STAGELAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 828, 23 November 1929, Page 24

STAGELAND

FIXTURES HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE Now Playing.—“ Tho Desert Song" (Lance Fairfax). Coming. —“ Lombardi. Limited” (Leo Carillo) ST. JAMES THEATRE Now Piaying. —Jim Gerald Revue Company. December 26. Hector St. Clair Revuo Company Coming. —Freddie Forbes Musical Comedy Company; League of Notions Revue Company. CONCERT CHAMBER December 4,5, 6 and 7.—Auckland Little Theatre Society, triple bill.

Wirtlis’ Circus will begin another ■ tour of New Zealand at Bluff on No* [ vember 25. Eugene O'Neill’s “Strange Interlude." the performance of which oc- [ cupies six hours, will be presented at the Play box Theatre, Sydney, on November 27. A feature of the dialogue is the conveyauce to tho audience from time to time of what are I supposed to be the characters’ unspoken thoughts. “Rain” is out for another trial in Australia. Yvonne Banvard has the responsibility this time of Sadie Thompson, supported by Jack Settle, Robert Graham and Richard Bellairs, and after a week at Newcastle the company has moved on to Brisbane. They also have “The Barker" in the repertory. Ada Reeve, the famous vaudeville and revue artist, will soon appear in drama. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has announced that Miss Reeve would be seen with Leon Gordon in the production of Frank Vosper’s “Murder on the Second Floor,” which will be staged after the run of “Brewster’s Millions” in Melbourne. At the end of the production of “Follow Through," which opened London’s newest theatre, the Dominion, tho first rowdy scenes of the autumn season occurred. There was a great deal of applause from the majority of the audience, but from certain sections there were demonstrations of disapproval. Leslie Henson, the comedian, began to make a speech, but from certain parts of the house he was shouted down.

By COTHURNUS. l'ritzi Massary is the greatest favourite of the musical comedy stage in Germany, and she has held that position for so many years that an article about her is included in the new edition of Meyer’s Encyclopaedia. In that article a question which is constantly discussed in Berlin drawingrooms is answered. The age of the great actress is given as 55. She does not look a year more than 30.

The colours of the East run riot most beautifully in “The Desert Song,” which is drawing pricked houses at His Majesty’s Theatre. It is rare these days to find principals o£ the calibre of Lance Fairfax and Marie Bremner in one company. Both have splendid voices and both can act. Marie Burke has accepted an offer made to her by Edward Laurillard of one of the principal roles in the revival of “The Student Prince,” which ho is presenting at (he Piccadilly Theatre, London, soon. Miss Burke is to portray the role of the princess, in which Adele Crane appeared here.

LONDON THEATRES Most Prosperous Season for Last 10 Years MANY GOOD SHOWS Business is amazingly good on the whole for London theatres. An actor-producer said to me yesterday: “The London theatres have not been so prosperous for 10 years as they are just now,” writes David Pollock in the "Daily Mail.” Many of them are cert.a inly packed night after night despite the fact that many regular playgoers are still out of town. The prime reason is the simple reason that there are so many satisfactory plays running. It would be difficult to name half a dozen plays on in London just now that are not worth seeing. Prices Down Will the Dominion (the newest theatre in Loudon) bring theatre prices down- The top price there is Ss 6d (exclusive of tax), and now the Winter Garden is going in for cheap seats. Closed for the past 15 weeks, the Winter Garden reopens with Reginald Berkeley’s new light comedy, “Miss Adventure”—Renee Kelly, Jack Hobbs (the actor), and Morris Harvey in the chief parts—with stalls graded at 10s Gd, 7s Gd and Gs 6d, and 500 gallery seats at Is 3d each. The difficulty with many West End theatres is that a clause in the lease prevents the producing management selling seats at less than certain stipulated prices. Mr. Novello's Symphony I hear good acounts of Ivor Novcllo’s new play, “Symphony in Two Flats” (two furnished flats), at present on tour, which is to follow “Emma Hamilton” at the New Theatre. The author plays a part and others with him are the accomplished Lilian Braithwaite and Viola Tree, and pretty Benita Hume of the films. “Heat Wave,” with Phyllis NeilsonTerry and Herbert Marshall—his wife, Edna Best, did not find the chief woman’s part quite “up her street”— for the St. James’s; a revival of “The Student Prince,” taking the Piccadilly back from the films to light opera; and a new Jack Hulbert-Cicely Courtneidge revue for the Adelphi are other interesting forthcoming presentations. The Hulbert-Courtneidge show, “The House That Jack Built,” has not been quite “right” during its provincial trials. The trouble was too many songs which interfered with the pace and snap of the revue. It is a queer tiling that audiences do not like very much singing in revue. Records Two unusual plays have achieved little records—“La Vie Parisienne” (its 200th performance), and “Bitter Sweet” at the Lyric, Hammersmith (100th performance).