PLAYS AND FLAYERS.

Waikato Times, Volume 104, Issue 17586, 15 December 1928, Page 17 (Supplement)

PLAYS AND FLAYERS.

Bouclcaults for New Zealand. Irene Vanbrugh and Dion Boucicault will open another New Zealand tour at Auckland on January 14. The season will last until January 29. The repertoire will be "All the King's Horses" (the opening production), "Belinda," and "Mr Pim Passes By" (A. A. Mine), "Caroline" (Somerset Maugham), "On Approval" (Frederick Lonsdale), and "Miss Nell of N' Orleans," Return of Allan Wilkle. Mr Allan Wilkie, with Miss Hunter - I Watts and the members of his Shake- . spearean company, will arrive at Wellington on January 14 from Melbourne by the Manuka, and will spend a wellearned holiday prior to opening at the Grand Opera House, Wellington, on . January 26. Mr Wilkie will present, besides favourite plays staged during his last visit, the following:—"Goriolanus," "The Taming of the Shrew," "The ■Merry Wives of Windsor," "Henry V.," "Othello," "King Lear," "All's. Well That Ends Well," and "Much Ado About Nothing." English Players for New York. Among the passengers who arrived from Europe on the President Harding were 58 members of the company and chorus of Charles B. Cochran's revue, This Year of Grace," written by Noel Coward, who plays the leading role, with Beatrice Lillie (says a New York message). The majority of the actors and actresses were seasick the first half of toe voyage, when the weather was very rough, which caused the ship to be a day late. They left Jersey City for Baltimore without coming to New York, as the play opens there and comes to New York a week later. Among the cast were Billy Milton. comedian; Mimi Hayes, Marjorie Moss and her dancing partner, G. S. Fontana. Jha "Merry Widow" Seeks Divorce. Elsie Bullough, whose siage name is iLily Elsie, the original "Merry Widow," is petitioning for divorce from Major lan. John Bullough, M.C. Major Bullough was first married to Miss Maudi DarrelL, who died in 1910. The next year he married Miss Lily .Elsie. She is now 42 years of age. Miss Elsie made her first appearance on the stage as a child of 11. At Daly's Theatre, London, on June 8, 1907, sbe created a perfect furore when she appeared as Sonia in "The Merry Widow."

After her marriage she quitted the stage, and was not seen again until she appeared in October, 1915, when she played Patricia O'Brien in "Mavourneen." She made a wonderful return to the stage last year in "The Blue Train," and is now leading lady to Ivor Novello in "The Truth Game." Wit from " Her Cardboard Lover." "I'd die for youl" " Oh, well—have it your own wayl" * * * * " A confidential secretary's first duty is to listen." I * • * • i " Have you ever heard of Romeo ? Well, I begin where Romeo left off." L * * * *. t **i want to see you." ' " Well; now you have seen me. Goodbye." *** ■ * " If a woman were deceived by sin aviator, and beaten by a Russian, the next man she'd marry would be a Russian aviator!" * * * » j ** Don't you believe in love?" ** Well, at my age, a man would much rather have a cup of tea."

Amateur Activities. A loss of £3BO was sustained'by the "Wellington Competitions Society on its 1928 festival.

, "French Leave" was presented by the Thames Comedy Club this week, on behalf of the Thames Fire Brigade. Three short plays—" The Price," The Grey Parrot," and "Wrecked"— were produced by Mr Stanley Warwick at Palmerston North on Saturday.

No Real Dramatists in Australia. "In Australia you have no real dramatists," said Mr Dion Boucicault. **l have read numbers of plays submitted to me, bu) most of them reveal not the faintest knowledge of the limitations and needs of the theatre. Men and women seem to sit down to write perhaps a literary play, and are content so long as they have got it on paper. They seem to overlook the fact that their work has to be cast effectively and to hold an audience. They show little idea of amplification of points or of construction." Mr Boucicault said that the only Australian play he had read that would have been suitable for the stage was one by Judge Beeby. Certainly Vast! It was George Jessel, commenting on the recent - failure of the Jack Dempsey fight play in Boston, who found a way in which adequately to suggest the vastness of the Boston Opera House. "Why," he declared, *'they shot two wild deer in the balcony last week." Thrills in a Signal-box.

