THE STAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16514, 26 August 1921, Page 6

THE STAGE.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By THE LIMELIGHT MAN.) The Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company of forty performers will commence a season at the AVellington Grand Opera House on August 29. The opening performance at AA r ellington will be the 252nd performance given by the company since its inception on September 11 last, at the Princess Theatre, Alelbourne. Air "Wilkie intends to produce “ Romeo and Juliet ” for the first time during the AVellington season. This will make the eleventh play of the company’s repertory.

English comedians visiting Australia have often found that their best numbers have already been “ worked ” here. A story is told of one who found a list of his songs pasted up in the theatre, with the intimation that they were reserved for another singer. He promptly telegraphed to the forerunner :— tc May I use some of my own songs? Reply paid.”

e< Hands Across the Sea,” a one-time popular melodrama, by George R. Sims, has been reproduced at the Princess Theatre, Alelbourne. AVhen originally produced it was held in high favour, more especially as the final scene is given an Australian setting. The principal characters in the reproducton are sustained by Austen Alilroy, Victor Fitzberberte. Nellie Bramley. J. H. Nunn, Nellie Ferguson and Helen Fergus.

So great is the success of “ Scandal ” at the King’s Theatre, Melbourne, that seven performances per week have not been sufficient to accommodate the crowds. Messrs J. and N. Tait have therefore had to give two matinees of this much-written-about and much-dis-cussed play, making eight performances weekly. While the opinion of newspaper critics shows a wide diversity, the public generally appear to be unanimous on the point that “ Scandal ” is a play well worth going to see. Already preparations are well in hand for the J. C. Williamson pantomime of “ The Babes in the AVood,” to be staged at Alelbourne Her Majesty’s nt Christmas time. There will ho an exceptionally strong cast this year, including. Miss Nora Delany, u London’s loveliest principal boy,” Miss Alinnie Everett, who has been in London, Pans, and New York for some time gathering material for the pantomime, writes that “ Australians will take Nora Delany to their hearts and will want to keep her there.”

A Sydney inventor has lately succeeded in making a wholly metal banjo, which exponents of that useful picnic adjunct declare an immense improvement. Applied to the mandoline, it is said to make it a worthy orchestral instrument, especially on account of its accession of power. The inventor is now applying his scheme to the violin —a wholly metal violin. The essential feature is” the nature of the vibrating surface on which the bridge is mounted. The shape of the instrument will be modified, and the tone will be much more powerful.

“Probably the best platform entertainer that ever toured this hemisphere,” says Air Carlyle Smyth, “ was the Rev Charles Clark. He had virtually all the qualifications necessary for his work-—a good, though not perfect voice, mobile countenance, expressive hands, and a miraculous memory. A chairman at one of Clark’s meetings spoke for twenty minutes in regard to diaries Dickens, the subject of the lecture. When Clark rose, he congratulated the audience on having listened to such a comprehensive and critical disquisition on the late Charles Dickens. “ But unfortunately,” he added, “ he has left nothing for me to say, so, with your kind permission I propose to deliver my lecture on William Thackeray.” In Alelbourne there is considerable activity going on amongst discriminating play goers who are anxious to see local authors given a chance. Tho Alermaid Society in that city—which is conducted on the lines of most repertory theatres —is including in its programme for production at the Playhouse there a new one-act piece, “ The Jester,” by Air Frank Russell, a young Australian author, whose name came into prominence in connection with a £SOO prize novel scheme, for which the enterprising Air De Garis was responsible. Air Russell won the prize with his book, “ The Ashes of Achievement,” and his first play is being looked forward to with great interest. For its next season the Merinaid Society promises an all-Australian programme.

Leslie Henson is to-day the most popular comedian on the English stage (says the Sydney “ Sun ”). The delightful film, “ Alt’s Button,” now being screened in Sydney, gives a fairly good idea of his methods, but one must see him in the flesh to realise how inimitable are his drolleries. The extent to which London appreciates Henson is illustrated bj T photographs appearing in recent picture papers, sharping a

long queue formed at 5.30 a.m., to wait for the doors to open at night on the initial production of a musical comedy with Henson as the star. There is nothing very subtle about Henson's fooling—he is rather of the Charlie Chaplin tvpe, extraordinarily active and full of quaint tricks. Australia may never see Henson, for lie commands a salary probably exceeding even that paid to George Robey.

