MISS LILY BRAYTON.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1582, 28 October 1912, Page 2

MISS LILY BRAYTON.

AN INTERVIEW. The three weeks' visit (o Wellington of the Oscar Asche Company eame In an end on Saturday night, and clouds of depression have settled upon theatrelovers in this city. After having dewed such productions as "Kismet" and the Shakespearean plays, an infinitely higher standard of comparisons has been set up, arid it will be somewhat difficulty lo ieadjust that standard. Of the beauty of "Kismet," in which a whole world of Oriental adventure is played out' between two snores, one can say but little, because words cannot give colour, atmosphere, and romance (at least not adequately). Of_ the Shakespearean plays, something of them is said perhaps when they have become to us. as never before, instinct with iife end reality. After having seen any one of them" it has been an added delight to turn to Shakespeare himself, and road in his lines a deeper significance or it may be a truer conception of the characters than wo had possessed before. Miss Lily Drayton, who has made Shakespearean women particularly lu-r own, is naturally very fond of them, and fondest of all of Rosalind. It is quite likclv, however, that by tho time that "Anthony and Cleopatra" is produced Cleopatra may lx> her favourite character. From what Miss Brayton tells one, and from what is known cf the Asche pioductioas, one can readily imagine that itwill bo the most ■ beautiful and most gorgeous plav that they havo yet brought forward. It is not a play that one htavs nearly so much of as some of Shakespeare's others. Miss Brayton says that it: is not so easily arranged, partly because'it is such a long play and aUo because its actions are laid in so tunny places—Alexandria, Rome, Messina,• rPumpey's gallev, the Syrian plain, Aetium, etc. Naturally it has to be adapted to certain requirements. Cleopatra will not appear in her barge, as the description, beautiful as it is, has no bearing on the play itself. Tho scenery is already on its wav out to Australia, where the play is lo to produced', and t has possibly arrived there by now. Miss Bravton is keenly interested in ancient Egyptian life and history, and has been giving the closest study to them with a view lo having every detail true to the period of history to which the play belongs. Some of the dresses which slio will wear have had lo bo specially woven and one of the difficulties to lie faced was that the art of weaving a» they weaved in those far-off days had been lost. The garments of the. Egyptian women of that time were closely fatting, but they were of a material that was, in its yielding properties, moro like elastic than any other material, and gave free plav to every movement. Its strands were plaited ' logather hi a ■ way that only Egyptian weavers knew. Their gorgeo'usness might be imagined. After the company leaves Australia Miss Brayton hopes that they may lie able to visit China before returning to London, to resume their interrupted run of "Kismet," which was taken oil' in the height of its wonderful success, for their tour to Australia and New Zealand. As it is their intention to produce a Chinese play, Mr. and Mrs. Asche propose to make a complete study of the Chinese life and conditions, in which its scenes lie.

Miss Brayton stales that she has thoroughly enjoyed her visit to New Zealand so' far. Iler only regret was that she had not had tho time to see as much of the country e.s slie would have liked. What she did seo She thought very lovely, and, ot some future time, she hoped to come to New Zealand for a holiday.