MUSIC AND DRAMA

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18938, 7 December 1929, Page 25 (Supplement)

MUSIC AND DRAMA

“ Whoopee,” the bright musical comedy which will be presented to New Zealand audiences under the aegis of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., is both picturesque and animated. There are fifteen important characters in this lively musical and dancing comedy, which will commence its New Zealand tour at Auckland on Boxing Night. There ate attractive scenes and dancing interludes, and the ballet is said to be an outstanding feature of the production. Excellent comedy is distributed throughout the play, and running through it is a most charming romance. Wanenis, who is thought to have Indian blood in his veins, falls in love with the beautiful Sally Morgan. She returns his affection, but her father sternly forbids the union and insists that she shall marry i;he sheriff, Wells. When all is ready for the wedding cere m'ony Sally escapes—not with Wanensis, but with the highly amusing Henry Williams. After a series of startling adventures, beautifully pictured with scene and song, Sally finds her way to Wanenis in his mountain home. Here startling developments follow, and the ending is one which should appeal to all young lovers. Some of the prominent parts are those of Henry Williams, who provides most of the fun; Sally Morgan, who utters witty sayings and sings charming songs; Mary Custer, who also sings and dances. Wanenis is a most interesting role associated with a series of novel and picturesque stage settings. Black Eagle is another dramatic character in a very big cast. The ballet makes its many appearances in a variety of highly attractive numbers, and the whole play, which was a Ziegfeld production in New York, has been built up most ingeniously for picturesque and animated effects. One of the features of “ Whoopee ” is the work of the large ballet. The girls have been assiduously' coached in an amazing variety of steps and in frocks of barbaric splendour, among impressive stage settings, they set the whirlwind pace which is reported to be the keynote of the entire production, whe ther from a comedy, musical or dancing viewpoint. One of the most outstanding successes ever scored by an individual artist is that which goes to the credit of the great American comedy and dramatic star, Leo Carrillo, in the delightful comedy-drama “ Lombardi, Ltd.” This intriguing and highly amusing comedy will come to New Zealand shortly, and the opening date will probably be January S, at the Grand Opera House, Wellington. It is not generally known that Leo Carrillo created the character of Tito Lombardi in the original New York presentation of “ LQmbardi, Ltd.” As the Americanised Italian, Carrillo gives a most realistic pre sentation of what has been described as one of the hardest parts ever presented by an actor. Art before business would appear to be Tito’s maxim, for he extends such unlimited credit to his customers that he finds himself on the verge of/financial ruin. When his beautiful show girl, with whom he is infatuated, turns from him to accept the attentions of a wealthy broker, Tito displays such varying humours that he is said to move the audience to laughter and tears as he wills. “ Certainly a wonderful characterisation ” was the general opinion of Australian critics and public. Margaret Cullen-Landis, who will make her New Zealand debut in “ Lombardi, Ltd.,” is a talented American actress who was born in Tennessee. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., brought her out especially to play in the role she had been portraying in the production of “ Lombardi, Ltd.,” with Leo Cafrillo throughout the United States. Miss Cullen-Landis, who also made outstanding successes in Cradle Snatchers,” “ Lady Be Good,” “ The Whole Town’s Talking ” and “ One of the Family,” is said to have one of the most perfect figures ever seen on the stage. This, of course, entails a good deal of hard work and considerable sacrifice from a gastronomical point of view on her part. ‘ A good figure is the prime requisite for stage success,” says Miss Cullen-Landis. “ For some parts the long lines of a clever modiste will help out the girl who weighs too much, but when you stand before the public eight times a week in a pink foundation, well, you just have to omit the strawberry waffle and cream and sugar with your coffee.” George Highland and Minnie Everett are in Auckland rehearsing the “New Moon” (says a northern exchange). Mr Highland, who has produced many a bright musical play for the Firm—