An English dramatic company comprising 10 London players, selected by Mr E. J. Carroll, will open at the Athenaeum, Melbourne, on December 22, in "The Wrecker," a mystery play, by Mr Arnold Ridley, author of "The Ghost Train."

Mr Ridley scored so heavily with "The Ghost Train" that he was bound to try and repeat the success. "The Wrecker," which was produced in London last year, is likely to be just as popular in Australia as Mr Ridley's first "winner." The play abounds in thrills, the greatest of which is reserved until the third act. The scene is a signal cabin on a lonely moor. It is nearly midnight Wind "howls dismally" (stage wind always does that), and rain "lashes on the roof." It is a real signal-box, with the cryptic tinkling of bells, shining levers, teleplione-box, and singalmen making careful entries in their logbooks after glancing at the clock. "Jack the Wrecker" has announced his intention of derailing the Rainbow express outside that very cabin Ave minutes before midnight. He enters the cabin, kills the detective on guard, chloroforms the signalman, and sets the points. so that the express must crash into an embankment. The rest of the act provides excitement enough for the greatest lovers aS, melodrama.

Midnight Frolics Tour Re-adjusted. Mr Bert Royle, the New Zealand representative of J. C. Williamson and J. and N. Tait, has been compelled to re-adjust the itinerary of the Midnight Frolics Company, which is now drawing crowded houses in Auckland. It was first contemplated to carry out an extensive North Island provincial tour immediately after the Auckland season, but as some of the theatres required were not available for the dates wanted, but were to be secured later on, the company will proceed south. The company will go direct from Auckland to Wellington, and thence to the South Island. A return season will be played at Wellington at Easter, and then the North Island provincial tour will be undertaken.

Pleased He Is Coming Back. Mr Dennis Barry, the young English actor who made his first tour of New Zealand last year with the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company, writes by this week's mail from Melbourne: "I shall be back in New Zealand in January, and am looking forward to it tremendously, to meeting many dear friends made in both Islands, and playing to the delightful audiences. As you know, I love New Zealand." New Zealand playgoers will be pleased to renew acquaintance with Mr Barry. He won much popularity on and off the stage on his last visit, and his characterisations Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet," Puck in "Midsummer Night's Dream," Feste in "Twelfth Night," Laertes in "Hamlet," Marc Antony in "Julius Caesar," etc.— are well remembered. One especially remembers his refreshingly pure English. J

"Interference" In Melbourne. Here is the cast of "Interference" at Melbourne —

Philip Voaze Leon Gordon Douglas Helder Leyland Hodgson Sir John Mar lay CM. Hallard Barbara Marlay .. Mrs Leon Gordon Faith Marlay May Collins Deborah Cane Zillah Bateman Mrs Barme Noel Boyd Mrs Florence Rooks Henrietta Cavendish Fred John Fernside

Chief Inspector Haines . . Edwin Lester Dr. Puttock Frank Bradley

Christmas Greetings. By this week's mail came Christmas and New Year wishes from Mr and Mrs W. R. Fox, formerly of the Waikato School of Music, Hamilton, who have been settled in South Australia for some years. Mr and Mrs Fox send greetings to their friends here. The card is a photograph of "The Fox Trio," Mr and Mrs Fox's children, as pianist, violinist and 'cellist. GreeLings were also received from William Heughan, the Scottish singer. Mr Heughan is off to the Orient, and will return to New Zealand and Australia next year.

