THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1545, 14 September 1912, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

(Br Sylviub.) The World's a theatre;-the Earth a stage.—Heywood. New Jheatres, 'Thid is an era of theatre-building. For a decade or more no one dreamed of building a new theatre in New Zealand, and everyone, save the poor player, was content with things as they were—in some cases very poor things—old, badly ventilated, dirty theatres, with poor accommodatiou, and few conveniences either for the public or theatrical folk. A change has come over the sceno of late. Proprietors are beginning to realise that, something a little better is due to the public, and so, in mauy New Zealand towns, new-theatres have been recently erected or are under way at tho present time. Wellington has its Adelphi, the new People's Picture Palace (not yet opened), and Messrs. Fuller and Sons are erecting (from Mr. n. E. White's design) a large and" up-to-date theatre in Courtenay Place. Another picture theatre is also to be erected in Manners Street, next the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. Dannevirke has been supplied with a new theatre from plans provided by the Hon. Wm. Pitt, of Melbourne, who also designed tho new Municipal Theatre at Napier; to bo opened shortly. Blenheim' has been provided with a capitally-designed theatre from the plans of Mr. Henry E. White. Mr. White is also at present engaged on plans for a new Fuller theatre for Nelson, and has completed plans for-a big theatre to be erected on Tho Avenue, Wanganui. Another hew theatre, designed by Mr. White, was opeued at Timaru on Monday evening. It is one that would do credit to any oity, and, for the cost, is probably the best theatre of its class in New Zealand. It has space for 1250 people, and of that number 700 are accommodated iu ornamental iron chairs, heavily upholstered in peacock blue 'Utrecht.velvet, which is also the colour of the haudsbruo tableaux curtains. There is only ono circle, and it seats 400 people, and that with, ample, space between the rows, and a five-toot landing dividing tho upper and lower sections of the dress circle. /A full view of the stage can bo gained from every seat in-tho house, and, thanks to the new principle of supporting the dress circle on three pillars only, thero is little obstruction of the view from any point. Mr. White has eliminated the old dropped dome idea, and in its place gives a flat roof ornamented with fibrous, plaster work in high relief. Well back the ceiling slopes upwards to another flat section, which is pierced byfour largo veiits, or doors. These, with the long horizontal side windows, constitute the ventilating scheme, and a very excellent one it is, lending itself to tho nicest adjustment.. The new method of .construction, improves the acoustics wonderfully, and both actors and -audience are loud in their praise of this quality of tho new house. Behind, there is ample stage room, and the three floors of dressing rooms are cut off from the proper by a stout two-foot brick wall and a fireproof door. This new theatre was opened by the Pliminer-Den-niston Company on Monday evening, when "Nobody's Daughter" was produced before a crowded audience. There was i polish and distinction about tho performance which made an immediate impression.

"Kismet." Apropos of the opening of the New Zealand tour (which commences at Auckland on Monday) of tho Asche-Brayton Company, .with '.'Kismet, , '" it is interesting to learn, on tho author's own authority, that tho piece was offered to man.ager after manager, before it eventually secured acceptance at the hands of Oscar Asche. This is another example of how difficult it is to Range the chances of a play. In more than one instance, it is true, the costly nbtnrc of its mounting •proved an obstacle to tho production of ''Kismet," but in others, that certainly was not thci principal reason for its refusal. At the suggestion of a well-known London manager Mr. Knoblauch was engaged rewriting his piece at the moment when the original was shown to Mr. Asche, who unhesitatingly declared in favour of tho latter.

"Kismet" is the outcome of a prolonged study of "Tho Arabian Nights," and so abundant is tho material collected by Mr.' Knoblauch during its writing,' that lie contemplates weaving a new play out of the surplus at his disposal, A Successful Play. Though there is no present indication that Australians are likely to see "Bunty Pulls the Strings," the fact, remains that this- comedy, which has just completed its first year's run in" London, has proved one'of the most pronounced successes ,of modern times. Thero aro over 13 companies playing the piece in the United Kingdom, and eight in* America; whore it has a great vogue nlso: The;fnct that , so many com--paiii«s"are".n<w out'"on .the road" suggests; Uiat the ; difficulty.'of casting the comedy, by. reason its -Scottish colour, has not proved so formidable as was imagined. 11l was stated in the course of a lawsuit in he King's Bench Division, last month, with reference to a claim for commission upon this play, that when it was proposed to take it to America_ it was arranged, "as thero aro no Scottish actors or actresses in that country," that Sir. Graham Moffatt, the author, should engage the company in England for the United States, and conduct the rehearsals in London. For this he received ,£l5O, but, according to ' the statement of counsel, as he refused to rehearse another company for America unless he were paid for it, the rehearsals were conducted by Mr. Ben Nathan at the reoucst of Mr. Shubert, a member of tho firm which holds'the American rights.

The point, however, is that it they can get 13 companies to play the piece in the United Kingdom, and eight in America, it ought to lie possible to secure only one company to play it in. Australia.