THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 419, 30 January 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE

_"The world's a theatre, the earth a stage.V— Heywoou. . ■ , . .

(Uγ SYLvroa.)-

"The Red Mill." On Monday, February 15, J, C. Williamson s Musical, Comedy Company will commence an eighteen nights' season at the Opora. House. The first production will-be Victor Blossom's vastly successful Dutch"', musical play ''The Red Mill," a highly melodious production in two.: acts. Of all pieces of a like nature produced of late years, possibly none have been so emphatically popular as this two-act, diverting, and clever piece of ?rii s n\ no ?r^ nse - The music of "The Red Mill, by Victor Herbert, the author of the fortune Teller," "Serenade," and "Belle ot New- York, ' is spoken of as being head and shoulders above the calibre usually heard in musical comedy. The book, by Herbert Blossom, is said,to be particularly bril-' jiant, whilst the dressing and general mounting or. the play is such that a record in this direction has been established by the J C' Williamson management. Special notice must bo taken of the principals of this, company, which aggregates close upon 100 people. Mr. John Ford, engaged for the part of Con Kidder, in "The Red Mill," stands acknowledge*! as one of America's first flight comedians, and as a dancer is probably without a rival.: Mr. Charles Loder, an eminent Dutch dialect actor of high repute, will ap- 1 pear as "AVillem," a part that he has made his own.. Mr. Fred. Leslie is an undisputed ■ favourite,. and in Mr. Edward Sherras. a grand opera artist with an exceptionally fine baritone voice; the; difficult music allotted to him should receive adequate attention. Ascension of Art. V ■ i< 4u ,vriter ™ the London ".World "-says j—■ I hear -talk 1 about the impossibility of improving our drama, "'until the publio asks for something better,' I always think of the wonderful; change which.has conuy over music in 'England during the last ntteen years. Compare the opera- now with the opera" of the early nineties. Compare the* promenade concerts. "Was there a public ; demand for Wagner ' instead' of" Verdi, and for Tchaikowsky's Casse-Nolsette in preference to the See-Saw waltz?- : -Not a bit of it.- There' was, ,however,".a critical demand,-and there were men (one man,Henry Wood, m particular) .who sympathised with it;, and who had the courage to be true ..to, themselves. . They have- leaTned -now- ihat a audiences ;are:what wo make : them.'. If our .theatre, had- men. of -that- stamp' in its' seri vice,,,it. would -not be' what, ft'"is Ihere,is r always, hope,- however. '■ That 'is'why it ;is worth while for critics to'keep upthe demand for .better things. Owing to this dekept up by a few writers (only a few) the drama has-moved. ■ The level of acting is much higher. The standards'intelligence m.-plays has gone up; playwrights are mixing their-materials ' with brains sir '• Compare .'The Builder of Bridges,' ior instance, with ' Sunlight and Shad6w ' or 'The Mollusc,'.with 'Betsy,'. or,'David-Garrick.' vfes, .we have improved, matters in the. last fifteen years theatrically as well as musically V\ hy not' t« ; the same extent? The reason chiefly lies m our theatrical managers' curious, and, of course, disastrous endeavour to run their theatres, not as.theatres, but as shops." .■ ■ ■ ■_■ ■■-. -*■'.■ .-•:,

