THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3842, 1 November 1927, Page 72

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL.

By

Pasquin.

Two novel revues formed the substance of last week’s programme at the Princess Theatre. The first was “My Island of Dreams,” a romantic little production with plenty of scope for good dancing, tuneful eh.jing, clever comedy, and attractive scenic effects. The second was “ The Blue Rose,” a Band Box musical piece with an interesting plot and a number of incidents that made/ excellent footlight •ntertainment. Throughout the principals ■and chorus were in good form, and the soloists’ songs suited their voices excellently. Sam Ward was at his best, and Heather Jones led the chorus in her own inimitable style. From first to last the show was worthy of the now popular Gayle Wyer standard. Built up and expanded from a little comedy, “Ages Ago,” written by Gilbert for the German reed entertainments of Regent street, “ Ruddigore ” (which will be presented by J. C. Williamson’s specially organised comic opera company at Dunedin on November 14) traces an historical connection with the genesis of the great Gilbert and Sullivan partnership, inasmuch as it was Frederick Clay, the writer of the music for “Ages Ago,” who subsequently introduced Gilbert to Sullivan. In 1886, with the partnership in full swing, Sulliv,an provided the music for the fully-fledgMl “ Ruddigore.” The ninth of the series of 14 operas (counting “Thespis,” “Trial by Jury,” and the rarely-played “Grand Duke”), “Ruddigore ” came between two outstanding successes —“Mikado” (1885) and “Yeomen of the Guard” (1888), with the equally popular “ Gondoliers ” following in 1889. Thus “ Ruddigore ” had to contend with a high standard of comparison when subsequent revival seasons were under consideration. On Saturday, January 22, 1887, at the conclusion of the initial performance, an enthusiastic audience called Gilbert, Sullivan, d’Oyly Carte, and the principals before the curtain, and a remarkable outburst of enthusiasm followed. Other of the Gilbert and Sullivan favourites will be played during the Dunedin season.

Joseph Hislop (coming to Dunedin on November 29), whose concert season under rhe J. and N-. Tait management has been a triumphant success, is to return to Melbournajin December, having been engaged to sing the tenor part in “ The Messiah,” to be given by the Melbourne Philharmonic Society. In “ Cradle Snatchers ” (coming to NewZealand next month) Herbert Belmore is a man with a roving eye, and Bertha Belmore one of the trio of flighty married women. Very different is it with them off the stage. Really they are busband and wife. In Melbourne last week they celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of their wedding. It was as members of the profession that they first met. Since their marriage it has been their happy lot always to -be associated in the same production. Mr and Mrs Belmore are English. The only. member of the company who is American is Maury Tuckerman, who plays “ the big Swede.”

Bert Errol, the well-remembered female impersonator, recently returned to England from a successful 40-week tour of America. Early in the new year he and his wife (Ray Hartley) will return to Australia.

The London correspondent.,of the Otago Witness, writing under date September 21, states that Mr Cyril Maude, the wellknown actor-manager, was to oe married in October to Mrs P. H. Trew, whom he has known for 25 years. “We will be married in London by the Dean of Westminster, who is a very old personal friend of mine,” said Mr Maude. “ I was his fag at Charterhouse. „ Our honeymoon will be spent in North Africa.” Mr Maude, who is 65, has had a long and successful career on the stage. He studied for the stage under Charles Cartwright and Roma le Thiere. His first part was in “ East Lynne,” in which he played in Denver, Colorado. Returning to England in 1884, he soon made a name, and within a few years had reached the top of his profession. Mr Maude’s first wife was Miss Winifred Emery,'who died in July, 1924. His only son, John Cyril Maude, was married in June this year to Miss Rosamund Murray, an American girl. He has two daughters also. ‘ Dragoman” (of the Daily Express) recalls that Cyril Maude, numbers no fewer than three V.C.’s among his relations. His uncle, . Colonel Frank Maude, won his in the Indian Mutiny; his cousin, Sir Frederick Maude, in the Crimea; and his son-in-law, the late Major Congreve, during the last war.

