PLAYS AND PLAYERS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6861, 3 July 1909, Page 6

PLAYS AND PLAYERS

BOOKINGS AND PENCILLINGS

OI'KItA HOUSE.; ' Juno 26 to July 17—llnynplJ ■ and;- Gnnn's Opera Company. ' Jnly 10 to July 24—Minn Hamilton. July 26 to Aueiißt. M -Pollard Opera Co. inirii.it 16 to 23 O. Mungrovo. Auijiißt Si to 31 —MiK» Hardinso Maltby. September 2 to 16— J. C. Williamson. Bopt. 17 to Oct. 16—Allan Hamilton. Oct. 25 to Not. 13—I. C. Williamson. Not. 15 to Dec,. 9-.1. C. Williamson. December 10 to 18—. V. ISrariscomlm. Doc. 26 (for six wojkn)—./. C. Williamson. niEATEK BOY AD. In Season—Pullers' Pictures. TOWN lfAbl.. July 3 to 23.—West's Pictures.

NOTES

(By "Lorgnette.") The audiences which nightly packed tlit. Opera House durins the past week have certainly no raiw' to complain about the escellenco of tho faro provided them by tho Meynell and Gunn Cornio Opera Company. "Miss Hook ol Holland" is one of the daintiest and prettiest musical plays ever staged m tho Dominion for quite a while, ihe musio is bright an<l catchy, the dialogue crisp, tho dressing ami .scenery gorgeous, whilst the. company that interprets the piece is one of superexcollence. Tho orchestra is also first-class, and the general verdict of Wellinston nlnysoere is that the combination, from principals downwards, have "mado good." There, is no gainsaying the fact that Messrs Mevnoll and "Gunn are entitled to the j heartiest thanks of tho New Zealand playing public for sending to theso i ehore-s such a brilliant, constellation of artists, and are fully meriting tho sup- i port given them.

Tlio Messrs Fuller have- secured a fine series of pictures for the patrons of the Theatre Royal this week. Amongst the many aro several beautiful scenic lilms, whilst "the comic pictures arc greatly appreciated by the audiences who nightly visit this popular place of amusement. Thia evening will be presented a realistic film of the Arnst-Wobb boat race.

Messrs Me.ynell and Gunn's New English Dramatis Company is playing Sydney Arthur Jones' new society drama, "The Hypocrites," to excellent business at tho Melbourne Royal just now. Tho diama is said to bo uncommonly powerful and well constructed, and is receiving iU reward at the hands of the playgoing public commensurate with its merits by being nightly witnessed by largo and a|)preciativo audiences. When required tho company will produce tho lata Wilson Barrett's drama, "Lucky Durham."

Miss Lottio Sargent, tho comedienne of "The King of Cadonia" Company, says that sho has been on the stage "for years and years." When her questioner declares truthfully that she does not look it, sho explains that sho began her career at the age of seven, playing child parts with Sir Henry living's _ famous Lyceum Company. She was with him for eight years, and thereafter, save for two years in farcical comedy at the Vaudeville Theatre-, London, she has devoted her talents to the lyric stage. She was the soubretto in "The Ciay Crisetta"—with Mr Bart Gilbert as the comedian, and also in "San Toy," "The Toreador," "My Lady Molly," and so on. Twice she has been to America with Mr George Edwardes' London Company, and last year .she toured South Africa us Eliza in "The Dairymaids," Millicent Li-roy in "The Blue Moon," Mamie Clancy in "Tho Bello of Now York," mid several other roles. She returned iiom .South Africa in time to take up F.lizu in the revised edition of "The Dairymaids," which Courtneidgo put on in London last year.

Miss Meredith Meredro. who will make hci first appearance in as piiiicipul boy in . the pn.ntomj.nio "Cinderella," is a native of America, having been born in Denver, Colorado, where her people have a ranch. She made her .mark some years ago as a s_iDge.r, having won a scholarship open to the whole of the United States, and was sent to Vienna to complete her training, where she appeared in grand opera with great success. She also sang before the Emperor Df Austria, who presented her with a brooch studded with diamonds. Miss Meredro also appeared in grand opera at tho Metropolitan Opera House, Now York. Subsequently she joined the comio opera stage. She has also appeared as principal boy in pantomime it Drury Lane. This will be Miss Meretiro's only visit to New Zealand, as sho is engaged to appear in pantomime in London at Christmas.

The booking for tile opening of the Nellie Stewart season in Sydney on June 19th, for Beats at 7s Get each, was greater than it was for Margaret Aug I in, and equalled that for "The Merry Widow." Tho whole of the circle and Italia were practically absorbed by "the preferentialists" boi'oro tho ordinary plan opened. . - r

As anticipated, Mr J. C. Williamson's jipeotaeular extravaganza "Jack and Jill," finished extremely strong, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, after a ran of some ninety- performances, which includes sevoral records.

