MUSIC AND DRAMA

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18926, 23 November 1929, Page 27 (Supplement)

MUSIC AND DRAMA

“Journey’s End,” the world-famous war play, will be presented this evening at the Theatre Royal by the special J. C. Williamson company. 55 The Westminster Glee Singers will pay a return visit to Christchurch next week, and will give concerts at the Civic Theatre on Wednesday and Thursday. 55 55 55 One of the most enthusiastic receptions ever accorded to a visiting theatrical organisation was that tendered at Wellington to the members of the J. C. Williamson “Journey’s End” Company by the Returned Soldiers’ Association, the Commercial Travellers’ Association, and the general public. The members of the J. C. Williamson London and Australian company now appearing in New Zealand in “Journey’s End,” the dramatic epic of the trenches, were afforded an opportunity of seeing some of the scenic and ther mal wonders of the North Island, and it is their intention of still further improving their knowledge in this respect when the South Island is visited, and again when the company returns to the north to complete its itinerary. “The scenery in these blessed isles of the Pacific is truly wonderful,” said Mr Reginald Tate, the talented young actor who plays the important part of Captain Stanhope. “It is so varied, so beautiful, so impressive, so grand, and at times, so sylvan and peaceful. We were fortunate in Rotorua; every thing seemed to go off and up just when it was wanted. We were not there long, unfortunately, but we made good use of the limited time at our disposal, and as I have said, some magic hand must have been at work—(”Yes, and working overtime,” interjected one of the members of the company)—for the geysers spouted beautifully, the mud-pools boiled, the grimlooking cauldrons bubbled; all the show-places exceeded our most sanguine expectations.”

Sir Benjamin and Mr John Fuller are considering the arranging of a tour of New Zealand for the Gregan M’Mahon Company which at present is appearing in Melbourne. Plays in the company’s repertoire include “The Fanatics” “ Bird in Hand, ” “ Message From Mars,” “ The Play’s the Thing,” and “ Thunder in the Air.”

That “The Desert Song” is popular in New Zealand is proved by the fact that the head office of J. C. Williamson at Wellington has been inundated with applications for return visits, while provincial districts not included in the original itinerary have made urgent requests for a visit before the “Desert Song” company is disbanded, and its members absorbed in other big productions the firm have in preparation. The demands have been so insistent that if it is possible, the departure of the company may be delayed so that at least some of them may be acceded to. The New Zealand representative _ of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., and J. and N. Tait. is at present in cable communication with Australia in an en deavour to secure an extension of the Dominion season. It is announced that one of the principal J. C. Williamson attractions for the coming Christmas and New Near holiday season will be “Whoopee. a musical comedy of outstanding merit. It has good and lively music, snappy dialogue, many dance specialties and interludes, striking ensembles, and rapid, “quick-fire” action to recommend it. Add to this an all-star cast, including several noted musical comedy artists and original comedians, and the public will get some idea of this latest success from one of the leading New York theatres. In Australia “Whoopee” is meeting with a most enthusiastic reception, and is spoken of as one of the most enjoyable musical comedy presentations ever seen for years. One scene is particularly beautiful, many striking headdreses being worn, and is said to outlive all previous attempts in this respect, not omitting those memorable scenes in “Rose Marie.” Daphne Pollard, who was born Melbourne, was one of the original Lilliputians. After touring through Australia she went to France and became a star comedienne with the Folies Bergere, Paris. Going to the United States she made a name on the vaudeville stage, then appeared in silent pictures and is now playing in talkies. By an arrangement between J. C. Williamson Ltd. and the Fullers Proprietary, the Fullers’ Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, and the Williamson's Tivoli Theatre, Sydney, have been closed and there is now only one vaudeville theatre in each of these cities —Fullers’ Theatre, Sydney, where Frank O’Brian’s “ Revellers ” are in season, and the Tivoli Theatre, Melbourne, at which house the famous English Lotinga has opened. John Woodcock * Graves, author of “D’ye Ken John Peel,” the famous hunting song which lately attained its 100th birthday, was 100 years old when he died in Hobart (Tas.) in 1886. lie was an eccentric old chap (says an Australian paper), something of a weaver of cloth and verses and something of an artist. He passed on to his son, awhile a Hobart solicitor, his love ot animals, native and imported, and the old Hobart homestead of the family was a sort of Zoo. There is talk of a modern memorial to replace the faded gravestone in Sandy Bay cemetery. According to Fire-Chief Wilkins, the' destruction of His Majesty’s in Melbourne was due to the economical device of the firm in dispensing with a night fireman a few months ago (writes a Sydney “Bulletin” correspondent. Nineteen previous conflagrations had been quenched in their incipient phases by firemen on special duty at the theatre. Probably the biggest sufferers by the fire are some of the orchestrians. pew of the public know how much a flayer has to invest in his instruments. A string bass that was destroyed cost £SO, but was insured. The drummer's outfit, belonging to B. Cresswell,

