THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 912, 3 September 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theaths; tho Earth a stage.—Hey wood. ■-.- ; (Bγ Sylvius.) Hugh J. Ward Again. ' On Thursday, Hugh J. Ward and his company of clever comedians are to .commence a country tour of the Wellington district at Mnstcrtou, when the much-discussed comedy "The Girl from Rector's" will'bo produced. Tho tour is as follows:—Dannovirke, Scptembei 9; Waipawa, September 10; Napier, September 12. and 13; Gisborne, from .September 14 to 17; Hastings, September 19; Palmorston,' Septembef 2U; Wanganui, September 21; Hawera, September 22; JSew Plymouth, September 23; Stratford,' September 24; Morton, September 26; Feilding, September 'Zi; Grey town, : September 28. A; Mystic Play. .Writing of "The, Passing of. the Third Floor Back,'':to be presented to New Zealand play-goers by Messrs. Harry Plimmer and Reynolds Denniston,' tho Sydney "Daily-Telegraph" said:— : "Tlie pieco is one ir. which gravity and humour,, lofty ideals, and- \the; squalid side of human nature, arc intermingled in the.most complex; fashion. The. types,of 'character represented' by tho boarders, who are employed mainly in cheating and backbiting each, other before they come: under the regenerat-, ing influence of the new lodger, are , 'so vigorously and skilfully.drawn that the laughter was almost continuous during tho first act, or the prologue,. as it is termedby the author; but some of the galleryites,: as the evening wore on, were apparently unable, to discriminate between the grave and the gay, and laughed in the wrong places? However, thero was' not much. doub,t about the enthusiasm of the. audience, shown in tho ' repeated" calls after : each.. curtain, and at the end of; the evening. ;: ~ '■'! The Passing ;of tho Third . Floor Back' raises the: vexed question as. to how far it is permissible to bring religious subjects, on to the stagei: , Tho Stranger -is a singularly' mystical-char-acter., " suggested-that he; isi de-: signed to typify the : Christian virtues, or the better self; which. exists in every man,"! however wicked he. may be; or even . that '. the' author intended to \:epresont our Lord Himself, the embodi- 1 ment of all_ the virtues. Indeed, tlie suggestion of a'Divine or .supernatural power is advanced more than once, in the play,.as, for example,.in the touch- 1 ing and beautiful;interview with "Stasia, the servant, when :he perceives .that, she is wearing the' jewellery, of tlieVteiripter.' Ho tells.her ;that;her. father .was a friend of .his; and "aV gallant gentleman —just as he mysteriously 'told, Major Tonipkiiis and his wife ■ that lie knew them, before'.they became 'a bully and tho other"a- shrew.'" Then the servant protest's.:—V"•',!" ' . : ~",' . "You're , '-niaking gime of me. ,'Ow :can 1 be anyone?. 1" was-born in a work-" house.", ;.-.. .... ."' : ■■■•■-.■ -.-: ■ ;{\ ■'■: "A King once was born iii a stable,": lie. replies. ■ : . ' , '- : .: \ ■- ■ ; "Yus-sort.o'-King like I'm .a lidy—that • nobody'knows. , ' ; ■'..■ '■ ■: : . ■".■■ -■! "They, learnt, it—later." '■':.- ...■'' - ;■ "You're, talking sense? iastonishetl) You mean a real King—with h crown?" . ■ ■ y."Yes (after a pause); He wore a'crowii; So, , you . see,... the, place doesn't. .matter. Ihero must be poor Kings,,tho world for a; time. does, not know.. • So there must likewise lie.'• poor gentlewomen, daughtersM poor gentlemen , .". '.-••■ ■■•'• .■;•, •:.;,:.' ."■'.. ; : "The Stranger'smiles, offering friendship,- when suddenly; , she recollects tho trinkets "and, turn's away ■ sliii'dcloring "No, I'm a bad-'un!" ! "Did s 1 askyou? '■ ho.Questions, gently, thus Nearly implying.: that ithere, is ' pardon for the sinner: As;sho; realises this message,', she'.