The Stage

Otago Witness, Issue 4014, 17 February 1931, Page 64

The Stage

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL

By

Pasquin.

n The Journey’s End ” Company concluded its Dunedin season on Saturday •night. There are over 100 people concerned in th» production of “The House That Jack Built.” which will be staged in Dun-, edin on Saturday, February 21. Included- in the company is the popular comedian. Jim Gerald, who has achieved his best triumph in the role of Dame Barlevcorn. Jim Gerald recently toured New Zealand as the principal comedian -in “The New Moon.” in which production he won the reputation of being one ot the best and funniest comedians who nas ever appeared in New Zealand. Roy- Rene is also well known to New Zealanders. Features of the production are the chorus ballet, and the beautiful ensemble's A full oneratic orchestra is under the baton of William Redstone. Two celebrities of the musical world are to visit Australia shortly. Mark Hambourg, the world-renowned Russian pianist, and Peter Dawson, the famous Australian baritone, are to open a joint tour of Australia with a season in 1 ertn earlv next May. after which tney will make an extensive tour of the Eastern States and New Zealand. Mr Hugo Larsen. of Adelaide, is the entrepreneur, who has been instrumental in ari anging for Australians to hear again these two celebrated artists. Mr Larsen returned from a business trip to London, New York, and the Continent recently Mark Hamhour o ’. he said, is at present touring , on the Continent, where his fame is uudi mini shed, and Peter Dawson was busy touring England when Mr Larsen left.

Negotiations have been completed with Madame Clara Butt and Mr Kennerley Rumford to come to Australia under engagement to J. and N. Tait. They will sail from Hongkong, where they are now. and reach Sydney via Brisbane at the end of March.

“ Sons o’ Guns.” the musical comedy which had a successful run in Sydney, has onened in Melbourne. In the cast are Elsie Prince. Bertha Riccardo, Gus Bluett, and Leo. Franklyn. Kittv Reidy, an Australian girl, is principal bnv in the pantomime “Robinson Crusoe ” at the Lyceum Theatre, London.

Argus, the mental marvel, who created much interest in New Zealand a few years ago is touring West Australia successfully.

The companv formed from the recentlydisbanded Allan Wilkie Shakespearian Company has been appearing for some time at Hobart. Lorna Forbes and Alexander Marsh are in the leads. Barrie's fantasy, “Peter Pan,” was staged in San Francisco recently, with charming Marion Clayton as the boy who wouldn't grow un. It was the first presentation at the Curran Theatre for 25 years, and brought back memories of Main! Adams. Walter Fennell, formerly of Hawera. a li"ht baritone of great vocal gifts and a charming style, has been singing at Home, and winning praise from critics. He was to sing two songs, by command, in a concert programme before the King and Queen in aid of the Royal National Lifeboat Institute. There were amazing scenes in .New York when Vveslev Hill, a negro actor beloved of the Harlem section of the city was buried. Known throughout the United States as “Gabe.” he took the par of Gabriel in Marc Connelly’s scriptural play, “Green Pastures.” He was killed by a taxicab, and his death caused tremendous emotion. There were many Broadway actors and actresses at the obsequies.

It is estimated that the late Anna Pavlova. the world-famous dancer, travelled 350,000 miles in her tours to various parts of the world. She was a wonderful dancer and a wonderful artist. The Midnight Frolics, headed by Clem Dawe, were at latest appearing in Perth. The company includes Sid Halliday, Lina Watson, the Austral Trio, Kitty Stewart, Len Rich. Edna Ralston. Cyril James, Eric Edgeley. Nell Maguire, Les “White, and Lou Cottam. Charles Albert, one of the original Pollards and last in New Zealand with the Humphrey Bishop Company, is dame in the pantomime, ‘ The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe,” in Melbourne. Nellie Bramley and her dramatic company are at Perth. At latest advices -they were reviving their old successes, “ Fair and Warmer ” and “ Peg o’ My Heart.”

