THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1639, 4 January 1913, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

a (Br Siititjs,) ■• The World's a theatre; the Earth l J stage.—Heywood. J, Australians' Sense of Humour. r Speaking of her. Australian theatrici i impressions, Miss Sytnl Arundale, wu - win i>u hero shortly us the heroine of tr. 0 "Uirl in the' Tram," said in Melbouru i- the other uay that cue ot the tilings tus - impressed her was the intelligence or Au: a tranan audiences. "JNot being a trag< 1 uienue, i,cannot speak as to the liKm ) lor that class of entertainment, but tlia • the average Australian likes comedy ther ' is no shadow of douot.". They havo ■ keen sense of humour, and seldom miss . i point. In Melbourne ana Sydney, i: 1 'The Girl in. the Train, the people i: i front invariably rocKeu with' laughtei > Nignt after night the jokes never uiissei • lire, and the audiences always laughed ii 1 tho same places." "We have," continuei 1 the brilliant ooniedionne, "few audience liko them at Home. The English audi 1 ences lack the spontaneity of tne Austra lians. I don't say they don't see tin points as quickly, but they certainly an not so .spontaneously demonstrative a; their cousins down under. It is entirely a pleasure to play out here. Your audi ence is glad to see you, and unniistakablj tells you 60." _W. ■ S. Percy, probably the most enter taining and popular-comedian that ha: put tho laugh on New Zealand audiences, is the pace-mnker-in-chief in "The Gir. , in tho Train." Sir. Percy, who is in tensely funny as President Van Ecyk, the judgo of divorce in the play, has not s very high opinion of the law courts. As president he probably formed the false impression that legal procedure contributed' to tho gaiety of nations. As a matter of fact it does,-but to "paraphrase a governor,of North Carolina: ."It is a long time between laughs.": J. and N. Taits' Enterprises.. You will have heard by cable message (says the .London, correspondent of tug Melbourne "Argus") of Messrs. J. and N. Tait's enterprise in securing Madame Clara Butt, Mr. Kennerley ltuuiford, Mr. John M'Cormack, nnd\ Mr. Harry Lauder for tours in Australia within the next 18 months. The arrangement is one of the biggest ever entered into by an Australian firm, and involves contracts aggregating about .£50,000. Mr. Lauder alone has accepted an engagement, to tour in'the United States for three months at the remarkablo salary of .£IOOO a week, so a guess may bo,made at the figure/which was required to tempt Mr. Lauder to visit Australia. -Harry. Lauder has become famous as the man who has for ever dispelled the idea' that the Scotch are without any sense of humour; But he is more than; a ■ mere homorist. Hairy Lauder is' a character' actor of the highest gifts and a musician of parts. Many of his most suciessful songs are self-com-posed. . Madame. Clara Butt and Mr. Rumford open their second Australian tour at Sydney on May 15. 1913. As before, they will, bo' assisted by a. first-rato' concert party. At the present, time Madairio Butt and her husband arfo. touring on the Continent; singing at Vienna, Bilda- . pest,. ■ Berlin, . Munich,' Leipzig, ■. Paris, and. other musical centres. They, will give a farc\yellcorieert:at the.Albert'Hall, London, on their-return, and'will then sail' for-America, -where, 40 concerts-are' to bo given bsfor'eMadamo Clara Butt, and Mr. Itiimford . sail •"■ from Vancouver 'on April 16. 'Their Australian.'and; New. Zealand toiir.will consist of GO,concerts.' Mr, John M'Cormack is not duo to'srrive_ in Australia until September, 1913. He is at present in '■America,; where- he 'is appearing both in opera and on tbo. concert platform. Mr.' M'Cormack will sing at Covent Garden next season, and will then sail for Australia. He has, conceived a great likin'g.'for the country, owing to wb*t ho describes' as "its great'singing climate." • •" •, ' .-'. : \ "Officer. 666," ; ' . ' ' -,'.. ~; "Officer"666,"..au American tic farce, has. been produced in London. Of it, the "Observer" Eays;— „ "There' is joy in a well-boiled potato, a well-filled pipe, a well-sharpened pencil, in any humble thing well done.' In the ranks of drama 'Officer 666' is a humble thing, merely a, melodramatic farce j but it is so thoroughly well done that Mr. Mac Hugh's certainty, ingenuity, neatness, .filled us with joy. '.;. To tell the plot at any length would be to waste time and space.. It is a burglarious play. During ■'leavers. Gladwin's long absence from New York, Alfred Wilson, picture,lover, picture forger, picture thief, pretends to be Gladwin, in order the better to rifle' the famous collection in Gladwin's Fifth Avenue house, and to elope with a charming girl. On the very day of the double event, tho real' Gladwin returns home, gets wind of tho plans from tho charming (and wonderfully innocent) girl, and is in tho house when the sham . Gladwin, arrives. Then comes, the wildest muddle' of policemen and arrests and cross purposes,, exchanged . uniforms, thrilling escapes, magnanimous actions, burglarhunting, revolvers, an incessant rush of ups- and downs, of incident and change. But even as we gasp for breath wo.realise, how perfectly has done his work. Everything that happens is completely' motived; nothing seems dragged in j there are no dropped ends, no clumsy preparation, no gaps.. And tho fun and the- melodrama go so smoothly hand in hand that 'Officer 666" is. one of the pleasantest evenings, of, light entertainment that, we have, enjoyed for a long time.". .»