THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 574, 31 July 1909, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

"The world's a.theatre, tho earth a 6tago."— Heywood.

(Br Sylvioo.).

Oscar Asoho and Lily Drayton. Thus the Melbburno "Argus'" on- Oscar Ascli3. Lily Brayton, in "Tho Tamiiig of tho Shrew," the company's > opening bill in Melbourne last Saturday week

'• "Mr. Asche's Petruchio is ,a. strong,, full-1 blooded, honest creation, -impressing by. its power, tlioughtfuluess,' and finish. It is a study that leaves litt!o ; or nothing.-to bo desired. His dealings with, Katlierina are always' tinged with humour,: and ■ even in his moments of, extreriie violence ho is never truculent or bourgeois, There is beneath the assumed violence "and antic disposition a certain boiiliomie, a kindliness,..a. chivalric touch that must in the end appeaj to such a shrewisli temperament as Katheriua's. His superabundance of animal vigour never gets out of hand. ' Ho bullies and .hectors, storms and bustles, . and cracks his whip throughout tho play, knocking, .over liko ninepins all that get in his way, cap makers, cooks, haberdashers, and yet ,Vio never touches the wrong note (so often. , struck) of' sheer brutality. A saving' graco of- wit,, half : cynical," half tender, ' is displayed, coupled -with the underlying .suggestion that whatever treatment he inetes.out to' Katlierina lie, is thoroughly prepared to undergo himself. .It is! an impersonation','that fully deserves a niche in the great dramatic gallery where'."-liro Brool;e,'s Othello . and "Walter Montgomery's Hamlet. ... . ',

1 "Miss ..Lily.. Brayton interprets Katlierina in her first period as .'a : high-bred splendid vixen, witli enough spirit,. cynical Wit, agility, and hardihood for half-a-dozen ordinary women.. She Jiaa .drifted from had to ,'worse merely for want of a master. She is .certainly,a' gentlewoman, 1 but- all her gentleness, has. evaporated., She is loud-voiced, her .brows nearly always knit, and. her eyes flash as. she hurls her' shrewish- sayings at one and all. .Moreover, sho shows signs of homicidal mania,'., and altogether -is nearing the -boundary line .when physical restraint will become ..necessary. Miss Brayton . accentuated all theso moods of . the haiidsomo fury -. with such' expression that, the - stir of Anticipation -hi;,tho audience, .when sho was announced to meet .Petruchio for tlio first time, ' seemed - quite - natural.No greater-' compliment could be paid to her than: this, for ,it .'indicated that the spectators had become entirely; absorbed, in the action of the play, and for. the, moment the-theatre' was blotted out. Missßrayton's progressive thawing was admirablo to watch.- Sho had met her master, ..and; the poet atorico sets about to ..prove the truth, of-the, saying that 'a woman .loves her-conqueror, better than lier slave,' : In. the . 1 ast ■ act .. Miss Brayton was at her best, - drawing nearer to a Cordelia or Desdemona, becoming a being of "the sweeter, more yielding, passive typo, blessed with a low, soft voice, as King Lear says, ; 'that excellent thing in woman.' It was excellent work on tho part of Mr. Asche'v and Miss Brayton', and'its most cordial acceptance.,by -the immense house augurs • well for' the-future." -...'■ ■" .

"La Furio." , , A new classic drama of great merit is now being interpreted at the .Comedie Francaisc. It is "La.Furie" by Jules Bois, and represents a formidable amount of thoughtful talent, not only'on tW author, but also, on;,tho part ,of all. concerned' for thin tragedy-.of'mystery,' love and'death' is ' enacted with a sincere eloquence and a con'scientious.. respect of traditions, to; which suchvartists, as- Paul Mounet;' Albert Lambert, 'Madame Scgond-Weber, and Madeleino Rochi unite their individual qualities. In bbiisbquence of which a modern-audience sits, if: not spellbound;' uncomplainingly docile ■through.-five' acts containing oyer three, thousand verses. ' - ' ! -

:It is impossible in;this brief space ,to give an.adequate idea of the gigantic undertaking! witli'which Mr. Jules Eoia was inspired. 1 I' lii-' "Coinoedia'.' the' author tells how- lie 'came to;write the tragedy-.;. : '■;.' .. i'l .was -in-Ep-ptZ-roaming through th'e tortuous 'labyrinths of the Great Pyramid: ;I •had; an -'English ,b,opk 'on'-.the "antique" of the ; .(empies';whieh '-lay-' dor , the Sphinx. One ,night I' found asleep,- her'.head resting against .the flank .'of; the Sphinx, '■ a- young fellah girl,' brown -and' beautiful,' hei-; head encircled '.with - lptuS flowers. She looked , like a young, priestess who hadisurvived the antique Cults'. I was unfortunate enough to; awaken- her. . Immediately she .was convulsed by extraordinary anger, in which mingled fear and hate of ,the foreigner. She. uttered all 'tho words of malediction ,that her gutteral tongue contained, and'she made gestures of hatred; Then she fled towards tho Nile, paling in'the moonlight. In a charming child I had seen spring into- flanie the terrible' powers that lay dormant-in, ail irritated' woman'. . I- saw the living P.ury.: And when I went .back to Mena-Honoe, where I, lived near the Sphinx, I wrote the first lines - of Mine. Weber's Toie." ...... ~

