THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 805, 30 April 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; tho Earth a srago.---oeywood. '

(By Sylvius.)

The ,Vamplro Danco. . Tho latest sensation in morbid dances and a fit successor to tho Apache dance is tho vampire dance,' which is drawing all .London to tho Tivoli Theatre., where 1 this veritablo danc6 of death is being performed by Mildred Devorez and '.Tom Torriss. Here is a description of tho terpsichorean horror: —As the curtain rises, leaning against a column, is dimly seen a womairs figure wrapped in a, red, serni-tran3parent veil. Slowly she.runwinds this. As she does so a voice is heard singing Rudyard Kipling's poem, "A Fool here was." As the veil unwinds, the figure of a beautiful woman, is discovered in a wonderful old-gold dress of Florentine model. The woman has very long, thick red hair, which entwines around her body, and her dress suggests pleasure and wanton luxury. The song has finished, and now in her raovoments she is a vampiro seeking for men to ruin and kill. Slowly she descends from her pedestal and commences to dance. Here, too, is shown her desire, her craving for the deaths of men, imploring the gods to bring to her a victim. A young artist enters, sketching. He is abstracted. He sits thoughtfully. The vampire sees him, and runs silently down stage like a< panther on its victim—passes him closely,, her long hair with its perfume crossing his face. Then follows the dance of temptation, finishing with the .man becoming fascinated. She then attracts him more and more,, until the man ih anger throws her off, and commences work again on. his sketch. She lures hirii back with mesmeric power, he, evidently resisting, slowly, very slowly, walks backward to her. Then follows a hypnotic dance—at tho finish of which the man is completely, enthralled. In utter misery he attempts to leave ' her, but she drags him lower and lower until at last as he lies helpless at her feet, she suddenly grapples with him, bites him at the throat. Ho rolls off and down tho stops dead. She* laughs and dances, waiting for another victim.

The Harry Roberts-Beatrice Day Co. The following is the itinerary of the Harry Roberts-Beatrice Day Dramatic Company, which is to tour New Zealand, under the management of Messrs. Clarke and Meynell, commencing in Auckland on Monday, June 6. The. company will play in that-.'city-; until June 18, and; thereafter as follows.:— New Plymouth, June '20; Stratford,. June 21; Wanganui,'June 22 and 23; Palmersten North, June 24, 25, and 27;. Dannevirke, June 28; Napier, June 29 and 30; Hastings, July 1; Master-tort, July 2; Wellington, from July ■ 4. to July 23 (inclusive).. At the conclusion of the-Wellington season the company will play in Chri3tchurch, Timaru, Oamanv, Dunedin, and lnvercargill. The repertoire of tho. company will con- -i sist of Hall Caine's drama "Pete" (recently played in London with success by Mr. Matheson Lang, now on. his way to Australia), and "The Hypo : crites," a strong problem-, play by Henry' Arthur Jones, which has not yot been seeu in the North Island, but was played-by the Beatty-Macintosh Company in the South. -,;;-...;

New Plays in London. , N Mr.. Austin Strong, who wrote 'Tho Toymaker of Nuremberg," produced last month at matinees at the London Playhouso, is said to take his audience in this piece into land of quaint fancy and sweet sentiment, of dear, fantastio old fogies, of gardens, and young lovers. The first scene occurs outside a walled garden.', of .Nuremberg,,.;where ..vgrious chafddters.'vserve.'/to;. create sphere . oi.J.'jbleasant sentimental ?inno-. cence, in which a : boy begihs ; to play his flute for the girl who lives inside tho.'JwalLyJ'She, invisible,''throws'; him a rose. .He.caii'hardly go'ou playing for ecstasy, but violently .'exhorted ■by the small,boy he does.'play;oil, and.'.behold the girl looks over the'wall—Miss Margery Maude.(Mr. Cyril Maude's daughter), her.' first;appearance on .the stage. There' comes, the .daintiest Sloye'i scenes between the two.' The old toymaker (played by' Mr. ,Maude) .is the' boy's father, who is forced to make Toddy bears' instead of dolls, because -of the demands from American children. When the lad announces that he ;has fallen in love, the toymakor goes^.off.to call on the lady and her, fathe'ryibiit suit is not looked upon favourably, and the lovers have to say- farewell/.'' However, the old man corners -the;:' Teddy bear market, and makes a fortune, so -that the prospects' are brighter at the'fall of the curtain. ' ■>'■ .;.;! A new one-act play, "The Marauder," by Mrs! Caleb'.Porter, is announcedrvto. precede "The. House of which is having a prosperous run.; at the London Adelphi. ';:.'.:- ! "The Arcadians," the fantastic,musl; cal play -now in Melbourne, has' been running for a year at the Shaftesbury (Shaftesbury Avenue). ' f:! 1 -\ :*.';. -

