MUSIC AND THE STAGE

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17182, 27 October 1923, Page 10 (Supplement)

MUSIC AND THE STAGE

BY THE LIMELIGHT MAN

Something new in theatrical fare is promised Dominion theatregoers in the near future. The Humphrev-Bishop Company are a novel combination of English artists, and their world-tour has included South and East Africa, Rhodesia, India, Burma, Ceylon. Mesopotamia, Malay States, China and Manchuria, Japan, the Philippines, and Sumatra. They landed in Australia in 1920, and have been so successful that they have remained there ever since. The performances of the company range frcm gems from grand opera to burlesques upon the latest plays and doings of the day. The dressing and staging are said to be the most elaborate . A brilliant future is predicted by Mi Benno Moisei witch, who passed through Wellington recently on a concert tour, for Miss Imelda Kama, a young local pianist, who is not so well known in Wellington as she deserves to be (writes “Orpheus ” in the Wellington “Post”). Miss Fama was introduced to I local music lovers at the Town Hall ] Concert Chamber last year, but she 1 has net since appeared on the publicplatform here. She promises a further ! recital, however, very shortly, and she ' will then leave for England, having I been advised by Mr Moiseiwitch to further pursue her studies abroad. The Russian pianist described Miss Fama as undoubtedly a very talented pianist, and he said lie would not be surprised to hear within two or three years that she was making a name for herself in England. Of all the young pianists he had heard in New Zealand, Miss Fama was the most promising, and as she had the necessary talent and technique, he saw no reason why she should not go far. He hoped arrangements would be mado for her to visit Europe for o couplo of years. Mr Moiseiwitch.’s words of praise reflect credit not only upon Miss Fama, but also upon her teacher, Mr Horace Hunt, who long ago recognised her unusual musical ability. Commenting on the arrival of Miss Marie Ney (Fix), the Wellington girl, in England the London “Evening News” says: Some courage and perhaps a little art are needed to ‘‘storm” the London theatrical world from the outside, but it has .iust been done by a young New Zealand girl, Miss Marie Ney. Miss Ney spent some years m repertory work, under J. C. Williamson’s management, with constant travelling between the big Australian am' New Zealand towns, and she rose sc quickly that recently she was chosen to tour “ down under ” with Miss Marie Tempest in “Mr Pirn” and othc** nlays. She lias also played with Ml *MI an Wilkie, who is known a* Australia’s F. U. Benson. She arrived in London by herself a fortnight ngn. It lias been a strenuous fourteen days, but she has secured a foothold, for yesterday she was cast for Miss Gladys

Cooper’s part when “ The Sign on the Door ” goes on tour. Stefansson, the Arctic explorer, will lecture in Australia next May, under the direction of E. J. and Dan Carroll. Four Australian singers will be heard nt the “ Proms ” in London this season—Peter Dawson, Rosina Buckman, Malcolm M'Eachern, and Rosa Alba. Daisy Kennedy represents Australian violinists. Mr Andrew Higginson. a matinee idol of a few years ago, recently returned to Australia, and is appearing in Sydney with Miss Kate Ilowarde in “ The Limit.” The evergreen Miss Maggie Moore is also in the cast. Henry Latimer, of the BoucicaultYanbrtigh Co., is a very versatile actor. In the first successful production of the company, to wit. “ His House in Order,” he played the elderly and con- * ventional head of the Ridgely family j with a stoop and long flowing beard I that seemed to give additional reality Ito the character. In “ The Twelve J Pound Look,” which preceded “ Mr Pirn \ Passes By,” he was the more ornate Sir (Henry Sims, and he seemed to get the utmost reality out of Barrie’s clevei .study of a title-hunter. Now Mr Lati mer has made another change. He is heavily disguised as Unc’ Boz, an old negro, in “ Mis’ Nell o’ New Orleans.’ At the conclusion of the performanc< of “Sybil” at Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne, recently, a presentatioi was made to Miss Gladys Moncrieff h] the delegates to the conference of tin Australian Theatrical and Amusemen Employees’ Association, who attendee the performance. The presentatioi consisted of a gold badge of the as sooiation and a handsome illuminate) address as follows: —“ We desire make to you, our Australian queen o small i r< - nt of this token c our esteem, and it is our heartfelt wis that your career be crowded with sue ; cesses as in the past. Your kindnes to the employees in a humbler spher r has been lovingly appreciated, and w : ill say ‘ Long live Gladys.’ ” , Preparations are being made at He Majesty’s for the season of gran -> opera, to ho given at that theatre b i T C. Williamson Ltd., in associatio . =th Dame Nellie Melba (says th Melbourne “ Leader.”) The princin* i members of the company will 1 brought from Italy, together with tl: i male chorus. The small-part peon! S and the chorus ladies will he engage 1 locally. The repertoire will enmpri; h twenty operas, several of which wi s he practically new to Melbourne, o i nt anv rate, have not been heard he] for many years. Immediately Dan Nellie Melba reaches Melbourne, actn <- preparations will be entered upon f< s the Melbourne season. The openir

