THEATRICAL NOTES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21473, 22 April 1933, Page 10 (Supplement)

THEATRICAL NOTES

COMING PRODUCTIONS •Town Hall: May 4. —Auckland Municipal Choir. Brahms concert. Concert Chamber: April 26 and 27.—Catholic Repertory Society, "A Hundred Years Old." Bis Majesty's Theatre: To-day.—Frank Neil revue, " Whirl of the World." Mar. —Amateur Operatic Society, " " Les Cloches de Cornevillo." lewis Eady Hall: April 27. —Concert of works by Sir. Frederick Cowen. [THEATRE AND CONCERT HALL The Auckland Catholic Repertory Society will present its inaugural play of the season, the Quinteros' subtle comedy, " A Hundred Years Old," in the Town Hall Concert Chamber next Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The well balanced cast has been working both hard and harmoniously under the guidance of the producer, Mr. Gaston Mervale, and tlio play promises to be np to tho high standard of production achioved during last season. Advice has been received by Mr. 'John Farrell, Auckland manager for J. C. Williamson, Ltd. that " Dante the Great," the famous illusionist, -will open st Auckland, at the conclusion of the Frank Neill Revue Company season. " Tho Wonder Man," as he is called in India, has no less than fifty new mysteries in his repertoire 9f strange and mystical scenas, and it is certain that before he leaves these shores " Sim-Sala-33im "/ will be on everybody's tongue. Special matinee performances' are to be arranged.

The Zoe Bartley-Baxter Players, who 'were responsible for staging " Nothing But The Truth " last year, have decided to give a plav, " The Vase of Venus, bv P. G. Cargo, a young English playwright,. in aid of the Community Sunshine Association's funds this year. The piece is the lightest of comedy, but has a remarkably interesting story running through it. *The full cast will be announced shortly. The date for the production has not yet been, finalised, but it- will probably follow directly the conclusion of the Frank Neil Revue Company at His Majesty's Theatre.

The cast to take part in the A. A. Milne three-act comedy, " To Have the Honour," which is to be presented in the Town Hall Concert Chamber on May 4, 5 and 6j has been announced by tlie producer, Mr.. C. M. McCallum. The players will include Misses Althea Parker, Mary Burges Watson, Joan Ross, Una Moore, A. Thome-George, Mrs. Moncreiff McCallum and Messrs. G. Brown-Douglas, Len Barnes, J. Mackle, K. Warburton and others. The play, which possesses an unusually intriguing plot, will be given under the auspices of the Navy League, Auckland branch.

A song .recital is to be given by Mr. Len Barnes, baritone,-assisted by . Mr. Haydn Murray, and Mr. Eric Waters, pianist, in. the Lewis Eady Hall on May v2; 'Mr.-, B&rhes? -songs 'will. include Schubert's " The Lime Tree " and' The Shadow,"" '" Pensee ■d'Automhe," the old "Scottish dramatic. ballad, ".Edward," " My Lady Fair,'.' "The Two; Grenadiers," and others. Mr. Murray's violin solos will be Kreisler's " Tambourine Chinois " and' hisarrangement of Pugnkni's "Praeludium and , Allegro."r Mr.- Murray will also play obligates to several of Mr. 33arnes'-sdngs.. , -

"Grand-Opera Up to Date." -willbe <on6 of the features of the .Frank, Neil. .Revue, " Whirl of the World," which opens at His Majesty's Theatre to-day. As a finale to the*first part of the Show, the to-hole company will tako part in an act which -purports to' represent grand opera as ,it. would .be if .written under modern " jazz " influences.'" The second -part or'-the *" Whirl .'of the World ".will have a complete story running through. ,it- ; ■ Miss Miriam Lester, whose brilliant soprano voice is one of the great of the revue, will be heard" in several colourful songscen/is, includilig-- " Pearl of the Pacific " and " ChanKonette," arid Miss Ella; Shields . will present an entirely new repertoire. 'George Wallace, naturally, wUf'Winj.% thick of. the fun, and .all the other "artist's,""including the Cleveres, -the London Savoy Band and .Maurice'; Diamond's .ballet will ■ take .part. •• .. • ' 4 Music can, and does, speak for itself in a language of higher import than the language of words, says a'writer in the April'issue of " Music in .New Zealand," in depreciating the practice, of prefacing, public performances by introductory 'remarks purporting ;to givo the inner meanirig of the work to be performed. He points out" that music 'has only sometimes-" a meaning beyond itself." Probably no cultured musician would allow that Bach, in his instrumusic, is trying to depict a scene or to toll a tale. Tho same may be said of many other composers. As Schumann once said: " A boy will find one story in the notes, a man another, while tho composer intended neither of them." J. A. Fuller Maitland also savs very wisely: "Tolstoi, in 'The Kruetzer Sonata,' proved to his own satisfaction that music by itself could excite " a particular desire; " but it is extremely doubtful if any of the writer's admirers ha 3 succeeded in reading into Beethoven's music the meaning the novelist found (or put) there." Unfortunately, so many who make a habit of prefatory remarks labour to place Boij)e extraneous meaning upon the music which in all probability was never jin the .composer's inind when he wrote