THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 918, 10 September 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The- World's a theatw; the.Earth a stage.—Hoywopd. • (By Sylvius.) Coming Attractions. The next theatrical attraction to bo offered local theatre-goers is the Austey comedy, "The Brass Bottle," which was ,a fair success in London, but. did not create any marked enthusiasm'in Sydney. The, comedy embodies a quaint idea, which 'gives a certain colour to the ensemble., Horace Yentimore,' a struggling architect, has been induced by a well-to-do old man and confirmed Orientalist, whose daughter he loves, to attend''an auction sale and bid for' certain articles." He fails to got the articles marked on the catalogue, but buys an old brass bottlo on his own account...' ;On opening the bottlo strong fumes are emitted, and from" these- emerges Takrash, genii or "jinnee," us he is called in the play, who has been.corked up for thousands of years. 'He. is. so grateful for. his liberation that he is prepared to do anything for, .Yentimore, but his ideas are/'iJioau ol the Jims ol Solomun and ludicrously, prodigal.". Takrash . does some most oxtraordinary things in the name of, gratitude,- which embarrass and compromise poor Yentimore, who eventually, in sheer. exasperation, persuades the! jinnee to return to, the bottle. A.new London company is involved in the productipn. : Following "The-Brass Bottle" cornea Nellie Stewart and a couple of, new plays—"What Every Woman. Knows" (J) M.'.Barrie's latest simcess), and Paul"Kes'tei-e's- romantic' play, . "When. Knighthood was in. Flower. -/. A. revival of Du Maurier's "Trilby"'(di-a-' matised by /.Kesteiv ■ who/ is 'evidently favoured by' Miss Stewart), is : also threatened. , "Trilby, 1 - 1 1 venture 'to say, ha3;had/its day,-'and is hardly the. type,of play that :ia.,calculated to revive well. ; The cbmpany'.-is!du'e' to arrive 'in Auckland .to-morrow,- and appear in Wellington early, next month. .' Miss Stewart will bo: succeeded by' tho ■ new management, ; Messrs. H. P.. Plimmer 'and'R'. Denniston, in whoso venture there/is a good deal /of interest in and without theatrical/circles; The company, which is now earning golden opinions in Sydney, will bo headed'. by Mr., : Harry; Plinimeiy for ten_/to fifteen years a leading' ;Aus--tralian actor, and Miss Lisiette Parkes, who. sprang into fame quite recently, as "Peter Pan," delighting - all ;.in. Now Zealand,,who witnessed ,her .fresh and natural /.acting and;' winning '.personal-, ity. .'■ .Others' in 1 the 'company, will, be Mrs!; Robert Brougb (recently returned from London), Miss Valentine 'Sydney, .(the Mrs. "Darling-/of. /'Peter/,,.Pan"j,' Miss Katie Towers (who -was'; so delightful as the country doctor's -wife" m the recent production/of "The 'Hypocrites"), 1 Mr. Geo. --Chalmprs/" character: actor (for years with' Mr. '-.■.Julius'. "Knight), Mr. Henry' Neville' (late: of Geo, Edwarde's-'companies)/ Mr.. /Charles Throsby, character -actor and comedian,! and;, of course,". Mi. ,;Reynolds -Denuiston,. the yoiing : Dunedin - actorj who has been forging ahead during.the last-two,or -i-tliree ./years. .This .company • ;is ■ to'■! appear ,in Clyde '.Fiteh'a charming play, "Lover's/Lane," a pastoral' idyll; of ■ .the purest typo, /which was described by Bishop Potter,'bf New -York, as "an oasis. in things ,theatri-'i cal," and that beautiful mystic play.;' ' 'The Passing. •' 0f.,, the-.!- Third:/ : Floor; Back,", a. :play; by! Jerome ,K. ;Jbrb'me,: now being discussed-all over the world.

