THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 924, 17 September 1910, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

¥ r The World's a theatre; the Earth a , stage.—Hoywoo'd., (By Sylvius.) Somerset fViaughan at Last. Mr. W. Somerset Maughan was the London sensation of 1908 among the dramatists. After striving for years to got his plays' accepted ho found a manager ready to "try a fall," so to speak, with his work. The experiment was instantaneously successful, and London saw that almost unprecedented thing tlireo now plays by a modern author running at the same time. These were "Lady . Frederic," "Jack Straw," and "Tho Explorer." Tho two first-named comedies that a Pinero or-a Grundy' might have written, ■ the third, "The Explorer," a powerful drama in whifli Mr. Lewis Waller appeared to .marked advantage. The poiiit, of recalling this event in dramatic authorship is that we 1 are to have, the pleasure very shortly of .'witnessing "Lady- Fredcric," the .rights having been : secured . by Mossrs. H. Plimmer. and R. Denniston, who, witli a very sound, company, are to 'commence' a tour of New Zealand, liext'month. Tho new .managomunt is 6specia!ly -fortunate, in 1 securing-' such a play, and even more so to .got the services of-Mrs. Robert Brough, who should be admirably suited in Maughan's delightful comedy. The iiiclusioii of this play practically completes the repertoire, which is .comprised as . follows:—Clyde Fitch's pastoral comedy, "Lovers': Lane"Jerome K. Jerome's play,'"The Passing of the Third.Floor Back"; Somerset' Maughan's ' comedy; "Lady Fredcric"; and possibly "A Message from Mars." .In ''-The Passing of the Third Floor Back," Mr. -Harry, : Plumper-: will play the Stranger, Mrs. Brough the boardinghouse • landlady, Miss Lizette ;-Parkes . the . ..Slavey Stasia, Miss Valentino Sidney the painted . lady,, and. Mr... Henry.'- Neville the Jew. Included in .the company is Miss Myra 'Wall, one of Sydney's cleverest.: amateur actresses, .^vho has decided to try'.her--fortune', 'on the pro-, fessional stage. , _ : :

Fred. Graham's Company. After a long absence Mr; Fred.. Graham, the popular comedian, returns to New Zealand, bringing under his own management a first-class company, who ■will-'present a number of pieces wliioh have been successful in England and America. "Yes," ho 'said/ in. the course of ,a Melbourne; interview,/ ''I' think I havo something tho public .will a'ppre-ciate-.tliis time.' ■■ When;on my 'last trip to; : Englaud and America. I waited until I; saw a piece which/ii; my, ideal, was ;just suitable to .the taste of the New Zealand , and /-Australian/ publip,. And 'aftor;■.'mature'', considoratibn selected/' a comedy which has been produced -::■ no: less than'.two years at -the ..Terry's Theatre, London, entitled.' 'The Brixton .Burglary.' " 1 ■ With... this, piece _ Mr. Graham will open at- Dunedin to-night. -The members of the. company , are: Mr. G. Kay Souper arid Miss; Flqrnnce Grotton (wlio played loading ;parts_ in Australia .ivith Oscar Asche .and Lily Brayton), -Mr. -Alfred-Harford and Mr. l Al-. Fred Scarlett (for- many. 1 years, , .with' Bland Holt), Jack De Lacey (an American actor, who':visited • Now Zealand with the . Jqsepliirie / Stanton Opera : Company), Mr. ,J. H. . Brerinan (well known in local, circles), Mrs. 'George Lauri (of J. C. Williamson's,; Opera Company),. Miss.- Sophie Burt; (another member of Bland Holt's company), Miss Gladys'HarWell (sdubrette), and; Mrs. Graham (Miss Nellie: Dent). Mciiio. Pnlalro. •■'■■'.■ This; iB iiow tliat, fascinating Parisian, dancer - and actress,/Mdlle.; Polairo , (of the', hour-glass figure); . describes ... lier; latest sketch: —

"To b'ogui at' the : . ; beginning, ' pleasß : writo':'doivn-'that iil. ' Baud and LCuinV tho.t. playing Apaclies, inor is' the, dance iwe'' 'do • the' ' 'Apaelie • dance" of ; ihe ivaudeville. stage or of anywhere elsel it' is called in .'La' Marmite,' or; the ;pot.boiling. It ■miglit be any old daiico 1 of;the faubourgg or ullims.. Turn Jjiiact-. ing the |stago star, who is; a danseuso and singer, but is now at home in her •own boudoir; ' ,Tha> 'Visitor,' at; 3 a.m., is a burglar, . vriio - has just murdered; her lover, the latter having masqueraded.in; tlie; garden with the intention of teaching the young woman what fear means. She never-knew; before, but how it is revealed to her in all iis shuddering depth and .horror, .in; tlip • whirlwind quarter-of-au-hour in which sho charms • the brute into her power, and drivesi his own kmfo into. bis heart." .