-.tears the, cheap, jewellery from her' ears arid casts it into the': fire."' "Ce'ntlo Gertrude." ;,,.:•: I ; • . Wellington.'was. at bne\time very for-' tunate in thoVstandard , reached by those ladies .and gentlemen who made a hobby oi amateur acting, and many!delightful memories 'of tho- performances of plays by .Pmero, qrundy, T. W; Robertson, ami; others; can .be' recalled.,: It is ; cheering, to;, learn;, that ;there is- to be , a recrudescerice of at;least sbine'of the amateur .stars: of a. decnde.-'agoA To oome ,to.,the;point at once, Edgar: Pomborton's' delightful■■■,;• satire.'.on medieval nielo'drama; entitled" "Gentle Gertrude," is now in .rehearsal by-members of,'■ the old' dramatic students, who' are to potform ;the::play;.in.ithe: .Sydney Street hchoolroom at ; an : early date, in : aid : of tne funds "of. the Unitarian Church The cast of Gertrude" ■ will bo .as follows:-Sir Guy,■■ Mr. A; -W..-Newton; Giles Gqslmg., (host; of the Red Lion lun),;Mr,..Morris Fox; Mrs. G: Goslinc, Mrs,^Dγ;)'.Fell; Gentle Gertrude (thetr daughter), -Miss- Jessie Newton. It is said that such plays as; "Tho Face at we/Window", and "Through ■ Seas of Blood are weak imitations of "Gentle Gertrude. : - : -'.. ..■', . ~;

"The: Brass; Bottle." : \. ■_■ After long" and'- successful runs in' London' and;. New .York; •-■ "The' Urasj ' Bottle," F. VAnsteyV famous'.' whiinsisis' nights in ■Wellington on- Wednesday; October 5. Briefly, the story of , the' play, runs':—' Horace Veutimore, a' young architect, m love with.Sylvia Futvoyo (daughter of the famous Orientalist and scholar, Professor Futvoye); goes.to an auction on .behalf of, His : prospective father-in-' law, arid ■there purchases the fatal ' brass bottle," which.''-. ■'contains the Jmn, who,/3000 'or 4000 years'-before';, has been enclosed jn' it. by order' 1 of King Sulieman'the Great' (the HebrewSolomon), .'together "with thousands ofhis brethren of the Bluo and . Grt'enJinn, and they.ihad'all been cast into various; waste; .places', of .the \eartii. Farash, for instance,. had been found at the bottom o£' the :Sea of ;B1 Karkar. , It was his ;fate : to: be sold,, bottle and all, for £1 in a London auction room.. ;When Ventimore' 'releases ', him,- 'tho Jinnee is full , of-gratitude, and he-sets about.it to. see '.that his unintentional' benefactor, shall be -full-"of".benefits".:' In two senses Horace;is very "full." A. caravan .of camels calls' at- -his "rooms".:at Ennismore Gardens,; mid there .deposits about, a billion pounds.worth, of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds,- which are,..of courso, entirelv valueless—being so valuable that nobody, could afford:.to . buy' them.' A client (the first ho has ever had) in tho -person of Mr. Samuel. Wnckerbatu, a very wealthy, estato 'agent, .flies in at Ventimorels , window, and" promptly gives -him a 'contract" worth about £100,000. Horace. intends to build his new client a really fine' mansion, and in his enthusiasm tells the Jinn of his purpose;the Jinn, only too ready to help, runs up a sort of Caliph's palace for Wackerbath in one night I But, alas! though most imposing and ornate, there aru no "modern conveniences," and not a yard of drains to the i>lnce. A littlo dinner at his- rooms, which the ombarassed young architect intends to give to his fiancee and her family, is metamorphosed into a typical feast from the "Arabian Nights," upon which, by the by, the play is founded.. And so on, until tho Jinnee's generosity—being always declined—turns to malovoleiice, and his wonders become more than embarrassing. Only by playing on his fears of "progress and civilisation" — two "monarchs" that are represented by Vontimoro to bo greater than Solonion himself, docs the young man save his life, and finally induce the Jinn to re-enter the brass bottle, and so ends the play. . ' ••

The marvellous Kromo Family of acrobats —ten in number —are now appearing at the Sydney Tiroli, before crowded limises. They nre said to Ik; the last thing' in 'refined acrobats, graceful always, but daring to the last degree.