THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 568, 24 July 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"The world's a theatre, the earth a stage.J Hoyvrood. (Br Silvios.) The Pollards. ' It was the theatrical Brm of A. T. Dunning and Walter Reynolds who first brought the original • Pollards to New Zealand. It was A. T. Dunning who, having sold out his interests in Dunedin, where ho had resided for years, went to Melbourne and took a five years' lease' of the Opera House. Ho then proceeded to London; and secured the colonial rights of "Boccaccio." "Rip Van Winkle,"l "The Black Cloaks," "The King's Dragoons," and "Manola." He engaged a complete company, in London, headed by Miss Annette Ivanova, and including such popular artists as T. B. Appleby, Knight Aston.. Kate Chard. Agnes Consuolo, DeanoBrand, the Martin. Sisters, George Deane, and many others.''After successful seasons in the Australian cities. New Zealand was visited' in 1883, the fall repertoire being staged with the exception of "The ".Kings Dragoons." Tho hit of the tour was Lecoc.q's melodious comic opera "Manola, aiid it brings back memories or tliattour to many old-time playgoers when they find that if is with this delightful work that The Perennial Pollards" will renew acquaintance with their many friends on Monday. Playgoers of . the early. 'eighties who patronised "Manola" will remember Applebys singing of the famous " Omon. song, and the ■ screams of laughter that attended, his comedy business in the famous dove-cote scene There' are several charming numbers in "Manola," notably Manola's solo, "Like •Trembling Dove/' and. the famous duet Lst us Die." - Of the- lighter Proorastination," "The-Song of the Onion, and the bolero "The Castagnetto never fail to please. The scene is laid m Portugal dur-, ing the seventeenth century, which gives Mr. .Pollard ample scope for dressing and mounting. A feature of the production will be "The March of the Pages" in the second act, a stage effect in the working' out or "which this stage manager has very tew equals.-The cast is an exceptionally lengthy one, and calls for the full strength of. the company. -The characters are said to suit the members better than anything they; have yet produced. "Manola ' will also serve to introduce Miss Madeline Knight, an Auckland -soprano, who is retorted to be the possessor 'of a. good voice,, and a -nlagnificent> stage presence. She will bo J^ 11 in-the; part of Beatrix, and has several charming numbere to sing.

An'interesting Actress. ' Miss Dorothy Grimston, imported ior the 'Williamson production of Ihe Flag Licu.tenant," belongs W tho ar.stooraoy stace., " "Mother" is tho celebrated Mrs. Kendall. Famous names flash through her talk, f</r she has met _ nearly everybody worth knowing in all v kincls of spheres, social, literary, artistic, theatrical, musical, ever since she was a child. Among . some great French names come trippingly from'her tongue, for she. was at school at Boulogne, for four years, and .speaks Trench so proficiently that lmr first «PP^ MC ® on the London stage .was m a French p yCoquelin, Rcjane, Coquelin Cadet, Jane HadnivMme. Bartet, all these have been numbered among her. acquaiatances. _ • "Wliy did you, take the name of Urimston?"- she was asked. ■ "Because- it happened to be my name. 'Kendall', is my. parental stage name. I determined, if I had any success, I should make it off my own bat. L have been; five vears in-tho profession,.and into t-hartr time, 1 have orammed a great deal.' An interesting play, in which I Should have appeared had-I been in' London on July 5. was the performance at St. James's of 'Oa-ste/ Mr. Alexander tried to get as'many relatives of XJncle torn as he could to fill tho parts. ..It was a benefit performance for my wusin-Slaud. "ITnolo Tom," it may bo explained, was I. Robertson, the celebrated dramatist,. brother of Mrs. Kendall, Madge•;< Robertson, . and author of "School,". "Caste" "Ours" and other plays which, quite revolutaomsea tne ideas of the stage, of the.'sixties.