he has been a producer for thirty-two years—began in a humble position in the world of limelight and make-be-lieve. He was a call boy and sold programmes and did all sorts of things round the theatre until he was eighteen years old. His people were stage players. Most of the Australian and New Zealand actors and actresses who have attained fame can thank Mr Highland for their success. Here are some: Madge Elliott, who is now a London star; Josie Melville, who may go back to Australia for “Mr Cinders”; Clarice Hardwicke, now appearing at Drury Lane; Isobel Wilford, Adele Crane, Dorothy Seacombe, Eva Gray, Mabel Gibson (now in Hollywood), Marie Bremner, Gladys Moncrieff, Cecil Bradley, Gracie Lavers. And there are men, too. Mr Highland took Cyril Ritchard from the chorus. He now stars with Madge Elliott in London musical comedies. Harry Ratcliffe is now with Ziegfeld Follies in New York. New Zealand playgoers will have the opportunity of welcoming back a popular young artist, Josie Melville, who is returning to appear once again under the J. C. Williamson Ltd. management. Since she left Australia three or four years ago Miss Melville has achieved success in Loiidoft and the "provinces in leading musical comedy roles. A 1 Jolson, the highest salaried vaudeville artist in America, who is only known to New Zealanders by his appearance in talking pictures, will make a world tour next year, but whether or not the tour will include the Dominion is not stated. The present arrangement is. for Jolson to open a short season in the United States in the midwest, and at its conclusion to go either to England or Australia. ' The economically minded will welcome the lowering of prices of admittance at most of the Melbourne theatres (says “The Australasian.”) Popular” prices were charged for the later performances of “Rose Marie,” and prices are still low for “Brewster’s Millions” at the .Comedy and for “Bird in Hand” at the Palace. Most of the other theatres are now at some thing like the “popular” stage so far as the boxoffice is concerned. A controversy is raging in Melbourne as to what should be done with the acoustics at the new Town Hall (says an Australian paper). It was a common thing when the concert chamber was first opened to see puzzled musical critics hopping about from one section of the place to another trying to discover what was wrong. At a concert given by one visiting virtuoso of impeccable repute a critic told me in the interval that the lady was playing flat. I invited him to change his seat. He did and he found that she was perfectly in tune. J. C. Williamson Ltd. are extending their enterprises to America. Their first attraction will, be presented in conjunction with Charles Dillingham at the Globe where “ Jew Suss ” will be staged with Maurice Moscovitch in the title role. This play is running in London at present with enormous success. Another J. C. Williamson attraction will be the musical coiqedy “ Mr Cinders,” which will be transferred to New York after the season in London has concluded. This has now reached its twelfth month, and is expected to run over Easter. Gus Bluett, at present appearing in the dancing musical comedy “Hold Everything,” at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, is credited with the possession of unlimited resource when the emergency arises on the stage. With only four days’ preparation he was rushed into the part of Kink Shiner, and, naturally there were times when the words of his role escaped his memory. lie is an adept at “gagging,” however, and improvised new lines quickly, so that no one in the audience was any the wiser. Frequently Gus Bluett has “held the situation” and kept the scene going in a play when one of the artists has missed a cue of an entrance, and the stage would have been kept waiting. There is a strong probability that Mr George Robey, the famous English comedian and vocalist, will visit Australia with his own company in February or March of next year. Arrangements fqr his visit, however, have not : yet been finalised. Robey first made his i appearance at the Alhambra, in Lon- . don; in 1891. During the w'ar years he ’ was prominent for the first time in ■ revue, notably with “The Bing Boys are Here” and “Zig-Zag.” He enlisted for service in the army transport, and in entertainments for war funds his concert for the French Red Cross in July, 1918. established what was considered a remarkable record, the proceeds amounting to £11,265. Robey is in his sixtieth year, but he is still a remarkable theatrical personality. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., have had great success in London with the Musical

