THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 532, 12 June 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"The world's a theatre, the earth a stngo."— Hojrvroad. ' (By Syltids.) Chung Ling Soo. The Allan Hamilton Dramatic Company will conclude its season at. the Opera House with a revival of Robert Gruithcny's appealing comedy-drama, "A llc-i'-r.-n from Mars." On Monday Chung Liiv; fe-o and n select Rickards Vaudeville C<irr;;;u,v will make a first appearance in Wellington. If Chung is equal to his printing, he should be able- to illusioniso to some purpose. 110 is labelled "Great." "Miss Hook of Holland." The gift of Paul llubens in scoring graceful and spontaneous melody is well known. Exemplification of this is to be found in an uncommon degree, states a leading articlo, in "Miss Hook of Holland"—the fascinating Dutch musical opera, which is now in its fourth year at the Prince of Wales' Theatre, London. Its popularity in Australia has been none the less notable. In "Miss Hook" the chestnut trees are sweetly in blossom over tho old paved market of Arndyke, and the brown sails from tbe Zuyder Zee pass gently to and fro up tho old canal by the windmills, when the curtam rises upon tho fisher folk, factory hands, and village girls of tlio quaint old place, whilst- later it carries one to the antiquo'interior of tho liqueur distillery of Amsterdam, with its scores of bottles, emerald, sapphire, and ruby glass. The plot deals, with the fate of pretty "Sally Hook" in relation to her two admirers—Captain Adrian Paap and Bandmaster Van Vnyt—the latter of whom she loves, and with the doings of old Mr. Hook, who celebrates bis fifty-eighth birthday by losing tho rceipo for his famous "Cream o.f tho Sky." Simon Slinks, tho town_ loafer, whose forty years bavo been passed in leanin" up against a canal in tho hope that someone might fall in for him to rescue, finds the document, and sells it to Captain Paap as a weapon against Sallys obdurate, father, and he also sells his newly-acquired place 'in tho Amsterdam Factory to Van Vuvt "Miss Hook of Holland" is declared to 'be rich in attractions, which pleaso the average theatre audience more than anything else-light, sparkling, and car-haunt-ing music, continuous fun, and accomplished dancing—and a clever company to interpret it. .

"Tho School for Scandal." Sheridan worked over and over again at his first sketches of "The School for Scandal." always improving and refining, and, apparently, being very fastidious in his choice of names (says a London critic). Tho present Charles Surface was at first Clcrimont then Florivtil, then Captain Harry Plausible: whilo his elder brother was successively Plausible, Pliable, Young Pliant, and only lastly Joseph Surface, Trip was originally called Spunge. Tho name of Snake was, in tho earlier sketch, bpatter; whilo tho first intention 9! tho author was to give old Teazle tho Christian name of Solomon Only after a good deal of work did "Tho School for .Scandal" attain its present perfection of style and language, and, as a result many of tho phrases have become household words. Sir Benjamin Backbites remarks as to "a beautiful quarto-paws, where a neat rivulet of text shall meander through a, meadow of margin," 'The malice of a good thing is tho barb that makes it stick " "Don't you think wo might as well leave'honour out of tho argument ?"—these are the things which abide in the memory. "Hero's to tho maiden of bashful Wteon hasj of course, becomo a standard jMiglisn song. "Madamo X." Henry W. Savago's chief dramatic production next season (says tho New York "Theatre") will be "Madaino X.," the play by Blisson. It is now tho success of the vear in Paris, with Jano Hading in tho title rolo. It concerns a woman who deserts her flusband and child, and lives a wild, adventurous life. A pair of blackmailers discover, some twenty years after, that sho J3 the wife of a celebrated Fronch jurist, and lay their plans to blackmail him, believing that ho would rather pay for their silence than to have his name associated with hers. When Madame X. finds this out, sho kills ono of the blackmailers, and is brought to _ trial. Being without counsel, tho Court assigns a young lawyer to her defence The lawyer is tho son whom she deserted twenty years before, and his father, interested in seeing how ho will condnct his first criminal case, comes and sits by tho side of the presiding judge. Madamo X. does not at first, recogniso her son, but during tho oourso of tho trial oho suddenly becomes aware of his identity. Thero are somo fine psychological problems in tho working out of the defence, tho young lawyer feeling an interest in bis client for which ho cannot account. Tho woman has made up her mind to take her punishment stolidly, and makes no defence, refusing even to explain why sho killed tho man. At tho very last, when she has been declared free, her emotions overcome ; her, and she calls, out "my son." Somo sort of reconciliation is effected, hut tho excitement has bcon too much for Madame X., and she dies with husband and son embracing her. Brilliant New Musioal Comedy. "The Arcadians," produced in London on April 28, should (says tho "Daily News") bo one of tho ■ greatest successes the musical comedy stage has ever known. In every WAy it is above tho usual level of this kind of entertainment, and yet it is of the same genre. The mere scenic background of Mark Ambient and A. M. Thompson's "play" gives us a series of throe pictures which have never been surpassed in sheer artistic excellence. Arcadia is a dream of white-blossomed trees, lush green banks, with. a streamlet gurgling over mossy boulders, and through tho trees a charming glimpse is scon of a far-stretch-ing horizon of country. The music of Mr. Lionel Monckton and Mr. Howard Talbot reaches quite a high lovel of workmanship and freshness. Mr. Talbot's ensembles nad choruses are tho best thing musical comedy has given us for many a day, and both composers have written several songs which should take tho fancy of tho town, and'yet arc not banal or vulgar. Among tho best of tho more serious numbers aro Mr. Monckton's "Tho Pipes of Pan" and "Arcady is Ever Young," both compositions which will enhance the composer's reputation for dainty workmanship and original ideas'. Mr. Howard Talbot lias also contributed a clover quartet, "The Joy of Life," besides several striking choruses. The more comic songs have the same strain' of originality. "Tlie Girl with a Brogue" and "Sweet Simplicities" should soon -be heard all over London.

