“CHU CHIN CHOW”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10963, 27 July 1921, Page 6

“CHU CHIN CHOW”

EASTERN REVUE OPENING NIGHT AT THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE. LAVISH ORIENTAL PRODUCTION. "Chu Chin. Chow" has come to us, but 'not entirely unknown. To many of the men who fought in the Empire's cause the stimulating vision of the romance, the splendour, the inscrutable mystery of the East, staged ut the Grand Opera House last night before a gathering that filled -every ©eat, will awaken memories of the Skunrne campaign, in 1916, when tlie production commenced its career at the bidding of Oscar Asche, a career that eclipsed ail known records of the stage and only ended this week, after 2200 appearances. Many of the veterans who witnessed the initial performance in Wellington last night will say to-day that this kaleidoscopic series of romantic and realistic scenes from the familiar story, the old Arabian Nights tale of the Forty Thieves, loses nothing in the setting compared with wliat they saw in His Majesty's Theatre, London. The stage at the Opera House is a trifle larger; the scenery is identical with the canvases the Ilarkers painted for Asche; without a fresh daub from Australia or New Zealand; the costumes are the same as the famous Simmons designed; and the lighting effects are identical. In one detail, that of the cast, there is a difference; only two of the present company appeared in London. As to the production itself, it is the exact replica of A selle's r 'Chu Chin Chow/' with the addition of the love element he introduced in the second year of it© running, and the three scenes, the Small Oasis, the Starlight Scene, and the "Big Oasis, probably the most beautiful of all the scenes in. the T>lay. The charm that has been felt by Lon* don playgoers for the past four and a half year's was felt eaUally strong last night, ifrom the moment the curtain rose on the sixteen scenes that form the sta.ee setting of this Oriental enectacular production. The mu-sic of Frederic Norton, suggestive of the Arabian and other Eastern modes, is continually rhythmical and .rather sugary, but of tlie sort that pleasee the taste* 'and sometimes, approaches the sensual. There is a, perpetual gyrating and posturing and madcap dancing in this rich beauty show, an audacious decolletage, a gorgeous heap of coloured stuffs. The mysterious atmosphere of the region that was the cradle of the world is vivified; there is lavish grimace and guttural frightfulness in the melodramatic passages; there is -sentiment and to spare in the warbling and moonlight serenading -of the lovers: but the best thing is thq^fullblooded, fruity fun that runs luce a golden thread through, this irresistible theme of pictorial illustration of polychrome Orientalism.,

The title role of Abu Hassan (Chu lOfliin Chow), the terrible, eye-rolling, truculent robber-iShayk is admirablyportrayed by Arthur Sty an, with immobility of countenance, mask-like demeanour and portly dimensions that mark him at once the Chu Chin Chow of China, merchant mandarin, who has a purple palanquin * and "a record that is strangely clean," he says, "in Shanghai, China/" He has in thrall the voting and beautiful slave, Zahrat-al-Kulub, the Bloom of the Desert. For this part Miss Temple hae just arrived from. England, and her appearance in Auckland was 'her ’first in Australasia. With passionate intensity, and much of the wisdom of the world in her eyes, she has carried out her part as spy to Abu, to earn her release and her return to her lover, Omar,' in the desert. When, with her attendant dancers, sho rushes into the slave market, a Babel of (Strange Oriental sounds, and denounces the robber to the populace,, but | is captured again, and is removed to the robbers' cave, the audience is deeply moved by her. In this and the last sqene where she attacks thie robber i chieftain with a dagger, to avenge the people's wrongs, Miss Temple reaches the pinnacle of her dramatic talent, displaying a wealth of passion ana declamatory power. Those who heard it will be long in forgetting the tenderness of her, appeal to her lover in the oasis. Charles Workman sustain* an important role in Ali Baba, half. reeling, half dancing, always in search of liquor, a strange and attractive figure whose genial personality won every heart. Mr Workman dispenses a rich vein of hu-| mour with lavish hand through all his work, and won further favour in a mun- I b«r of very tuneful ditties. A familiar figure, wiedli-knowm inShakespearean roles, was that of Gerald Kay Souper, as the miserly scarecrow, Kasim Baba, who denied himself the simplest luxuries in hoarding his gold. Paul Plunkett, who was here in the "Girl in the Taxi/ company, has many pleasing entrances in the part of Nur-a 1-Huda, son of Aid. Hie! sympathetic baritone voice is joined with; that of Marjanah, a ringing slave. In j this part Ida Griffin was a pronounced! success, her soprano voice giving the full , : expression required of the long, chro-1 mafic passages that were characteristic | of the music. ■She was happily associated with hiiin in tho exquisitely-coloured scenes in the singing tableaux. As Mabubah, Ali Baba'e wife, Miss Eily Malyon made her first acquaintance with us, in sustaining the balance of humour in the whole production, in the quaint domestic denouements that life with her tippling and- singing husband brought her. Maggie Moore, known to this and the last generation, of theatregoers, infused plenty of human interest into the light part of Slave Dealer. Of Omar, Zohrat's lover, the audience saw too little, but what they saw introduced Sidney Haynes in an impressive presentation, of the pathos and melody associated with hi a ill-starred life. The familiar "Cobbler's Song" was sung with, fin© effect by Frank Wignall, whoso acting indicated a close study of a somewhat unusual role. Dave Loffman, Lottie Sargeant and Frederick Mackay, a s the father, mother, and brother of Omar, participated l successfully in the pafche/ic scones surrounding the lover's five-v/ars search for hie "desert tiower." Other parts ill oapable hands were those of A Dancer (Ethel Keys), Abdullah (George Graystone), The Auctioneer (Lawrence Hardinge). Bean Seller (Bert Robinson), Kasim's Head Wife (Pearl Ladd,) Fitnalh, a Slave Dealer (Jessie P'age), Mabubah's Servant (Bertha Miller), and the Sister© of Omar (Misses Lilian Glover and Ethel Keys). Striking notes in the production were given bv the presence of a camel from north of Broken Hill, in the Australian desert country.; two donkeys, one of which is very obviously the mother of the other; the gorgeous coloring of the ballet id the later act; the sunlight effect in tho desert; the strife and din of the polyglot mass that thronged tho Bagdad lanes, and the market place; the jewels of the robber's oave; and the beauty of the vignette stages in which n anv of the most melodious of the love tunes and ditties were rendered There was nothing at fault in the singing of the dual and choral numbers, or bhe orchestra! work, under the baton of Mr B. J. Roberts. It would he a difficult task to present in mere words an adequate idea of the ever-changing scenes of lighting, - colouring and shadj. J‘he audience was ©imply bewildered, and a note of solemn respect. rather than exuberance in applause. was one of the characteristic features of a production that was staged without a hitch anywhere. Tlie dances ware arranged bv Ethel Keys, Mr Les. Doneghv was stage manager, Miss Vivian Baokhouse, wardrobe .rnif-'t-'ess, and Mr J. O’Neill pioperty ■nv-ister. The whole production was stag'd under the personal supervision of the director. Mr Robe r t Grevr. There will bo a matinee to-day and «%Ti <Sflt« r rt«vß and Wednesdays during the currency ©t the ‘season.