THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1360, 10 February 1912, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

(Bv Svi.vn-3.) The World's a theatre: tlu- Km-.li a Stllgp.—Jl(.j- ( vOUll. H. B. Irving in "The Bells." This evening playgoers are to '*' «[- forded the opportunity of Mr. H. 11. Irving as Matuias in *"l'lu- IMIs - Hie role which Rave Sir Henry Irving fume us a tragic ;ielor. It was in ISil that llr. 11. 1,. Hateman took a lease of lliu Lycoiim Theatre, London, in order to introduce his dnushU-r, ImiM Hutemaii to the world's eelitre. Jlicidentally he engaged Hetiiy Jrving to support her, never dreainiiii,' that this actor was to become the great e.-t English player of his Jay. The iir.-t play staged, on September 11,. IH7I, was "l-'anclictte." It was n complete failure. l)n October a of the .same year "Pickwick," with Henry Irving, a-T.linglo, was staged. His performance is recorded a- the best in an ill-fated production. .Mr. Batcinan was so cast down by his two failures, and had lost so imieli money that, he liad almost decided to return to America, when something happened. Irving had become acquainted villi Leopold had prepared a version of "Ix- .luif l'olomiis,', entitled "The Helk" which rather fascinated the actor so much, that ho Iwggi-d Mr. Jjateman to put the play into rehearsal. At length lie consented, and it was produced on November 25, 1871. The audienco was not largo, but it was exceedingly enthusiastic, and living's success in the major rolo was iustanlaiifoiis. His terror-stricken burgomaster was a demonstration of the horribly fascinating. "The man," wrote Oxenford in "The Times" "is at once in two worlds, between which there is no link—an outer world which is ever smiling and an inner world which is purgatory." AVheu the curtain fell after the first performance of "The Bells," the critics rushed away to write their notice?, and, next day, Henry Irving found himself a celebrity." So it will be particularly interesting to see Irving the younger in the part that hoisted his late father to the stars. If he can reproduce a tithe of his father's magnetic force, the performance will indeed Ire an interesting oiib. "The Bells" is not new to New Zealand. It was produced hers nearly twenty years ago by J[r. Walter Bentlcv, then a scholarly actor, uho was assoc'iaiedwith tiie late Sir Henry Irving in the 7O's, and who gavo a very excellent performance of the role of the 'bell-haunt-ed Mathias. "Passers-By," Tims the Melbourne "Argus" on Haddon Chnmbers's new play'of character, "Passers-By":— "It is not a very exciting comedy, but wonderfully hygienic. There are no purple and crimson stripes across it, and Hi? psychology requires the support of many theatrical conventions to render it explicable. Tlipi-o arc several broad jumps, that shatter at times all dramatic unity. They come like gusts in the night, rattle the windows for a few minutes, and then all is calm again. But. Mr. Chambers'* facile, dialogue, skill in situation, and accomplished sense of theatre, together with manipulation of stage machinery, claim undivided attention through three acts, relaxing only in the fourth, when the inevitable climax is in sight. "The hero, Peter Wavcrfon (Mr. Hnrcotirt Beatty), coining home from some boring social function, finds his man-ser-vant, Pine (taken by Mr. A. J. Patrick, owing to the Midden illness of Mr. Eardley Turner), entertaining Nighty (.Mr. George Miller), a philosophical cabman, with his whisky and best brand of cigars. AVaverton is angry, and tells his 'man to find another place, but, relenting, decides to play the .same came himself. He calls in the first loafer he sees, and this happens to be. a wretched old waster Samuel Burns OJr. 1?. Whytc), who rather resents being "gathered in, as he will lose his accustomed place for tho night on the Thames embankment. Burns is a splendid specimen of the thoroughly 'unemployable' of the period. He is an economist, even of words. He was born tired, of tuberculosis parents, with a loathing for work; he shudders when it is offered him, and holds a supreme contempt for those who do it. 