On and Off the Stage

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20610, 26 December 1936, Page 16

On and Off the Stage

News About Plays and Players

Perhaps nothing is more significant of Hector Bolitho’s own rise to fame

than the fact that he should become the chosen friend and biographer of such a celebrity as Marie Tempest. Mr Bolitho has journeyed far since the night in 1916 when as a raw recruit he left his training camp to motor to Wellington to see Marie Tempest in “Good Gracious, Annabel.” Marie Tempest, too, has been fortunate in her biographer in that he became enslaved by her charm 20 years ago. and closer acquaintance, even quite intimate friendship, have only strengthened his whole-hearted admiration and affection for her. “Marie Tempest: Her Biography,” by Hector Bolitho can scarcely be called the completely successful biography, for many of the later “episodes” are little more than, gleanings from Miss Tempest’s book of Press cuttings, but it must in fairness to Mr Bolitho be admitted that as a subject for contemporary biography Miss Tempest leaves much to be desired. She is impatient of the past and its reminiscences, and with the gift of perennial youth forgets all that she does not wish to remember, and is entirely absorbed in the present. Her interest is always with the new—new ideas, new plays, new works of production, new fashions and young people just rising to fame. She quickly appears to have lost interest in the fact that Mr Bolitho was writing her biography and interviews when she would consent to talk about herself and her past were granted more and more grudgingly. This is probably why the personal touch appears much less frequently towards the end of the book, and Mr Bolitho is forced to rely

j Some indication of the elaborate nature of "Wild Violets,” the forthcoming Christmas production at His Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, is contained in the fact that the two acts comprise no fewer than 14 scenes, several of which are unusually spectacular. One of these, a big skating scene, proved most successful in London, when the play was produced at Drury Lane Theatre. The revolving stage, which was a feature of “White Horse Inn” again be brought into operation in "Wild Violets” for the rapid change of the many varied scenes. Archie de Bear has returned to the theatre after a long absence, says a London report. He was one of the founders of the famous “Co-Optimists” and also presented a series of successful revues. His new production is “All Wave,” in which his broadcasting experiences are reflected. It is a revue on intimate rather than spectacular lines in which there is a satirical and topical note. At the head of the cast is Stanley Holloway, one of the original Co-Optimists, whose “Old Sam” monologues are known all over the country. Mr George Robey told of his 50 years on the stage recently, when a dinner was given in his honour by the Old Playgoers’ Club at the Criterion. The following were among his remarks and stories: “I suppose I shall go down to posterity as a vulgar man, but I say that vulgarity is merely a question of time and place. Why, if I were to tell you the story of Faust in plain words, you would all get up and leave the room, but wrapped up in music it sounds quite nice. “Not long ago at Bournemouth I stayed with some extremely ‘posh’ people. Next day they came to see me off at the station. Three carriages full of convicts shouted out, ‘Hullo, George, old boy.’ My ‘posh* friends’ eyebrow’s went up.” Miss Marie Tempest described Mr Robey as “moralist, censor and puritan.” After she had raise her glass to the toast of “George Robey, puritan,” Mr Robey leaned forward and kissed the distinguished actress on the cheek amid loud applause.