, 'Fundamentally, M." Bois has held to the principles of the- ancient Greeks, but his works lack their grand simplicity; there is in it'-an excess of events, of developments'^; of intentions arid perhaps .of - ambition/ -Thebes is invaded by tho' army of the usurper tykas; who is ; iu love with Megara, , wife of Herakles tho King; tho latter,. not content with his eatthly. c.onquests,"is away on an expedition 'to conquer thf> nether-w'orld,' and .retunis only in time to;.savo'.the queen,.who, rather than prove faithless to him. is.about to bo burned: by 'Lykos witli lier three sons. After killing the intruder, Herakles proclaims a new doctririo of-Reasori, without dogma or priests, without blood!o-r sacrifice, to whose joys he wishes to initiate his people. The high priest infuriated, influences Lyssa against him. "Lyssa,"-or "La Furie," is a strange half-human, half-supernatural creature, who has followed Herakles from the'underground temples of Memphis. She loves liim, but is obedient to .the priests, whose pupil arid slave she is. ' Commanded by them, she suggests to him that his faithful Megara has been untrue. Already torn between his passion, for "Lyssa" and • his tenderness! ror Megara, this, new- .doubt maddens hiin,. and in prey to "The Fury's" fateful counsel lie kills -his wife and children, then hurls himself into space. So it is that Herakles, having surpassed the natural limits of love and mystery, falls lower than the beasts. This'arguinent might have been more clearly enforced, by a'less involved exponent, - though hardly by one more scholarly.-

"Tlio Fencing Master." ;; Since the arrival of- (the Hiigh Ward Comedy Company ,in the Commonwealth j- .where Mme. Graco Ward rejoined, this combination , has produced a serious play, '-TheFencing Master," by Herbert Hall Winslow. Herein Mr. Ward depicts tho character of a white-haired Italian gentleman, preinaturoly old through sorrow and distress/ This man, Angelo Rossi, is an Italian marquis whose estates have: been confiscated, living at a cheap restaurant in New York;.: and fixing all his hopes upon' his gallant son, Carlo. The lad is suddenly, and, ;as it ;is ultimately proved, wrongfully arrested for forgery,'and .this fact gives a touch of tragedy to tho drama. "Tho Fencing Master, in which Miss Grace Palotta and tlio other artists all liavo parts, has evidently furnished Mr. Ward with come fino Tlio play is famous throughout. America, wliero it has been continuously played for several yeara past, and it is rather astonishing that it should liavo been eo long in reaching Australia, still moro so that it shoiild not havo ; bcon staged in London. - Mr. Allan Hamilton, who is general manager on this, side, 'lias .-arranged--for'tho Ward combination to open, in Sydney at Christmas. - HOt'CS. 1 : Miss Celia Gliiloni (of the Hugh Ward : Company) brings back from her world's tour a husband (and good fellow), a beautiful sot of sables, and a pet monkey-. The-last-named is an Indian native, who has a habit of ; .-"Vtaking telegraph poles for cocoaiuit palms, and if it survives a New Zeaianu w one day certain to be electrocuted. . Miss Olivo Marston, a noted English actress, is at present, in Sydney with her husband, who is out on business. She playeil principal boy- in "Sinbad" at the Gaiety. Dublin, and Grand, Fulham; ."Robin Hood," "Babes in the Wood," and "Dicji Whittingtori," at the Prince of Wales, Kenningtoii, in 1 tho title..role; the Prince,--'in "Cinderella;" ut the: Royal, .Leeds,, and Dublin-and Beiiastj .while list ioar alio as -Colui

in "Puss in Boots.". Miss Marston has also played the title, role in "Tlio Circus Girl" with Sir. Gcorgo Edwardcs's No. 1 Company, with which sh'o toured for two years, and tlio title role in "Falka" and "Pcpita - and "Tho Chorus Girl." At the music-halls, Oxford, and Tivoli (London}, sho has also appeared with success, and ,toured tho Moss and Stoll tour in a siiiglo tijrii. Miss Marston has many flattering notices as to her capabilities, and appears an artiste of the first water.' ■ . ' .

The Mountebank Dramatic Club are once ] moro coming before tho' public of Welling-j ton in a three-act comedy > "Jane." Tho' play is full of mirth-provoking situations, and all tlio parts aro exceedingly well caßt. In accordanco with the usual custom, tho' whole -of tho proceeds are devoted to local, institutions and charities. On this tho funds will lie given to tlio Navy League and the Victoria College Unemployed Relief Fund. ;

Mr. Hamilton lias secured from Mr.. W. W. Jacobs the. Australian rights of "Beauty and tlio Barge," and. is. now negotiating .with an English actor to visit Australia ai)d play Captain Barley, a character in which the lato.Mr. Robert Brough scored a conspicuous success.

The Ncllio Stewart season opens in Wellington on Augujt 14. "Sweet Kitty Bellairs" will bo played for six nights, "Sweet Nell" for four, and "As' You Like It" ' oil the last three nights. Tlio .provincial tour includes'.the following.appearancesMarton,, August 9; Wanganui,, August 10 and 1 . .11; and Palmerston North, August .12 and 13. Beerbolnn Tree was'conducting'a rehearsal of a new play and the young actress- who was playing the ingenue' was trying his nerve' ■sorely. . It was notl what lie wanted: .There, was no spontaneity, no charm, no finesse. At length the manager of . His Majesty's called: out, "No, no, dear lady; not a bit like it! 1 ask you for Roso Du Barry,, you give me electric blue!" ' V

So proud and fend, are tlio Parisians of the late M. Conuelin that the Municipal Council lias given/permission to tlio citizens to namo oiio of the streets after the great actor..,