THE STAGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3522, 13 September 1921, Page 44

THE STAGE.

Contributions from the Profusion chronicling their movements ami doings are invited. All cormnuiiicationa to be addressed “Pasquin,” Otago Witness Office. PRINCESS THEATRE. Fuller Vaudeville. —Nightly. HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE. J. C. Williamson, “Welcome Stranger.’ September 15 to 20. Competitions.— September 21 to October 8. English Pierrots.—October 22 to 29. Dunedin Operatic Society (“Dorothy”). — November 26 to December 3.

THEATRICAL ANT) MUSICAL NOTES.

By

Pasquin

A . MONDAY, September 12. .ivxiss Laura Gucrite, the English revue star, will make a first appearance at the I nil cess Theatre this evening. Another newcomer will be Corona, the “wandering musician, ’ a clever oornetist. The program me will also include an entirely new lust part by the popular Smart Set Diggers and new acts by Berge and English, Marion Mahr, and Brull and Hemsley. Alexander Watson, the famous elocutionist, has had a most successful season at tne Burns Ilall. The hall ha s been packed every evening, and the audiences have not been loth to express their hearty appreciation of the art of the well-known visitor. Mr Watson will appear at Oamaru this evening, arid will give two more recitals in Dunedin this week (on Wednesday and Thursday evenings). Messrs J. C. Williamson, Ltd., announce a so ison of comedy commencing at His Majesty’s Theatre on Thursday. The first production will be “Welcome Stranger,’’ with John D. O’Hara and Jules Jord on in the leading parts. “Three Wise Fools” will be the second attraction . lhe Vice-Regals gave their final performance at His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday night, i. he company has left for the south. Cosmo Hamilton, tho author of ‘‘Scandal,” i,» a brother of Sir Philip Gibbs, the famous war correspondent and editor of London Review of Reviews. Cosmo Hamilton first made an impression as a clever journalist in London, his ability as a writer of lyrics and librettos for musical comedy giving him his first acquaintance with the stage. Subsequently he went to America, where his talents were quickly recognised. He became editor of a popular magazine noted for the cleverness of its articles and the beauty of its illustrations. All the time he was writing plays, .and of several which have been successfully staged, including “The Blindness of Virtue,” the most famous is “Scandal.” It- has now been presented in almost every part of the Eng-lish-speaking world, and has been translated into several foreign languages. Cosmo Hamilton has admitted that the royalties from the piece have put him in a position of complete independence. Marjorie Bennett, sister of Mrs Fred Niblo, and leading lady with Joseph Coyne in “Nightie Night” at Melbourne Theatre Royal, includes amongst her American experience a good deal of picture acting at Los Angeles, including six “feature” films. Miss Bennett said that it was a strange experience on arriving in Sydney to go to a picture theatre that night and see herself in a role she had enacted in Los Angeles months before. “It was like having a dual personality,” she remarked. Mr W. S. Percy, the old Pollard opera boy, who has returned to Australia after an absence of eight years, under engagement to J. C. Williamson, lias played many parts during his absence. «, When he left Australia he played for six months in New York in the comic opera “The Maid of Athens.” He then crossed to England, where he played at “the halls” and in revue for some years. Later he toured the provinces as leading comedian in all the London musical comedy successes. He made hie first big hit in London in 1919, and followed this with a prominent part in “The Boy for the Girl.” Last Christmas he was the comedian in a pantomime at Bristol which had a record run. “Some scenes are among the finest things in their kind l hat the dictator of Finnic has written in the 47 amazing years of iiis life," says a London critic of “The Honeysuckle.” a play by Gabriele d’A.nnunzio, which was given in England in June, before it had been produced in Italy. The story is that of a girl who, like Hamlet, finds that her stepfather was her father’s murderer. Apropos of Caruso, lately deceased: His wonder voice—said to be the most powerful and yet the sweetest and most sensitive to passionate feeling that has been heard within living memory—was united to a wonderful physique. The singer’s chest expansion rivalled that of the most famous athletes. It is said that Caruso’s larynx is likely to be preserved. Long ago a famous scientific laboratory in Europe paid £IO.OOO for the privilege of securing his larynx after his death. When Harry Lonsdale wrote “The Maid of the Mountains” he said it was “something different in musical comedy,” but he would have been a supremo optimist if he had expected it to have succeeded as it has. Its Canadian season has been phenomena.!. At Montreal it drew £12.000 in two weeks, whilst in Toronto the takings in one week exceeded £BOOO. Allan Wilkie's success in popularising Shakespearean plays confounds the sour critics whose constant chorus has been that “Shakespeare doesn’t pay” (says Wellington Free Lance). He is the first actor-manager in the Southern Hemisphere, who has had the courage and the enterprise to give us a season of Shakespearean plays on a worthy scale. Never have we had Shakespeare pri-conted so ably, with such attention to historical detail, and by a company of such all-round merit.. The custom has been for one or two stars to appear at long intervals in Shakespeare, but the supporting company has for tire most part been weak and unused to (he classic drama.

Mr Bertram Flolim, of Sydney, who is the judge of elocution at the Wellington Competitions, gi.es high praise to two of the performers in the competition for recitation in character (not humoroiv.) for b< vs and girls between 12 and 16 vers. He first referred to the performance of Masier Jt.hn Watchman, a lad who has been doing ' -etalion of “Joe, the ('ios.-in■ sweeper.” drew the warmest of applause f'nm t' e log audience. "John Watthnuin," sad the judge, “gave n very clever piece of charac-ter-acting tor one so young. Altogether I may say it was the best, piece of work 1 have ever seen for a boy. It brought teal's to my eyes.” High praise this, but a still greater compliment was awaiting Miss Ngaire Phipson, whose “Juliet” (balcony scene) had charmed the aucheiice an hour or so earlier. “Now,” said Mr Flohm, “I come to the finest piece of work 1 hive ever seen at a competition, and I speak with 25 years’ experience of competitions. I have seen them in Bendigo, in Ballarat, in Sydney, in Newcastle, in Dunedin, and in other centres. I have seen every Juket since Essie Jennings, but never a more beautiful Juliet than I have seen to-night. Never have I seen so fine a performance. a more captivating or a more handsome Juliet. She has a beautiful voice, and wonderful coquetry to use where it should ho used. I gave her the highest marks possible—l2o.” Master John Watchman was second with 115 points. In the cast of “Scandal,” now playing at Melbourne King's Theatre, are Maude Hannaford. Frank Harvey, Mrs Brough, Cyril Mackay, Kenneth Brampton, 11. R. Roberts, Fiances Ross, Emma Temple, and Doris Duane (wife of Mr Harry Cohen, the young Dunedin theatrical manager). When the last mail left America Katherine Grey, one of the finest actresses who have ever appeared in Dunedin, was appearing at the Frazee Theatre, New York, in a drama entitled “Gold.” Miss Grey made a great success on her New Zealand tour as the faithful wife in “Paid in Full.” The long engagement which Miss Jennie Hartley has signed with the Fullers will be interrupted for a spell at Christmas time, when the charming comedienne will return temporarily to the Tail Company to play principal boy in Sydney in “Sinbad.” This pantomime was not originally played in that city, (Miss Harilev is at present with the Fullers at Christchurch.