PLAY-BUILDING.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 3

PLAY-BUILDING.

INTERVIEW WITH MR. V/YBERT STAMFORD. THE "PRODUCER'S" WORK. s : Though an architect may draw the plans of a hoiiso and give a 'general idea of what, is "wanted in and out,'ho does not.attempt to build; and though ah author may bo a skilled .-playwright ho-doe-s :not of. necessity supervise tho rehearsal and production of tflays. Some authors who have ha'd : more or less experience of the stage, such as Mr:-' A.' W. Pir.ero or .'Mr. J.v'M. Barrie, do take a hand' in the rehearsals, but even with thbir' plays "tho building work is left. pretty well to what is called the producer, a plastic-brained genius -who is supposed to be everywhere, know' everything,; and' able -to.' 'show off-hand how . it' ' should ' done.ln this part of the world we hear a play called a "production '.' and of it .being' "produced," •but tho "producer" is' ; a s, now .element.. The ■reason, for" hard : to'.'seek/ 'for by the time a'cqtnpany has |>egun its tour ,of Now; Zealand all need for .the , producer proper ';has ; disappeared—his work is done,.-' and. the automatio, repetition of it call; be left: to a stage manager. But tho producer. ,in London'is a man of no'tfe. His is tho.eye that;-,'must., grasp when' and where a good(effect may be produced; what this one. should: be doing when' this or that'is being said or sung. He must interest himself in tho; property plot, tho light plot, the costumes, exits and entrances; and the "business':', of chorug and principals. In fact, for the few-weeks beforo a new piece goes up ho is (to. quote Kipling) - "an injia-rubber-idjut on a spreo" to anyone .that does' not understand, Most, things originate in Lon-. Don—at '■ least, .most>of the. better-class • pr<K .ductions;wo are permitted to:see out here— 'so that with London pictures arid models (and sometimes performers who havo seen tho piece at Homo) of the play to be produced, .tho-.work of tho producer in Australia is not so .arduous/ ; t Nor-docs it call for so much initiativo as is tho case in London.: Still he.has becomo a .necessity—that is why Mr Wybert Stamford is travelling with the fioyai Comio. Opera Company. ' : .Tho public should not run away with tho idea - that the Royal ■ Comic Opera Company has been playing nothing but ''The' Merry Widow!' for. the last: year—even that snark-'ling.work-is- not proof against time, 'and something new. is always being asked for by an insatiable public. /For instance, a month l .'before the company left Sydney it was playing.. '<Tho Duchess of Dantzie," and during its last fortnight in that-city "Havana" was .produced. So ; that really .there is "always .something:-being .rehearsed, :and the ,is usually occupied,a long, time in the day-' time as >at night.' Mr. Stamford • did not "produce" "The Merry Widow," but he' did "produce',' "Brewster Millions," "Bluebell : in Fairyland,". "The Lady, Dandies," "The Prince of Eilsen," "The Duchess of Dantzie," ; and "Havana." , . .

Sir. Stamford began,as an actor. 16! years ago in, Jersey—the home of Lily Langtry— and after three years in stock he crossed the Channel to England, and took service.in one of. G&rge'. Edwardes's touring, companies, playing parts arid taking a share of tlie managerial work at-the same time. After eight years', hard work, he''quitted the provinces to' become .stage; manager at. Daly's Theatre.in London, after .which he. was transferred in the'same responsible capacity to tlie Apollo. Then he was cbmmissioiied-;by ;Mr. Edwardes to '/prbduce Massager's charming ■ opera "Veronique" in New York. He stayed four months in the land-of the,wooden, ham,'and' 1 then-returned to England, only to leave a little'later for South Africa, where he was to produce seven/operas,, but after placing "Mr. Popple" and "Blue Moon", on their, feet: for Messrs. Wheeler and Edwards, he returned to England, :to bring out seven more operas to South Africa.. In .the--ranks of the new company/ wero several performers who had ' since ; appeared under' the Williamson banner—Messrs. Myles Clifton, Edward Sherras, and Victor Gouriet. Mr. Stamford returned to England in June, 1907, and in August;the same year left.under engagement to Mr. J. C. Williamson. - "The one tiling ;that did surprise me on coming out to Australia," said Mr.'Stamford, ."was the costly and'elaborate scale of Mr. -Williamson's productions. .I-heard that ho had'a habit of doing things.well, but I had no idea that there was tho thought, brains, and money lavished on Australian productions as is.the caSo with the,Williamson plays. The productions <Ire equal,,if 'not better than are seen at Home, and tho performances I hold are better, all-round, because out hero even the'small parts are /.played-really well—at Home we are riot so exacting. - ' , "One thing • that did • 'strike me was • the sharpness and adaptihility of colonial, children. I had a good bit to ..do with, them in 'Bluebell,'/and tlley'were.so sniart and clever.that it was quite-a pleasure'teaching them. ' "The"audiences iii Wellington arc very ap-preciative,-and that they are critical can be judged ' liv the "manner in which they are able to discriminate between good and indifferent work. • That is what the actor likes to sco—" it.is painful to hear'applause wlien you are conscious that you are 'off.'" At this point the band started at'tlie other side, of the curtain of colden plush',' and Mr. Stamford disappeared R.TJ.E. in order, to see that all were ready for its rise. '■ <