THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1581, 26 October 1912, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

■ « (Br STLVID3.) Tho World's a theatre; the Earth a stage.—Heywood. Counting Our Theatrical Chickens. Christmas is almost upon us, and with it playgoers will- begin to look forward to the festive time, with tho same avidity with which their youngsters anticipate Santa Glaus on account of the special attractions usually presented. Wellington is to get that lively farce "Get-liich-Quiek Wallingford," with Fred Niblo and George Corson Clarke to make quick fun a hi Americaine. Auckland is to get "Tho Girl in> tho Train," "Nightbirds," and perhaps "Dorothy" from the New Comic Opera Company, commencing on Boxing night.

Her Majesty's, Sydney, will bo closed until November 2 for the purpose, of renovation. The interior is to bo newly decorated, and the auditorium reupholstered. Tho proprietors are also introducing an up-to-dalo schemo of ventilation. It is expected that the repairs will cost something in the neighbourhood of .£SOOO. The Royal Comic Opera Company will be the first tenants, their opening piece being a revival of "Floradora," with Miss Grace Palotta, Miss Blancho Browne, and Mr. Bertie Wright in leading -parts. "The Quaker Girl" and "The Sunshino Girl" (now running to big business in the London Gaioty), will follow.. Tho new Comic Opera Company, now playing "Dorothy" at the Royal, will open in Melbourne.on November 2, with "The Nightbirds," and on the same night "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford" will l>e staged, at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. A revival of "Ben Hur" is-announced to follow "Dorothy," at the Royal. The Christinas pantomime selected for production by the J. C. Williamson Company in Melbourne at Christmas and Sydney at Easter, will be "Puss in Boots." Tho music will be written by Mr. Aridrew M'Cunn, the firm's musical producor, who has just returned from a visit to Paris, London, and several American cities. The book will be written by Mr. Hickery Wood and Mr. Frank Dix. Miss Violet Lorraine, n London Gaiety star, has been engaged as "leading boy." "Milestones." Few plays produced of recent years in England can boast of success as complete and instantaneous as. that scored by "Milestones," the new comedy by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblauch. The piece, which has already had a tremendous run in London, has been secured for America by Messrs. Klaw- and Erlaugbr and was presented in New York on September 16. The story is in three episodes. In 1860 John Rhead is enthusiastic, young, miles ahead of his partners. An ironfounder, he realises tho day of the 'wooden ship has gone. His determination breaks partnership and friendship. Tho Sibleys are old-fashioned. Sam Sibley is engaged to Rhead's sister, Gertrude, but she gives him back his ring. Pretty Rose Sibley- loves Rhead and believes in him. That was in 1860. Thenco to 1885'. Rhead is now portly, prosperous and fifty. He has married Rose, who has grown into a sweet-tempered husband-adoring Victorian matron. Rhead is rich enough to buy a baronetcy. Gertrude is a sentimental middle-aged spinster. The Rheads have one daughter, Emily, who is in love with Arthur Preece, an inventor. Success has made Rhead obstinate. Iron ships havo made his fortune, but the idea of steel ships fills him with contempt. Of course, ho will have none of Preece. Ho has other ideas and Emily, after a few tears, consents to marry the amiable old Lord Moukkurst. This is in 18S5. So in 1912. and the Rheads' golden wedding (lay. Sir John is nearly eighty, bent, tired, but still obstinate and forceful. His wife is sweeter and moro lovable than ever. Emily is a handsome widow with two children—the boy a fool the girl a beauty, who falls in love with an engineer. ■ She is determined to marry him, regardless of family protests. Then Emily tells her daughter the truth.. She is a lonely woman. . She is fighting for herself. The girl promises never to leavo tier. This is' in 1912. Fortunately the inventor, now.become a Labour M.P., turns up in time, to save tho situation. The Missing Melody. ■'" '-..'> Miss May Robson and Ethel Barrymorb (two noted American actresses) Were once playing in the same company. It was Ethel's duty to play on a piano in tho wings a piece that May pretended to plav upon the stage. The cue given to Ethel was when she-heard- May say very distinctly to her lover: "I w'ill play for you to-night," she should start to play. When the tiiuo caine,' and May walked to the piano and ran her hands over the keys, saying "I will play for you to-night," no music came. May thought she had not spoken loud enough, and so repeated her statement several times, each time in a louder key, while the lover and the-audi-ence- waited in vain for the notes. Finally in despair May said, '"I don't think I will play for you to-night," and walked of the stage in high dudgeon to find out what was the matter. she found Ethel totally oblivious to her surroundings and duties, stretched, out on a sofa l>ehind tho scenes, enjoying the latest novel; Napoleon in Opera. With.the celebration of the centenary of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow we have the announcement that an Italian composer has made the soldier Emperor a singing part''in _serious opera. -Signor Giordano has completed his score of "Madame Sans Gene." Tho new opera is to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York. As at present arranged the cast at the New, York production will include Miss Geraldine Farrar as Sans Gene,. Signor Amato as Napoleon, and Signor Caruso as Lefebvre.