of the season will be a gala mgnt, when Faust, with Dame Nellie Melba as Marguerite, will be played. The coloured man is achieving increasing significance on the American stage. Up to ten years ago he was almost solely represented in the Harriet Beecher Stow classic of Uncle Tom, but now the American theatre is swarming with dramas in which the--3 negro is something more than a hotel buttons or a Pullman-car attendant. In Eugene O’Neill’s play“ The Emperor Jones,” he looms up as a strange r and mightv gambler in lost causes and makes an absorbing picture. So, too, in the wonderful play of Laurence 1 Eyre, “ Mis’ Nell o’ New Orleans,’ which astounded a great house at Mel- > bourne, we have the appearance of people of colour adequately represent--1 ed and expressing their thoughts in the strange and rhythmical Southern dialect. Miss Irene Vanbrugh appears •1 as a striking woman of the South—one I I of those types that only an Englishb woman of rare talent would endeavour e to portray. It was said of “ Pretty Peggy,” t which appeared at the Princess Thear tre on Saturday, that she or it came e to us strongly recommended by Lonn don (says “The Australasian” of Oci- tober 13). If it were really a boom in y London, that great city is at times d easily moved, though as far as this y particular clasa of entertainment goes, e it is quite a long time since London J 1 opinion gave anybody a lead that was I i r worth following. At best “ Pretty Pegle gy ” is an interesting experiment, with ;f no one, we would say, profoundly sure - 1 ’ about it. It is not musical comedy, not always* revue—in most phases detached vaudeville with a few clever artists rather over-doing their very r»Q best for it. It has some good ideas e 'in display—some ambitious work in m which lavish colour is perhaps more 3y noticeable than allegory or ingenuity ; ie of design, and it has a plot which is n t as old as poverty or its antithesis. 3d * * 3n "When I see Gaston Mervale’s name in a programme I always know that one " part, at anv rate, will be played with l d finished artistrv (writes -'First IN ighter ” in the Melbourne “ Argus ”). or Mr Mcrvnle. who appears as the host of j in the garden scene of “ Sally,” recalls sh that Ills first appearance in Australia ic- was in 1897. This was in the rich >ss production of "The Prisoner of _ Zenda,” based on Anthony Hope’s ro,vp mance. Julius Kniglit paid his second visit to Australia to appear in the | production, and Ada Ferrar took part jin this plav. I’ve lost count of the :er number of' parts Mr Mervale has nd ; placed in Australia. Tn recent years by j he lias given quiet strength to suchon j dramatic characters ill musical comedy he as Farquar in "Sally ” and the gipsy musician in “ The I.ilac Domino.” He ,' i W as one of the Napoleons who appeared ; JO in Australian revivals of “A Royal '“ e Divorce ” Julius Knight was the first 3le hero. Cecil Ward, once of the Brougli:«d Boucicault company, was another Bonais© parte. Fill or ‘ A contract was signed last week by are which Ada Reeve will appear as prin™e cipai boy in J. C. Williamson’s Christmas pantomime “Aladdin,” at Melor bourne Her Majesty s (says a MoltnS bourne paper of October 131. This will __ be Miss Reeve’s first appearance as a

pantomime boy in Melbourne, for though she plaved “ bov ” some years igo in J. C. WillL.inswFs “Babes in the Wood ” pantomime in Sydney, when the production was transferred to Melbourne she transferred into the role of girl. “Aladdin ” is Miss Reeve’s favourite pantomime she says, and in England she lias played principal boy in no few than eight pantomimes on this subject. Asked by a newspaper interviewer whether she would wear tights, Miss Reece replied: "I do not adopt the conventional at-’ tire, but have thought for many years that a principal boy should bo as natural a boy as possible and that the costume should be characteristic of a young man not a disguised girl. Do boys usually wear tights?” In his long Shakespearian tour (the 818th performance was given last night) Allan Wilkie has never failed to appears (writes “First Night” in the Melbourne “Argus ” of October 6). This is seen to be a remarkable achievement when one considers the weighty nature of a number of the leading parts—such as Lear, Hamlet and Othello —and the frequency of the changes. Sometimes I have heard stern young critics calling for a willowy, and youthful Hamlet, but to play Hamlet effectively an actor needs to be physically strong. Tragic acting is much harder physical work than the lighter forms of sport. Possibly (what would you say?) it is even as hard i as football barracking. Then there is the mental feat of memorising those long speeches, and of putting the exar. shade of meaning into each line. Anyone who really knows Shakespeare must observe that Mr Wilkie’s memory is exceptionally good. The company as a whole is also faithful to the plays as written. Occasionally one or other of the younger members is observed to need a little prompting in a newlyassumed part, but there are few cases of the kind. The; daily Press, which is always ready to descant in its leading columns on the power and glory of Shakespeare is generally most perfunctory in its at tentions to Al;lan Wilkie (writes £ “Bulletin” correspondent). Con demned to appear in obscure theatres Wilkie can never hope for the presence of the star critic if a fashionable pro miere of a tenth-rate revue is happen ing elsewhere. Even when there is n< competing attraction, the absence o the great man is obvious enough to b< noticed. It is Wilkie’s ludicrous fat< to be “criticised” by tired under studies, who regard the job as an or dinary bit of reporting, and turn on a par. full of empty cliches—so neglig ible as a piece or criticism that it i lucky to escape being huddled ut among picture show boosts. Thi neglect, of course, is not due to air disregard for divine William. It i wholly inspired by the unimportance o Wilkie. If that earnest Scot onl; changed his name to Ward or Tait, am hugely advertised a lavish performanc of, say. “ Cvmbcline.” at one of th big metropolitan theatres, the Hazlitt of the dailies would turn into thei dress clothes and rush to the show, cor sumecl with the momentousness of th occasion. Seeking rescission of a eontrne which she mado with J. C. Wiliamson Ltd., Miss Kitty Reidv, a member o

