THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

Tho "World's a theatre; tho Earth a stage.—Heywood. (Br Sylvius.) "Peter Pan." The news that "Peter Pan" is to be staged'here at Easter is the. best v.-e have hoard for a long time. "When Barrio's delectable fantasy was first produced in Australia, with Miss Tittel Bruno in the title role, we all naturally assumed that tho play would come along in due course. But though Miss Brune should bo credited with several good performances, she was hardly the type of actress to tit our idea of Mr. Barrio's-Peter—who, wo take it, was meant to be an eerie little fellow, young in manner and action, but indescribably old-in thought—ail elf, a Puck, something semi-supernatural, but with human sympathies and a great love for children. A difficult part to cast correctly—Frohman struck it with-Maude Adams, a slight, wistful little woman with'great eyes and a well of sympathy that overflowed the footlights, and rippled round tho heart-strings of those in front. Karris puts more heart. ijito his work than any living English dramatist, and tears one to .pieces with his'idealisation of cheap sentiment. Take the case of Tinker Bell, the . fairy in "l'eter Pan." Tinker is not a personality, she—it is a light, with which travels a. bell. Tinker is a good fairy—oil, ■so good—and-every-one soon gets to love it. Then; it becomes apparent that Tinker's light is fading, and l'eter, in great distress, takes the audience into its confidence. Tinker is sick—she lias heard that there are people who do hot believe in fairies, and the thought has cut deep into her heart. Tho only way to cure her is-to applaud to show that you do believe in fairies and—almost -without , thinking—the audience finds itself applauding, and as they do so Tinker's light grows brighter and brighter, until she is fully restored. Only a Barric or a Maeterlinck, could think such madly 'pretty thoughts'. • '

An-Australian in America. i r - H. R. Jewett, an Australian actor, whose abilities are well known in New Zealand, has become conspicuously successful iii 'America, and is now playing the Grand Duke Vasili in "The Man from Home," at the, Park Theatre ill Boston. He appeared in that city and in New York as John Storm with Miss Viola Allen-in

"The Christian," and later as Leontes to liei'i Hermiono in "A Winter's Tale" and- Malvolio to her Viola in "Twelfth Night." Oil several tours he played ltoineo, Benedick, and other Shak£'spearean leading roles with .Miss Julia Marlowe. Ho was leading man. one season with Miss Ada Rehan, and later for two years was leading • man .witli Miss Virginia Earned in Pincro's "Iris." ,It is said that the character of the Grand Duke ,lias been so'< elaborated: .by Mr. Jewett that it. stands out as a striking feature of "The Man from Home." To make up for it ill/the face alone occupies an hour. One critic ill New York compared ..his work with that of Mr. Lester AVallack and Mr. Charles —"And," says Mr. Jewett, "ho could not have paid me a greater compliment." Interviewed in Boston recently, Mr: Jowett spoke happily of an event of the day before when he had taken out' his final naturalisation papers. "He' is . ail Australian by birth," says the "Christian Scienco Monitor," "but came to this country after acting for years in the island continent.. 'Now that I am.a full-fledged American, I feel truly like "the man at home,"' said Mr Jewett."

A New Musical Play. • i'or the plot of "Captain ICidd," his new musical conjdy at Wyndlnim's. Theativ, llr. Seymour Hicks lias (says the "Dramatic News") drawn upon Mr. RicVanl Harding 'Davis's lively farce, "The Dictator," which had a successful career when- produced, live years ago at the Comedy Theatre, .with Mr. AVilliam Collier in the principal part.', MrHicks comes 'forward ill tile rolo of Lord Albany, alias Captain Kidd, whose .cnterJMn'ing adventures in, a Central American iteiiiiblic; seething with, revolution, lie dc?ict'i with' a wonderful amount' of, energy, 'hough a.little more restraint at certain points woul(l be welcome, Mr. Iticks certainly accomplishes his task with a full measure of resourcefulness and alertness. Whether as the young' English nobleman who flies from New York te> avoid being arrested for tho murder of a cabman, or, in the disguise of Captain Kidd, trying to teach his densely stupid valet how so to conduct himself that he shall appear to lie 011 terms : of equality, or as the Dictator, who by sheer bounce persuades the President that he has communicated with the American fleet, which is coining to the rescue, Mr. Hiclis, a picture of buoyant and "shameless effrontery, is never at a loss for "gags" on every conceivable topic. The picco is crowded with incidents, and so differs vastly from the ordinary musical comedy, in which tho plpt, if it exists, is of no consequence. Several of the musical numbers provided liy Mr. Leslie Stuart fire catchy and fanciful, though occasionally the talented composer seems a little handicapped by the complexity of the plot, and then his tuiics lack character and freshness. For Miss Ellaline'Terriss, who is as charming as ever in the role, of Lucy Sheridan, a fair missionary, of whom Captain Kidd becomes.enamoured, .Mr. Stuart'has written three attractive and engaging little songs, entitled respectively: "Yucatan," "In Peril," and "In Uinty-ay," which she interprets in her qjistomary crisp and I dainty fashion.

