THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1657, 25 January 1913, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth a stage,—Heywood. [By Sri,virjß.] A Season of Good Things. To-night,: the Opera Houso will witness tho inauguration, of a very welcome season of comic opera in, tho production by Mr. J. C. Williamson's Comic Opera Company in , Girl in the Train." Then wo aro to have tho "Nightbirds," "The Cingalee," and Alfred Collier's delightful "Dorothy." Unbounded brightness, tunefulness, and mirth aro said to ba the salient points of "The Girl in tho Train," which comes with the reputation of 'being mora than ordinarily amusing. Possessed with all the charm and grace musically that one is accustomed to in a score written by thtf famous.Viennese, Doctor Leo Fall, with lyrics by Adrian . Ross, tho liberttist, Victor Leon, has, it is said, made from the German stdry of "Gescliiedene Frau," an intensely funny play. As in . other works Doctor Fall reveals his liking for the waltz form. A melody which has an enthralling suavity and a graceful rythm furnishes ono of the most haunting and delightful solos—the "Sleeping Car" song, sung by Ifiss 1 Sybil Arundale as Gonda Van der.Loo, in the first act.

i "Nightbirds," which will be tho second production, is accredited with plenty of tho gaiety and glitter of the region "that turns night into day. The opera is one cf the. latest .successes in London, and. is said' to-be excellently rendered by the oompany. _ The plot is original, being a clever satire on the present mode of civilisation. The-nuisic is by tho great \iennese Johann Strauss, possibly tho most melodious of all light opera .composers.

■ The revival of "The Cingalee" is at all ■times assured of success. Eight years nave passed since this. charming opera was.,played in New Zealand, tut its KsiiQty and brightness have left charming' memories of Captain Vereker and, his tea girls,. and .all the. pay,.company thatgathered in Boobhambaha's splendid pal-' ace/' The performance is said to be thoroughly delightful, the settings Oriental and picturesque. In every, scene there is a'.wealth of -colour appropriate to the splendour, .which- has been ascribed to .th-s laud of tea and fantasy an poetic conceptions. The ; opera wiil J" attraction in the fact 1 •that Miss Sybil Arundale will* be seen aa -Nanoya, ■ a part of which she -was the" onginal.at Daly's Tlieatre in London. It 13 twelve rears since "Dorothy", was last .professionally presented here, then' by. the Royal Comic, Opera Company, with ,the redoubtable George Lauri as the jovial Lurcher. I'lie promised production, will if only for the opportun•ity thus- afforded to playgosrs of deciding whether their, artistic taste has deteriorated or improved. Nowadays, the light opera stage is surfeited with, works of' a more or less, "frothy nature." Numbers .of, these .are innocent'of'coherent plot— largely dependent -upon that. specialist— j.i • the. conccalriieut ,of their blemishes, and owing more than a' ■jjttle to vaudeville for their attractions. ■Dorothy has beep described "as the only-English comic opera that lives." :"A Woman of. Impulse." ; ;;Mes'srsi H. : Piimmc'r and Allan' Hamilton have secured' the Australasian 'rights of n most successful play entitled "A Woman of' Impulse," which is to be produced in Sydney with the aid'of a powerful cast at Easter.. 1 The cast will probably include Messrs. Geo. Titheradge, H. R. Roberts, Cyril Mackay,. Arthur btyan, and fHarry Plimmeiy and Miss Beatrice Day,- Mrs. Robert " Brough, and ' Miss Lizette Parkes. Should cast be assembled it will probably bo the strongest got-together in Australasia for twenty years. : •Notes. > ' : The forthcoming production;, at • tho King's -Theatre, Melbourne,;■ of;''"My Jack," by Ecu -Landcek, isreminiscent of .(he period when 'Mr. George RigiiohLten-; . anted Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, aiid established a, success in this.play as Jack Meredith winch will long be remembered. The role is an exceptionally fine one, offering great possibilities to the exponent, and as-a successor to such a fine actor as Rignold, and later characterisations by Alfred Dampier, Harry Pliinmer, Robert Inman, and others, Mr. Cyril Mackay's interpretation will be unusually' interesting. "My Jack" will bo staged on Saturday next on. tho withdrawal of Mr. J.' Smith's successful hew play, "The Girl of the : Never Never," which will have then enjoyed a four-weeks' season of marked prosperity and'popularity. ' i.