Ella Shields, popular male impersonator, has just left England for America, on’the last stage of a farewell tour of the world When Maurice Moscovitch returns to England next year he will lease a small theatre m the West End of London, and produce, a series of plays by famous dramatists of different nationalities. .John D. O’Hara, wt-11 remembered here it ‘ Lightnin’,” is dppearing in “ The Ghost Train ” at San Francisco.

• -Agnes Sorma, one of Germany’s greatest actresses, known to the patrons of the ■lrving Place Theatre in Nfew York 30 years ago, was buried last month in Germany, on the shore of Lake Wansee. She died in Chicago last June. She lies in the family crypt of Count Minotto, her son, at me side of her late husband, and near the

grave of the unforunatc poet, Von Kleist, whose “ Kathchen von Heilbronn” the played frequently. Stfella Wilson, who plays the leading feminine role (Rose Maybud) in the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, “ Ruddigore,” is an Australian, born in Broken Hill. Miss Marie Tempest’s daughter-in-law— Lillian Cavanagh, wife of Major Loring—has acted as her understudy in three plays, but has only been called upon once to take the great comedienne’s place on the stage. Pauline Frederick is still touring England in “ Madame X.” Elsie Janis, well-known American personality girl, has just signed a contract with J_ C. Williamson vaudeville for a season in Australia. It is said that Miss Janis will receive the biggest salary ever paid to a woman performer in Australia. There has been much discussion in the London press lately concerning the salaries paid to “ old-time ” actors. An interesting contribution was made to the Daily Telegraph by Lady Wyndham, who was a contemporary of Henry Iriving, and proprietor of the old Queen’s Theatre, London. Here is a copy of her salary bill in the year 1867. At the head of the list stood the name of J. L. Toole, who drew £lO 16s 6d for one week in September; next came Alfred Wigam with £7 6s 8d; after him John Ryder, £7 10s; Ellen Terry, £5; Henry Irving, £2 13s 4d; John Clayton and Lionel Brough, £2 10s each; Henrietta Hodson (afterwards wife of Henry Labouchere, M.P., proprietor of Truth), £3; Charles Wyndham, £3; and Henry Collin. 15s; the total expenditure on salaries for that week having been £66 17s 6d! Contrast those figures with the £4OO a week paid to leading musical comedians, or the £750 a week stated in a recent cable to have been offered to Charlie Chaplin for a 20 weeks’ engagement in the heart of the Empire. . With Mr Shayle Gardner, of Auckland, i. her company, Mrs Patrick Campbell recently made a reappearance on the English stage in a new play, “ Madame Kuranda.” She plays the part of a fortuneteller, and in i love scene she smokes a cigar. There are four murders Committed during the play, supposed to take place mysteriously after the victims have called on the fortune-teller. 'ln each case they give their money to Madame Kuranda, who has hypnotic powers. In the end one of her woman clients proves too much *or her.

Sir Harry Lauder may -oon return to the stage in a musical play. After nis wife’s death, a few weeks ago, he determined to accept no more engagements. Then, during a visit to London quite recently, he expressed himself as being extremely lonely. Indeed, the shock of his wife’s death has obviously aged Sir Harry. His son was killed during the war, and now he feels very much alone, possessor though he is of a b'eautiful estate at Dunoon, and more monej' than any other British vaudeville artist. “ Why don’t you come back to the stage, Harry? ” said Mr J. L. Sacks. “ If*“yoa will have a good British musical play written for me I will,” replied Sir Harry. “ 1 started you in London management. Now ± will help you to come back.” “ Although we have no contract Harry is a man of his word,” said Mr Sacks. “ I introduced him to the musical comedy stage in ‘ Three Cheers.’ That was 10 years ago, when he earned £5OO a week in salary and a percentage which always brought him in £BOO a week altogether. “ I am approaching Frederick Lonsdale to write me a book, and I shall try to engage Frederick Norton, who wrote the music of ‘ Chu Chin Chow,’, to do the score.”

