THE STAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 52

THE STAGE.

Contributions" from the Profession chronicling their movements and doings are invited. All communications to be addressed "Pasquln," Otage Witness Office. PRINCESS THEATRE. Fullers' Vaudeville Company HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. January 29 to February 2.—Marie Tempest Company. . . February 13 to 18.—Williamson's Musical Comedy Company. "The drama's laws the drama's patrons Sl T «> And those who live to please must please U> live." tMIAIIUCAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By Pasqdix^

Tuesday, January 22. The departure of Cyril Maude arid Co. has left a blank at His Majesty's Theatre which, fortunately for playgoers, will be adequately filled by the arrival of the Marie Tempest Comedy Company, opening on the, 28th inst. The season is a brief one, but such the rapidity of the changes that five plays will be staged during the company s stay. The first to be produced will be Ihe Marriage of Kitty," remembered by old playgoers for the performance of Rose Musgrovo as Kitty. Following this will be staged "Penelope," "Mis Dot,' Good Gracious," " Annabelle," and "A Pair of Silk Stockings." Mr Robert Williamson, the touring manager, has arrived to make the preliminary arrangements. Edna Seaton and P. Oakden Brooks are two prominent newcomers in Haverley s Irish Company at the Princess Theatre. > Miss Seaton is a dainty dancer—a past mistress of terpsichore in all its branches, and during her stay in England, where she toured the Stoll circuit as "The Australian Sparkle,. for 104 weeks, she followed her natural bent by studying under some of the most famous teachers of the art. Mr Brooks has also had English experience, and was _ engaged by Geo. Dance to play Nuclei in ■'•The Waltz Dream." . The Johnson Revue Company, which has been the principal attraction at the Princess Theatre for the past few weeks, has said .farewell, and departed for Christchurch, where they will play a brief season. The other New Zealand centres will follow prior to their appearing in Sydney. Mr Hugh Ward, who has been in America for some time in search of new plays, has succeeded in engaging quite a number of the latest New York successes, which, after being seen in Australia, will eventually be presented in . Now Zealand. When Marie Tempest was managing for own theatre she made a search among the great "unacted" for' a play. In less than a year she had paid over £2O returning 'scripts by registered posts. Ethel Morrison, who was last here with "So Long, Letty" Company, is a member of Marie 'Tempest's "Marriage of Kitty" Company. She has a small but a very bright part in the play, that of Rosalie, a serving maid, from which she extracts a deal of comedy. Ivy Schilling, the beautiful young Australian pantomime dancer, who left New Zealand some years ago for England, was at latest appearing in a revue, "Three Cheers," in London, together with her partner, Fred Leslie, who is also an Australian, and once well known with J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Cos. In the last two years Allan Wilkie has read approximately 200 plays written in Australia. "Of these," he says, "only three were at all possible. The other 197 were quite out of the question." One ambitious writer refused to allow his play to go on unless at least £SOOO was spent on production. The majority of the plays were on war topics, but there were several with a social setting. A New York correspondent reports that Mr Oscar Lewishon, husband of Miss Edna May, who was made famous by " The Bcllo of New York," has died following an intestinal operation. In the Kathlene MacDonell production of " Peter Pan" at the Criterion, Sydney, has been ' appearing Melbourne Ward, tho younger son of Mr Hugh J. Ward. He plays Nana, the dog-nurse, in the first act, and tho lion in the second. "Thus," remarks a .Sydney paper, "he may be said to have made his entrance into the profession on all fours." J. C Williamson (Ltd.) attractions to bo produced during the year make a long list. Tho dramas include "The Silent Witness," "The Easiest Way," "The Thirteenth Chair." "A Scrap of Paper," "General Post," "Tho Heart of Wetona," "The Man Who Came Back," and "The Willow Tree." Among the comedies are " A Tailor-made Man," " Business Before Pleasure." "The Cinderella Man." "Captain Kidd. Junior," " Hit-the-trail Holiday," "Johnny. Get Your Gun," "Nothing But the Truth." "Parlour, Bedroom, and Bath." Musical plays include " Tho Maid of tho Mountains," "Mavfcime." 'The Aviator," "Oh, Boy," "Oh, Oh, Delphine," and "What Next?" Peter Dawson, who arrived back in Sydney recently after an ">ro years, states