Henry. Kolker's! Progress. . Playgoers- who femeriiber Mr.. Henry Kolker, who appeared in', Wellington in "The Thief" a year/ago, will be-pleased to leai-n that .ho is- making/his! impress •on tlib drama, in-'America.", -After ,'a tour.' with Nazimova'/ the .'Polish', actress' (after whom a; New 'York theatre has. been, named), Mr. Kolker acepted an offer to play at the New (Millionaire's) Theatre in New York,; and in' April last had made a success as. Leontes in ,"A Winter's Tale," with such - admirable players in the caste, as;:. Miss'; Rose O.oglan, :Miss Edith Wynii'., Mathison, and Miss Leah Bateman.' -Since then'he' has made a hit as Josof Hofer'in "The' Great Name", (adopted from,the Gorman by Colonel: Sava'ge). <■ Tho /critic/bf ! the "Hartford Evening Post,',' of July ,19,say's of the play■:— "■ 'Tho: Great'/Name' is,/in' my'-!opinion, the:most' 'delightful and: captivating comedy that has come to, us .since' the original production of 'Friend Fritz,' It has the, same ..quality, of plaintive,humour, the same sprightly, and nimble comedy that clothes : but does hot: hamper its. underlying purpose to teach a; lesson of the value of'sincerity, and the same joyous and' helpful spirit of unselfish,truth. / Laughs and sobs, are mingled in ;. every 1 " -situation/ and tho. appeal.it.makes to.'the heart is so strong and consistent that interest is sustained through every- moment of the play'.".: "-,':■ ///:./'\, : - • Of Mr! .Kolker's' performance : the same! writer says:—"Henry' Kolker's performance of 'Josef Hofer,' the;bpmposer, -was/as fine an .exposition,'of uri-. .usual, versatility as I havo; ever .seen. No two parts could be made more unlike than the, high-strung, ambitious, .•.unsatisfied, ; but / successful!, {composer of. operettas, and,tho,drunken loafer that became an honest'man, yet Mr. Kolker. accomplished the; one as .well as. he did the other." ' ' : '■.! : ' : .

Mr.-Kolker has also been found guilty of writing a-, play (in collaboration with Ethel ; Watts Mumford). _ It! is doscribed as a play of absorbing interest,-dealing; with several aspects-of hypnosis,/and is entitled' "Dr. Wendham's Expeririient." Tlie play * has been, produced at Hart 7 fort (Conn.), with Mr. Kolker as Drl' Wendham; One critic hazards: the opinion/that when' it is taken to New York it will'divide dramatic attentiori with Clyde Fitchls master play, ."The Cit >-'- '■''. ,'" '■'-■''

The Art of Lucieri Cuitry. . M. Guitry ; ,has been brought beforo the entire; world through his peerless: portrayal of the- Cock, iii Rostand's "Chantecler." Writing, of this actor, Henry Bataille,' the... distinguished French dramatist,: said:— , '•, . "Guitry/is the. first real man who has trodden the stage. I do not'mean that .'there . have: not been actors before' him who were capable of interpreting our joys and sorrows. But, after all, they were like musical transposers. They, woro' heroes, and had about them jiomethiug processional and foreign to lif6.:. : -< ' ..-.'; "'" ~' •/ -.'■'-■■ "To keep .art at the; normal temperature of the heart, not to exceed tho limit essential to "life—this demands, above all things, a professional discipline and skill of which the publie has : not the least, idea. Guitry is' a .wonderfully graded thermometer; which every, artist ought tu study with care. '.His acting noyer strays; from reality. His relish for, truth is at last rewarded. Truth ,1s aii imperious mistress who does not forsake, her followers, and lie who has known her empire cannot go back from it. He must still go forward with her, and by her. guidance. ' Leaving light and graceful comedy, which was his speciality; Guitry has risen to the heights of intense drama, without being false' to his own method. He has simply broadened that method to tlio limits of perfection. . "In speaking of him,,:people- say: 'How natural no is I' meaning by that the line of demarcation between him and other actors. I do'not'think, however; that they appreciate the extent of the difficulty of being natural.. On general principles,, nothing is easier •than to play, comedy. Anybody, in real

life, may be a comedian; the shopkeeper who' wheedles -you, the beggar who .invents plausible fiction, the, disagreeable domestic servant, who mimics you—all show genius for- imitation and ii-oalism, whichtho greatest comedians could not surpass.! But ask them to recite to you two phrases of tho simplest text, and vou will seo then- utter failure. •

'Cuitrys power of assimilation is wonderful. 1 have nevov seen any- so instantaneous in its effects.''-His observation of life, his intuitions', aro liko. lightning flashes. Ho is an actor who almost speaks before his cues. 'He is an:absolute realist. His rationalism is thoroughly, confirmed, distrusting everything which is not amenable to reason, shunning extremes of passion. But ivhat a compensation he finds in the remarkable ease with which he juggles with life! He knows the human toybox to the very bottom. "He ,is . our most necessary actor; 'the''most, representative of our race.; tho. intellectual actor—in the good sense of the word. Parsimonious nature will not often produce his equal ; and I believe that at the present, time one may claim, without risk of being taxed with-exaggeration, that Gnitry, by his marvellous . gifts,'. his varied, power, his clear authority, the subtlety of his technique; and that effusion of intelligence which surrounds" him, is the first comedian of the world."

