MIMES AND MUMMERS

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9253, 4 June 1908, Page 2

MIMES AND MUMMERS

(By THE LIMELIGHT MAN) The new G. B. Shaw play is to be called '•' Getting Married." *•' Harry Rickards will open here on Monday night in opposition to Sir J. G. Ward. Why did E. H* Peplo commence "The" Prince Chap" with the threadbare "butler and servant' scene r The Christchurch audience is living up to its reputation, and every nig Mit sniggers afc the wrong place in ilio Prince Chap." 4 *•* Despite many reports to the contrary Harry Hawkins, R.A.M., is alive, and is musical director for " The Prince Chap" Company. The Thomas Kingston-Mrs Robert Brough Company will open in Perth on June 30, and "Peter Pan" will visit Adelaide on June 13. *♦* i Hairy Roberts is a good act-ox, and of that there is no doubt. His interpretation of the part of Peyton in il The Prince Chap^' is very clever. *»* Frank Lamb makes the part^of Marcus Runion, in "The Prince Chap, a distinct character. He is slow to grip his audence in the first act, but alter a few scenes he takes his hearers with him. *•* Margaret Anglin's repertoire for her Australasian tour is as follows :— ' xus House in Order" (Pincro), "The Thief" (Bernstein), ''The Ihuraerbolt" (Bernstein), "Diana ot Dobson's" (Cicely Hamilton), and The Awakening of Helena Ritchie. "The Merrymakers" are doing a freeze in Melbourne, where their clever entertainment is not appreciated. Modern^pla'ygoers want humour ot the knock-about type ; they want to see the impossible servant in a drama fall over her master's feet or sit accidentally on a stage custard tart. ~** On Monday evening the dancing of the Marlow Sisters at the Opera House was remarkably good. In these days one is accustomed to see the now monotonous buck-dances and ordinary step-dances. and the crisp and fresh eccentric rstcp-danc© by two girls is, to say the least of it, invigorating to the habitue of the vaudeville. *** The Royal Artillery (Newcastle-on-Tyne) Band has commenced its tour with much success. There are thirtysix musicians in the band, which, ot course, is a military band in its constitution. The band-, includes one string instrument and a full range of reeds. A novelty in instruments that is introduced is the tubaphone, a glorification of the xylophone. *#* A clipping from the London " Daily Express" reads as follows: — "In condemning the throwing of eggs and. coins at performers in the local Opera House the £ Malta Chronicle ' says : ' Such conduct is discourteous, if not opprobrious, in such a place, in view of the presence of ladies and gentlemen among the audience, and betrays an absolute want of respect for the whole audience.' " %* J. C. W.s "Mrs Wiggs" Company is on its way to Australia. It includes Miss Ada Dwyer (Mrs Wiggs), Miss Jennie Reiffert (Mrs Schuitz), Miss lieien Lowell (Mrs Hazy), Miss Jrielene Raymond (Mrs Eichorn), Argyl Campbell (Billy Wiggs), A. W. Mafhn (Deacon Bagsby), and J. Smiley (lho Sheriff. The five last-named are "originals" in their parts. Phoebe Puckers is drawn into the last act of "The Prince- Chap" with unnecessaYy vehemence, and this is rather emphasised by Miss Keogh's tendency to over-act. In the first act she is good, very good, but in the second there is a boisterous air about the part that is inartistic. As the third act advanced Claudia, Miss Justina Wayne, acted with a force that her first entrance did not foreshadow. *. # The absolute proof of a play's success and popularity in London is said to be when it is burlesqued at the musichalls. This hall-mark has been set upon "The White Man" ("The Squaw Man"), which reached its hundredth performance on April 7. The piece is being burlesqued nightly at two musichalls, a proceeding that has not happened since the "Trilby" boom many years ago. Though " The Prince Chap " was produced for the first time in Australasia in Christchurch it is not the first time that New Zealand har, been honoured with such an initial production. " The Messenger Boy " was produced here a few nights before a, Sydney audience saw it, and " Tapu " and "The Moorish Maid " of course made their first appearance in the dominion. Coming to later days there is " Bluebell/ which, like "The Prince Chap," was produced here for the first time in Australasia after having made a London reputation. *♦• A more than passable resemblance exists, says " Table Talk," between Mr J. C. Williamson and another theatrical manager, Mr Walter Everard, of the Meynell and Gunn combination. When the vast audience at Her Majesty's \vevo vociferously clamouring for J.C'.W. to come down from the managerial box and "'make a talk." as the Americans say, they little guessed that the whiteinoustached. 6pick-and-span object of their adulation was not their old friend, but in reality the manager of a — well, sister show down in Bourke Street. Mr Williamson was in. fact down in the wings congratulating his artists, but Mr Tallis and others of his friends rather enjoyed the mistake, and laugh- ' ed at Mr 'Everard's efforts to climb out of sight. Dramatists of tho present day depend largely, too largely, on successful novels for their plots. We have had quite a flood of adaptations from books within the past few years. A few seconds' thought recalls " Sherlock Holmes," "Raffles," "Morals of Marcus/ " Brigadier Gevnrd." " The Scarlet ' Pimpernel," " Tlie \ lrginian," " Stinaaree," " Mrs Wisgs of the Cabbage Patch," "The Lass O' Stair" (founded on "Nancy Stair'"), and a host of others ; but now American playwrights have gone further afield and have utilised the creations of American newspaper humorists. They have made Blister Brown the centrepiece of a play, and now a drama with Fluffy Ruffle, tho rival to Buster Brown in American newspaper cartoons, as the chief character is to descend on London. *♦* The practice of lowering the curtain for a few seconds during the progress of an act to denote the lapse of a short space of time has been introduced by the production of " The Prince Chap." and it is a very applaudable innovation. There occur frequently in plays situations when it is absolutely obvious that a short time must elapse, but previously this was marked in no way. and the result was almost ridiculous. The lowering of the curtain conveys distinctly the necessary pause., and the natural action of the plot is improved without the continuity of the play being in any way affected. The idea was first introduced to modern London playgoers oy j A. W. Pinero in his "Iris." ancMt has been used by Seymour Hicks in his production of " Ricbnrd III." at the Aldwych Theatre. The practice, it is to be heped, will become popular in England and be used with discretion.