was worth £250 and hadn’t a penny on it. One of the minor consequences _oi the conflagration was the destruction of the futurist paintings hanging inthe foyer, which were purchased in Pans at the instigation of George Tallis. The only picture the flames spared was the portrait of Nellie Melba, by Rupert Bunny. Which showed fine discrimination on the part of the fire fiend.

Gus Bluett, who has made one of the biggest successes of his career as the boxer, Gink Shiner, in “Hold Everything” at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, came into the cast with onlv five days in which to learn the part ana the great amount of comedy “business he has to handle. It was a remarkable feat in memorising. But the most astonishing phase of this achievement was contained in the fact that the young comedian, in order to memorise his part, had to “forget” three other parts. He was sent to Perth to the Firm’s Comic Opera Company. His first role was Benjamin Kidd in “The Desert Song.” Then he had to learn the role of Guy Tabarie in “The Vagabond King,” following quickly with the part of the Spanish Governor in “The Maid of the Mountains.” Right on top of this came the call from Melbourne, and Mr Bluett had to fly to reach Melbourne to take the role of Gink Shiner in “Hold Everything.’* “I had to unlearn three parts,” he said. “While I was committing to memory the lines of Gink Shiner, snatches of songs and words from ‘The Desert Song,’ ‘The Vagabond King,’ and ‘The Maid of the Mountains’ kept coming into my mind. If I had had two or three clear days to forget my other parts it would not have been so bad. As it was, I had to learn a new role right on top of three others already stored away in my memory, and be ready in less than five days. It was the toughest proposition of my life.” “ Wagner letters, scores, and documents, in large quantities and of inestimable value, have been discovered in a London safety deposit vault,” says the ‘ Etude.’ Bucharest claims the distinction of being the first city to have evicted an opera. A State opera, too! The Government, w r hich operates the opera, but doesn’t own the house, had for-

gotten to pay the rent for the last few years. So the owner of the property simply got the sheriff to do his work while the summer vacation was on. Properties and costumes were scattered all over the street while the crowd looked on. Opera singers, trying to rescue their belongings, were ruthlessly shut out. 55 55 55 “ When the future historians look back upon the present epoch they will call it the machine age of music,” said Sir Hamilton Harty, conductor of the Halle Orchestra, of Manchester, in a public address before the organists of England, assembled at Hull. “ They will see,” he continued, “ that in an age that considers itself musicially enlightened we permit gangs of jazz barbarians to debase and mutilate our history of classical music, and listen with patience to impudent demands to justify its filthy desecration.”

Athletics and acting do not mix to any great extent, except in the publicity provided by imaginative writers concerning wonderful achievements in some remote country by a matinee idol or a screen star. Still, there are exceptions. One was Norman Trevor, who died in California on October 31. Trevor was born in India in 1877, and in youth he was an all-round champion athlete there. He was a member of the English Olympic team in Paris in 1900, and in his time he won more than 120 prizes for athletics. In Paris he was awarded a medal and a bronze statue for having the best physique of athletes of all nations. From this it might be thought that Trevor, as an actor, depended mainly on his appearance, but that was not the case. He was alloted many good parts in London and New York, and he acted them ably.

