The Stage.

New Zealand Illustrated Magazine, Volume VII, Issue 5, 1 February 1903, Page 407

The Stage.

By S. E. G-REVILLE-SMfTH

WS New Zealand the Paradise of il ' Players, as well as the Working W 1 Man's Paradise ? 1 doubt if the i_k collective answer would be any more satisfactory than the collective photograph. Of the forty or fifty companies — theatrical, musical and general —at present touring the colony, it is more than probable that some, if not the majority, fail to keep the ledger balanced, >)r threaten to increase the labour of

of the colony. The WilloughbyGeach Comedy Company, the Williamson Musical Comedy Company, the Fitzmaurice-Gill Dramatic Combination, and the Frank Thornton Company are able to tell us that they have sampled us all over, and are well satisfied with us.

the Income Tax clerks, Others have commanded success from the first, by reason of the intrinsic value of their wares, increased extrinsically in some cases by ties of old association and affection. Foul* or five managers, by whom the question at the beginning of this no. tice might be answered affirmatively without any " arriere pensee," have almost completed the tour

Amongst many new faces there are several old favourites. Mr Thornton is the oldest of these ; he is a perennial favourite of proved virtue, and would " draw " in a monologue entertainment as well as in anything 1 . There is danger in being a member of his company, inasmuch, as merit considerably above the

average declines to the proportions of mediocrity when placed in juxtaposition with the performance of the talented impersonator of the Rev. Robert Spalding and Dick Phenyl. Yet the company is excellent, polished in all its parts, balanced with admirable precision, and equal to all the demands made by Mr Thornton's splendid repertoire. All the members, with the exception of Mrs Waller Hill and

Mr Cambourne, are, I believe, making their initial appearance in this colony. Mrs Hill's name recalls the finest traditions of the past. She and her husband, who was a most capable comedian, were the leading supporters of half-a-dozen stars in the 'Seventies, and Mrs Hill will be remembered for her forceful presentation of Queen Bess in the Majeronis' version of " Marie Stuart." In more recent years Mrs

Hill has played with the Broughs, and her inclusion in Mr Thornton's Company helps to secure that finish which the famous comedian applies to every detail of his representations. Mr Cambourne is perhaps best known for the part he played in the Little Lord Fauntleroy Company. The new comers, actresses and actors, possess the rare quality

that grows on one. This, it may be assumed, springs from their perfect naturalness. They do not appear to " act " at all, but to do what under the given conditions seems to be the inevitable thing. Mr Herbert's laugh is almost as convincing as Mr Thornton's nervousness, and in Miss Fordyce and Miss Norbury there are the grace and personal

charm that raise the author's language above the level of mere recitation. Mr Wilson is a capable actor in parts such as Mr Harwood used to delight in, with a little less regard for the old-fashioned conventionalities ; Mr John Denton would make a very efficient understudy for the part of the Private Secretary, and the others are specialists in one way or another. Mr Thornton's business manager is the veteran Mr Mayne, whose long connection with the Brooigh

and Boucicault Company as actor and manager has made his name a household word in the theatrical world.

Miss Fitzmaurice Gill, while our impressions of her sterling work as a member of the William Anderson Company are still fresh and green, comes back to us at the head of a company of her own organizing, and with a rich bundle of George RignokTs plays in her portfolio. Miss Gill is one of the finest emotional actresses who have visited

our shores. Tall, handsome, graceful and cultured, she possesses that rare quality of restraint, the courage which prompts the true artiste to subordinate the interest of the individual to that of the whole. Under her rule melodrama has taken a new lease of life. She has exercised the utmost care not only in the elaboration of scenic effects, which recall the enterprise of Bland Holt, "but also in the selection of her company, which includes at least two well-known actors, Messrs Blake and de Chateau. The newcomers, and especially the debutantes, are also welcome. Amongst

the latter are Miss Kate Gair, a young New Zealander who has gained her experience in the best Australian school, and whose brightness and vivacity should lead her far ■; Miss Dma Cooper, a promising young Australienne who has gained warm praise for her refined and sympathetic acting, especially in boy parts, and Miss Mylrea, a young lady of distinct promise. The company is under the direction of Mr George Abbott, the enterprising proprietor of the Auckland Opera House, who has every reason to be satisfied with his venture in the field of theatrical management.