PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17574, 1 December 1928, Page 17 (Supplement)

PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

THEATRE ROYAL. January 10.—J. C. Williamson (The Midnight Frolics). The Popular Midnight Frolics. The Midnight Frolics, headed by popular Clem Davfe, -will open another New Zealand tour (this time under the '■ Williamson management) at Auckland ' on Wednesday. | Supporting Clem Dawe are Brio 1 Edgeley, Gregory Ivanoff, Lilian Crisp, ' Dorotl|/ White, Oscar Beck, Gertie Cremer, William Perryman, Phyllis Amery, Les. White and a Jazz Band of twelve. There will be much regret that Alec Regan, light comedian, and his pianist, Ron Stafford, will not be with the company on this tour. They were tremendously popular on previous visi*.

Bhows In Australia. The outstanding successes in Australia are — Sydney—" The Vagabond King," with * James Liddy and Strella Wilson; "Good News," with Elsie Prince and Jimmy Godden; "On Approval," with Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Boucicault; "The Patsy," with Irene Homer; vaudeville at the Tivoli, headed by Horam and Myrtil, Continental dancers. Melbourne "The Desert Song," with Lilian Perry, Lance Fairfax (the New Zealander) and Herbert Mundin; "Cheating Cheaters," with Muriel Starr; "Interference," with Leon Gordon; "The Family Upstairs," with Leona Hogarth; Allan Wilkie in Shakespearean repertoire; vaudeville at the Tivoli, headed by Long Tack Sam. Adelaide—" The Silent House," with Maurice Moscovitch; the Humphrey Bishop Company; "Are You a Mason?" with Frank Neil. "Jew Suss" on the Stage. The dramatisation of the widelyread book "Jew Suss" will probably be staged in Germany before it is seen in England. Mr Matheson Lang is to be the Jew in London. Shakespeare Popular In Australia. Mr Allan Wilkie, who has done so much to make New Zealanders and Australians familiar with the plays of Shakespeare, is keenly interested in presentations of the plays in other parts of the world. "People who declare that Shakespeare is more popular in Germany than anywhere else in the world overlook enthusiasm in Australia," he said in Melbourne. "I have received statistics from Germany, which reveal that 1683 performances of Shakespeare were given in that country last year. Australia, with one-twelfth of the population of Germany, has had more than 300 performances of Shakespeare annually by my company. That is to say, in proportion to the population, there is double the number of performances in Australia compared with Germany." Most of the German performances of Shakespeare are given in State or municipal theatres. Free Drinks on First Nights. The latest innovation of the Cambridge Festival Theatre, England, "to make their patrons supremely happy," is the distribution of free drinks to first-nighters. A new play is produced every Monday. The aim of the conductors of the theatre is summed up in their statement: "We seek a more cheery social atmosphere and less formality." Muriel Starr in Melbourne. Muriel Starr is at the King's Theatre Melbourne. • Since she first organised her companv in Australia she has appeared in 35 plays. Harvey Adams has produced all of them, and appeared in most. "Cheating Cheaters" is the latest production. The play, it is said, does not afford much scope for Miss Starr's emotional talents. Supporting Miss Starr are Robert Ginns (an English actor, first seen in Australia as "The Sheik") as the criminal who turns lover, Olive Marston and Edwin Brett in the comedy parts, John Barry (a young Melbourne actor) as the Italian, and Fred Coape as a rascally lawyer. Amateur Activities.

The Hawera Operatic Society shows a loss of £lO3 on the year's working. "The Admirable Crichton" was played at Wellington last week in aid of the National Art Gallery and Dominion Museum Fund. Miss Constance Theel was producer. The Masterton Operatic Society's production of "High Jinks" showed a profit of only £27 18s Bd, owing to the cost of production being so high. The takings were £OBO. The Inglewood Operatic Society, which produced "The Quaker Girl" some time ago, shows a credit balance of £2B 13s 3d on the year's working. The Otorohanga Amateur Operatic Society is making good progress with "A Country Girl," and will produce the popular musical comedy next week. The members are showing great keenness and an excellent performance is expected. The Chief Hits in New York. Here are New York's chief hits — nor let the press agents tell you otherwise, says the New York Times. The accompanying figures denote the technical price at which one may purchase the best seats:— Musical. "Billie," 14s. "Blackbirds of 1928," 16s. "Earl Carroll Vanities," £1 12s and "George White's Scandals," £1 7s 6d "Good Boy," £1 7s 6d and £1 3s. "Show Boat," £1 7s 6d and £1 3s. "The New Moon," £1 3s. "The Three Musketeers," £1 7s 6d and £1 3s. "Three Cheers, £1 7s Dramatic. "Jarnegan," 16s. "Paris," 18s 4d. "Strange Interlude," 18s 4d. "The Front Page." 16s. "The High Road," 16s. Twenty to Thirty New Plays. Tremendous industry is afoot over all the new plays which London is to have offered it shortly (says a London naper'i. Probably not a dozen of the niece at present running will be on *L & stage six weeks hence. Some will have run their course; others are merely stop-gaps. Between twenty and thirty new redactions are in preparation, and fL best part of £IOO,OOO must be at s take O ver c omin s focLondon.

