THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1693, 8 March 1913, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

[Br Svi.vics.] The World's a theatre; the Earth a .stage.—Heywood. "The Butterflies." PnnHu. 1 ' a ! 011 S flight across the Southern lacihc the Butterflies" alighted on "I last, and being ljMdily adaptable to any country under the Union Jack, commenced to ninko lnends with the local insects right av.ny. J lie} will perch (if "Butterllies') do leally perch) at the Opera House tills evening, <um untold their wings beneath the calcium sun promptly at 8 o'clock, in the lamily are several rare species highly prized by theatrical entrepreneurs. 'J'hev are classified thus on authority:— Miss Cecilia Gold, a bright, pretty sounrette, whose natural piquancy is nicely balanced by her deinurencss. Miss. Marian Arinitage, a singer and actress, with a comic-opera reputation, with much of the pert aplomb of Mario Llovd. Miss Ada Smart, who siugs good hallads tastefully. K. Foster-Hine, a cultured bfsso, who is a good vocal foundation in the concerted buzz of the party. Mr, Jack Waller is a lively merrymaker with a keen comedy sense,' and a violinist to be reckoned with. Mr. Wylie Watson is a light comedian, a tenor and a 'cellist.

.Mr.-Ired. Dennett is not an ordinary pianist He is said to be a King Butterfly in' his department. Jn assertion with other Butterflies he neither •goes before nor after, but accompanies (precisely), / "Jimmy Glover-His Book." Jo all who take the least: interest in the stage and its inner history, "Jimmy •j Book" will be welcome. In it the veteran musical director of the Drury Lane Theatre rehearses his half a century s experiences in a bright, snappy manner, which does credit to his journalistic ability. In the course of his meandering, Glover tells a thousand good stories of theatrical and musical iolk, more or leis known to Jir -j orI(1, an( l certainly known to the ~ He states that the split between bir Arthur Sullivan and Sir W. S. Gilbert was not accurately related in the obituaries of th« latter. S^'o1 T current at the time/' writes Mr. Glover, "was that the Savoy Theatre was owned by two separate entities—Gilbert, Sullivan, and D'Oyley Carte as ground landlords, and Carte per so as the tenant of the trio. It is stated that a carpet bought for the lessee per so was charged to the tria-juncta-uno account perfectly justifiably, and Gilbert objected, Sullivan agreed that Carlo was right, and so came tho Little rift in the management lute. There was also said to be some dissatisfaction on the part of Gilbert over his investment in the Savoy Hotel, but that was evidently only a side issue."

J. M. Barrie's Plays Only. Charles Frohman has (says a Now York paper) completed a plan for the organisation of a Maude Adams Stock Company. M.iss Adams will take the nucleus of her slock company out of her present "Peter Pan" company, and from time to time add to this nucleus until she has an organisation sufficient for her appearance in a complete cycle of Barrie plays. Miss Adams will not bo seen in New York again until next Christmas. By that time she will have completed the roster of her stock company, aud will reappear ac the Empire Theatre ' for a season of six months entirely given to the performance of 111'. Barrie's plays. At least three and possibly four now Barrie comedies will '■(hiring that season be acted for the first time. Mr. Frohman's and Miss Adams's intention is that each play shall bo acted for a certain number of weeks, regardless of its financial success.

Behind the Scencs, "A behind-the-scenes incident' which left an indelible impression on at least one person who witnessed it (says n New York paper), occurred nightly in a NewYork theat-ro during tho run of a play in which the heroine was supposed to be « violinist -of marked ability. As tho actress knew nothing of the' instrument, the music was played 'off stage' by a member of the orchestra. Ho was a man past middle age, stooped and fragile; his clothes gave evidence of long wear; his face was patient, almost stolid. Night after night he stood there in the wings, in the glow of a calcium, pouring out his very soul in melody. What did it nieau to him? Often one would fear that in his absorption hs would forget to break oil' at the cue; but lie never did forget. Then he would pick up his rack and move quietly away toward those mysterious depths known, it seems, only to. theatre orchestras. Still, unseen by the audieno3, his music credited to tho woman on the stage, when the spontaneous applause burst forth he had his littlo moment of triumph to recompense liiin for years of failure. At any rate, one would like to feel that lie did." This experience is almost a common one, and it is only strangers to the little world back o' the lights on whom such nn impression could be made. When Reuben Pax, as Svengali, appeared - to pour out his soul in Schubert's "Adieu," in "Trilby," no person on earth could have knocked ft note out of the instrument. Tho keyboard was there, but the piano had no "innards." It was beautifully played "off" near the dumb ihstru-' ment. The case was different when Mr. Gaston Mervaie played the part, the actor happening to be a capital pianist. The most notable ""take," however, was the singing of "Ben Bolt" in the came play, when the American actress, Edith Crane, stood boldly forward and made every move and gesture as if she were actually singing the song, when tho great flood ot melody was l*ing created by Miss Regina Nagel, standing in the wings, in ■ler street costume.