Lewis Waller as Hehry ; V; ; Mr. Lewis jailer seems to-know'how,to satisfy the popular, ideal In his rcpresentafe °Ji J >™ s H^ry inri.is revival- cf that, ; .bhakesperean ..play : air the. Lyric'-'Thea-tro m London. . Old 'theatregoers will.;" ro- ■ member'.the • fervour which, George Rignold ; excited m'this virile character In Booth's Theatre, a- generation 'ago.".: Mr. .Richard Mansneld, a far cleverer 'actor, could not oreato anything like the same effect.' 'Mr ■ Waller 'has '..special: physical- qualifications tor heroic .-parts, and',, according : to .all'■ reP°rts, .Presents a'most: stirring ''picture; - of One enthusiastic" critic'",writes «V,r m v ,^ oUow -' KiD S Harry—for : Mr. Walle.r .13 King ; .Harry. ■,': Hang',,. 'upon : >. his words'as'h'e'from;Southampton .sets sail for the' gates, of :Harvfleur.;/Worship'the";poet 'as.'Jiis'.ipries'ts,''the interpreters;: •ring .but' tho:anthdm'of>--St.' Crispin's,Day..•.And,.for .ay-moment forgetting, the : blare of truoipets. :steep 'your:soul' in Harry's divine -philosophy,: dreaming .before the names of the fire in the camp on the.night.,precedirig.ibattle:. .■,■,'.:.., /..,■■ Andwhat have kings that'private's have not too, Save, ceremo.ny, save 'general ceremony? '; .. Mr. 'Waller' 'delivered the.;lovely 'speech \vhich contajns these .lines-, -with intense■ifeeling,' just as he.'delivered.'-the lines ofctremendousvirility, to -.his. soldiers before: Agincourt; vThis treatment of, the'triumphant paean of .Crispin's Day is.magnificent, at ine Lyric : The King begins to a few'dispirited comrades. .In' twos and threes others drift on, noble .and simple, the ■ rftgged,. hungry . army. . The 'words 'peal "forth; :Each note of'hope and splendid faith brings'- its' answer. Backs straighten, heads go high. " Gradually King Harry is surrounded. He has the joy. of the orator upon him. He;feelshis .words :at work.'-'.The soldiers stand stiffer, pikes are held erwt. -The giants' to be.met on the' morrow dwindle into pigmies. Hoarse shouts of vengeance-begin to tell of spirit awakened; And gradually, gradually,' the King comes into his .own. His bedraggled crew;grow into a legion of heroes. 'Then, then he-has them/on their knees, with: hands outstretched to him—the: victory is already won,''■"; the French are routed ere the fight's begun. 'The' King holds his countrymen in the-hollow of nand,; and hae -made' them irresistible.'-'. This/' tniist be -a Shakespearean./performance worth seeing.,.. .'•'.;,:..'. ; '-..;' :v:.:.'' .■■■■.;■■■;' Return of Bland Holt. :-;. ; / -' >; ■■■. ; V " .; On Monday evening. the : Bland HoltD'ram-: atic Co. , will commence a.return season at the Opera.'House in that' excellent melodrama "The White- Heather/'wliich is one of. the plays Mr. Holt been able to revive with success ever since -his last . visit to New Zealand some ten years ago. If my memory serves me right; this is: the drama in which the interest centres in the recovery of documentary .evidence of importance, which bas gone down in the wreck of the yacht "White Heather," and tho exciting, moment of the play is when the hero.descends to the wreck in. diving gear to secure the lost papers. There he meets with the bold, bad; man, whois bent on their destruction. The .bpttom of the sea is a mighty strange place for enemies .to. meet,, but the" elasticity of -the melo-. dramatic playwright is-a wondrous faculty.' Of engage, in a -deadly .fight, during .'wliich one fatally assaults-the otlier-r-r an ungentlemanly act:to say the least 6f.it. This, and other scenes ■, give; Mr. : Holt i ah opportunity to display that perfection iii mounting and , ,scenic effects associated with his name.".When last produced in Wellington the leading: parts' wore assumed: by Mr. Walter: Baker ajid-Mr; Albert Norman and Miss Frances Ross. -. " . . .-■'■" . ■ v - .; "The Breed of the Treshams." . : "The. Breed of tho Treshams" is the latest play to.be staged'in. Sydney by tho Julius Knight Company.; . A good idea of the drama is gained from the columns of the "Daily' Telegraph":—■■■ ''-.■' , '■' ':■ . "Lieutenant Reresby, • of • the . Cavalier troops, reckless, courageous, a soldier of fortune, ready to sell his" sword to the highest bidder, engaging- himself in. a treasonable conspiracy because of his irresistible-love, of adventure and.;posseSsing a . moral; reputation sufKciently, indicated by .his: nicknanie 'Tho Hat'—such is the central figure, of \the now' piece, 'The Breed of tho; Treshams.' This man,, so bitterly wronged by. his infamous father-that his narration of his life's story: is. painful to listen to, meets the young Margaret Hungerford, Who reminds him of the Margaret' he> loved and lost. '-For her sake, ■ he protects her brother, Sir Clement Hungorford, a despicable craven, by refusing to divulge his share in the plot to deliver the town of Foyersham to tho enemy. In the thrilling scene of tho play, in the third act, Hungorford's father, Viscount Dorsington, like another Scarpia, ". orders Reresby to be put to the torture. Submit r ting s to this punishment tho man resolutely refuses to pronounco. the. name of his cowardly accomplice, who looks on as one of his judges. Eveiv when it seems that Reresby is about to yield, the, sight of the unsuspecting Margaret, rushing gaily into, the room, ignorant of the court-martial, strengthen hia resolution,.and Beals his lipafinally.

