THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1710, 29 March 1913, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

[Br Sylvius.] The World's a theatre; tho Earth a stage.—Hey wood. "Molly Bawn." To-night at the Opera House, Mr. Allen Doone and his company will appear in the romantic Irish drama, "Molly Bawn," which play was produced in Wellington jyhen Mr. Doone was here a year ago. 'Molly Bawn" plays upon the dramatic sense a good d;al—more acutely than is done in "The Wearing of the Green," and the audience aie kept in a mild state of thrill throughout the evening. Ihis is achieved through tlio machinations of a wicked woman, who gives a disappointed old man an overloaded sleeping draught, and attributes\the "accident" '' le . OT eet colleen whom'the hero loves. ( i e righter cf wrongs in this case is Led Luttroll" (Allen Doone), who manages, in tho midst of his troubles, to squeeze in a song or two that sets tho toes a-tappmg, and Miss Edna Keeley will play the colleen, Eleauore Masscrcne, who is otherwise "Molly Bawn." In this play Mr. Doone poses as Robert Emmet, the iomous Irish patriot, and delivers himself oi the burning words which the patriot S ,P ~6 ln *' le alter receiving the death sentence.

"The Blue Bird." Hie following tour has been fixed for , Williamson's production oi "The Blue Bird":—Auckland, Jiarch 22 to April 4; Gisborne, April.7 and 8; Napier, April 10; Bannevirke, April 11; Palmerston North, April la; Wanganui, April 14; Eltliam, April 15; New Plymouth, April lli; Masterion, April 18; Wellington, April 1!) to May 1; Christclnirch, May 3 to 13; Timaru, May 11; Dunedin, May lli to 22; lnvercargill, May 23 and 24. There are over fifty people in the cast, including tho following:—lrky Marshall, A.R. Blandford, Gertie Cromer, Vera Spaull, Georgie O'Meara, Harry Halley, Charles Mettam, Maurice Dudley, Ernest Lashbrook, Madge Elliott, Stella Gazalla, Brandeston lievett, Nellie Calvin, Frank Harcourt, \ r era lCeogh, William Lockhart, Jenny Hawkins, Vela Cannon, S. Burton, Harry' Raynor, Redgo Hawthorn, Charles Miclley, Olive llanford, J. Bernard, R. Lawrence, Dulcie French, 0. Vaughan, Cecil Bradley, Tessie Magncr, Eileen Hayes, Misses Tate, Swallow, Ferguson, Collman, Breakwell, Nepean, Myers, Smith, Bradley,. Wells, Haines, Loigli, Carrou, Richardson, Hawkins, Hayes, Cannon, Iv. French, Owens, Huggett, Yaughan, Mngner, and Haines. The J. C. Williamson, Ltd., management are offering prizes for the best essays on "Tho Blue Bird." For scholars over tho age of 1G years the prize will be ,£3 35., under 1G and over 12, Sll 25., and under 12 tho prize will be JJI Is. Contributions will close for Auckland competitors on April 2. Country contributors, in the North Island, can send in their essays to the Opera House, Wellington, up to April 23.

New Faces for J. C. Williamson, Ltd. The Mongolia brought to ( Melbourne during last week two new arrival artists of note for tho 3. C. "Williamson New Comic Opera Company, who will make their first appearance in Australia in "The Count of Luxembourg/' These were Lewis Victor and l'hil Smith. The mentioned- is a dancej- of importance from the London Empire, where for.sonieyears ho hus been principal male dancer in tho ballets and 1 ernes, and lately has been prominent in the big dances at that noted hall of variety with Miss Ida Crispi. In "Tho Count of Luxembourg" Mr. Victor will present a big dance speciality, in v.-hich he will be assisted by Miss Flossie Dickinson. Mr. Phil Smith, a noted pantomime and musical comedy light comedian, will appear as lirissard, an artist, in the Lehar comic opera. He is described as a sterling rctor, and a clever comedian, who has created many important roles in musical plays.