The management of Messrs Meynell and flnnn'd Comic Opera and Pantomime Company has decided to make its first jhango of programme on Wednesday evening next, when the pantomime Cinderella-" will be presented. This piece, which holds tho record run of seventeen weeks in Melbourne, will bo staged on tho same lavish scale as in Melbourne. Tho principals are virtually tho same as in tho original Melbourne - production. Mr Cromwell will appear as the baron, and his fun-making is sure to be as irresistible as in "Miss Hook," and in> no, less deKToe will bo Mr Brett's presentment of the baroness. Mr Payne is said to have a great opportunity in this piece to display his abilities as a dancer and comedian. Miss .Ruth Lincoln will play Cinderella, whilst Mips Meredith Meredro will make her. first appearance in Wellington a« Prince Casimir (the principal boy). Tlie other parts are in caprtble hands, whilst the management promise something extra special m the scenery, , dresses, and ballets. The final produo- , tion of the season will bo "Tho Belle of Mayfnir."

West's Pictures and Do Groen's ViceRegal Orchestra will commence a return reason at the Town Hall this evening, when the management promise to submit for public approval a programme comprising some of the latest pictures ever produced. Tho "star" picture of the lirst programme will be a.realistic representation of Kmile Zola's novel, "L'Assommoir." This; film will be backed up by a set of dramatic, scenic, and comic pictures which ought to satisfy tho most fastidious. The musio incidental to each picture will also be up-to-date.

Bishop Greer, at a dinner to the. National Conferenco o£ ChurcTi Clubs at the Hotel Astor, New York, on April 27th, spoke, in part, as follows:—"I Have in mind tho evil, yreat and srowiutf, working its way into the drama and tho theatre. I am not an enemy of the drama or tho theatre, but I do condamn. the immodest, tho salacious and the indecent of the drama and the innuendoes on the stage. It is time for tho ohurch and the churchmen to speak out in opposition, to protest and to make that protest loud and strong. This is one of the things that the church club. 9 can do; to cut out this canker

for the sako of the drama and for the sake of society, tho. rising generation and the growing youth of both sexes."

Mr J. C. Williamson's reorganised company will open a season in Melbourne shortly with "The flag Lieutenant." Mr Thomas Kingston will play the Cyril Maude part, the rollicking i(ivy man, as brave as a lion mid as lively as a schoolboy, and Mr G. S. Titheradge will make his first appearance, after his recent severe illness, as the Admiral. New members of tho company will be Miss Ethel Warwick, a prominent leading lady who has done excellent work in England, Miss Dorothy Grirnston and Mr Lewis Waller, inn. who arrived bv tho Omrnh. Miss Emma Temple, Mr Eardley Turner, Mr Gregnn McMahon and Mr Cyril McKay will also be in tho cast. "TTenri of Navarre," one of_Mr J. C. Williamson's recent purchases", recently celebrated its 150th nerformance in London, where Miss- Julia Neilson and Mr Fred Terry are still playing it to very excellent business. It is probable that Mr G. P. Huntlev, the well-known comedian, and Mr Maurice Forkoa, the handsome French light comedian will tour Australian .and New Zealand next year undei' the aegis of Mr J. C. Williamson. STAGE GOSSIP. It is seldom that New 7-ealnnd playgoers have tho of seping three comedians of such high-class calllire in the same company as Messrs Fdwin Brett. AVilliam Cromwell, and Tom Pavne, of the "Miss Hook of Holland" Cnnrpany. at present appearing at the Ooera House. Said that Meynell and Gunn willliave two nantomimes running in Australia at Christmas—one in Sydney and one in Melbourne. "Poor chap! Everything he earns goes on his wife's hack!" W^ 1 ' lf you had seen her at tho opera the other night you wouldn't think he earned much." . , Tolstoy's "War and Peace is tt> bo produced in St. Petersburg, the performance covering five successive evenings. Mr Kyrlo Bellow's starring vehicle tor America next season will bo Mr 'Alfred Sutro's new play, "The Builder cf Bridges," in which Mr Georgo Alexander and Miss Irene Vanbrugh appeared at tho London-St. James' last Novem- . Cosmo Gordon Lennox and Henry Hamilton are said to be among the adapters who are reading up .the late Marion Crawford's works, with a view to dramatising those which they may find suitable. . In a London interview George Bernard Shaw said of Charles Frohman: He is the most wildly, romantic, and adventurous person of my acquaintance. Cuyler Hastings has been engaged by Mr William Brady to play Oliver Whitney in Miss Grace George's company in "A Woman's Way." ~■,., '.. Henri Bataille has instituted suit against Madame Sarah Bernhardt lor 20 000 francs as compensation tor work done upon an' adaptation of 'l'aiist, undertaken by her order. ■ Madame Bernhardt's defence is that the adaptation prepared by M. Bataille proved unaCMaur'ioe Maeterlinck has lost his case against the directors of the National Opera, Paris, from whom ho demanded XSOO for each performance of the operatic version of "Manna Vanna, on the ground that tho production of tho author was unauthorised. Mr Charles Waidron has been engaged for the leading role in "The Whirlpool, to be produced in New York shortly.. In one of tho finest opera houses m. Italy the following notice is posted:— "The police forbid people hissmg, bringin" and using tin horns and other instruments. LKe pans, etc.), to interrupt tho performances, or throwins_things '— at the singers. . A model and pedestal of tho Dubois statue of Joan of Arc, now in the Palais Koyale, Paris, has'been made for Maude Adams, and is now in the foyer of the Empire Theatre, New York.