; "Under these circumstances. Reresby makes a striking melodramatic hero,' who comes into the , limelight early in the-piece, and stays there, His prowess as a swordsman, exhibited in 1 the duel scene , with his brother; his fertility of resource in keeping his mutinous troop at bay by feigning drunkenness so as to gain time, and-then shooting a couple of them dead andcheating" the others' down in sword-play, as the relief arrives, and his heroism .in: refusing'to betray Hungerford, are just" the qualities which appeal to theatregoers who delight in melodrama. Mr. Knight developed all these heavier phases of character with telling force and conviction, though he_ did so to some extent at the expense of its light comedy side, which ought also .to receive its due importance, especially as the only humour of the drama ; comes with the playful wit and raillery of Keresby himself. ;His acting in tlie torture scene wag this was one of tho best;pieces ;of work he has done, and his' touch of emotion at the end. of the long speech in which-Reresby's history is told, was thoroughly, genuine." Another conspicuous success is made by-Miss Florence Gleeson as "Batty," the "Rat's" faithful boy attendant; : :. :...' .-■:■; Notes. "■ . ' . -■■'■■■ ;.'■ \ Mr. Walter Baker has /rejoined the/stage once more, and is appearing in.his own/play 'Sailor. Jack" in Melbourne."-"-. ■ - ■... .; • Miss' Susie Vaughan, who lately appeared m" Wellington with the; Tith'eradge-Kolker-Humphrey combination, has been recalled to Sydney to appear in "The Breed of the Treshams" with the Julius Knight Company. Miss Beatrice Day. is not in the cast. - - A cable has been received 'by .Mr;':-J; C. Willianison: from Miss Nellie.'.SteWart,.: .to the effect that she has-secured; as 'her leading man in "Sweet Kitty Bellairs," with which she opens at the Princess's'."Theatre,.Melbourne,; at Easter time; Mr.' Langhora: ton, a "prominent young London; actor.; Mr. Burton is- at present playing. Cyril/Maude's part in "The Flag Lieutenant," and he has to his credit a long list of leading parts. Included in these are the title roles in "JBriga- , dier'Gerard" and "The Duke of Killiecran-. kie," Paul Sylyaine in "Leah- Kleshna,?' and Ernest Woolley:in "The:. Admirabl e, Crichton," while he has done;.'a: lot of work: in Pinero and Henry Arthuri'Jones pieces. Tor: several seasons, ho played'Jeading parts, .-with Edward Terry's repertoire; company, and he was also supporting Miss/Olga-Nethersple. ; Mr. "W..;Somerset Matfghafivhasr written a new play, which.'Mr. ChaflearProhman-has secured,;ahd proposes tp produce at-an early date. The new piece will have a novel title, "Smith'.'V- ■-,;'"; ;' : ' : ;--.' <>;'- ■;•:■-■: ■.'-■:. . .-'.For- the Christmas Eve production in/Manchester of "The DollaroPr'iricess,".' one of the new. pieces acquired for..: Australia by;.the ;; j; C.Williamson .firm, Mr' George:Edwardes .engaged, Miss. Hilda Moody,-, the; , .well-known singer, and Miss ; Alice Pollard," an-actress who has frequently appeared in, Australia; '.