THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 1 March 1921, Page 44

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

ID

RASOIN

Monday, 1' ebruary 28. Fuller’s new revue company will present for its second production at the Princess to-night a musical comedy entitled ‘'Six Little Wives,” which should much more than repeat ithe success of the first piece. On the vaudeville side the management will introduce in Ferry the Frog one of the most astonishing acts in current vaudeville. In addition to this novelty, fresh acts are scheduled front Brull and Hemsley and Harrington Reynolds. That bright combination of artists, the Fashion Plate Dandies, are being rewarded with good houses. 'lhe company opened at His Majesty’s, and shifted this evening to the Burns Hall. The entertainment is a bright, colourful, and widely varied ono. The gifts and graces of the members of the company will, no doubt, commend them to large audiences throughout their tour of New Zealand. Mrs John Hopkins left London by the Orontes on Saturday to join her husband in New Zealand. Mr Hopkins is well known in theatrical circles, and is the director of the Fashion Plate Dandies, now showing in Dunedin lhe London correspondent of the Melbourne Argus mentions amongst more recent productions those which have managed to command a long season. These are Barrie’s “Mary Rose,” which, apart from its dramatic merit, is an artistic satire on spiritualism; Galsworthy’s “The Skin Game,” and the old “Beggars’ Opera,” which is a musical play, and had a wonderful run at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith. Of interest to opera lovers of the old school is the decision of the J. C. W. firm to stage Mozart’s delightful woi’k, “The Marriage of Figaro.” for a short season. It was recently produced at the Melbourne play house for two nights, and proved to be such a draw that the firm decided to follow the public lead and do the thing properly. Readers of Ethel Dell will be. interested to learn that one of her novels, “The Keeper of the Door.” has been made into a picture, and is now being shown in Auckland. The scenes are laid in England and India. ' and Peggy Carlisle takes the heroine’s vole. It is an English film. Once, when rehearsing one of his own plays, the late George Darrell stopped proceedings to admonish his juvenile lead for garbling the text. “Speak the lines, my boy,” he said. “I want every word, as written. If you don’t know your part go home and study it. It’s worth it.” The mummer, resenting being called over the coals, remarked acidly, “Well, you know, it isn’t Shakespeare, Mr Darrell.” ‘Perhaps not.” Mr Darrell rejoined, “but it’s jolly near it.” At the Kenning!on Theatre, London, Miss Victoria Cross has just had produced a play entitled “The Greater Law,” of which the Daily Mail says that “it certainly seems to be greater than the ordinary laws of dramatic construction. It has nearly every possible fault, and moved the critics to mirth to an _ extent that must have made Miss Victoria Cross indeed.” Mr Brandon Cremer was producer and dame in “The Babes in the Wood’’ pantomime at Bulawayo. South Africa, recently. The Marie Tempest-Graham Browne comedy company is to make an extended tour of the small towns in the North Island. The sex and problem pictures are being rather severely censored in London as something unfit for young people to see. In 1919 it is said that there were more than 2000 of these bed. bath, and sex drama films offered to the London public, to more than half of which the trade censorship, not regarded as particularly squeamish, reused to grant a certificate. lhe return to the stage of Mr Gaston Mcrvnle. one of the best character actors Australia has known in strong narfs. is a feature in the success of “The Lilac Domino” at Sydney Tivoli. Mr Mervale nlavs the gipsy lender of nix orchestra, and though the part is a comparatively small one the actor finds his dramatic opportunity in the second act. Mrs Llovd George at Cardiff recently presented the prizes at, one of the larges! male voice choir competitions on record. Sixteen English and Welsh choirs eomneted. Mrs Elovd. George handed to the conductor of the winning choir a goid cup worth £2OO. given by the Prime Minister Mr T Lord George. " Writing from the Grand Oners House Svdney under date February 10 Airs Allan Wilkie (Miss F Runtev-Wntfs! says:—“We are here for five weeks —Caesar goes nn. rod,olio We men to-morrow night. We had a trinmnh'd march I h rough Tasmania. Plans after !hi« uncertain, possible Gueenskand for E»sfpr T am one \vbom the rile lmffels of theatrical touring have SO incensed -m-ainsl the world that if T am „ot bound for New Zealand J , ..,-e not "here T go to suite the world. We are both a - fii Os He nrm-w-bi.al am! pvo-ai" nlnughmm. As always 1,2, ,-e a m v season we are having a strenuous Uhio.” “A first appearance on the Australian stage will he made, in ‘His Lady Friends’ by a young, prepossessing actress from England. Miss Doris Duane” (says Sydney Mail). "This young artist, while winning honours in London as a. comedy actress not so long ago, proved also on occasion that she is an accomplished pianist.” Mis

Duane is the wife of Mr H. I. Cohen, the young ex-Dunedin theatrical manager. That there is still money in drama if the right specimen is presented is proved over and over again, and, what is more, Uie play-going community never tires ot it. 'lake tne case of “Ben iiur.” It is still being played up and down America ; indeed, by the terms of their license the managers wno have run it tor so many years must continue to stage it so long as it shows a profit. And the profits have been enormous. Up to now the piece has earned more than £200,000. Negotiations for the film rights of the remarkable attraction are pending. A year ago, when Mr David Griffith, the foremost picture producer in the United States, asked the price, the huge sum ot £IOO,OOO was quoted. While motoring to a place near Hednesford (England), where one of his vans had broken down, Mr Jack Bostock, one of the proprietors of Bostock and Wombwell’s Menagerie, was killed. His car crashed sud denly into the van, which was without lights. Mr J. Lawson, an English actor, who had been touring Australia in “Humanity” and “lhe Monkey’s Paw,” died suddenly from pneumonia a fortnight after his arrival in England. He was 55 years old, and had toured the halls of England, America, and Africa a dozen years in his well-known sketch “Humanity, or Only a Jew.”