W. B. Yeats Busy/ Mr, W."" B. Yeats, is 'now, busily engaged, upon a new play for Mrs.'Patrick Campbell, accepted by her on thb strength 0f..-a detailed scenario,.. The action is laid in an entirely imaginary countiy,,and the pail designed' for Mrs. Campbell is that of a player who, in the .crisis of a revolutionary movement, succeeds in raising the .fallen fortunes of tho •kingdom. : Mr, Yeats' describes- his-, piece as' a fantastic comedy, /written in .verse, ''with a good deal ■of rhyme. In its composition ho: ha 3 adopted a new method ~ 'T; am working out every scenic, .detail," lie says, "as I write on a little! model made for..-inn. by' Gordon Craig, of which I have acquired/the' Irish rights. It. is an invention which yields the-most wonderful results in- the way of 'light and shade.-.Working with,' it/i! feel that'for tho first time my imagination broken free and got into a world of its . pwn. If only real. actors were as/patient, as the little figures of/cardboard I manipulate . on , mv./mimic stage!"' ■:.■■/./ /.,;■; * ■;■■• ' . ;:'-.'.

'Notes..: ' ;"; ..' Greytown will:be the last town-.to.see; ■the'"Hugh Ward Company.in New Zealand..;- As the', bill, will• be /''TAo:. Girl From; Rector's;',', it has/ been isuggested that, a. special; train/''might be .run-rrom '.Wellington. The only, thing against this proposal is the capacity of the hall, whicli' is; sureto bo overtaxed by .local theatregoers. .After. Greytown,. the company: .will, leave Wellington /for Sydney,.'play across"to!'Adelaide,'and so on to West Australia, ; returning" to' Sydney, for;,the, Christmas/season.;. / !■. An Australian paper-refers ...to' Mr. Reynolds Denniston (who has! entered; -into/theatrical partnership with, Mr. Harry Plimmer) as the son "of; -.' Mr.Justice Denniston, ■ Thisis not so. Mr.. Denniston is, a nephew/ bf the .-judge, and a cpusin.of Mr. Maurice Denniston, 'of this city. ~ •/:..'■''■• '.-/' ;./ ■ Mr.'. Geo. Willoughby, who- intends! forming a dramatic company early next year, has just bought the Australasian: rights of. "A'!Fpol There Was," ,a; play /by.! Emerson Brown/ founded on/Kipling's .''Vampire."-- This,ho ,will, in;duo course present in Australia, as' 1 well as Clyde' Fitch's!-.'"The Woman in -the Case." Miss Winifred Scott has been.brought out. for a part in the'Drury.Laho.drama "The. Whip" to be! staged by J.C.: Wil-. liarason' in Melbourne, shortly. .'.-This American ;actress -was, playing' in-'San ■Francisco,'.when- the ..earthquake..; be-, burred,-and;tho;shock had something' to! do with ; her determination; tovisit, England, where-for two'years she toured, with" Mr., Arthur Bourchier's' company.. Rosalind, Parthenia;. Lady Teazle, and: many modern characters are in her repertoire. . //.//.'-. :/ '-/■'.'./ ■•/'The.!popular comedian who has! a big part, in; "The'• Arcadians";.as Smith,' alias Simplicitas,,will'return to England aftpr ..tho Clarke" and-Meynell Comic Opera. Company'/havo . given the. last performance of the successful .musical .'play in.Mclbourne.; It is Mr. Cromwell's; intention' when ho leaves Australia, to takoa company to "Japan and Russia'. Then he will.settle,down,! he: says,/bn ; a 'farm in Kent. . Wheir Mr, Cromwell accepted the''engagement of the.Clarke and.Meyiiell Company arid,"signed on", for Australia as a member of the ''iMisg Hook of Holland", Company, he did/so on .'.the! recommendation pi Mr. Harald, Thbrleyj' who was then: in Londou. :