THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 17 June 1911, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

Tho World's a theatre; tho Earth a stage—Heywood.

(By Sylvius.) "Nobody's Daughter." A private cable message has been received stating that ".Nobody's Daughter" —(he dramatic success of last year in London—was produced in Melbourne (at the Princess Theatre) by the Plimmer-Dennis-ton Company with enormous success on Saturday night Jast. The hous2 was packed, and at the conclusion of the play the curtain had to be raised no fewer than seven times. "Nobody's Daughter" was originally produced a few weeks ago in Perth (W.A.), where "Geo. Poston's" play was enthusiastically received. At the conclusion of tho Melbourne season, the company plays in Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane, alter which follows a tour of New Zealand. Miss Beatrice Day, at present in Wellington, is to take up an engagement with Messrs. Flimmer ar.d Denniston in Sydney in September, when Somerset Maughau's comedy, "Smith," will be produced. With Mrs. Robt. Brough, Miss Sidney Valentine, Miss Lizetto Parkcs, and Miss Beatrice Day the cast will be one of the strongest presented in Sydney for some years.

Second Year ot "Tho Arcadians." "Tho Arcadians," now billed for presentation it. Wellington, has just completed its second year in I.ondcn, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, where the second anniversary was celebrated last month with great enthusiasm. Mr. Kobert Courtneidge treated the audience most generously. Thb splendid souvenir which he gave to eveiy person present was alone worth the price of admission, and in addition there were gorgeous new dresses for tho company, half a dozen attractive r.cw numbers for the principals, and a complete change in tho scenic scheme of the third act. No wonder, therefore, that the evening had all the atmosphere and charm of a gala night. All the new numbers—four of them composed by Mr. Lionel Monckton and two by Mr. Howard Talbot—were uproariously successful. They included a melodious ditty for Mr. Hairy Welehman, "Love Will Win"; an ear-haunting "TwoStep" song; a roguish "I'll be a Sister to You All," sung by Miss Cicely Courtlicidge to a sextet of lovers; a comical quasi-devotional trio, "Little George Washington"; and Miss Smithson's "My Heart Flies Homing," with birdlike trills, irhich took the house by storm. The souvenir took the form of a volume of sketches, portraits, and song music, all dealing with scenes and incidents of the piece. Miss Ethel Irving's Visit. Miss Ethel Irving, who arrived in Fremantle on Wednesday last, under engagement to the Cl.-.rke-Meynell management, is written of in the ".Daily Express" dramatic columns, in a farewell notice, as "one of the greatest of living actresses." "Our loss," the article continues, "will bo the gain of ths Australians. They will find in -Miss Irving one of the few contemporary artists of absolute genius— and she is 'all red,' English and only English." The repertory' of tha company includes four of the most popular plays in London recently. These are "The Witness for tho Defence," "Lady Frederick," "Dame Nature," and "His House in Order"; also Gilbert's classic,

"Conwdy and Tragedy." "In each of these plays Miss Irving has proved hor supreme gifts "of comedy nnci tragedy. One only regrets that she. is not able to show Australia her superb performance in The. Three Daughters' of Monsieur Dupont.'" Meanwhile, the established success of ''The Witness for the Defence" at St. James's Theatre is recorded in the London papers. The piece has just attained its hundredth night, and apropos of this fact, the "Daily Telegraph" writes anew of its emotional power: "That eerie scene in the dark tent, with its half-mad, .half-drunken bully, is the more fascinating in its suggestion of loneliness, mystery, and peril. The tragic humanity of -Miss Ethel Irving's .Stella Ballnnfyne as she cowers before her torturing husband, as she fights blindly for happiness and peace and love; as she pours out, with honesty merciless to all her yearning, the truth of tho wild deed in the tent, thrills and commands as of old. This is genius, and to see it again is to find in it new power."

