THE FAULTS OF ROMEO AND JULIET.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVI, Issue 948, 7 May 1908, Page 18

THE FAULTS OF ROMEO AND JULIET.

Apropos of another revival of Shakespeare’s immortal love story at the Lyceum, a London writer says :—‘ ‘Romeo and Juliet has been running off and on, mostly off, for about three hundred years, and it is perhaps late to criticise the play itself, but I must chronicle a few of my objections to the tragedy from the dramatic standjoint. Now. is it likely, especially in a hot country, that a young man would forsake one love, espouse a new, kill a rival, be banished from his native city, return, kill another rival, and finally die in about forty-eight hours. This could not be accomplishedin modern America, far less then in old somnolent Italy. Again, consider Romeo’s character. Is he a hero? I think not, to me he appears as a vacillating slave to passion, and I think slightly less of Juliet than of him. She is admittedly chaste; but chastity in a girl close guarded by a mother and a nurse is a negative virtue, and her general conduct and her ready capitulation to Romeo suggest that opportunity might have had a mischievous effect upon her morals. Remember she had known the lusty Romeo a few hours only, yet she appeared on a balcony immediately connected with her bedchamber in a costume intended for use in privacy only and addressed him in language which may be inadequately termed bold. Then what of the Nurse? The less said the better. To summarise, the plot is weak and improbable, the construction is not indicative of the hand of genius, the characters are unpleasant, and the language only is beyond criticism.”

The change of locals from. Her Majesty’s to the Theatre Royal, Sydney, rendered necessary by the arrival of the pantomime in that city, seems to have given “The Lady Dandies” a new lease of life and that beautiful comic opera is, if anything, running more strongly than ever in its new home. The Royal Comic Opera Company are now hard at work on “The Merry Widow” with Herr Slapoffski and Mr Gerard Coventry united in the commendable task of guiding their steps aright. *-• • •

Mr Fred Elton, writing on board the N.D.L.i “Bremen” then at Columbo, says: “I am going home for a big theatrical novelty for New Zealand, and hope to be out again about October, possibly putting in a month or two in Egypt and Ceylon. Am visiting all the continental centres besides London. Miss Grace Elton is on with Mr Rickards’ company at

Perth and is getting four or five ‘calls’ every night.”

On Easter Sunday night Frederick Andrew, of the “Magic Kettle Act,” was. tendered a benefit at the Perth Theatre Royal. The artists who took part included Stella Ranger, Harry Hart, Harry Rochford, Jack Russell, Lena Langridge, Laurance Dunbar, Reginald Wickham, and Stirling Wnyte. Bert Bailey was front-of-the-house manager. The a:fair was a success-

Tom Armstrong and Priscilla Verne are at th? Orpheum, ’Frisco. “Variety’' reports that they “were quite successful in putting the upper portion of the house in a laughing mood; though they were rather weak with the ground floor delegation. Horse play was their main stock-in-trade, and some of the ‘gags’ border on the danger line.”

The Fitzmaurice Gill Company was to have done an Easter season in Hobart. but (reports the “Tasmanian Mail”), owing to some change in their arrangements the agent had to cancel the dates, and that, too, after the company had been well advertised throughout- the city.

George Musgrove, who recently arrived in London, is busy making plans and engaging artists for a comic opera company, with which he will return to Australia in about three months’ time.

After a most successful season of seven weeks at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, “Brewster’s Millions” gave place, on Saturday April 25, to “John Clayde’s Honour” with Mr Thomas Kingston in. the Geo. Alexander part of the American “Iron King” whose devotion to. business shatters his domestic happiness, and Mrs Robert Brough in the emotional role of Muriel Clayde,. the neglected wife.

In “The Prince of Pilsen” pow being steadily rehearsed in Brisbane, the J. C. Williamson musical comedy company are to have several important additions to their ranks. Mr Loder, of course, comes from America for the principal comedy part—that of a German brewer from Cincinatti. while another American —Mr Whitehead, has been specially engaged for the leading baritone.

While Mr George Lauri is away on his English trip, his place with the Royal Comic Opera Company is to be taken by Mr Victor Gouriet, who is already hard at work rehearsing Baron Popoff in “The Merry Widow.” The part is one which George Graves made a huge success in the London production, and Australians have already learnt how fine Mr Gouriet is in what is usually called “a Graves part”—which is the very opposite of “a grave part.”

Some enormous sums have been made out of “The Merry Widow”—according to an article published in the “Daily Mail” some few months ago. Upon that journal’s calculations it may be stated without fear of contradiction that a cool represents the profits of the Viennese publisher out of the score, while Franz Lehar, the composer, has. made at least and the librettists 000 out of the production. The European managements which have handled the show have all made large fortunes out of it. Tnese figures do not, of course, include the productions in America, where, at one theatre alone in New York—the new Amsterdam —the receipts are over per week, nor in England where the sale of the score alone exceeds 60,000 copies with over foutr times that number of the famous waltz.

With Madame Ada Crossley’s Australian company is Mr John Harrison, a leading English tenor who has 'had- a most romantic career. He was a Lancashire operative when a lady in the neighbourhood where he earned his living, struck by the beauty of his voice, offered to give him a thorough musical training. He accepted, worked hard and soon had the satisfaction of proving his benefactress’s belief in him, for it was not long beforehe was singing leading Wagnerian parts at Covent Garden.

' An American company forty-three strong have gone to England and were to produce Parker’s play “Way Down East” at the Aldwych on May 4. ■' Mr Charles Frohman is running the show. ♦ • * • Mrs D’Oyley Carte was to have revived “The Mikado” at The Savoy on April 28. Sir William Gilbert himself supervised the rehearsals. Mr Rutland Barrington was to appear in his original role of Pooh-Bah, ad Mr Henry A. Lytton, another old Savoyard, was to play that of the Mikado. ••* * . W. S. Gilbert wrote his first piece—a burlesque—in a week. When asked how much he expected to be paid for. it he said 30 guineas. “Oh, no,” replied the manager. “We never pay in guineas. We pay in pounds.” After he had received Gilbert’s receipt for the manager said; “Now, take an old stager’s advice and never again sell as good a piece as that for * Mrs Patrick Campbell says she got her health from her ancestors and maintains it through correct eating and exercise. She rides horseback most of the winter time, and goes boating and golfing all summer.