"The Third Degree." In the American play "The Third Degree," one of the big situations designed by Charles Klein to expose the cruelties of tho modem police inquisition in Now York presents a man after seven hours' continuous cross-examina-tion. The time is in no way exaggerated. ' Only recently there, went the rounds of the Australian papers an a(P count, clipped from New York journals, of how Emily Sara, a y_oung Finlander, underwent the torture-4or there is no milder word'to describe it. "Tho Third Degree" at 3 o'clock, on February ;7, ■ says 'the' "New:; YorkrTimes,";and continuedfvrithput' a pausetill midnight. Atmile; o'clock 'on Tuesday morning, the inquisition 'was iresumed.,; : No: breakfast was given-', to : the'.!unfortunate;,"woman, all that, she;had.being'a.glass,of water. ■Then .they 'took her to- tho • Morgue to look .at. the" h'pdy'.of j.ihe : murdered woman.-: All'that day and night'they plied her with .questions, 'until:at last: at 3 a.m.. she' 'broke ■ down,.' and 'confessed that the husband',of-the -murdered woman was the criminal.. And even now the, cablegrams aro' full'of'-.the 'police efforts!to make the] alleged murderer of, :Ruth -Wheeler, '.the' .unfortunate girl who was killed in New York last' week, confess to.his'.crime by the 6ame means.

Notes. -'■ ..'■','... Mr.. George Willoughby's -high-grade; comedy cqmpany, which gave so. much genuine pleasure to .lovers- of clever mumming in '-The -Night of the Party" : ;is.to return to > New r Zealand towards jthe end of.the year, jvith, : .ahother.very i successful comedy, '.'Mrs. : Prc'cdy. and, the: Countess," which hasi had a long run in Loudon. .Mr. W.illoughby has. also purchased thn Au'stfahs'ian rights of "The Woman'in the" Case"' a highly successful play by the. late Clyde Fitch, .'and the play :in which Miss. Tittel Brune appeared: irt T/brido&sti. recently. • .; Mr.'Gaston Mervale,.!tho well-known ancl well-informed actor, is 'recovering in Melbourne from': the "effects-of a rather serious' operation/ -.*-. • The Royal Comic , : Opera Company have just, givenHho resident* of Perth a treat by talcing .part' in..a ; grand theatrical ..car.iival which, was organised in aid- ofyKtko- third-class'- passengers and crew' of the I'ericlcs,' the Children's Hospital, and.the AVaifs' Home. Every member of -the. popular organisation did his or her shafo towards the success of the entertainment and the result was a great success. Much amusement was 1 caused each day by the humorous ad-

vcrtisements which appeared in tlio daily papers and were, couched in- tlio most ludicrous terms. Tlio Julius Knight-Kathorine ' Grey season in Adelaido has been a decided success, but the final production, Charles Klein's "The '. Third Degree" quite eclipsed the success • achieved . by the two previous productions. Indeed, its reception was something quite exceptional and formed a triumphal finish to .the season. Tho company go to Brisbane next for a brief visit and afterwards make their way clown to Sydney where they will first stage "The Third' Degree," to be followed-early in June'bp "Henri Navarro." M. Aurele Sydney, who plays the gamecock in- Rostand's "Chautecjer" at the Porto St. Martin, Paris, is a Sydney native who adopted the name of his native place for show-bill purposes. He is from Sydney University, and played a long spell with Bland Holt in "The Prodigal Son" and "Women and Wine." Aurele Sydney's family name is Lambert, and his latlicr is Leo Lambert, a well-knowu Melbourne hairdresser.