there is always a danger of '' flaking" the plate. By the way, if your plate is flaked get a new one. Flaking is recognised by the appearance on the plato of what look like water blisters underneath.

If the sound-box comes out of test without a stain on its character, then proceeding to apply the Sherlock Holmes method of detection by the elimination of possibilities, you can easily prove, by trying the offending records over on your friend's instrument with his own soundbox, whether the trouble lies with the records. If they are all right, then go back home and go over very carefully every part of your own instrument. See that the movable .parts are swung truly, that the screw attachments are firm, that the tone an» swings easily, and so on. Hut in most cases the root of the trouble is to be found in the sound-box itself.