LOOKING BACK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 986, 31 May 1930, Page 26

LOOKING BACK

“Merry Widow” Revival Recalls Other Shows

STAGE HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA The first Australian production of ; “The Merry Widow.” recently revived j in Australia by J. C. Williamson, was ; in Melbourne at Her Majesty’s on May I 16. 190 S; and there was a revival be- ! ginning a new season on October 30. Many brilliant pieces had preceded this Viennese operetta, turned into 3 London musical comedy, and many followed. Consider a few of the plays seen in Melbourne in revivals or in new production soon after the second season of the “Widow.” I A remarkable year was 1910, in which the list included, “The Arcadians,” “The Country Girl,” “The Do! ; tai Princess,” “Sergeant Blue," “A : Waltz Dream,” “The Girls of Gotten I tierg,” “Miss Hook of Holland,” “The 1 Gay Gordons,” “The Orchid." and ! “Tom Jones.” In 1911 theatregoers ! could see “Our Miss Gibbs, “The F;elle of Brittany,” "The Gay Grisette,” ' The Merry Widow,” and “The Chocolate Soldier”; and among the light pieces available in 1912 were “FloroI dora,” “Nightbirds,” and “The Quaker ! Girl.” "The Cingalee,” some years I old, returned in 1913; and other finely [ produced musical comedies then enI joyed were “The Count of Luxembourg,” “Autumn Manoeuvres.” and j ‘The Balkan Princess.” TIME OF CHANGE I A sign of the times around that | period was the rise of revue, which was to help to cause the downfall of j real musical comedy. “Come Over Here,” lavishly produced by the Williamson management, was an early specimen—the first “big” revue in Australia —but even after it had flourished there were such musical comedies as "Gipsy Love,” “Princess Caplice,” and “The Girl in the Taxi,” and a hearty welcome was given to a Gilbert and Sullivan season and to a revival of “Dorothy.” Early in the war period there were musincal comedies of several varieties —“High Jinks,” “The Marriage Market,” “The Girl on the Film,” “After the Girl” (half a revue), ana “The Dancing Mistress”; but gradually the tendency in London to make enter teinment frothier affected the Australian theatres. SOMETHING DIFFERENT j In the search for “something dif-, ferent” much was adopted from I America. Ragtime had already established itself, and it became more than ever a craze. Anyone could chant ragtime, so there was no particular necessity for members of light musical companies to be real singers. The necessity was even less apparent with jazz, which took the place of ragtime ' soon after the war. A good many of the rag songs bad merits of a sort, but the early jazz, I with its tin-can orchestra, was the j most abominable noise ever heard in the name of music. Instead of the con ! cord of sweet sounds to which even j popular melody hud aspired, it was a i discord of sour sounds. By some comI posers, and especially by Gershwin,

Jazz has been improved greatly, but even in its better form it has had more than a fair term of fashion. The welcome given to the revival of “The Merry Widow,” with the neglect awarded to some recent entertainments of the jazz order, is apparently a sign that many theatregoers are longing for musical comedy that contains both music and humour. “MERRY WIDOW” REVIVAL

Not all the old pieces can have worn as well as the "Widow”; some of | them are sure to have dated; but j among sucb plays as those named ! several could be selected that w T ould be I well received provided that they were i put ou with adequate casts, good singing voices, and nothing cheap or motheaten in the way of production. The present performance of “The Merry Widow” is a bright one, with Gladys Moncrieff singing and acting finely as Sonia, with Arthur Stigant in good form for the fun-makiug of Popoff, and with several others happily placed. The new Danilo, Michaei Cole, is at his best in the more dramatic episodes rather than in the devil-may-care moods, and his singing | voice is not suited for the more ambitious part of the music. A new Natalie, Romola Hansen, promises well in acting and song for such parts, and gives ’ a capable performance of this one Herbert Browne is again the fervent tenor Jolidon, and Gus Bluett is all the more welcome for being less : exuberant than usual as Nisch. THE FIRST CAST | It is interesting to recall some of i I the names in the first cast, at Her ] Majesty's in 1908. They were; Baron Popoff, Victor Gouriet; Prince Danilo, ; | Andrew Higginson; Viscount Camille ! Jolidon, Reginald Roberts; Genera Novikovich, W. S. Percy; M. de St - Brioche, Edmund Sherras; Nisch, Frei Leslie; waiter, Arthur Hunter: Natalie, Florence Young; Olga. s Jessica Deane; Sylvaine, Ivy Scott; Praskovia, Connie Milne; and Soma, i Carrie Moore. Gerard Coventry was ! the producer, and the orchestra was I conducted by Gustav Slapoffsfci. Betty r Ohls played Sonia for portion of the first Australian season, and Florence - louQg bad tlie part a few times as a I change from Natalie before she took : it over definitely for the second so i- ; son. Sonia was her part for some I ears - Gladys Moncrieff represented i : the character when the play was ; revived half a dozen years ago after having been laid aside for some time, i and this is the third season in which j sue lias played and sung it brilliantlv.