Stan Foley and Hector St. Clair were appearing last month in the revue “Topsy Turvy” at St. James Theatre, Sydney. Marilyn Miller, the American stage star, has announced her engagement to Michael Farmer, an unknown, who. Marilyn announces, was born in Dublin and has a delightful Irish brogue. Marilyn has had two husbands already—Frank Carter, her first, was killed in a motor accident ten years ago; and her second, Jack Pickford, she divorced three years ago in Paris. Raymond Massey, brother of the Canadian Minister at Washington, United States, is said to be the richest actor on the stage—a happy state of affairs, surely, for most people in the acting profession are reputed to be notorious spenders. Mr Massey, by the way. is a grandson of the famous Methodist blacksmith who invented the self-binder harvesting machine and founded an enormous fortune. Berlioz’s masterpiece, “Les Troy ens ” [(“The Trojans”), which has never been performed on the stage in England, had a triumph at the Opera House, Paris, the composer’s native city. The failure of the piece when it was originally produced

in 1869 killed poor Berlioz—the crowning blow to a life full of crushing blows. He died neglected; at last his avork is coming into its own. NASTY LANGUAGE. St. John Ervine, the novelist and playwright. thinks that plays and novels are too full of phrases that nasty little boys used, shamefacedly, to scribble on hoardings. He considers that at the theatre in London or New York one hears words lisped bj- young ladies that were formerlv spoken only in secrecy by men. He has heard epithets freely used on the stage and printed in novels that have hitherto been considered suitable for utterance only in back street public houses. He cuttingly comments on the use of common oaths and blasphemy with as much ease as a comment on the weather, but is unable to determine whether the language is blameable on the author, or is just gleaned from the conversation of the modern young people. The language of uneducated sewermen in moments of extreme exasperation, he considers, not fit for use on the public stage or in novels. WHAT IS EATEN IN STAGE MEAL. All is not attractive to eat that is served as food on the stage. ™ ln A he . d j. ln ? er sccne in “The Man from Blankleys in London, the fish i s white bread the meat is brown bread, and the partridges are doughnuts. That at least is what was served at the dress rehearsal, when hungry theatre-goers see the company apparently eating a substantial mea! with great relish they need not reflect with regret on their own hurried repast before making for the theatre. £B,BOO FOR FORTNIGHT’S WORK. Maurice Chevalier was handed a cheque for £BBOO for his fortnight’s season at the Dominion Theatre, London, recently. He had been guaranteed £BOOO. He afterwards wrote a cheque for £lBOO on account of the Inland Revenue for income tax and super tax on his fortnights earnings in London. DRURY LANE SETTING ALTERED. An agreement between Sir Alfred Butt and the Earl of Cromer, the Lord Chamberlain, that no risk should be run of causing offence to India, led to a sudden alteration in the new musical plav production at Drury Lane Theatre. The original story concerned the efforts of a British officer in India to bring to justice an imaginary rajah who was plottng against the Empire. Lord Cromer pointed out to Sir Alfred Butt that he was being placed in an uncomfortable position in having to sanction the performance of such a nlay—esnocially at a time when the Round Table Conference was in being. Sir Alfred at once had the script ■ altered so as to make the scene of the . plot a purely imaginary one, even the settings,and costumes being hurriedly redesigned.

“DOUBLING” AN ACTOR’S VOICE.

As a result of a decision in the High Com t in London a film actor’s voice must not lie “ doubled ” without his permission. Warwick Ward, the London film actor, obtained substantial damages bv agreeQ’ onl two film companies—Charles Whittaker Productions. Ltd., and Warner Brothers Pictures, Ltd.—following the doubling of his voice in a picture in which he appeared. Mr Ward played in a film called “ The Woman He Scorned.” which was made in silent iorm. _ Later it was converted into a talking picture, the voice of another artist being used for the part acted by Mr Ward.

The film was shown to the trade last i May, when the following criticism anPea red in the London Daily Mail:— I Mr M arc s treatment in this film is, to 1 put it mildly, unkind. . . . There are ■ some dreadful moments when the lips of the actor do not synchronise with the ■ sounds which come out of the loud- 1 speaker.” The issue established a new actors’ ’ chai ter. The voice of an actor is part of lus personality, and without the consent of the actor concerned no producer will m future presume to “double” it. SCATHING ATTACK. Mr Osbert Sitwell, the writer and poc* at the annual meeting of the Essex County Drama Society at Chelmsford England recently, said that if the stage was really unaware that it is at a disastrous state of degeneracy it must be more singularly out of touch with modern life than they had imagined. In the past the stage, he declared, suffered from a healthy tendency towards ranting and melodrama, and never before, as to-day from sheer lack of life and senility’. The actor to-day was often more interested in golf or going out to parties. Simultaneously many successful actresses became fashionable beauties, and walked on to the stage more to welcome friends in the stalls than to act their parts. ENGLAND’S OPPORTUNITY. The contention, since the first sound films were exhibited, that “ talking pictures” would give Europe and especially England, the great opportunity of breaking the domination of the United States in the world’s kinema markets is amply confirmed by the following statement in the current issue of the United States Commercial Reports :— “In the silent film days . . . there were few cases where the local product was booked against the American product in a strictly competitive sense. Now, however, two factors have arisen which will tend to make the American position less secure.