Miss Ivy Shilling only took up ballet dancing seriously at the age of thirteen or fourteen vears. Miss Maggie Dickenson started at eight, and Miss Phyllis Amery is one of the few who began almost as soon as she could walk. Her first lessons were given at the age of four. Miss Jennie Brenan, recalling these facts recently, expressed the opinion that the Australian giri triumphed by reason of her natural inclination toward dancing and her ca J pac-ity for thinking and working. Good dancers can be made, ’ she said, thev are never quite the same as the born dancer. All these girls belonged to t] o latter class. Their toes couid not help dancing. In every one of our ballet classes there are girls who may be expected to follow in their footsteps.” Aliss Rita Nugent is a young dancer of whom Aliss Brenan expects big things.

Vernon passed, out as a second-hand bookseller (writes a “ Bulletin ” correspondent). He was not finding it too easy to earn a living. In setting up in management for himself, he was held, no doubt, to have cut himself off from all the privileges which a private employer would have held to b© due to a servant who had so long and so well* The value of Vernon’s work to the old firm of Williamson and Alusgrove cannot be over-esti-mated. Without him the G. and S. operas may have been, a success; it is certain they would not have been tho success they were. Vernon in “Pinafore” was a big pull; A T ernon as Ko Ko was more than half ihe opera in the estimation of 90 out of every 100 theatre-goers. He stood for a. very lurge percentage of the profits the operas won, and that means for the stability of the Firm as it now exists. No big business concern would have risked its credit by allowing a man ro bound up in its fortunes to have tj wrestle for a crust at 70; but in the profession there is an Old Actors Home, and what more can the old actor want ? Joseph Coyne, who is convulsing Melbourne with laughter over “Nightie Night,” tells a story of how he underwent a rest cure. Somewhere in the wilds of Dakota he sojourned with a farmer and his wife—the object being to be away from the madding crowd—to get well-earned rest. The first day the farmer asked the run-down comedian if he would get the water. This seemed a simple proposition, and Coyne readily consented. After three days of carrying two buckets and a yoke half a mile and back four times a day he concluded that the job was too strenuous, and was about to resign when the rain caine in torrents. “ Thank Heaven,” said the weary one, “ the tank will be full.” With this fervid exclamation, the cx-driawer of water went to bed. Before daylight next morning, the farmer shook him. “ Get up, Joe, and fetch the water.” “ Great Scott!” exclaimed the astounded comedian. “ Ain’t the tank full? “ No,” replied the fanner. “ AVe forgot to turn the tap off!”

Years ago, in the J- C. Williamson production of “Joseph and His Brethren ” at Alelbourne Theatre Royal, there was an actor in the role of Potiphar who immediately attracted attention by liis virile mannerisms, his clever characterisation, and his dominating personality. AA hen the company was disbanded, J. C. AVilliamson, Ltd., decided to retain one member of it, for his departure would have been a decided loss to the Australian stage and would have left a blank it would have been hard to fill. This was the beginning of the lengthy stay in Australia of Frank Harvey, who lias never lost his hold on the esteem and appreciation of playgoers. It has been said that he has never failed in a part—a very big compliment to pay to an artist who has appeared in such a great diversity of roles ranging from strong drama to delicate 1 ‘ Mario Tempest” comedy. In “Scandal” at the King’s Theatre, Alelbourne, Frank Harvey has added another to his long list of successes in tho role* of a modern —and very unconventional— Petruchio, who commences to tame his Katharina in a very enthralling and audacious bedroom scene.

Can you imagine a play spoiled bv a hat P I have seen it done (writes a

“ Bulletin ” correspondent). Mario Tempest spoiled “Cousin Kate” by wearing a most atrocious hat right through the comedy. It was a blue hat, first cousin to a painted flowerpot, and became her so badly • that one’s sense of fitness revolted at sight of it, and the longing that consumed the poor spectator to light the fire with it spoiled appreciation of much of what I am willing to admit was very excellent work. In Act 1 she did set it aside Tor three minutes, and then Cousin Kate looked an acceptable little woman with rather nice hair; but before we could look round she had dived into the detestable gear again, and it was there to the bitter end. Once Graham Browne took it away, and one congratulated oneself, saying: “It’s to the dustman at last, thank the Giver of all good !” But the foolish man returned it, and the thing survived to disgrace another performance. The author makes much of the hat; it is up to Aliss Tempest to aet a tile that will be an attraction. This one gave a sore eye- # # Bernhardt is to play Eve in “ Adam and Eve,” a new play for Parisians by Sacha Guitry.