Prima Donna and Moneylender. Early in the year Australians harboured tho hope that Mr. J. C. Williamson would siicc-eect in securing Madame Emmy .Pestinn as one of tho stars of h'is grand opera company. Yet, although Madame Melha brought pressure to bear, the great dramatic artist of the operatic stage rejected the proposal which was made to her. The latest appearance of the brilliant Bohemian prima donna was not at Ccvcnt Garden or at tho Itnyal Opera House, Berlin, but in a lawsuit. Madame Desim:i has jif-t had p. ikiiiblfiit kind of victory in the Supreme Court of Austria. According to the decision in the singer's favour, a person who signs a promissory nnti- in a stage name is not lespensible for its payment. While Emmy Des'iiin, whose name in private life is Emilie Kiitel, was singing in London in IMS, she borrowed .L'IGO from a Prague master tailor, to whom she gave a bill of exMiange, signed in the name under which sl;o had won international fame. The note uot having been paid when due, tho tailor sued Madame Destine, who set up the dclinoe that the note was not legal because v- did not bear her real lvinie. The Lower dhi Appellate Courts ruled against this plea, but tho Supreme Court decided that it was justifiable, and ordered the plaintilt to pay the costs of the litigation in ail Hires tribunals. A Hit in Melbourne. "George Paston's" play, "Nobody's Daughter," has been produced at iho Princess Theatre, Melbourne, with great success by the I'limmer-flenniston Company. A cable message has been received privately, reads: "Packed—enormous success uanarslleled enthusiasm; seven filial calls." Theatre Queues, Combined action is about to he taken in London by West End theatre managers to abate tho nuisance caused by loafers taking plr.ces in theatre queues with a view to selling those places to lato arrivals. Tho Society of West End Theatre Managers, on the suggestion of the Commissioner oi Police, liavs discussed a resolution that notices bo posted at the theatres intimating that persons desiring to form part of the queue must join in at tho end, and that substitutes other than bona iide representatives of thiatre-gocis •s-ill not bs recognised. Mr. George Alexander, the president r.J the society, stated that the notice would not apply to district messenger boys or men in uniform. Sir Herbert Tree made a similar statement. The loafers, he said, "have no intention themselves of going into the theatre. This is an irritating and unpleasant practice to playgoers, and we hope this suggestion may stop it." In Australia the theatre queue "substitute" does not exist. Tn London men and boys make a living "keeping places" from which they drop out when they arc L Disturbances have been caused outside the London theatres by disputes between the "substitutes" and the persons who buys places in the queue. If the amount tendered is net sufficient to satisfy the "dummv" he will not leave th" rank. Home of the alleged "substitutes have been prosecuted in the police courts. Sousa's Style. The personality cf the composer counts for much in the success of his concerts. An alert, wirv-lcoking man, with grizzled hair and beard, not in tho least like the rather truculent-looking individual wifu fierce mustachios, who has been figuring on the posters for the last fortnight, ■Sonsa stops to his desk in a brisk, busi-ness-like fashion, turns for a moment to bow, with a good-humoured smile, to tho cheering crowd, and then, without an instant of delay, raises his baton and proceeds with the first number on llie programme. There is a similar promptitude about his encores; there is no preliminary bowing and going away, and bowing again, and all the rest of the familiar procedure. Five seconds of applause is enough !o indicate that more is wanted, and, with a slight gesture of assent, he steps back to the desk, and the encore number is on its way before most of tho audience have realised what is going on. Thus there

is no waste of time, as will lie obvious from the fuel that yestcrdav afternoon 22 numbers were played within a couple of hours, 13. of them being encores. Jlis style of conducting is quid, but every movement is expressive. He dues a great deal with his left hand, and often indicates the time by merely opening ami cloM'ng its lingers; while he has a number of curious little waving? and hvisiings of hand and hngtr-., each of which has its meaning for his men. For a sforzando he often brings his baton sharply across, as if he were beating a drum;' but usually tho right-hand movements are slight, anil the quiver of the lip of tho baton is all that can be seen. This is in the softer passages. When the full force of the band is wanted, especially iu the marches, both hands swing right back at the third beat of the bar, and then rise for the fourth, to come down with crisp decision on the first. During the solo numbers Boi!.=a usually stands on the floor behind the desk and facing iho audience. He is evidently thoroughly enjoying himself, and that fact has an immediate sympathetic effect on his audience, with whom he is cu rapport from the very first moment. He has no affectations'; he is just there to do his work and to enjoy it, and he does it in the most natural and effective, way, without any sort of posing. Notes. When the last mail left, Sonsa and his baud were playing to big business at the Glaciarmn, Melbourne. Tho prices charged are—ss., 35., and 2s.

"Our Miss Gibbs" is now being played iu .Melbourne. The musical comedy has not created the wild enthusiasm in the Melbourne capital as it did in Sydney. New plays produced recently in New York—''The Hcn-Pecks," musical play, "The Zebra," by Paul M. Potter; "Sire," comedy by Henri Lavedan; "Excuse Me," farce by Rupert Hughes; "Judith Zaraine," drama bv C. M. S. M'Lcnnan; "Our World," by Walter Hackett; "The Twelve Pound Look," by J. M. Barrie. Miss Mabelle Morgan, who recently returned to Australia from England, will succeed Miss Sibyl Aruntlalo in the rolo of principal boy in "Jack and the Beanstalk." Miss Arundale is to go to London after the Sydney season to fulfil her engagements already made, and Miss Morgan will appear in the part in Brisbane, and certainly in New Zealand. An carlv tour of New Zealand is projected by" Nicola, the remarkable, illusionist, who is appearing in Australia under the direction of J. and N. lait. According to his present plans, the magician will commence his season in Auckland about June 2C, visiting such towns as Wanganui, New Plymouth, Napier, and Gisborne, before giving his. performance in Wellington about the first week in •Vugust. Visit's will be made to Dunedin, Invercargill, Gore, Oamaru, and Timaru, the tour"concluding about September 15.