STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 230, 28 September 1929, Page 2 (Supplement)

STAGE JOTTINGS.

- When Nicola finishes his magic at St. James' Theatre, Jim Gerald's revue ■ company will commence a season. Gerald proved himself a popular comedian in Auckland when lie appeared for two seasons lasting 32 weeks, and received a public send-off at the Civic Square. He did, perhaps, more for n charity than any other artist in years, y raising a lot of funds for various institutions in and around tho city. ,s Miss Lillian Gay, of Melbourne, is to o be married on October 3 to Mr. Kenneth i- Stewart, son of Mr. Dick Stewart-, of Sydney. Miss Gay is a, prominent member of the Melbourne Conservator ium. o She possesses a glorious soprano voice, e and is an accomplished musician. Mr. - Dick Stewart is well known in New Zealand, having toured the Dominion over 100 times with J. C, Williamson ' productions. He is now permanently 5 located at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney.

"Draeula," the thrilling "vampire' play to be shortly, presented to New Zea land theatregoers, is. described as one o! the moefc sensational dramas evei written. It was Bram Stoker, managei for that great actor Sir Henry Irving at the London Lyceum, who was responsible for the authorship, and Irving him' self said that the play affected him more than any other production in which he had appeared. Gregan McMahon, whe produced the play for J. C, Williamson, expressed the opinion that all the horrors and thrills used in any stage production are collected in "Dracitht." It is an eerie drama, and possesses a fascination entirely unique. Rarely does it fall to the lot of an actress to success in . both musical comedy and drama, but Miss Bertha Riccardo, who plays the leading feminine roles in the mystery drama "No. 17" and the- thrilling vampire play "Dracula," has that enviable distinction. Miss Riccardo was one of the leading members of the Bandmann Musicay Company, which toured India with success. Later uh& appeared in Australia and played the title role in the "Rose Marie" Company. Drama next claimed her close attention, and this highly-talented young actress has now set the seal of fame on her name by her realistic acting in tho gripping plays named, which are both coining to New Zealand. In the course of their trip to the Jnited States and England, Mr. Clem Davve and Mr. Eric Edgley paid a flying visit to Hollywood. "America seems to have gone- 'talkie' mad," said Mr. Dawe in a Tetter from the place where they make stare and millionaires. "It is not the stage season, of course, but .very few plays have lasted from last season. Wo hope to boo some on our way back, but will probably find moi'e material suited to Australian and New Zealand audiences in England. I have been asked to make some short 'talkies , in Hollywood on our return, and shall probably do: so if the opportunity offers." In addition td obtaining rights for musical shows to be produced under the Williamson management, Mr. Ed*? ley and Mr. Dawc are looking for leading artists to appear with them in musical comedy toward the end of the year. .

Oscar Aache, the famous Australian actor, has answered in a decided affirmative the question of whether Shakespeare can be produced in a modern getting, with his production of "The Merry. Wives of Windsor" for the British Empire Shakespeare Society (says the "Daily Mail.") As Falstaff, Mr. Asehe Is -a white' Spatted, top ; liatted beer drinker who is baited anew ill Mistress Page's boudoir over the butcher's shop in High Street, Windsor. Slender becomes a silly ass in plus fours, wangling a golf club. Parson Evans, armed with an umbrella, rides a push-bike", Fenton motor-cycles from Oxford and takes sweet Anne Page pillion-riding. Mistress Ford, who sirtokes cigarettes in a chain, telephones Mistress Quickly, who is a seedy charwoman, but is still ful of Shakespearean quicksilver of intrigue and duplicity. Mr. Asche even cleverly monkeyed with the text, presenting a slender greyhound, which runs in the Wembley races. . While Lance Fairfax, Romola Hansen *tnd Sydney Burchell have perhaps the mueical gems of "The Desert Song," there are many other soloists who play a prominent part in connection with, the delightful music of this entrancing and romantic play. Herbert Mundin and Renee Murphy have several splendid offerings, including "It," "One Good Boy Gone Wrong, ,, and some very amusing duets. Herbert Browne, Maude Zimbla and Douglas Herald provide several highly enjoyable musical items, and the "Song of the Brass Key" by Maude Zimbla, and chorus ladies and. )allet, "Eastern and Western Love," in vhich 'Douglas Herald and Herbert Browne lead splendid choruses, and the dramatic finaletto is one of the most impressive sections of this most beautiful of musical plays. There are some stirring choruses by the males, while the ladiee captivate the audience with "Why Djd We Marry Soldiers?" "Romance," and other highly-impressive selections. A dance as expressive as any song is given by Sonya Rosova, and will prove one of the most enjoytible items in a wonderfully attractive programme. •