the Royal Opera Company, has instituted legal proceedings. The contract was dated September 28, 1922, and Miss Reidy, in her writ, aneges that she was induced to Mgn the agreement by the misrepresentation of the defendant company or its agents with respect to the contents and effects of the contract, in circumstances that amounted to duress. It is alleged that .1. C. Williamson, Ltd., falsely represented that the contract contained the terms that Miss Reidy would be engaged for one year at a salary of £ls a week ; and, at the option of the defendant company, for a further term of oiie year at a salary of £2O; and a similar option for a third year at a salary of £25 a week. Miss Reidy was to undertake a course of musical study during the first year, under a teacher nominated by the defendant company, and to enable lier to pursue such study the defendant company promised to allot to Miss Reidy light parts only. It was also promised that she would be employed in Melbourne- or Sydney exclusively. Miss Reidy alleges that her signature was demanded in the course of a. performance when she had no oportunity of reading the conti act. For some time an action has been pending in Melbourne against Frank Everest, vaudeville entertainer, for an alleged breach of agreement. The ac- . tion was instituted by B. and J. Fuller, Ltd., theatrical proprietors, ■.ho claimed an injunction against both the l defendant and his monkey hippodrome. It appears that Frank Everest and his monkeys were engaged by the company for a period at £35 a week. There was an agreement that at the termination of the contract the monkeys should not perform in any of the States in the Commonwealth, or in New Zealand, for at least twelve months. If this agreement were broken Everest had to pay £IOO in respect of each performance. It was alleged that Everest had since appeared with his monkeys at Footscray, and that lie threatened to perform elsewhere. By consent Mr Justice Schutt last week entered judgment in the action- Everest consented to an injunction restraining him until May 18, 1924. from producing either on his own behalf, or for any other producer, at any place within a radius of twenty mil os of the General Post Offices at Mebourne, Sydney. Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, his vaudeville act or speciality known as “ Frank Everest’s Monkey Hippodrome.” Judgment was entered for B. and J. Fuller, Ltd., for Is damages, and the taxed costs of the action. The company undertook not to enforce the judgment for costs unless Everest disobeyed the injunctionimperial Caesar’s wardrobe, spangled and beaded as a concession to theatredom, may yet give life to a modern ballroom. Thirty-eight costumes —“look at the bullion, look at the plate, look at the emeralds, look at the spangles” -were sold in a bundle for a little over 25 at the Theatre Royal, Sydney (says v Sydney paper). And the finery of Caesar—that once graced the boards and drew gasps of amazement from vudiences—changed hands with nearly ! -00 other budles of old clothes. Among the buyers were several people who deal in fancy costumes for balls and carnivals, and a vamp with bobbed hair may yet be seen in the scarlet crcpo

de chine vamp dress worn when waists were high and deeclletage was demure. Fifteen grey cashmere dnesses, with fischus and pockets, were made for ‘‘The Vicar of Bray.” How long is it since the ‘‘Vicar” visited Sydney? There were Robin Hood costumes. Spanish costumes, ballet costumes of all descriptions, evening dresses, walking dresses, satin, silk, spangle, and fur — all tossed in together into bundles. Convict suits of sacking jostled accord-eon-pleated petticoats and jockey’s tights. Trying to look unobtrusive at the back of the stage was a case of hats—all that was left of some dazzling Oriental setting. There were coloured turbans of every variety, dusty and well worn, yet trying to retain some of their pristine glory beside the unadorned yellow straw of some desperate Mexican or the worn scarlet of a Spanish adventurer. The prices varied, but five shillings purchased quite a lot of things—including ten pairs of red pants.