Sardou's Napoleonic comedy has already Served for an operatic work of a lighter land, which is known in Australia under the title of "The Duchess of Dantzic." It. was Verdi, it seems, who in 1891 first suggested to Giordano the idea of setting the French play to music. "But how about Napoleon ?" asked the younger composer. "Could he sing?" To which somewhat naive question, the composer of "Aida" replied, "And why not? Did you know him, perhaps?" Verdi, we are told, went on tq say that, if Napoleon could "hardly be imagined walking down to the footlights, and singing a romanza, his hand on his chest," he could be made to sing "dramatic recitatives" quite appropriately. The grand old man may have said this, and one would not willingly question the value of any opinion concerning . opera expressed by such an authority. Yet, a Napoleon, once presented in opera, might just as well sing a "romanza" as a- "dramatic recitative."

It -was a long time before Giordano acted upon the dead master's advice- with regard to a choice of subject. Two years ago ho witnessed a performance of Sardou's comedy at the Theatre Rejane in Paris, and it impressed him so favourably that ho then and there determined to Obtain a libretto based upon that play. In Renato Simoni ho found the collaborator ho wanted, and the result, is an opera in threo acts, the third and fourth of Sardou's piece having been condensed into. one. Giordano confided to on interviewer that he has made use in his score ■ of somo of the songs of tlio Trench Revolution. Belasco and Vaudeville. Two of David Belasco's productions, "Madamo Butterfly" and "The Drums of Oude," are now vaudeville attractions in the United States. This notico is from the "American," a'Chicago paper:— Vaudovillc these days is more than interesting—it is important. When David Belasco imports his properties from India and gives us a drama like "The Drums of Oude," which leaves the niiditor in a quiver and sends 'him forth awed and spellbound, then this 1912 kind of vaudeville must .be reckoned with seriously. Following upon his masterful production of "Madame Butterfly,",the ever-wonder-ful Belasco drives home his second one nt the Palace. Vaudeville has never known so- perfect, so artistic, so faithful, and so compelling a turn. The daring of tho expert makes it striking in its departures. Belasco dares to give an entire drama practically in the dark; a monotonous Hindu tom-tom keeps beating offstage. There have been sketches and playlets without number offered the peoplo who like this popular form of stage entertainment, but it has remained for the biggest man of the contemporaneous drama to. provide the biggest sensation and-actually the best-mounted and acted short, play, within vaudevillo memory. Author and Actress. Mr. Richard Harding Davis, tho wellknown author and .war fiorresDondsnt (for I

the London "Times" and "New York Herald") has married Miss Bessie M'Coy. For four years Davis has been figuratively speaking at the feet of the famous Yauia Yamn girl. Ho paid his first tribute to her in an article southing tho New- York critics, which appeared in "Collier's Weekly" some time after tho production of "Tho Three Twins," in November, 1908. Miss M'Coy -was married for the first time, but Davis lias onlv been divorced from his first wife since June IH. Mvs. Davis obtained her divorce in Chicago. Author and Actors. In a recent issue of the "New York World." Sir Arthur Pincro, the leading English dramatist, was represented as speaking of English actors with mingled feelings of pity and contempt. This is what Sir Arthur is reported to have said when ho was interviewed in New York:— "One of my great objections to actors trained on the London stage is that I cannot hear the last syllable of their words. Big plays arc wanting in London because there are not actors big enough to act them. We hear frequently that the London stage is running to trifles— that it has become anaemic. Possibly that is true. Wo haven't many big, vital plays, with the stalwart, vigorous roles. There is a reason for it. The dramatist— I naturally take myself as an examplehas, in his mind's eye a composite of tho men and women on whom ho must depend to interpret them. So the discreet dramatist dares no longer write up to his highest tension. He dares no longer launch into powerful themes. He writes characters and plots that are easily interpreted." The author places American judgment before the English. "Will you bo surprised if I tell you that for a dozen or fifteen years I have considered the American theatre and the American critic my court of last resort? When one of Displays fails to 'go' at Home I say, 'Well, let's send it over to the United States and find out what's in it.'" He added that delicate little points which he had tried to make for his English audiences eluded them completely, while Americans grasped them iustautly. Notes. On September 9, Finero's comedy, "The Amazons," saw tho hundredth performance of the revival, and it was still full of running. "The Voysey Inheritance," Granville Barker's clever play, has bceu revived in London, with Miss Gcraldine OlilTe, Miss Grace Lane, Mr. Edmund Maurice, Arthur Wontner, and Charles Fulton in leading roles.

The cast of the revival of the big spectacular drama, "The Whip," again running in Melbourne, includes Eric Maxon as the Earl of Brancaster, Eardley Turner as the Marquis of Beverley, A. J. Patrick as Captain Sartoris, J. B. Atholwooil as Joe Kelly, Leonard Willey as tho Rev. Verner Haslem, Leslie Victor as Harry Anson, Frank Corapton as Captain Rayner, George Chalmers as Tom Foster, Wjnter Hall as Sir Andrew Beck, Georgo Miller as Tom Lambert, Dorothy Dix as Lady Diana Sartoris, Gweu Burroughs as Mrs'. D'Aquila, Enid Bennett as Myrtle Anson, Susie Vaughan as the Hon. Mrs. Beamish. The play will bo produced by J. H. Hazlitt.