ALLAN WILKIE

Southland Times, Issue 20663, 19 April 1929, Page 8

ALLAN WILKIE

INVERCARGILL VISIT

FAMOUS SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR

'• THREE PLAYS SELECTED Mr Allan Wilkie, the famous Shakespearean actor-manager, interviewed by the Dunedin representative of the SouthlandTimes, in his dressing room at his Majesty’s Thelitre, said that both he and his company were greatly looking forward to the pleasure of renewing acquaintance with the Invercargill public. ‘‘Our season in your city” stated Mr Wilkie, “happily coincides with Shakespeare’s birthday (April 23). During that week Shakespearean festivals will be held throughout the British Empire and indeed all over the civilized world. The principal event in this connection is the annual Shakespearean festival held in Stratford-om Avon, and it is remarkable to think that at the furthermost city in the Empire in a country- undiscovered until two centuries after his death we shall have the privilege of paying honour to his name. It is interesting to note that the Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-on-Avon covers a period of about six weeks, but only- embraces eight plays of Shakespeare, whereas in the season I have just concluded at Dunedin, we are presenting no less than eighteen of his play, in a repertoire combining comedies, tragedies and English and Roman histories, and in fact there is no other city in the world, even including London where such a variety of Shakespearean repertoire can be seen in the course of 12 months, as the Dunedin public is getting in three weeks. “The repertoire I have selected for the Invercargill season is “The Merry- Wives of Windsor’ ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ and ‘As You Like It,’ and none of these plays I have ever before produced in Invercargill, and they- exhibit entirely different phases of his wondrous art in the shape of farce, tragedy and pastoral comedy, besides being three of the most popular entertainments associated with his name. Company Strengthened. “The personnel of my company is in the main the .same as on my previous visits, excepting for the fact that it has been considerably strengthened by the inclusion of a well-known English Shakespearean actor, Mr Alexander Marsh, who has proved extraordinarily popular with Dunedin audiences, and will be seen in two of his most successful roles, Ford in ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ and Mercutio in ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ In the latter play Mr Dennis Barry, who will be remembered so favourably from his last visit, will appear as Romeo. In this play I content myself with the part of Friar Lawrence (a character probablyplayed by Shakespeare himself) while Miss Hunt er-Watts will, of course, be seen as Juliet.

“Another addition to the company is the well-known English Shakespearean actress, Miss Mildred Howard. Apart from the personnel the productions have been greatly enhanced by entirely- new scenery and costumes, and a special lighting plant, by which I am able to obtain remarkable atmospheric lighting effects. Altogether I anticipate my- visit to Invercargill will be the most successful, artistically and financially I have' yet had in your city.” “What is your opinion, Mr Wilkie, regarding the influence of the ‘talkies’ on the legitimate drama?” the actor was asked. “I see that Mr Griffiths, the well-known picture producer, has declared recently in an interview that the legitimate drama would be a thing of the past in five years time.”

“A most ridiculous statement” replied Mr Wilkie, “and if made seriously by Mr Griffiths, could only emanate from the fact that the wish is father to the thought. Although the innovation of the talking picture may- have some temporary effect on the attendances at theatres, the legitimate theatre will never die, and must ultimately rise superior to all rival attractions of this nature. I have yet to learn that the. photographer has ousted the painter, or to take a closer anology, the gramophone and wireless show any sign of eliminating grand opera and the concert artist. Yet I believe this was prophesied at the time of their inauguration. The only effect that the gramophone and wireless appear to have made regarding concert artists, is that the public have demanded a higher standard with the result that incompetent and inferior artists have been thrust into obscurity, and the support for the better artists is probably greater than ever. A Beneficial Influence'. “Indeed I think for my own part” continued Mr Wilkie, “that the talkies will have a most beneficial influence on the legitimate stage, and for this reason—the ordinary moving picture was an undoubted menace to the theatre, from the fact that it was destroying the concentrative power of the public, with the result that while they could look, they were rapidly losing the capacity to listen, and this was reflected in the trend of modern play-writing, in which long speeches have gone out of fashion and the tendency is to concentrate on short, crisp and even monosyllabic dialogue, as demanded by the public, owing largely I consider to the influence of the moving pictures.

“The talkies, however, must revive to a considerable extent the appreciation of the public for the spoken word and in this way will ultimately prove of benefit to the theatre. The great danger I foresee in connection with the talkies is the debasement of the English language through the advent of American dialect (it has gone past the stage of an accent) on the talkies. This would be an aesthetic and national calamity, and jt is to be hoped therefore that we shall have a constant supply of the talking pictures from the English studios, with the English speech pure and undefiled. However, of one thing we can be certain—the Shakespearean theatre will still be flourishing thousands of years hence, when the name of Griffiths is relegated to oblivion.”