Late Notes from London. ' : .Under dato Juno 5 a London correspondent writes:— '." ■Signor Slezak is not one-of London's dis--coveries as Mme. Tefaazzini .was'. . He was known as an' actor and tar.or at Vienna arid other Continental' capitals before. his\debut here in.ltalian opera.-. While lie has mftde a fino impression in ,"OteJlo" 1 arid "Aida," there was no enthusiasm at either, performance, yet he is easily the best among the Gnow tenors, and has the dramatic force a,nd robust stylo /requisite fo-r ,the part,of Otello. He has changed his'metihod of singing since he substituted Italian, for .Wagnerian opera, and. with his fine stage presenco and splendid:'voice i has, a'combination of tolcnts .for dramatic notes. ■ ~ Clyde Fitcli's "The Woman in the Case ' has been well received at the Grarrick,. in spite of its unpleasant plot and absurd anticlimax in. the", final act. Violet Van Brush averted the risks of disaster by a remarkable,: flamboyant, performance as the adventuress. Sinister.and odious as was the_part, she has never acted, witih more brilliant technique. ' . . - Fannie Ward also has been praised by the London critics for saving tHe: situation in another disagreeable American play, "Eunice," at the Hicks, Theatre, and .certainly her method of stage'work has improved. James Bernard • Fagan's "Tlie Merry Devil," at the Playhouse, is an Elizabethan farce'with a beautiful stage_ setting of the sixteenth century. The inspiration for it comes from Shakespeare . ratJuer . than Bocaccio for it is a variant of :"Tho Taming of the Shrew," with a Falsbafßan part for Cyril Maude and a' whimsical role adapted to Winifred Emery's bravura style.. James Hearn by his realistic performance as the blind begcar in."Admiral Guinea," at ihe. Afternoon Theatre, has helped to explain the authorship of a crude two men" of genius, Stevenson and Henley. Mile. Genee also lias danced like a, fairy in a pastoral fantasy, entitled "The Dryad." "The Merry Widow." v With their one-night' visit to Launceston on July 26, the 'Royal Comic Opera Company bring to a conclusion their first tour of "The Merry Widow," as; except for West Australia, the whole of Australasia has been covered by them since they began their, acquaintance with Lehar's wonderful opera in May last year. • The word '"first" is used advisedly in this connection, for there can be no doubt that for several years to come "The Merry Widow" will be a strong piece in - their revival repertoire. By a curious coincidence, its career on this side of'the world comes to an end only a few weeks after its withdrawal from ; Daly's Theatre, Lbndon, where it lias been running from June 8, 1907, and had amassed a total of 740 performances. Reviewing that run, Mr. George Edwardes made several interesting statements. In the first place', ho declared that ho preferred taking it off'while it was still a strong attraction, instead of waiting until it died by inanition. In the second, the artists of tho company were all wanted for the autumn production of "The Dollar Princess," and after the strain of two years' continuous performance of the samo parts, they wero tlji'e for'a rest. As regards "The Merry Widow" itself, it has the unique distincton of playing to a profit at every individual one of its 740 performances. Ths total receipts exceeded those for any other musical play ever produced in London, wliilo Uie provincial returns were eveiu more remarkable. And what Mr. Edwardes has said of London, J. C. Williamson could repeat almost word for word as regards his Australian experiences with -the piece. , Miss Nellie Stewart. On Monday next Miss Nellio Stewart begins a tour of New Zealand at Auckland, opening in David Belasco's costume comedy, "Swc-et Kitty Bellairs." Sho will also revivo "Sweet Nell of Old Driiry," and appear in a revival of Shakespeare's pastoral comedy "As You Liko It." Miss Stewart is bringing a powerful combination of artists, including Messrs. Langhorne Burton, Charles King, Frederick Moyes, also Misses Majorie Chard, lloslyn Vayne, Madeline Meredith, and Harriot Trench. Tho box plans will bo oponod for tho ontire season on Thursday next. i

Notas. The local Mountebank Dramatic Club is to, stage that excellent comedy, "Jario," next month, in aid of tho funds , of the local branch of -the Navy League. Another performance to be given by oiir own people shortly is that comic but statuesque comedy, "Niobe." Seeing that Miss Hardinge-Maltby is to bo tho animated, marble person, and Mr. F. B. Sharp (formerly of the Charles Arnold Company) will be Peter Amos Dunn, the performance will not strictly be an amateur one in tho ordinary sense, as both players hare served an apprenticeship on tho professional stage. "Les Baillonties," a clever three-act play by Jacques Ferni, successfully produced at the Theatre'des Arts, Paris, deals with tlio problem of the professional secrecy of a fefnalo physician. The woman doctor, Genevieve Central, does not hositato to violate a professional secret in the case of her patient, a young mau suffering from an incurable disease, who is about to marry her niece. The play, written by a young dramatist, who now and then shows lack of experience, is a strong and daring workj admirably acted- by Mile. Vpra Scrg'ino. Mr. Charles Frohman has added the Adelphi Theatre to his list of London houses, which now number seven in all. It is interesting to,note that this, too, is to be a repertory house, with a stock company for the production of plays of approved popularity. The season will open iu the middle of September with "The Great Divide," in which Miss Edith Wynne Mathison will again assume the part of the heroine. Henry Miller will bo tho Stophen Ghent. The second play will be "The Sorvant in the House." It is not often that a new management can start off with two sucli powerful attractions. Miss Maggie Klos,. a prominent member of the x famous. Klos trio of. lady athletes, who toured Australia and New Zaaland under? Mr. Harry Rickards's management, and who married Mr. Bond, biograph operator at tho Opera House, Melbourne, is about to open physical culture rooms iu Melbourne. ' ', : The Australian production of "The Flag Lieutenant". will begin its career at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, ,this evening," uhder tho J. C. Williamson' management. It is based on a very interesting story concerning the career of a young English naval officer, Dicky Lascelles, ' who, although / a happy-go-lucky stirt of fellow, is nevertheless at heart a true Briton, and shows the true grit of which he is made, as the drama unfolds. Ho has a friend named "Thesiger,", who, like himself, is a naval man, but who lias never had the cbanee. to'win fame for himself: His chance comes, however, when he and Lascelles are ordered away on active service, but, as he ; is making the. dash which' is to crown him with glory, he is knocked down by a stray bullet. , His unfinished task is completed by Lascelles, who allows him to imagine that ho.("Thosiger"') was the hero of the occasion. Misunderstandings arise, and, for a time, Lascelles is under a cloud, but eventually all is cleared up, and _cnds happily. . . • . "

Not only can she boast a lone theatrical lineage dating back to the middle of tho 18th century, but Miss Dorothy Grimston, who has come out here under engagement to J. C. Williamson, has uncles and aunts and cousins all on the stage. Of her two brothers, Dorriugton Grimston was out here years, ago with Brough and Boucicault, and Harold Grimston,. a pianist, has married an actress. Her father (W. H. Kendal) and his brother (C. W. Gathorne) are both ornaments'of the English stage. Her mother, "Madge Robertson," of ■ course, • was a brilliant actress" of tho sixties and seventies, and her uncles and aunts on the maternal side were either, in the profession, or, in tho case of T. W. the dramatist, wrote for it and married into it. ' Miss Grimston's first oonsins, T. W. Robertson and Maud Robertson, woro both on the stage, and both married jniembers of the' profession.