It should be interesting to see how far out will be the prediction of A. L. Erlanger, in 1927, that within ten years New York would have 100 houses of the "legitimate" classification. In that year the assessed taxable value of that city's 65 first-class theatres was £8,492,000. A new theatre in London, the Dominions Theatre, which is to be" controlled jointly by Sir Alfred Butt and R. H. Gilleepie, was to be opened early this month with a musical play, "Follow Through," which is coming to Melbourne. Meanwhile nine London theatres had closed their doors last month. The latest to become empty is the Queen's, where "Young Woodley" was revived. Daly's was recently reported to have been purchased by Isidore Schlesinger for £250,000, but it hag not been disclosed to what use this theatre is to be put. "With its 2800 seats, the Dominion Theatre just exceeds in size the Lyceum, the Palladium and Drury Lane coming next, A subway, which the London County Council has approved, will connect the theatre, standing as it does where Tottenham Court Road runs into Oxford Street, with the adjoining underground railway station. The best stalls will be sold at 8/6. In New York no new theatres are being built, and some are being demolished, including Daly's, in Sixty-third Street, the Century and the Knickerbocker. Tb« last-named, which was opened in%1893 by Sir Henry Irving and Ellen, Terryj-ja making way for a tall commercial structure. Some of the theatres which are not being demolished are being "wired for the morbid invention that is. eyed askance and called the talking picture" —in the cynical phrase of the "New York Times." In Vienna no fewer than eight first-class theatres have closed during the last theatrical year, representing seating accommodation for 12,000 persons.

The prize this week goes to W. Gaughan, g, Great North Road, Grey Lynn, for: EXACT MEASURE. Pat became an apprentice in a ship-

yard, and the first morning the foraman put a two-foot rule into hm hand and told him to go and measure a large steel plate. He returned in twenty minutes. "Well, Pat," said the foreman, "what is the size of the plate ?" A satisfied grin etole over Pat's, face. "It's just the length of this rule," he replied, "and two cnumbs over, with this brick, and the breadth of my hand, and my arm from hero to there, bar the finger!" HOLLYWOOD ECONOMICS. "Are you going to Paris this summer, Madge?" "No, I've decided to make my old husband do for another year." TO A WAITRESS. I'm sick of adding calories, Of counting vitamins, Of reckoning up the proteins And such-llke monkey-shines. I'm through, with all that nonsense, And here's the reason why— ' I want a cup of coffee and A piece of apple pie. LONG DIVISION. Teacher: If I tear a piece of paper Into four, what do I get? Pupil: Quarters. Teacher: And if I divide it into eight? Pupil: Eighths. Teacher: And if I divide it into 8000 parts ? Pupil: Confetti, sir..

EVOLUTION. A good story was told at an education conference by Dr. E. Lyttelton, late headmaster of Eton. A small boy who had heard something of a recent controversy on evolution, on being taken to the monkey house at the zoo, asked: "Daddy, are all the poor monkeys going to become, bishops.". BAD COMPANY. "Johnny," cried the indignant mother to her offspring who had just used an expression which she scarcely thought fit for his tender years, "just let me hear you say such a thing again. You wait till your father comes in. You'll get it!"