Why Not Change the Music? Dance recitals are enjoyable, but why is it considered necessary to use the*same tunes year after year? The initiated can now almost tell what dance is to'be performed by the selection the orchestra commences to play; a certain tune has become associated with a certain style of dance, and is used again and again. Why not break new ground? News of Frank Freeman.

"No Other Tiger"—taken from a book by A. E. W. Mason —is a big London success, and Frank Freeman, who was such a favourite out here a few years ago, in "Tilly of Bloomsbury" and "Maid of the Mountains." has a prominent part in it—the success as well as the production.

Dennis Neilson Terry is doing the piece. Frank Freeman has been leading man with Miss Neilson Terry nearly ever since he left us, and has been to South Africa with her twice. The Bloodstained Aniseed Ball!

"Playthings of Passion, or the Bloodstained Aniseed Ball," was the sanguinary title of a play in which students of the National Gallery appeared at Melbourne, in aid of the Melbourne City Mission. Miss Pearson, one of the students, is the author of the play, and she also took the principal part. From Obscurity to Affluence.

When Mr Carl Brisson, musical comedy and screen star, returns to the Palladium, London, at the top of the bill, he intends to have the same cramped little dressing-room that he occupied when he was earning £l2 a week there seven years ago.

"It is my only superstition," ho says, "always to occupy the same dressingroom.

"When I first appeared at Daly's I had a tiny room tucked away on the third floor, and whenever I have returned to the theatre I have always stipulated that I should have the same room.

"At the moment there is an amusing

contretemps at the film studios at Elstree because another dressing-room has been built for me and mine given to Monty Banks. I refuse to leave my original dressing-room because 1 firmly believe that to do so would change my luck. So at the moment, wc are both in possession—each determined not to move!"

Footllght Flashes. Th» Margaret Bannerman Company is in Christchurch with "Other Men s -The Girl Friend" is in the South Island, and will open at Dunedin toAunt" was revived in Adelaide recently by the Frank Neil C °F^e a d n Mackay, the Australian dancer, is appearing in "So This Is Love in England. . r -. James Hay, formerly popular in Gilbert and Sullivan opera, gave a special recital of Schubert songs from dbu, Sydney, on November 19. '"The Sentimental Bloke" and On Our Selection" are still popular in Australia, under the management Bert Bailey. XT ~.„ "Beauty and the Beast, with Nellie Kolle as principal boy, will be the Fuller pantomime in Melbourne at Christmas. Maurice Moscovitch revived The Ringer" and "The Terror" for the last nights of the successful Melbourne season. The company opened at Adelaide in "The Silent House" on Saturday. . . Allan Wilkie's successful Shakespearean season in Melbourne has closed. The final productions were "Hamlet," "Borneo and Juliet," "The Tempest," "Macbeth," and the first presentation in Melbourne of "All's Well thai Ends Well."

Because of the illness of his father (Mr C L. Copcland), "Argus." the boy prophet, has had temporarily to suspend his New Zealand lour. Mr Copeland is in a Wangaiuil private hospital, but it is hoped that the tour will be resumed before Christmas. Stephanie Deste (well remembered as a dancer in "Rose Marie"), Dennis Barry (of the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company), and Lance Fairfax (the New Zealander who plays the lead in "The Desert Song") sang at the Austral Salon in Melbourne last week. Mr Victor Watts-Weston did not return to London with other members of the Percy Hutchison company last

Saturday. He went to Australia, and may tour New Zealand again later. Mr Watts-Weston, though he had only a small part in "The Laughing Optimist," was an important member of llie company, being understudy to Mr Hutchison.