'Work,' he whines, 'is for the workers, for them who likes it, not for me' "Tho other up-to-date character with characteristics is that of tlia governess, Margaret .Summers (Miss Hilda Spoil?). The part is a thorough realisation of the old governess with the 'new woman' spirit militant within her. Relieving herself six years ago to have been abandoned by Waverton, she set heroically and resolutely to work to earn her living for herself and child. There was no repining, or wasting away, or suicide for her. She laughed at trouble, and gloried in her independence and in her bov. A siniliii" feminine optimist, who gathered up th'n remains of her shattered past and put them away for future use, while from her new pedestal she demanded of society acknowledgment that only half the sin was hers, and asked as a right recognition of her merits as a mother and as a worthy citizen. Miss Spong's congenial personalir'y enabled her to hold the mirror up completely to this idea of the dramatist, striving and firming the self-reliant note, and even going one better in her cheery outlonk, altogether u very comfortable and soothing condition of affairs." Katherinc Grey's Impressions. The "New York Dramatic Mirror" on December 13 gave a good deal of space to the "impressions" of MHs ICatherine Grey, who played a number of pieces by American authors while she was in Australia under engagement to J. C. Williamson, Ltd. The American actress spoke of her Australian successes in "The Lioji and tho Mouse," "Salvation Noll," ''Paid in Full," and "The Third Degree." "Tho first thing a stranger notice; about Australian theatres," said Miss Grey, "is their size. I never acted in a small theatre, except in some diminutive New Zealand town. Her Majesty's, .Melbourne, scats three thousand, and tho Princess—by far the most comfortable in Australasia—two thousand five hundred. The theatres, I fancy, were built for pantomime, comic opera, and spectacles, rather than for modern drama with interior sets and small casts. The late John Gordon, a fine, scenic artist, painted for mo the settings of 'Salvation Nell' anil 'Madame Butterfly,' which were entirely comparable to (ho Xeiv York originals, f doubt if Melbourne, has ever forgiven William Collier for two remarks which always make I lie visiting American laugh and choke with home-sickness at the same time. After playing at Her Majesty's in Melbourne, whure the audiences did not 'get' him, Mr. Collier gladly escaped to Sydney, where he told the people, 'Melbourne reminds me of Newark on a rainy .Sunday.' Jn the same vein he added, 'To reach Sydney 1 had to pass through two catastrophes—the San Francisco lire mid the city of Melbourne. , "Professional life is very pleusanl. Rehearsals, which never occur in Australia on Sunday or matinee days, last about four hours each. The men behind the scenes aro most courteous. Except in some New Zealand 'smalls'—whnl wo call 'one-night stands'—accommodations are good, although I have dressed by candle light in a cupboard, and played behind a curtain that was pulled up and down slowly and noisily by hand. The municipal thentres are quite modern; in one 1 found a cheerful log fire burning in my dainty dressing-room. I met with kindness and help in all unfamiliar situations, and I thoroughly enjoved my tour, with its inany unusual and interesting experiences. Theatrical life in Australia seems to tend towards matrimony, tor only one or two women of my uiilire ciisiipaliy were, unmarried. The hu-band, wive-, and children lend tu the tiiwunn iiio-a kindly, dome-tic air. in which they sjcinbly included me. The itiulicnw frequently expressed its friendliness in dowel-' and dainty Kill-', which are handed M.-M..-S the footlights. The gallery ».,ds treated mi' well for the mil.-! p.-rl. although tin occasional laugh nr remark wmild ii|j*'l i! moment of Mispi'iiM: or deep feeling." Margaret Anglin Angry. .Miss Margaret Anglin. clo-ing a week's engagement at the Colonial Theatre. Cleveland, United .Slates of America, attached the box-oltice receipts at that theatre on December IS as a result of a di-pule between liiM'Ni'H' and f,iolj|er and Company. This was (lone in order tu collect a debt standing since la.-t seu-oii. accordimj (u Mr. Ixuiih Nclliei.-olc, her piv-ctil. n'prcsentalivc. There wa< an aim-emi'iil between Min< Anglin ami the firm ihot the matter would lie settled before .December 13, and nut receiving mi answer to her tfllogre.ms and lot-Ur? tlip sctreM jiUceil Jiie matter in the lumds oi her attorney.j