"Well, mother," replied Johnny, "there's no 'arm in it, Shakespeare said it.' "Well, and if he did, that's no reason why you should. From now you will slop playing with him!.",. ■-,-■ BARELY LEGAL!- ,:.:■< A Chicago family, Keuter'e correspondent reports, Were given a good talking to by Judge Jacob Schifman recently, the reason being their little daughter was playing in her bathing suit on the Oak Street Beach. That was all right. She wandered, however, from the beach to the lawn. That was contrary to Ordinance number something. "Hey, there, little girl," said Officer Edward Smith, "it's against the law to be on the lawn in a bathing euit." The child, not wanting to break the law, took off the bathing suit! A BRILLIANT SHOT. "Now, boys," began the master of the history class, "tell me what you know about Hamlet's uncle." For some minutes there was complete silence. Then a email boy held up his hand: "Please, sir, he waa better than anybody else at shooting birds," he said. "Indeed, and what makes you think that?" asked the schoolmaster, with a sarcastic smile. "Well, I read in a book that he did murder most 'foul,'" replied the young hopeful. WHERE IGNORANCE IS BLISS. It was Sandy's first vieit to the large Scottish town, and he met as travelling companion an American, who plied him with numerous questions, and, as usual, tried to "go one better" on everything tliafc was discussed. "Say, now," said the Yankee, as they passed a gasometer, "do tell me what that is ?" "Ah dinna ken," innocently replied Saridy. "A dinner can," ejaculated the Yankee, in great surprise, and lapsed into silence. He felt his "tallest" had been "topped." LOSING HIS REPUTATION. A literary man of high reputation once eaid to the waiter in the restaurant where he usually lunched: "Waiter, this beefsteak ie not at all ender; I can hardly cut it." The waiter looked at him with a sorrowful expression and sighed deeply. "Perhaps you will tell me," said the literary man, "why you sigh in that fashion V "Ah, sir," said the waiter, "I took you for a man who always wrote and said original things, and here you come and say the same thing that all the rest of the cuetoujßfsi do."

Visitor: Well, William, what's lian pened since we were here last year?. Native: 'Enery 'as got married. , ; Visitor: Oh! I'm glad to hear it , Native: Eh? What 'arm 'as 'e don*, you, then! ""'f He: I went to the palmist's last week : to have my character read. •*.,- ; She: Yes? What did he say? , ', He: He didn't say anytime Hβ' ' looked at my hand, coughed a bit and then gave me my.money back. . , . il C t l,r |?A i , ty: l P id you & ve your vit*: S that little lecture on economy vimtalked about? J ' U" ■ Domesticity: Yes. . : , ~ • Curiosity: Any results? ■ ■ :• ii ' Domesticity: I've got to give up smok- ■• Willie: I found mother the other day : "■■ crying over your book of poems. ; .-iV His Sister's Fiancee (delighted)* Oh! ■ • Is that so? (Aside): What glory r' ■' What fame awaits met' For a man to bring tears to the eyes of such aflint-''•' hearted woman ae that is certainly »' > great achievement. (To Willie):. Sh» was really weeping? 'i • Willie:, Yes; she said it nearly, broke ' her heart to think that a daughter of - hers was going to marry an idiot who'v could write such jot as that. ■ ■ -.' i; The teacher was anxious that Jtlg. ' , class should shine as.the inspectorial '• about to examine the boys' knowledge of- ■«';' history. ' *"; ''"'■■' ' - ; Clearing his throat, the inspector ail- ?• dressed the class -i "Who was it," said lie, sternly, "who'. , .. ■ exclaimed in despair: 'Ahorse! Alior&c! •':. My kingdom for a horse?' . Now U]l"- '.'"■ me— —" . . The teacher was anxious till at last a boy put up his hand. •,. . "Pleas© sir," said the boy, "it wftl someone who'd drawn a blank in a sweepstake!" . ': ;

Simply A<wfuL He: I etill maintain that no dw6 persons in the world think alike. ' , She: You will alter your opinion when you see our wedding presents. Not Entirely Destitute. "IVe never heard of a doctor charging such a high fee before. And all tie did was ask me some questions." "Didn't he take your pulse?" ' : "No. He left me that." Cruel! Patient (at a lunatic asylum): W« like you better than the last doctor. New Doctor (flattered): Itow is that? Patient: You seem more like one; of, us* Walking Out. - ; Helen: I'm afraid I've made.a njis> take. Ruth: Why? "Jack proposed in a taxicab. But the minute I accepted he paid the fare and we got out and walked." He Enjoyed It Too! "At the student council last Saturday night my suspenders broke fight in the middle of the floor." "And weren't you embarrassed nearly to death?" "Well, not very. My rOom-niate had them on." No Mistake. An American motorist who made a habit of driving much faster than the law allowed eventually found himself, facing a local justice of the peace, A fine of £5 was imposed by the latter, and, drawing out his case, the American laid two notes on the desk. "Here," called out the clerk, "you'Vft made a mistake, sir; there's £10 here/' and he held up the two £5 notes. "No mistake," the motorist shook his head. "T am going out of this tdwn quicker than I came in."