Ex-champion Boxer on Stage. M. Georges Carpentier, the French boxer, made his first appearance on the stage in England at Birmingham last month. He sang, danced, and gave an exhibition of dancing. Mr Allan Wilkle's Losses. Mr Allan Wilkie, in a speech at the end of his Shakespearean season at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, announced that he had addressed an appeal to the Prime Minister (Mr Bruce) for financial assistance, without which it would be impossible for him to continue. "It is generally conceded," said Mr Wilkie, "that the standard of acting and production has been higher than in any previous season. Notwithstanding that, every week has resulted in- a financial loss. I arn reluctantly compelled to realise that it is impossible to produce Shakespeare in Australia without Government assistance, such as is given to classical drama in every other country. Whether I shall appear before you again is largely dependent on Mr Bruce's reply to my request for assistance. If I am forced to abandon Shakespeare I shall not appear in Melbourne in any other work which would be easier. (Applause.) I can take a very justifiable pride that, in spite of jazz, moving pictures and other trivial forms of entertainment, I have kept the banner of Shakespeare flying." (Applause.)

Singer As Story-Wrltor. Mr Oscar Beck, tenor and stage manager of the Midnight Frolics, now in Auckland, does not limit his artistic endeavours to stage work, for he has a distinct bent for story-writing.

Mr Beck's sketches, many of them j fascinating descriptions of theatrical and other types he has met on his world travels, show a deep understanding of human nature, a gift for character analysis, and the rare art of "telling the story." Above all, there is great sincerity in his work, and his people become real to the reader. Footllght Flashes. Lita Grey Chaplin (formerly wife of Charlie Chaplin) is in vaudeville in America. Mr William Perryman, the baritone of the Midnight Frolics, was formerly with Williamson musical comedy. Miss Margaret Bannerman assisted in a street collection at Christchurch on behalf of the Nazareth House Building Fund the other day. Miss Wyn Richmond, the original "Sunny" in Australia, is in the new musical comedy "Lucky Girl," in London. Gene Gerrard is principal comedian. Stiffy and Mo intend to lead their own companies presently. Mo will stay in Sydney and Stiffy will go to Melbourne. "The Girl Friend" opened at Christchurch on Thursday night. Annie Croft, Gus Bluett, and Leo Franklyn are proving as popular there as in other centres.

Margaret Bannerman and the members of her company concluded a successful New Zealand tour at Christ-

church on Wednesday, and sailed yesterday for Sydney. They will open in Melbourne next week in "Other Men's Wives."

Miss Dorothy White, the comedienne of the Midnight Frolics, is a sister of Mr Clem Dawe and Mr Eric Edgely and the wife of Mr Gregory Ivanoff, the violinist of the company. The Lynch Family of Bellringers are again touring New Zealand. The bellringing is as popular as ever. Assisting artists are Pauline Kitchen (soprano and whistler), Norma Hall (comedienne and dancer), and Lester Barry (baritone). Mr Ziegfeld is giving Pittsburghers something of a shock by charging £1 12s a seal for the first performance of "Whoopee," the musical comedy (says an American paper). After the opening the price will be £1 3s, which is still a record-breaking figure 'for the road.

The members of the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company have a fortnight's holiday each year. Last year this was spent in New Zealand before the company proceeded to Australia to open at Hobart on Boxing Day. Part of this year's vacation will also be taken in New Zealand, between the date of arrival in the Dominion and the opening of the Wellington season. Most of the players are English people, which perhaps accounts for their fondness for New Zealand. English Actor Arrives In Australia. On a health trip, Peter Hatton, actor, has arrived in Australia. Mr Hatton played Bill in "Good Morning, Bill," by P. G. Woodhouse, in London. He is not under contract to act in Australia, but if his health improves sufficiently he intends to enter an engagement. He has brought four plays with him—" The Fanatic," by Miles Malleson; "Good Morning, Bill," by Wodehouse; "Escape," by Galsworthy; and "Two White Arms," by Dr. Dearden t part author of "Interference." New Theatre at Rotorua. The new Majestic Theatre at Rotorua was declared open on Monday by the Mayor (Mr J. N. McLean). The theatre is equipped with every device to give the best results in screening and in providing comfort for the patrons. It will seat 800. A controlled system of ventilation has been installed, also a patent heating system. Over £650 has been spent, on lighting effects. Ample provision is made for the orchestra, and large dressing rooms are provided beneath the stage. The total cost of site, building, furniture and equipment is approximately £15,000.