New Comedy Company. It is now nearly five years sinco the hte Herbert' Fiennning's English Comedy Company produced W. Gayer M'lCay and Robert Ord's clever play, "Doctor Wake's Patient," at the Criterion. During the interval (says tho "Sydney Morning Herald" of March 17) that has olapsed only spasmodic attempts havo been made to 'emulate the Brcugh-Boucicault (regime in the matter of high-class comedies, but on Saturday evening the HamiltonPlimmer dramatic combination opened its season at the "Palace Theatre with tho above-named piece, with an amount, of success which augurs well for tho popularity of the new enterprise. The house was packcil by a fashionable audience,' and Miss Beatrice Day, Mrs. Brougli, Miss Lii'.ette I'arkes, and Messrs. G. S. Tithsrrtdgo, 11. R. Roberts, Arthur Styan, and Harry Plimmcr received a most cordial welcome. Rippling laughter and appreciative recalls during the progress of tho ebmedy amply demonstrated the delight of tho audience, ami when tho last curtain was raised in the fourth act, in' response to a general summons, the ladies of the company seemed to bo quite embarrassed by the handsome floral offerings with which they wero surrounded. Those who remember "Dr. Wake's Patient" know that it is smartly written, and> that a well-defined current of humour and pathos runs through the plot. The situations require treatment by experienced artists to bring cut their strong points, and a weak or ill-balanced cast might have courted disaster. But Messrs. Hamilton and Plimmcr seem to havo made duo preparations to meet all contingencies, and the performance at tho inauguration of their season on Saturday evening bore, on the .face of it, strong evidence that ( the foundations of an enduring combination have been "well and truly laid."

The Coming of Adeline Genee. It appears that the engagement 'of Mile. Genea for Australia was due to the visit of Mr. G. M. Tallis, to New York last December. The visitor found the celebrated dancer starring at the Metro* politan Opera House, and he then set about closing the protracted negotiations •in behalf of J. C. Williamson, Ltd. In the result, through application by the Russian Consul-General to the directors >)f the Imperial Opera House at St. Petersburg, aii extension of leave was granted the artists, and not only Mile. Genee, but also M. Volinin and Mile. Schmolz will visit Australia. In addition to the ballet portion pi the programme by an imported company, there will bo an operetta by some of the singers from the Metropolitan and Manhattan Opera Houses (New York), so that the season, which will last twenty weeks, will be of unusual, importance. The new company will open in Melbourne on June 21.

Ibsen's "The Pretenders," The great event of February, and doubtless of the whole theatrical year in Loudon, was tho production on February 13, at the Haymarket Theatre, of Henrik Ibsen's historical five-act drama,. "Tho Pretenders." Mr. Frederick Harrison, who staged "Tlie Bluo Bird" so admirably at tlie same house, ami sent it thence to Australia, has long cherished the ambition to introduce "The Pretenders" in England, but "the times were out of joint." Henry Irving once studied Bishop Nicholas, a crafty, vindictive prelate, proposing to place his two sons in the other chief characters. Unfortunately the opposition of the London press to Ibsen and all his works was such that llie great actor relinquished tho idea. In those days Ibsen's genius was 'recognised everywhere but in England, and tlio London critics, all behindhand, wore finding him amateurish, obscene, and suburban. All this has been changed, slowly but surely, during the past decade, "The Pretenders," indeed, is now reviewed with expressions of awed admiration as "one of the great acting tragedies of the world" ("Westminster Gnzettc"). The "Daily Telegraph," which used to deny Ibsen any stagecraft whatever, now remarks llinl Ibsen is "in every phase of his thought a dramatist," ami devotes nearly two columns to an appreciative review of "The Pretenders," described by Hie "Morning Post" as "a play of a high order, very rare in those days." . Tile great tragedy of Hie strife between Earl ( skulo and King L'akon in the thirteenth century for the sovereignty of Norway, which ended in Skule's defeat and death, was wonderfully siaged, and oil the whole impressively acted, llakon, inspired by liis "King's-thought" to mako Norway a united people, ascends the throne. Skule, "t'he unsound doubter, who doubts of his own doubt," realises the curse of his life ever to stand near the highest, "but with an abyss between which he dares never leap." The death-scene of Bishop Nicholas alono would mark "The Pretenders"

us ono of "the greatest things the Loudon stage lias ever seen," remarks tlio "Evening Standard." Jlr. AVilliam Ilaviland made tlio success of his career in this character, apparently overshadowing every other actor in the cast. Mr. Lawrence living's Skulo is equally praised by some, but others found him insufficiently romantic. Air. Basil Gill's King Hakon wins him the description of "a veritable lion of strength" from one great daily, and of "an excellent performance that lacked strength and weight" from another. Our recent visitor, Miss Madge .M'lntosh, played lngeborg "quite beautifully"; the women in the play "not being what liavcboen termed Ibsc-nish, but gentle, devoted, self-sacrificing _ creatures, each in her way a really admirable creation." The first-night reception-was very enthusiastic, but the ultimate outcome, it is said, "lies on the lap of the gods."