Oscar Asche, in a recently published autobiography brings into contrast his early days in England, when he was so poor that he had to sleep on the Thames Embankment, and his success a good many years later with “ Chu Chin Chow.” He tells that he began to write the play in a wet week in Manchester, when it was impossible to play golf. Mrs Asche (Lily Bray ton) said, “ Why not write that pantomime you are always talking about? ” and, accordingly, he dictated day by day to a stenographer. It was continued and completed in Londoon, taking altogether only a fortnight. Its brilliance of spectacular production, in which Mr Asche

is an expert, probably had more to do with its success than the writing. Mr Asche tells that the play was shown to several producers, who said that it was no good; but he made considerably more than £200,000 net in royalties from it. There would be in addition his rich reward as manager and as actor. “ Everybody associated with it made a fortune,” writes Mr Asche. “ Some of them kept it. I did not. I lost a lot of money in greyhound racing; then came the moneylenders, and finally the farm in Gloucestershire, which from first to last cost me £100,000.” No wonder he adds that “ My fault is that I cannot save.” Oscar Asche says that at the age of 58 years he is setting out to redeem his fortunes.

SARAH SIDDONS

FAMOUS ACTRESS OF EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Commenting on Lewis Melville’s recent publication, “More Stage Favourites of the 18th Century ” a reviewer says;—This industrious author had already written of eight favourites of the period. Now he has found four more, but, however, much he may desire a third volume of the kind, the subject is now exhausted, and even Lewis Melville will not be able find more stage favourites of this lively period. In the book the subjects are Frances Abington, Sarah Siddons, Mary Ann (called “Perdita”) Robinson, and Dorothy Jordan. Lewis Melville de-

votes most space to Mrs Siddons, although, if ever there was a blameless woman on the 18th century stage, it was Sarah Siddons. She was also a superlatively great artist. In reading contemporary criticism of the stage allowance must be made for contemporv enthusiasm; but when this has been done in regard to Mrs Siddons, the testimony to the power of her acting remains overwhelming. The character of those who praised her art and their qualifications as critics make it clear that Sarah Siddons was one of the greatest actresses, not of the 18th century, but of all centuries. She was a woman of regal grace—tall, well-pro-portioned, beautiful of countenance, and with extraordinary mobile features; she had a magnificent speaking voice; the emotions of her role seemed to possess her anew and fully for every separate performance; she interpreted in her own way every character she played, and her way was the right way, inasmuch as it was artistically triumphant. Lewis Melville produces abundant testimony of the power of her emotional acting upon great audiences, and rightly so. At the same time it has always seemed to us that what gave a rare distinction to Mrs Siddons was that she was an intelligent artist. Great audiences have many times been swayed by beautiful but shallow women, who have touched the whole gamut of human passion and whose achievement has been born of quick discernment and natural aptitude. Mrs Siddons was not of that class. It was enough that she should learn a part and perform it with skill and with acceptation. She “ appreciated ” her characters; she read her authors with sound understanding; Shakespeare she loved for his own sake and not as a playright. To her acting she brought an intellectual force which imperiously made itself evident and became influential upon the critical audiences. One sees something of this dominating intellectual power in some of the letters quoted in this volume, and these reveal too, an attractive literary style, but Lewis Melville deals with Mrs Siddons as a popular idol, though he does quote the opinions of reputable contemporary authors upon her art and her private character. Mrs Siddons visited Dr Johnson, who sonorously said that she “ left nothing behind her to be censured or despised,” and added, “Neither praise nor money, the two powerful corrupters of mankind, seem to have depraved her.” Lewis Melville tells of Mrs Siddons’s friendship with one Galindo, a fencing master, after the death of her husband and concludes that the facts “ establish no more than grave indiscretion.” They do not establish even that. They establish the crankiness of Mrs Galindo, and show that Mrs

Siddons was an affectionate and an innocent friend of the husband. Sarah Siddons was not over-plagued with wooers. She was a gracious woman, but her character and her bearing removed her, god-like, from the importunate light o’love. She was, too, a woman of sorrows, and, though these were heroically borne, they set sign and seal uopn her, and men revered her.