that ho ia mora than glad to be in Australia again. iSincc he last appeared on the Tivoli circuit Mr Dawson has played the whole of South Africa, and made many London appearances. Also he found time to take up his favourite and lucrative hobby—that of singing for gramophone records. A number of these, will shortly be released for .sale in Australia, Mr Dawson makes his reappearance at the Tivoli shortly. Miss Kathlcnc MacDonell scored a big success in ''Peter Pan" at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney. Miss MacDonell in that titlo role is said to have given a performance that absolutely realised the author's ideal. Mr Charles Waldron was Mr Darling and the Pirate Captain James Hook. Others included Fred Cambourno as Smee, Eily Malyon as Mrs Darling and Tiger Lily, Gracie Laver as Wendy, .Jack Radford as John, Cecil Haines as Michael, Charles Melbourne as Nana, Audrey Worth as Tootles, Esther Mitchell as Nibs, Mione Stewart as Curly. The play was produced by'E. W. Morrison. Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, the wellknown actor-manager, left property of the gross value of £44,085, the net personality being £39,515. After stating that he had already provided for his wife and children by settlement, he bequeathed the plate and other household effects at his residence to his wife, directing the executors to apply £SOO for her benefit, pending her coming into the receipt of the income under the settlement. Subject to a legacy of £lO3 to his former cook, he leaves the residue of the property on various trusts for members of his family. Sir Herbert empowered the executors to carry on his business at His Majesty's Theatre for such period as they think fit. It was his desire that his body .should' be cremated. WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS. Br Pjstkr Pan. Januaiy 18. Dear " Pasquin,"—The last two performances by the Marie Tempest Co. drew crowded houses, the final house on Saturday night being the greatest of the season, eclipsing that of Boxing Night. Bert Royle, Williamson's New Zealand representative, looked after the business side of the Marie Tempest Co. when in Wellington, and ho also went to Christchurch as general manager. Duncan Neven, who took the' " Intolerance" film through the Dominion for J. C. Williamson (Ltd.), and also did "advance " work for the Marie Tempest Co. and the Musical Comedy Co., has returned to Australia. Charles- Berkeley, now that the '.'Grumpy" tour has finished, will go "ahead" of the Musical Comedy Co. The Comedy Co. just mentioned has had a successful tour of the "smalls" on the way down from Auckland. The company is at Masterton to-night, and opens here tomorrow evening in "You're in Love." This company's tour will finish in Timaru on February 19, when it will return to Australia. Joseph Blascheck, the monologuist, writes to say that he will probably be touring New Zealand shortly. Miss Alyce Austin will again accompany him. Victor Beck writes from Christchurch that he is well on the way to completo recovery, and hopes to be "on the road" again in a very short while. The Kennedys, a 'musical trio, well known in the Dominion, are a big attraction at His Majesty's this week. Ted M'Lean and Genevieve Lee, two clever artists in potted plays, are also top-notchers. The Alerts have returned to Sydney. PRINCESS THEATRE. The accommodation of the Princess Theatre was overtaxed on the 21st, and the sale of tickets had to be stopped some time before 8 o'clock. The attraction was the first appearance of Tom Haverley's Musical Farce Company. The outstanding feature of a particularly bright show was the crispness and spontaneity with which the burlesque was carried through. The plot, if so it may be called, rests entirely on the complications which result when Dan Murphy (Tim Haverley) and Mike Casey (J. P. O'Neil) return from a holiday trip to Coney Island) whereas Mr 3 Casey (Miss Carol Warner) had understood the holiday was to be spent on a game hunting expedition to the mountains. The fun starts when the two "sports"' endeavour to igive Mrs Casey some idea of the perils which beset them from all sorts of vyild animals, and her woman's cusiosity time and again brings them to the verge of disaster. But when Flossie Highkiek (Edna Seaton), one of the flames that the sports had met at Coney Island, makes an, unexpected appearance at the Casey's house, and has to be hidden away from Mrs Casey's observant eyes, the 'fun waxes fast and furious. The success of the play practically rests on Messrs Haverley, O'Neil, Billy Moloney (Deacon Jones), and Miss Carol Warner, and they at times had the audience in shrieks of laughter with their quips and cranks. A fine array of chorus girls—the Kewpie Kids—played a most important part in the success of the burlesque.' Beautifully dressed, in many costumes, appropriate to the chorus, they quickly sang and danced their way into the favour of the audience, and on each of their appearances were heartily applauded. In fact, in their particular forte, they had just as much to do with the success of the performance as the principals themselves. A number of the girls also gave an acrobatic and posing turn, which made an instant appeal. Several songs were contributed durinjr the evening, the "Ragtime Parson." bv Billy Moloney, a couple of solos by F. Oakden Brookes, and " Umbrella Ella" by Edna Seaton standing out for mention. The audience was most appreciative, and the company must have been very gratified with its reception. On the strictly vaudeville side, a number of excellent items were presented. The Kranks—male and female —gave a fine display of trick cycling, and a • third member —a little girl—was loudly applauded for her singing. The Musical Bentleys made a welcome reappearance, and it can, without exaggeration, be said that no better performance on a xylophone has ever been heard in Dunedin. It was, indeed, a musical treat. Items by James Bain, Little Verna (dance artist), and Harris and Gold completed the programme.