The story has also a touch of newness, and that it is not carried out to the dill is duo to tlio claims of musical comedy ( as it is written. The advent of Dan Holya't in Arcadia, where ho is precipitated from Aeroplane, is full of promise. Hβ shows the Arcadians what a lie is, and for tho punishment is thrown into the well of truth, from which he emerges in a classical dress. As further punishment he is sent back to London, "to sot up the Truth in England, and for over to banish the Lie." True, James Smith, of the catering firm of Smith, and Co., docs not sot up. any standard of truth, hut indulges in tho side-splitting antics to which Dan Bolyat has accustomed us. Nor do the two Arcadians who accompany him, Chrysca and Sombre, attempt to revolutionist) society at Askwood, but thought this idea is not carried out it certainly makes a new thread for the stringing together of musical comedy situations. Among other gifts the Arcadians know tho language of animals, r.nd .they havo learnt from a vicious horse named Deuce that ho mount to win the Coronation Stakes. Sir. Alfred Lester, the most lugubrious , and unsuccessful jockey in existence, has been thrown by tho horse, and Dan Bolyat, assured of his success by tho Arcadians, undertakes tho task. Tho race, a wonderful pieco of stago management, is described by tho crowd, which follow it round tho "fourth wall" with their classes, until Dcuco romps homo with Dan Bnlyat, wreathed in fatuous I .nnd victorious smiles, clinging to his neck. This sceno alone would mafco tho success of any musical comedy. Mr. Henry Kolkcr has received a cable message- from New York, offering him tho star part in a new drama, by Eugeuo Walter, which is to bo produced in New York in September. Mr. Ivolker has accepted tho engageanont.

Tho New Woman on tho Stage, In tho little world of pasteboard, lit by tho limelight sun, Women's Suffrage is already an accomplished fact. It is tho woman's voto that managers and actors strain every nervo to win. (Jut of every three playgoers, two, 1 should think, must bo women (remarks a writer in tho "Lady's llealm"). If you look at tho matinee, queues or the first-night crush in tho foyer, you will realiso this without tho help of etatistics. I will not deny that male playgoers have their uses of escorts and to pay for one's scat; but the box office receipts depend chiefly on feminino enthusiasm. There is no doubt that woman is taking possession of tho theatre. Without them it would bo unthinkable to-day, but would tho drama bo "gono, utterly gono," as Mr. Spenlaw put it to David Copperfiold, if there wero no men left in tho profession? Tho idea is not so very fantastical after all. Tho invasion of tho stagelaud by women has assumed very serious proportions. There is no longer any question of masculine prerogative. As theatre managers women have been brilliantly successful; they produce plays as well as write them, 'and tho woman press agent is, I am told, aggressively übiquitous. Behind tho footlights Sarah Bernhardt plays Hamlet arid Maudo Adams wrings hearts as L'Aiglon, while Lady Ursula swaggers gallantly in satin breeches, laced coat, and periwig, and tho other day Ellaline Terriss won more serious praise for her comedy talents in,the male rolo than she has achieved in her daintiest feminine parts. Coquclin's Tlisory of Acting. Didorot's thesis, that the primary quality of an actor is that he should bo ablo to stand outside his part, observe it dispassionately, and handlo it with deliberate control, was an articlo of faitli with Coqnelin. He, too, believed that to feel real emotion on tho stago was a fatal drawback to tho actor; that the man who did so had not all his resources in hand, and did not know whither he might bo led. In support of this theory, ho would tell how on one occasion, in a performance-of "L'Aine," at the moment where he had to fall by his brother's bedsido in floods of tearß with his head in his hands, ho was in reality overcome by emotion and did subsido into tears, to the groat detriment of tho scene. Ho rfas thereby entirely thrown off his balance, and did not recover himself during tho rest of the act. Hβ would also relate tho history of another mishap—this tinio, howover, based upon no theory—that might have had dire results. In a play in which he had to feign a drunken sleep in order to overhear what two of the other characters were saying, Coquelin actually did, being very tired, go to sleep for a moment. Then ho awoko with a in time! —but not suro for one instant of bewildered anxiety whether ho had missed his cuo or not. This incident, of course, is besido tho mark in the discussion of Diderot's view, for cvon tho most fantastic partisan of the theory "qu'il fant jonor d'ame" would not contend that it is desirable to go really to sleep on the stage, even when the part demands it.—From "Some Impressions of Coquelin," in! the "Cornhill Magazino" for April. . . '