"Rutherford and Son" "Rutherford and Son," a play of intellect, by K. It. Sowerby, has been liiahlv spoken of by London and New critics as one of the big plavs of last year (it was produced in Now' York on .December 24, at the .Little Theatre). there is (savs "The Theatre") a completeness about each character that is* quito unusual. The idea that absorbs a man in .England to perpetuate in his family his business name is not unknown here, but it may be doubted if there iir -M 'W American men of business who will deliberately sacrifice family in order to perpetuate the business name. -John Jiiithorlord substitutes everything to his idea. He obtains, by unfair means, con- x trol of his own son's invention, intending to give him the benefit of it in due course. J.lie injustice, however, is there. The son robs his cash box, thereby freeing himself from the harsh dominion of his father, leaving behind him his wife. In the end it is the young' wife who brings the old man to 'his senses. Her child, a boy, i$ the only one who can perpetuate the name of the house in business. She drives a bargain with her father-in-law, whereby he is not to have control of the child's (raining for a certain period.* It is seen that the new Rutherford, the new head of the house, will bo a different man. In the meanwhile, the old man's domestic rule has worked ruin to his familv. The son is a fugitive. Tho daughter lias lnade a slip and is in disgrace; she has fallen, at the best, (o the share of a workimrman employed in the establishment. The father had blighted her life with his own ambitions. and kept her unmarried until she had reached an age of crabbed spinsterhood. It is in the domestic details that

"Rutherford and Son" points best the brutal truth. The meals aro kept waning the muster's pleasure and convenience. There is no conversation. His mind is occupied always with business. His comforts must he 'attended to iiiv=t. His boots aro to be taken off and his slippers brought before a morsel passes the hungry mouths of his family. It requires nctin* of Hip fir-t order'to make such n character tolerable, but Mr. Normal ,M'Kimiel accoinpli>iied this result with a finish in his acting and a simplicity that, brings conviction a* to the actuality of such a person as, John Rutherford. Sydney's Scott Matinee, It was a remarkable programme which wits oigauised by J. (.'. Williamson,' Ltd., in Sydney on Saturday week for the Scott Etuid matinee. It opened with a performance of the Irish play ".Kerry,' with Mr. .1. C. Williamson as, Kerry, and Mrs. T. 11. Kelly tnee Mi-s Ethel. Mollison), Jliss Lizette l'arkes, Mr, Harry I'liiumer, and Mr. Harry Halley in the supporting parts. Tlic Anderson Company presented tlie,

l'ourlli act of "The Christian"; Mr. Geo. fi. Tilhcradge was entrusted with the muling of Captain Scott's Inst letter, which proved to he a marvellously fmo bit of elocution. >h\ Andrew Higginson and Idiss Florence Young sang a duet, ami- Jack Carnot appeared in a musical sketch. Air. Julius Knight appeared in "Waterloo" (C'onan Doyle), and Hiss Ivy Biclclord sang. The second part consisted of a Christy Minstrel show, with Jack Cannot, lon Maxwell, Blanche Browne, and Jessie i.,onnen as bones, mid Ed. Nable, C. L Bantoclc.'Billie Barlow, and Grace l.alolta as tambos. Mr. Leslie .Holland was interlocutor. Among the iiiunv in the circle wore Mrs. Geo.- lauri (who reVi- J3 °y>" fl ' om ' " )n Town"), i* t "Wilson, Frank Greene, Em-e.-t Lashbrooke, and a male quartet. The inni.srrel show was brought to a close )>v the singing of the finale of the first act of 'J lie Belle of New York." Notes. ..Madame Rostand and her son Maurice (wife and son of the writer of "L'Aiglon " " Cyrano do Bergerac," and "Ghantccler") nave collaborated in the writing of a n'-', 1! ay \ "The Good Little IJevii, which has been translated by m i 111 alu ' is IIOIV running under Be ascos management in New York. It teJls the story of Charles MaoLancc, a Scotch orphan boy, who might have been good had his ogre of an aunt, Mrs. MacCliche, not teased and mauled and starved and beaten him into being bad. But his badness wasn't very bad badness—it was good badness that only meant mischief, not harm. There was love in his heart, ami that is why everybody loved him, from Betsy the maid and Oliver the poet to Juliette, the little blind girl, and the fairies.

1,101 ( K, . V3 lhc Jtor York lhoalre ) ailords Mr. Bclasco all the opportunities he needs for the displav of that theatrical art of which ho is a master. there is every mood represented, trom broad farce in the scenes between the ogre aunt and her confreres, tho Old lucks, to pure, sweet sentiment in the childish love scenes between Charles and his Juliette, and for -these every degree of lighting is demanded. There is a starry night, when tlie fairies are floating from to satellite; twilight for lovers' tryst.ing alid broad noonday sun for the frolics of schoolbovs and garden friends. H

..." Pickford, who plays tlio blind little girl, is a product of "the movies," then commend us to the photo-play posing as a school for acting. Contrary to expectation, her facial expression was restrained rather than overeinpluitic and her diction _ was rarely fine. But. both these qualities and her winsome prcttiness are as nothing compared with the spirituality, the sweet childish simplicity with which she played her part. Had Ernest Lawford, who played the part of the poet, and Ernest Truex, the bey hero, shared her earnestness, her true 'feeling for the meaning of the lines, Hiey would have been more convincing. As it was, thcyj both were in their parts, not. of them; they had the semblance but not the soul of tho people they represented. And if Ernest Lawford had the art to conceal his' identity with his former parts ho might also faro better. One who succeeds in doing this capitally is William Norris in whose crotchctty, gnarled, maliciously hateful, deliriously comical Mrs. MacMicho oii(! could never recognise the blithely singing hero of "Toyland." A better old witch woman ' one couldn't imagine in or outside of a story book.

Henry Ivistemaecker's successful play, "La Flambee," which was played in London under the title of "The Turning Point," by Sir George Alexander and Hiss Ethel Irving, has been produced in. New York under the title of "The Spy." Mr. Cyril Iveightley, the ex-Australian actor, is appearing in'the leading part. The Australian rights of* the play are held, by Messrs. Hamilton and Plimmer. Discussing the alleged over-production of plays in New York, Charles Frohmaiisaid recently: "There is no such thing as ail overproduction of plays. There is a relentless law that takes care of bad plays; they quickly go to the wall. That is tho law of supply and demand. The only thing to bo feared,,is an overproduction of bad plays; but..to complain about tho overproduction of plays in general is like complaining about the overeupply of good things in life;'wo can never have too great a-production of anything that makes life more livable."