STAGELAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 750, 24 August 1929, Page 26

STAGELAND

By

COTHURNUS

FIXTURES HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE Now Playing: “Laff That Off” and “Pigs.” August 29 (indefinite) : “Floradora.” Amateur Operatic Society. September 4: “The Desert Song.” Lance Fairfax. September 14-21: Westminster Glee Singers. COMING “This Year of Grace," Maisie Gay. “No. 17,” Nat Madison. ST. JAMES THE/ TRE Now Playing: Frank O’Brian’s Co. September 6: “Rio Rita,” Gladys Honcrieff. COMING “Lido Lady.” "Baby Cyclone” and “Good News,” Elsie Prince and Jimmy Godden. CONCERT CHAMBER September 11, 12, 13 and 14.—" Mrs. Moonlight,” Little Theatre Society. ' September 25-28: "The Scrape o’ the Pen,” St. Andrew’s Society. Marie Tempest, one of the greatest actresses on the London stage, celebrated her 65th birthday on July 15. Marie Burke has been engaged to star in a new musical farce, ‘‘Open Your Eyes.” The production will have a try-out in Edinburgh before opening in London. “Journey’s End,” now being presented in Melbourne, by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., is also being played in London, New York, Paris, Berlin, Norway and Sweden with marked success. Margaret Bannerman, recently in New Zealand, may soon appear in a revival of Somerset Maugham’s “Our Betters” in London. This brilliant play was included in her New Zealand repertory. Natalie Moya, here in "Young Woodley,” will have a part in the forthcoming J. C. Williamson production of “Lombardi, Ltd.” Both Lewis Shaw (Young Woodley) and Frank Royde (Simmons) have gone into the cast of “Journey’s End.”

“MRS. MOONLIGHT” Story of Ben Levy’s Whimsical Play LITTLE THEATRE PRODUCTION “The shadow of your face shall pass with me into the run of the Beyond, and I shall keep and save your beauty it used to be.” This verse iu Henley’s “Hawthorne and Lavender” has been dramatised by Ben Levy as “Mrs. Moonlight,” which is to be presented by the Auckland Little Theatre Society on September 11, 12, 13 and 14. The following cast has been chosen for this delightful play: Tom Moonlight Bernard Brittain Minnie .. Peggy Hovey Edith .Tones Mona Wallbank Sarah Moonlight . T .. Ysolinde McVeagli Jane Moonlight Lowrie McGregor Percy Middling .. Lees Bullot Willie Ragg John Gordan Peter .. .. Bruce ■ Elliott The story can be told briefly. On her 28th birthday Sarah Moonlight Is given a jewel by her husband Tom—a Scottish turquoise necklace. No one knows that a curse goes with that necklace-—the curse of remaining ever young. To save the happiness of her husband Sarah disappears and it is presumed that she has committed suicide. Seventeen years later Jane Moonlight, their daughter, decides against the wishes of her parents (Tom has taken a second wife) to marry a good-for-nothing. A professional pianist, Joy Moonlight, suddenly

arrives from Paris. She is a delightful creature, worldly wise—and the engagement is broken off. Thirty years later Jane Moonlight and her husband are sitting in their unruffled home. Their son, Peter, just returning from his club, finds a pretty creature in distress near the house and has invited her to rest. The woman’s intimate knowledge of his parents and the home intrigues Peter and the air of mystery grows when Tom Moonlight, now 90, comes down and greets this woman —his wife of 40 years ago. With her death the curse is laid. It is a whimsical play and one which should appeal to Auckland audiences. “Pigs,” the third production of the current season at Plis Majesty’s Theatre, has enjoyed a long and successful run in London and New York. It is as full of fun as its predecessors and should draw big houses. An excellent company of players can be relied on to give good entertainment. The Auckland Amateur Operatic Society’s production of “Florodora” this year should be one o f the best things the society has ever done. Mr. W. J. Crowther has charge of the dressing and designing and he hopes to do everything on a most elaborate scale. The music in “Florodora” never grows old and the excellent cast which has been chosen is strong vocally. In Mr. Theo Trezise the society will have a producer who Is a past master at this kind of work.

Nikola the Magician Is back In Sydney after seven years In the various limbos where wizards go to learn their art. Each year the folk of Sydney become more sophisticated. The modern child no longer believes in magicians, but Nikola forces belief from even the pupil of a Communist Sunday School.

“HARLEQUINADE” Constance Collier's Story of Her Life A “MAGIC” MOTHER If Constance Collier, in “Harlequinade,” recently published by John Lane, bad done no more than give us the portrait of her debonair and gallant mother, it would have been well worth while to have this story of the life of a fine actress. In all theatrical reminiscences there must be a certain sameness, but this

book is lilted quite out of the ordinary by the picture of Constance Collier’s mother, a noble and a gallant woman who started her career as a “child wonder,” who began work on the stage when she was six. Born when her mother was on tour, Constance Collier “used to be wrapped in a blanket and left among the grease-paints on the dressing-table.” Later, she was left in charge of landladies with her address on a card pinned to her frock in case she strayed into the streets and was lost. . Always Gay Of her mother. Miss Collier says: “My mother was a magic person — she was always laughing. In our poorest days she managed to buy a bunch of flowers ... If our meals were meagre she would be gay and debonair and make me laugh so much and tell me such lovely stories that I could forget I was hungry. She had a marvellous sense of humour which helped us through our hardest times. ... We were in the direst poverty, but it didn’t seem to matter. . . . My mother would tell me tales all the way, and the drab road would be full of enchantment.” Miss Collier later became one of the famous Gaiety Girls under George Edwardes. Discipline was severe. The best singing and dancing masters were engaged, and girls were taught to use the foils, that they might have grace and poise. Mr. Edwardes would tolerate no slackness. These Gaiety Girls, says Miss Collier, “had wonderful manners; they did not smoke or drink or swear. No wonder that so many of them at that time married into the aristocracy—it was as if nature were fortifying herself and using the blood and strength of these magnificent plebtans to build a finer race.” After a first, rather terrifying interview with Tree, Miss Collier was sent for three times. At last Tree agreed to hear her read part of the script of “Ulysses,” and she was given the part of Pallas Athene, a wonderful chance for a young woman. An Impression of Tree In the theatre Tree dominated everyone. He was absolutely relentless—but everyone adored him. He never seemed to want to rest at all. Tree must have been the only actor-manager who ever disliked long runs. “When a play was a failure—and that was very rare —he was cheerful and full of good humour. He hated long runs and was always dying to do something new.” The original dress worn by Edith Day in the Drury Lane production of "The Desert Song” is worn in Sydney by Ramona Hansen whenever she goes on as understudy for Marie Bremner. In England it is customary for the names of artists to be written inside their stage gowns.