In, tho course of v the, same- interview Mdlle. Polaire said: '."They don't, call me ugly in Paris, .'but they . have' ascribed ■to me a . kiud' of,':; 'beaute ;du diable,' and, that' is one. reason, I suppose,- why managors and authors, and consequently '~ the public, , always want me, in, the Spanish /dancing-girl sort of' roles.'.'.'l. play i.theiri,, not so much because; I; like them, as for, the'oppprtuni-, ties they give me to express something, anything, that is life! But some.day it will b? seen i that I lean make; good in. a very, different line <bf. characters.;

•" "I am. an enfant: of Montinartre,. .ot the of the. studios and the cafe-concerts. 1 .. They taught me all I ■knew to start .with,-when I. made my stage debut at. fourteen, and . proved a very good pratical substitute for the Conservatoire. ■ . ~ ;

, "You say I. > sing;my;j'rosse'' song in the little play as.if ;I were a top-liner at. the Alcazar d'Ete or the, Ambassadeurs in - the Champs Elysees. .Well, that'is where I- picked, up ,my earliest singing lessons—and I always sang just as well, or just as badly, as l do now.

; "The same way with my dancing. It is not a speciality with me, and I : never took a reguiarMes'son t in my, life, .not even for the 'Maison de Dause.' I did watch the professional. Spanish dancers,' though, and then I just translated'their -work to' suit .my : own' ideas rind- temperament. • " ./ r ''With me, qverything to on the stage 1 must be ' in some' way expressive, of life. : .I use' dance-rhythms and steps just;, the same as so nian.v words,, .s'mile.sj; tears; or gestures with the hands.".' ; The New Theatre. - >. ; New York's New Theatre, erected by America's' millionaires for the production of'tho higher drama, concluded its first soason; Lll. July., Since its opening tho following plays have been produced:' "Antony and' Cleopatra" (Shaw); "The Cottage in the; Air,"'."Strife,"' "The Nigger," "The School for Scandal," "Liz, the.; Mother," "Don," "Twelfth Night,". "Tbiy Witch,". "Braild,". "Sister Beatrice," "Tlie Winter's Tale,"; and "A Son of the People." There were more operas, produced than .plays, and as the' mixture almost brought about chaos, it-has been decided not to produco any further operas in! the new playhouse. . An outstanding feature in sorting out the : plays at this theatro (the inaugurating, principles of which included the encouragement to-local dramatists) was that only one original American drania was produced, "The Nigger," and tliat, says; one review, would, if played outside, have driven its manager to the poorhousc. The reason for this is that the rAmerican dramatist cannot afford to hand over the production of his plays to. the New Theatro for inclusion, in its repertoire, wlioro outside it might be played at twenty theatres throughout the States at the samo time. What would be more encouraging would be to give the New Theatro the rights of any pieee it produces for three months, after which' the ownership of the rights would re. vert to tho :nithor. 1 n choosing the ra-pert-oire it is ! the intention to maintain

a proportion of one-third classical and two-thirds modern plava; this to inoaii modern'authors, not necessarily plays with a modern setting. "Now what has tho New Theatre accomplished?" (says a writer in tho "Theatre Magazine"). To begin with, it lias> established itself. It has proven that a repertoire' theatre may bo successfully maintained upon a high piano of' artistic endeavour—even although not always realised A rellex of this enter, prise in New York is Charles. Frohman's Ilepertoiro Theatre in London, which is a direct outcome of the repertoire theatre in New York. And incidentally this is tho first time that Mr. Frohinau has followed and not led a movement.

Of course, there is another move behind the one that is naked to the eye. Practically, Mr. Erohman controls the American rights to all foreign productions in .which thero seems .to bo a dollar, By establishing his London Repertoire Theatre ho also hopes to control tho output of prominent foreign dramatists in .which there may be no-' thing but glory, and thus forestalling the New Theatre in its own field of activity.

We ; hope that the New Theatre has come to stay. It is an institution, fraught with groat possibilities for thu future^of tly drama in our country. There is ail air of elegance and refinement about the house itself that is upliftnig. '. Wo Also_ hope to .organised a system of; pensions for tho actor. Notes. ' ' i,. '/;■■ ■ ■ :/ • : Mr. J. -M. Barrie has written a bur-, lesquo,' on thb : T modern problem/ , play .undor. the title of ,"A Slice of Luck," in •which there aro. only 'three I characters.

. .''The Arcadians," now; being 1 - played in, Sydney under . the Clarke-Meynell management, is considered- the . finest musical comedy staged in Australia' since "Tho Belle. of New; York," and'as a .production takes'rank with the best, that has ever been/attempted. ..: ■ ■■■'

■Miss. Toby Claude,, of the New ,Comic. Opera Company, has' the-sense/of .hum-, our strongly; developed, 1 ' and-,during .a: visit to.. Japan was much• -struck with tho advertisements which; adorned tie tradesmen's shops there. Here are'a few:—A'laundry announced: "We.must carefully, and .clean wash our customers with -most cheapest price." .. A barber undertook that "Head cutting is-here quickest dono." : "Fruit of- good white' hen," was another quaint announcement, and a:colfee..merchant claimed'forhis. beverage that, ."More men is not got dropsy in the legs •;which use this: coffee as it contains, over'nurish.''