"\ariely," a New York paper, had the f..li.»vii,., - on OeceniLiM- li;!--M 1 ii-.' 1 irel Auk)in has lundul Lieliler and Co. a little ClirMma..- gitt in the form of a -nil in Ilie fedvr.il comf for .t:!ll.'lllll. claiming the money is due her in author's royalty on the comedy, ••(irceu Stocking-." which the actress had assisted in arranging for Hi-' stage. Along with the suit, 'Miss Anglin attached the box olliee receipts at; Urn Colonial, saying Liebler and Co. had. not been regular with payments on the promi-cd loyalty. Mi-, Andin is now ■it tin' iirand Opera House. .New York, "ill i- appearing under her own management', having rut 100.-e from the Lieblers idti^etlier." He Knew Him. Givgan M'Mahon had a piquant experience .says "Sni-11" in the "Iliillelin"), when he announced to the student* of his dramatic academy that he intended doing a. litn.. -ft ~f Aii-tralian plays. The whole school was suddeulv and unaccoiintiilily iililiL-ted with cold feet. Some students f,M ill, ~||K , ,S || 0( l tn t |, o „„„,„. tains, many had appninliiicnU with dying relations: It became apparent that the idea of apjiearing in the home-brewed drama was obnoxious to the soaring soul ot the splendid .young Australian ;u-tor. He wtuihl dio lirst. "What, me act in Ins play!" snorted a half-baked Thespian, Willi magnificent disgust, when offered a piacein Dyson's playlet. "\\"hy,l know liimi And the outraged arti.-t got down stairs with dangerou.- precipitation. It recalls the cry of a young Melbouniion, when the new> first wont forth that M<-lba w.is going to be a great singer. "Her a singer! She can't sing. Why, my tUtor went to school with her!" Notes. When Ethel living's Australasian (our is completed, suul she returns to England, she takes up a remarkable starring engagement at the London Colosseum. Her perrormanee will comprise a sketch, and her salary will be .WiOII per week—trie largest nuid to an actress at a London mnsic-luill with the exception of Sara lieniliardt, who received .1:1000 per week. Ji!-s Irving will then once more enter upon her own management. "Lady Frederick." tho comedy by Somerset Maughan. to bo .staged in" New Zealand by Jli.-,s Ethel Irvinu'. holds the record for comedy in England. It was: staged nt five successive theatres in Loudon, and ran for over 700 nights. It is ■said that it contains more satirical ami humorous epigrams than any other comedy ever turned out by an 'Knglish playwright. It i., one iil the few plays of tha kind that can bo witnessed as often as n comic opera without palling. fcdward Knoblauch, (he author of "Kismet," with which Ij-car A-che and Lily Ln'.ytoH have achieved such a suecc-s, ami which has been .-(awl by Klaw and Manger ;n New York, has enlerrd into aii arrangement with Lucicn (iuitry for the production of lite play at the Porte St. Martin Theatre in Paris. Unitry will I,'lay the role of llaji, tho assumed by O.JCMI- Asclio, and which is h?ing played in America bv Otis Skinner. At. (ho time "lusim-l" is'being witnessed by th!" Parisians, it will be playing in America, Australia, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Home. Herbert Trenck's complete London company is cnmiiiß to Australia lo sta-e Maeterlinck's fairy play, ' "The JiluBird," under the management of .1. C. \\ ilhamson, Ltd. The production will ht> givon exactly as in London. The company sails for Australia on February I), and opens in Sydney du the same n'i"ht as the (jscnr Aschc-Lily jiravton Company niiilie their reappearance at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. Tho position will be unique—the appearance simultaneously in two Australian capitals of two such notable attractions presented by complete J-.iiglis.h companies, and with every detail as in London. The New Comic Opera Company has revived "Tho Cingalcc" at the Theatre Koyal, .Sydney. The cast includes: J[i« Sybil Aruiulaio as Manoya, Florence Xoiiug as Lady Patricia. Dorothy lirunlon as Pe-rsy Sabino, W. S. Perev as Chambuddy Ilain, and Jlr. W. T. Andrews as Harry Vcrekcr. o 'V V V, "r. la , ;jo Pricst " «'»s revived at the Sydney l>alaco by the Plimmcr-Denni.-tcm ( ompany Inst Saturday evcniii" with Mr (I. S. Tithcradgo as' the Ahbe Dubois —one of his mest notable impersonations.