■'■-.■ [r ■ . ■ Australians in England. Miss Alice Crawford, one of the most distinguished Australian actresses in Loudon, went over fo vaudeville last month. On November 18 Miss Crawford made her appearance at the Pavilion, Glasgow. "The Stage" had this paragraph on November 1 i •.—"Some- new :'and attractive features were added to the Hippodrome programme oil Monday. Milo. Golda, an accomplished soprano who is likely to build up in England as great a reputation as she enjoys in Australia, is loudly applauded for her artistic rendering of three songs, one of which is Tosti's 'Good-bye.' Sho has an' extensive vocal range, and much purity' of tone to commend her." Dennis Carney, an Australian comedian and stilt dancer, was at Granville on November IG. He introduced his three favourite numbers: "He's a Swell." "I'm His Wife's Mother,'''and "I'm Slim Jim,' the Pet of tho Infantry." i ' During October anil ■ November Mis 9 Eileen. Boyd, the Sydrwjj contralto, had many concert engagements in London, Manchester, and Liverpool. At one Crystal Palace concert there was an audience of 15,000, and the Australian 6inger was enthusiastically recalled. Miss Boyd has beeu engaged for the next Boosey Ballad Concerts in London. ' ■ . Notes. Mr. Harry Plimmer, wno, with Mr. Allan Hamilton, is to re-form his company in March, has received the-manu-script of "The Turning Point," the now play in which Sir George Alexander and Site Ethel. Irving havo made a sensational success at St. James's Theatre, Lonlon. Mr. Plimmer states that it is tho Dest play which lie has read for years, irisp in action, well written, and absorbng in its dramatic action. "At .last a slay.'with plenty of meat on tho bono!" xmcludos the purchaser of the Australian •ights. "Tho Turning Point" will probibly be produced at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, at Easter. , ~- • / "Instinct," a play from the French of Henry Kistcrmaecker's, was produced in London.by Charles Frohman on Novemjer 6. The cast included the names-of \lr. Norman M'Keown and Mr. A. S. flolmwood (here with the Herbert Flem-ng-Bcatrice Day Company)., Mr. Harry Corson Clarke, the clever acor who is playing tho part of Blackio Daw in "Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, in IVcllington, has decided to leavo tho'. :omedy stage for vaudeville. He has signed a contract for a long term with llr. Hugh D. M'lntosli. Immediately on ;he conclusion of the New Zealand tour if the "Get-Rich-Quick" Company, he will oin the Richards circuit.' Mr. ■ Corson' Clarke's first appearance will bo made at :he Tivoli Theatre on March 22 in a ! .ketch specially written for him and his viie, Miss Margaret Dale-Owen. Mr. Godfrey Cass, tho well-known Aus- ; ralian actcr, has gone to the East as : iroducer for the Mclies Picture Cnm- i umy. When in. Now Zealand Mr Melios ] uid coaaidorablo, troublo yntk tfcfl ccm-J:

pany which lie brought, frori America, and most of them have been replaced by Australians. Oil Monday week (says the London "Daily Telegraph" of November 16) Mr. Arthur Bourcluer will produce, at tho Palladium, nuother of tuoso sensational Httlo plays of which ho has already presented several examples. It bears the title of "The Medium," tho original having been produced at tho Grand Guicnol , m J'aris under tho name of "L'Angoisso." i'hd French authors nro Madame i)o Vyjura and Piorro Souvestre, nnd the English adaptation is by Mr. Jose G. Levy, J'he story, it appears, is based on approved spiritualism principles, and may consequently be expected to appeal forcibly to thoso interested in psychical research. Mdlle. La Rubia appears in tho 6ketch as the mediumistic model, Mr. Edmund Gurney as a doctor, and Mr. Eobert «obo as a nerve-stricken sculptor, Mr. .Noble is the son of Mr. R. T. Noble-Bens-' ley, of Wellington. Someone has written'asking bow Miss Beatrice Holloway (Mrs. Eobt. Grcig) comes to be the niece of Miss Nelho htewart, vide Tun Dominion of January 1. hho is not really. Miss Hollow-ays mothers sister married Mr. Richard btewart, who is Miss Stewart's; brother, which hardly establishes tho close relationship mentioned. Within the memory is the Charles Holloway Company,, with Richard &'j;wart, Alice and Constance Deorwyn (Mesdanies Hollowav and Stewart), and Charles Hollowav as Ihe IccidHig members. They appeared in a series ot J.'rank Harvey melodramas, Mrs. btewart appearing as tho .tear-stained heroine, and Mrs. Holloway as tho ingenue. They broke away from melodrama once to produce Tom Robertson's "Ca6te," and gave a real good performance of that charming play. Charles Holloway < was •Eccles, Mrs. Holloway was Polly,. Mrs. Stowart appeared as Esther, Mr. Stewart as Captain Hawtrey, nnd a Mr. Coghlnn as Sam Gerridgc. Mrs. Greig must have been in tho cradlo at that time. Almost coincident!;," with the announcement of. Dr. Gerhart Hanptmann's reception of the Nobel .Prize for .literature was the production of his "Einsamc Menschcn" at the London Court Theatre, uiider tho title "Lonely Lives." It was in his 30th year that Hauptmann forsook art: and devoted himself to literature. One of bis early works was "Before Sunrise," bsars the impress of Tolstoi, and is a faithful picture of the conditions under which the poverty-stricken workers in tli9 Silesiau Mountains lived. Iji "The Weavers" Hauptmann' established bis reputation as a great .dramatist. ,