‘■“First is the greater difficulty, both from an economic and physical standpoint, in supplying foreign language versions to non-English-speaking countries, which are now insisting on films in their own language. “ Secondly, there is a widespread feeling that European producers—particularly’ English—are adapting themselves more readily to sound than they did to silent film production. “Furthermore, a slight tendency for the public abroad to flock to sound films from its own studios, if only for the sentimental reason of seeing its own actors and actresses speaking its own language in familiar surroundings, has been observed.”

The great increase in the popularity of the sound film is shown by the following table of the number of European kinemas adapted to showing sound films in October of 1929 and October of 1930:—

The contest with Hollywood for the supply of talk films to the 5000 sound kinemas in the whole of Europe has given European film production a new stimulus.

In England in 1929 only 29 full-length talk films were completed. In 1930 more than 100 were completed, and more than 200 are to be produced this year. France released only four sound pictures in 1929, but this year will produce 70.

In the last six months Germany has released 20 sound films, and this year will produce 135. Many of these films, whether made in England, France, or Germany, will be tri-lingual, made by’ three separate companies of actors. Hollywood has tried various devices to overcome the language difficulty. Captions have been added to the pictures, giving explanations of the English dialogue. or voices have been “doubled” in the required foreign language. That is to sav, the original picture remains, with translations of the dialogue added mechanically.

But European audiences: will no longer accept those devices. They insist on their own language, spoken by native actors. It is clear that the days of Hollywood’s domination as the world’s filmproducing centre are ended, and that sound films are England’s opportunity. It is a common experience now of exhibitors that an English picture will return a greater profit than an American of equal standing. WING WHISPERS. By Peter Pan. WELLINGTON. February 12. Dear “ Pasquin,”—l shall have to confine myself to personalities again, for matters theatrical are at a standstill. Mr Harison Cook has been appointed convener of the Entertainment Committee wh : ch is to control concerts at the Town Hall for the relief fund in connection with the earthquake fund. The use of the hall is to be given free. Mrs Irvine, who has been residing in England for the past 27 years, is revisiting Wellington. She will be better known to Dunedinites as Rose Blaney, and will be remembered for her vocal charm. Mrs Irvine is renewing acquaintance with many Wellington people after her lengthy absence abroad. Mr John Bown. a young. Wellingtonian who has been distinguishing himself in Repertory, has gone to England with the object of trying his fortune on the English stage. He has personality, is a capable actor, and has any amount of youthful enthusiasm. Mr Hugh Wards arrival in Wellington this week was quite an event among his many friends here, who mustered strong at the wharf to bid him welcome. He has come over with the main object of lending himself to any earthquake relief' entertainment; his old-time powers of securing money for worthy objects have lost none of their persuasion, as witness the trans-Tasmanian record of £7O he collected from passengers on the Marama on this week’s trip from Sydney—£4o from the crew and £3O from the passengers. He is full of enthusiasm and original ideas for collection of funds, and will no doubt be given the opportunity of raising amounts. Mr Sydney Francis Hoben has resigned the position of piano-master at St. Andrew’s College. Christchurch, to take up a similar position at the new St. Patrick’s College, at Silverstream. Wellington. Mr Hoben has had lengthy American experience, and was for some time director of music at Woodford House, i Havelock North. He was originally I trained at the Conservatorium at Leipzig, : Germany. He was recently music critic of the Christchurch Times, as well as a pianist and teacher of note in the southern city. The Royal Choral Union of Wellington holds its annual meeting on Wednesday, February 25.

1929. 1930. United Kingdom 400 2600 Germany 30 940 France . . .. 20 350 Spain 4 145 Italy 30 120 Netherlands .. 50 95 Sweden 7 90 Czecho-Slovakia 6 75 Hungary 5 70 Switzerland 3 65 Belgium .. 1 30