Pavloya, the famous dancer, was involved in a motor car accident in Long Acre, London, recently, when her car, in attempting to avoid a collision with another car, ran into a horse and cart with a load of bricks. The bricks were sent flying all over the road, and the dancer’s car was damaged. Mme Pavlova was slightly shaken, and was driven to her home at Hampstead. She is playing a London season at present. The experiences of the concert public of Melbourne have been enriched bv the platform manner of the latest of Britain’s tenors to win his way into their affections (says the Australasian). Mr Joseph Hislop belongs to the Harry Dearth school of platform manners. Without the dominating and condescending egotism of a Chaliapin, he has none of the coldness and icy indifference of a Heifetz. He leans against the piano and acts every one of his songs as if singing in opera, and surrounded by the trappings of the legitimate stage. Like Harry Dearth he has smiles —subtle or broad—for different sections of the audience, and always seems bent upon establishing a cordial and personal sympathy between singer and hearer. On Saturday night Hislop had on his left a bevy of very pretty and charming school girls, who •2^ cul o led V lc fi rst two rows °f the seats. Ihe Scottish tenor never failed to reward the girls’ enthusiasm with specially gracious smiles, so obviously directed in the right quarter that half those on the h°°F of the Auditorium were “tickled to death, as the Americans would put it lhe camaraderie .between artist and patrons was useful at one critical moment. Hislops memory betrayed him when repeating a ballad. Suddenly he stopped and, with a broad grin, exclaimed, “ I have made a mistake.” Scratching his head and looking rueful he walked to the side ot his accompanist, examined the score, and then sang again with faultless brilliance. • Mr Hislop is wise in his generation. 1

“I know semeone who was a ra" and bone merchant, and could not sign his name, and yet, when he died, left a million of money. So far as we are concerned, we are not backing your education; we arc backing your brains and knowledge of the theatrical profession.” So wrote a Manchester cotton merchant, who provided the money .for a piece called “ The Girl from Cooks, whieh was recently produced by

one of the most remarkable men in British theatrical management. He is .Mr Joseph Leopold Sacks, who has been twice bankrupt. On the second occasion, which occurred not Ibng ago, Mr Sacks informed the official receiver that he could neither read nor write. He has had a remarkable career. He began as a clown in a when he was aged nine years. Recently he told Mr Hannen Swaffer. a leading writer on the London stage, that “ The Lilac Domino,” which he produced in London, and which ran for two years, made £150,000. One man who had put £5OO into the production had made £33,800 :n 10 months! The curious feature of Mr Sacks s career is that he had made "huge profits for other people, and, apparently, none for himself. When Sir Alfred Butt wanted a play with which to open the new Drury < Lane Theatre, Mr Sacks let him have “ Decameron Nights,” which brought in £50,000. Of that amount Mr Sacks said that he personally got 1 per cent, on the gross takings: “ A mere nothing.” The money which he made out of “The Lilac Domino,.’’ he said, “ all went,” in plays which failed. In Mr Sacks’s first London production, “Three Cheers,” he paid Sir Harry Lauder £BOO a week fo« 28 weeks, and Miss Ethel Levy £350 a week. He is very popular, and stage folk so sympathise with him in his misfortunes that they have formed a “ Poor Old Joe Club ” in his honour. JIM GERALD’S EULOGIUM. ’ In the course of an interview in Fullers’ News the popular Jim Gerald, who is now playing in Sydney, has this to say of Dunedin and its people:—“ I played in Dunedin during the South Seas Exhibition, and was very surprised and regretful to find that my own Australian homeland was not better represented there. It was a young Wembley, the British and Canadian courts being remarkably fine. Much c.f the British stuff came straight from Wembley Canada was magnificently represented. It was the first to fie finished and sealed before the opening, and it was my privilege to have a private view before that official date. In six weeks a million people went through the turnstiles. They closed in towards the million mark until finally one gate only was used, and in this fashion they captured the millionth person—a little <nrl—and presented her with a gold wristlet watch. Thirty thousand Dunedinites took season tickets at 30s each. I was intrigued by the models of Tilbury Docks and all the main arteries of London, and also by a miniature trade route of the world, showing the ports and waterways of merchant The Exhibition was held at Logan Park, which was previously swamp land. In my world's travels I have not seen anything to equal it as a display ” Jim Gerald attributes its success to the hand of the Dunedin Scots. “A Scotsman can always have the situation. He’s «>t a saving nature.” °