THE WORLD OF MAKEBELIEVE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1095, 6 April 1911, Page 3

THE WORLD OF MAKEBELIEVE.

. > INTERVIEW WITH MR. HUGH WARD, WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. "I have fcrvcd a goad apprenticeship to' Hie theatrical b;i?inefs but it is ml without regret that I will relinquish the work behind the footlights," said Mr. Hugh .T. Ward, when interviewed by a £n:n>;iox representative. Since his las't visit to "Wellington, Mr. Ward has developed into something more than :i clever comedian at the head of his own smart liltlo company. He has been admitted a partner in the biggest theatrical firm operating sou'h of the Line, one who.=e name, if not. a household word, is known to everyone who tokos the. slightest interest in the theatre. The mem bars of the firm, at present, are Messrs. J. C. Williamson, Geo. Tallis, and M. Eamaciotci. The lastnamed gentleman relinquishes his interest in July, and Mr. Hugh Ward will take it over, and settle in Sydney to supervise generally the operations of this big business. Mr. Ward's career has been meteoric since his advene in Australia. It is only 'some twelve years ago that he canie from America as a member of the "Trip to Chinatown" C'ompanv, headed bv Haarv Connor. At the conclusion of Iliac tour, he was engaged by Mr. J. C. Williamson to appear with the Royal Comic Opera Company, in the ranks of which ho worked tor four years, playing the chief comedy roles, including Gilfain in "Floraflora," Dravclli in "The Circus Girl," Offenbach Gaggs in "The Casino Girl," the Duke of Plaza Toro in "The Gondoliers," Dick Deadeye in "Pinafore." and lots of other important parts. After that he was loaned to Mr. Daniel Frawlev to play the Mexican Tonv in that beautiful Western play "Arizona." Then London called, and Mr. Ward introduced "The Scarecrow-' into the Drury Lane programme. This was, followed by a ten months' eneagement as premier dancer e.t the.Empire (where he was associated with the great Genee), After that followed the remarkable production of "Simian" at Drury Lane; a curious phty, founded on the Darwinian theory respecting the evolution of man. In that production Mr. Ward "evoluted" from a wild ape to a "johnny" of the day. Then to Paris with "The Scarecrow," and after that to New York with "Simian." At the c!or,e of that season he, with Mr. Wilioughby, organised his first company for Australasia," taking out "The Man from Mexico." The next step was the organisation of his own company for the East and Australia. The success of that organisation has been almost phenomenal, its popularity extraordinary, and its performances always clever and interesting. I'Antl what of tho future, Mr. Ward?" "Well, as you know, Mr. Williamson, who has been at the head of this big enterprise for so long, will, for the" future." spend most of his time in England and on the Continent, keeping in close touch with all- that happens which is likely to bo of interest to playgoers on this side of the- world. A high standard of- production and performance has been maintained in the past. That will not be departed from, but rather will it be raised. There are those who think wc ought to produce the works of Ibsen, Hauptmann, and Shaw, but. there is little likelihood of anything else but an occasional production of such ultra-intelLeelual plays. It is all very well for the highbrows to clamour for these abstruse, emotionally analytical plays dealing with sociological "questions, and I can quite imagine that a person rending and studying them can become enamoured with their power and genius, but .there must b.e a practical side? to the business, and a steady policy of producing such plays would only mean disaster. The proportion of, playgoers that would take pleasure .in .Ibsen and Shawis too small to encourage the notion of such a policy. It was tried in London at tho Court Theatre by Mr. Frohman by the finest cast in tho biggest, city in the world, and it failed badly. If it could not succeed even moderately there, what chance has it of doing so in Australia and New Zealand? No, there are lots of good sound healthy plays, romantic, dramatic, and comic, with* a more human note in them for us to give attention to. Personally what I would like to do would be to sandwich one of the 'intellectuals' in the repertoire of a sound company in order that playgoers might gain an educative idea of such plays, but I cannot conceive of them ever becoming 'a steady drink,' so to speak, with the Australasian public. The whole atmosphere of this country is out of tunc with the intense mind-dissecting plav, which deals with sociological subjects, which have grown up in the old, old countries. Those are bright, sunshiny places, where the average person is not faced with the dreadful problems that are dealt with so cleverly by some of the big literary dramatists. I figure it out that taste in plays is largely a reflection of environment, and when you see bright musical comedy, and a good healthy vigorcr.s kind of drama with an appealing human interest succeeding, it is only tho .natural reflex of tho character and taste of the people. "Wo will endeavour.to do things onlv on the highest scale. That is being don'e now as a matter of fact. Take 'Our Miss Gibbs,' which has been running now for six months in Sydney. I saw it a fewweeks ago, and I think it as fine a production as I have ever seen. There is quality in every department that would do credit and command success in any port of the world. The dresses are. gorgeously beautiful, the scenery is magnificent, and the principals and chorus right up to the very highest standard, "i'ho Whip' r is another case iu point. Go to New York or London and you won't see it better done. That's what has always struck me—thd wonderful standard that has been maintained by Mr. Williamson, even in tho days when there was not the competition to warrant it. Long before I had any notion of joining "The Firm,' I have stated in London and in America that there is no chorus or ballet in light opera in the world better than that attached to tho Royal Comic Opera Company. Dancers in other countries and in tho big centres aro trained in different schools, and when they are brought together for a production you never get the rim and harmony that characterise the work of the Royal Comic ballot. Of course, wo don't get the great solo dancers—they naturally go where there is the biggest money ottering, but for a permanent combined ballet in light opera and musical cornedy the world holds nothing better than that of the Royal Comic Opera Company. "Now you will sec that Mr. Williamson has bought into this great combination in London, which is running the Adelphi Theatre. This will be guided by the greatest theatrical minds of the day, Frohman, Klaw, and Erlanger, George Edwnrdes, Gould, and J. C. Williamson, so that in addition to our being in a position to secure the world's successes, we will have the Adelphi as our own school for creating successes in the heart of the Empire. 'Tho Quaker Girl' is running there at present—later you will get it out here. While I am on 'the subject of the great minds of tho theatrical world, I would like to say that I consider Mr. .T. C. Williamson one of the great ones. He has all the qualities that would have made him as successful anywhere as he has been in Australia. His judgment is superb, and his knowledge of the technique of the business as perfect as one could get it. He is equally at home in directing the production of a drama n« he is in an opera or a pantomime. He can nick a weakness and suggest a strength in n breath, and. believe me, Australia has been fortunate indeed in the possession of such a head to it; theatrical idea."