Comedy “Mr Cinders.” At latest advices it had been playing for forty weeks, attracting capacity houses almost nightly, and heavy booking had been made for the Christmas and New Year holidays. At the conclusion of the London season, the piece will be sent to Australia and New Zealand and it is stated that a number of the London artists may be persuaded to make the trip. A feature of the remarkable development of the English drama in the last generation has been the improvement in the one-act play. There was a time when the one-act play was regarded purely as a curtain-raiser to much more important productions. It was used in London West End theatres to fill in part of the gap between the fashionable dinner hour and the rising of the curtain on the main entertainment. The piece was generally slight and the action was rudely interrupted by the entry of selfish late-comers into the stalls. Of late years, however, the one-act play has been treated as a serious art medium, a large number of first-class one-act pieces have been written, and some of the foremost dramatists of the day have used this form. So good a judge as Mr Granville Barker has said that Barrie’s “The Twelve-Pound Look,” is the finest one-act play in the language. Wolfi, the boy violinist, who is now attracting attention in Europe, and has been engaged by the E. J. Carroll management for a tour of Australia in 1931, made his first London appearance in October at Albert Hall. Only fourteen years of age, he is, according to the “Morning Post” critic, “gifted with a] tone of exceptional warmth and clarity, and since Seveik is training him, he discloses the foundations of cultivated technique.” The critic finds, moreover, that there were in his performance of the Max Bruch Concerto in G minor unmistakable signs of a musical nature that could not have been simulated. The “Daily News” reviewer, Mr A. Kelisch, is glowing in his praise. He says that the test to which the boy submitted himself was severe, but not too severe for him. “He played with great artistic feeling. His style is marked by a rare sanity; he tried no tricks or arbitrary innovations, but gave us honestly all that is in the music.” Again, “what impressed me most in his playing of the Bach Chaconne was the boy’s remarkable dignity.” The London engagement as Othello of Paul Robeson of “ The Emperor Jones” and “Show Boat,” has been written of as a novelty; but a negro was playing Othello and many other solemn and dramatic parts as long ago as the time of our great-grandfathers. The negro actor w’as Ira Aldridge, who in 1816 entered the service of the tragedian, Edmund Keen, in the United States, and accompanied him to England. After studying acting in London he appeared in America, and in 1826 he made his London debut as Othello. Aldridge had other London engagements, the last in 1865, and he toured in England and Ireland; but he seems to have had his chief success in Continental cities. Usually he chose parts in w T hich a dark skin was not likely to be objected to, but he also played such parts as Macbeth and Lear. After more than forty years of acting he died in Poland in 1867. An accomplished actress, still living, Dame Margaret Kendal, • who saw him on the stage dn later years, says:—“ It always struck me that he got some species of—well, I will not say ‘genius ’ but gleams of great intelligence.” From time to time other negroes have taken dramatic parts. Isadora Duncan, world famous dancer, who died, two -years ago, i§ an attract tve subject, because of her tragic life and death. Her autobiography and biographical sketch by her pupil Irma Duncan and Mr Allen Ross M’Dougall have been followed by “Isadora Duncan’s End,” by Miss Mary Desti, which Gollancz has published. Miss Desti 1 makes much of the tragedy which dogged the great dancer. She tells a remarkable story of a curse. Isadora, it seems, rescued a male relation from the clutches of “ a very famous cinema vamp ” in Paris in 1913. When Isadora broke the news that she had packed off her relation, the “vamp,” writes Miss Desti, “ arose, and in a voice ■ trambling with hate, said, * I curse you ■ The gods of my father curse you and your children for ever.’ And at that very instant we were on the spot where years afterwards the motor-car with Isadora’s children entered the Seine.” Miss Desti goes on to say that the night before the dreadful tragedy in which Isadora’s two children were : trapped and drowned in a motor-car which overturned into the Seine, Someone had sent to her behind the scenes of the theatre in which she was performing a book which made her very melancholy. “It was,” writes Miss Desti, “ ‘Niobe Lamenting Her Children.* and she could not imagine why anyone had sent her this book.” The Savoy Theatre, London, opened recently with a season of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in the home specially built for them. Thus the hands of the clock of time will seem to have been turned back nearly half a century. It was on Monday, October 11, 1881, that the Savoy was opened with the performance of “Patience,” transferred from the Opera Comique, torn down with other theatres in the neighbourhood for the Strand improvement scheme. That new theatre gave evident signs of keeping pace with the times. It was lighted by electricity, and was the first building in London to enjoy that advantage. It was gravely pointed out bj' - the management in those days that through the new light, “the worst of, all things about theatres generally—their heated and poisonous atmosphere —seems to have been got rid of in great measure. Thousands of people, they argued, lovers of the stage, never set foot inside a theatre because they are sure that the pleasure of the evening will have to be paid for by headache I and nausea in the morning.” Great as was the improvement of the first Savoy . over the theatres of its day, the new i theatre is up to date in every respect, i Although it is very much larger than ; its predecessor, its seating capacity is almost exactly the same—accommodr ating about 1175 persons. All the extra room has been utilised for more comfortable seats, so that there is practieally little, if any, difference in space, and, therefore, in comfort. between that of the occupants of the stalls and those in the cheaper seats in the amphitheatre.