"The Grafters." . A romping, quick-firo American burlesque comedy company opened to <i packed house at the old Melbourne Bijou Theatre on Saturday, March 15, in an e.rtrav-aga iki in rag-time called "The Grafters." , "It is in a way (says the "Argus ) a distant relati'ii of 'Mrs. W iggs of the Cabbage Patch'; indeed, there is one character in it (if not two), a delightfullyurawn. 0110 vl' the village constable, that ir.iglit have stepped out, clothes and all, iicm "the Patch? 'The Grafters' certainly boasts a story, a thin, frail thing, but it is sufficient to carry the long list rf quaint comicalities to the end without seriously giving way. Fortunately, a burlesque of this kind does not depend on the author, but rests for its ultimate success entirely on the humour, the ability, and the fancy of individual performers. It appeals to light-hearted playgoers by f'nt> introduction of quaint character sketches of odd American types, and the supremo value of singing, dancing, and general movement. It is quite certain that not one of the actors could have brought' a greater measure of irresponsible and exuberant fri.-olily or a sense of keener enjoyment and whole-hearted enthusiasm into the atmosphere than was shown by cue and all concerned on Saturday even-' ing, and they deserved their success." The names in the cast were Miss Gertrude St. Clair, Miss Teddy Martin, Mr. Harry Burgess (leading laugh-getter), Bert Lo fila.i;, Frank Yack, and Dnve Mowlin (who "appear as three tramps), and Mr. Carlton Chase. The compaay specialise in tableaux, which are given a crooning accompaniment.

London Productions. "Eliza Comes to Stay" is a farcical comedy written by Mr. H. V. Esmond, and just produced at the London Criterion. Eliza is the 'daughter of u middle-aged. acquaintance of Sandy Verrail, to whom on his denth-lied ho entrusts the care of his only child. Sandy, imagining her to bo little mow than an infant, has the place filled with children's toys and suitable picture-books. Arriving, she proves to be a young woman of about 20, and .as strong-minded as a militant Suffragette. Mr. Esmond-himself played a leading role as Sandy. 51r. Arthur Bourchier's productions of "Trust the People," 'at the Garrick, brings forward again, tho new dramatist, Mr. Stanley Houghton, of Manchester. The play is about a political leader who ■ risks the consequences of a love affair with another mail's wife, resolves to trust tho people, and discovers when he presents himself for rC-election that the people, resenting the scandal, reject him igiiominiously. Mr. Bourchier himself appears. iu this part. Mr. Thomas Sidney plays the role of the chief Government Whip, a fussy little Welshman who 'joins with the dismayed Prime Minister in appealing to their ally to compromise in somo way in order to savo the election.

Notes. "The Evil that Men Do" was the Easter attraction at Mr. William Anderson's .Melbourne theatre, tho King's. It is fromr the pen cf the author 'of "The Fatal Wedding," Mr. Theodore Kroner. .Mr. Anderson his. purchased a' new American piece, cnt'tled '"Tho Confession." There is quite a remarkable similarity ill names between various members of tho J. C. Williamson companies at present appearing in—Sydney ' and Melbourne. - Thora iire, fbr cxamplo, Blanche Browne, in "Sunshine Girl" Company, and Irene Browno in "Milestones." In tho same pieco is Miss Oiivo' Noble and Miss Grace No'clo in t'lio Asche-Urayton Company. Julius '• lCnight and Maggie Knight are both in "Milestones," and in tho Comic Opera Company at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, is the new artist, Mr. Louis Victor, to appear, nn "Tho Count of Luxembourg," and in "Milestones" is Mr. Leslie Victor. It -is therefore net surprising that at tim n 9 the correspond-, onee of theso artists becomes somewhat mixed.

"Melb" in "Bulletin": Julius Knisrht in "Milestones" reappears at the Melbourne Theatre Royal after 20 years' absence from that house. He came there with the Clifton Alderson and Laura Villiers Company, opening, as second man, in "The Dancing Girl." Then ho ripened in Britain, and returned to, Australia as ftav with tho "Prisoner of Zendn," "Sign of tho Cross," "Two Little Vagabonds," ctc.