Nance O'Neil's Success. Miss Nanco O'Neil forwards to Mrs'. Henry Brncy, who supported • her- in grande. dame characters for several years iii ■ the United States,' and during; her J-ondon season, a cutting from the "New l'orlc Times," which records her triumphant success at'the Stuyvesant Theatre. This .was in a new piece from an essentially I'ronch society-drama by Pierre Wolff 'and Gaston Leroux, adapted by David -Bolasco under the title of '"]V Lily." Miss O'Neil, moving .with ex.treme. quietness through the first half of the play, is seen as Odette, the elder daughter of the Conite de Mar'igny, 'a French aristocrat, who,' allowing -himself perfect liberty, rules Odette. with a rod of iron, and keeps her, a willing sacrifice .at tho parental altar, to mind his household. Her younger sister seems also destined to be "a lily", (an unloved woman), hut her passionate nature involves her with an artist, and when tho crisis comes Odette, faded, weary, • carrying in her heart through a nrosaic mjddle-age the secret and unfulfilled passion of her life, suddenly blazes forth as- the champion of her beloved little Christine. The critic describes the scene as tremendously dramatic and touching, and pronounces Nance O'Neil a "great" actress. • [1. quoted.the "Tribune's" notice of the same production' a few wHis ago. It would appear that Nance O'Neil has come into her own at last.] Notes. Bv the Konigin Luise, which touched at Fremanflo last Monday, the principals for J.'C. AVilliamson's grand opera season arrived. They will reach ' Sydney on March 11. Already the chorus and smallnart singers are in rehearsal in two contingents—in Sydney and Melbourne. Siglior Hazon is delighted witli the quality of the voices that have been secured, and also with the line musical intelligence of their possessors..

An .Auckland prosswoman had occasion to reproach herself very severely for tho outspokenness of her opinion one da.v recently. She w'as interviewing Miss Ethel •Warwick, and was qui to unaware that, that lady.is in private life. Mrs."Edmund Wallo;\ In the course of the conversation Miss Warwick quite seriously ap.lvoil her interviewer how she liked Mr. EdiiHind AYnllcr in "The Clival." " Tile answer was spontaneous and to tho point. "I think ho looked and acted like a perfect fool." Now it happened that this was Urn highest praise that the unconscious .journalist could have bestowed on Uio young actor, and instead of being. Highly indignant at the criticism, Miss Warwick ' informed her visitor, with a smile, that the individual under discussion was her husband, and that to look and act like a perfect fool was what was required of him in the picce. Miss Nellie Stewart is to appear in ■T. M. Barrio's charming play. "What Even-, Woman Knows," in Mcibourno at This play, has proved ail enormous

success wherever played. .It is to bo hoped, that it will not share tho fate of "Peter Pan" in Australia! If it does it will not be fair to tho play—or the New Zealand public, which prefers good plays to trashy melodrama. "Peter Pan" would have paid in this country. The Williamson management . state (says the "Sunday Times") that the first week's business of "A Waltz Dream" exceeded the opening week in Sydney of "Tho Mifrry Widow." Lobars piece ran 100 performances—the Australian record for comic opera. Ktranss's music will not get the chance of showing its staying powers, by reason of the fact that "A Waltz Dream" will have to give place to the pantomime "Aladdin" at Kaster.

At Melbourne on February 17, in the presence of a great crowd, Houdini, "the handculf king," with his hands bound by iron fetters behind his back, and a number of chains fastened round his neck find body by padlocks, jumped from the Queen's Bridge into the Yarra. In a few seconds he reappeared above tho surface, holding his grim paraphernalia above his head, and was driven off in triumph. The weight of the iron lie-car-ried was declared to bo about 25 pounds. Houdini has performed this sensational act in many parts of the world.

Madame Sarah Bernhardt is to make her first appearance on the variety stage, in Loudon at the Coliseum i,; September, and it is understood that her ralary will be .£IOOO a week, tho great actress appearing at two performances each day. Assisted by a small, company, consisting of five actors and. actresses, she will appear in excerpts from "L'Aiglon," "Les Bnlfons," and other plays, which will occupy about half an hour in performance. !

Miss Maie Sydney, the prima donna of the Clarke-Meyncll Company, organised for "The Arcadians," take's her stagename from her native city. She is Miss Peach, and is said to have a . fine voice. She will play the role of Sombra in "The Arcadians." The scenery for this' piece, it appears, will comprise cloth after cloth Of cut-oilt flower and tree work. The dresses are costly, and the whole stage lias to bo built , up in one scene, to resemble a grassy and rocky gtilly, with a crystal stream of water gushing through a cleft; in another the lawn on the Ascotracecourse; and in a third, a conservatory, in which a mass offloveis is seen.