THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1752, 17 May 1913, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

[By Stlyioe.l The World's a theatre; fho Earth a stage.— Hcywooil. "Within tho Law." "Within tho Law," a powerful and realistic: American drama, is to be staged in Melbourne to-night by tho Williamson management by the "lien Eur" Company, reinforced with an American contingent'. E. W. Morrison, who produces "Within tho Law," is remembered by Ivielbourno playgoers by his masterly performance as Gecko, in the first production in Australia of "Trilby," in which lieuben, Fax and Edith Crane figured. Mr. Morrison, • who will, in addition to producing tho play, also appear in it as Joe Carson, a forger, is enthusiastic about the plav and its prospects of success in Australia. "Tho peoplo of this country," ho says, "have iuueh in common with tho temperament and tastes of tho Americans, T'hey lilco plays of action and incident. They want to see tho characters 'do' things as well as say tliem, and I think lliey will find enough thrill and action in ffiis drama to suit tho most exacting." Mr. Morrison mentioned that while tho theatres in New York closed during tho hot season, tho Eltingo Theatre, at which "Within the Law" was running, was kept open, and drew packed houses at every performance. "And it takes 'some' play to fill a theatre during tho hot season in New York," added Mr. Morrison. ' Tho American players for "Within the Law," besides Mr. Morrison, are Mr. Lincoln Plumer and Misses Muriel Starr and Mary Worth. The Hamilton-Plimmer Company. The next important dramatic company to visit New Zealand shortly will be tho fiamilton-Fliinmer Company, at present appearing in "A Woman 'ot. Impulse" at tho Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Mr. Allan Hnmilton forwards the following particulars of tho company's itinerary:— Tjeave Hobart, June 13; Invercargill, June lfi and 17; Dunedin, June 18 and 21; Timaru, June_ 23 and 21; Christchurcii, June 25. to July 1; Wellington, July 3 to 12; Wanganui, July 14 to 10; T\ew Plymouth,- July 17 and IS; Stratford, July 18; Elthain, July 21; Falmersto_n Noriii, July 22 and 23; Dannevirke, July 24; Napier, July 25 to 28; Gisborne, July:)!) to August 1; Auckland, August 4 to 111. Reginald Wykeham will appear i 2 tho cast of "Within the Law" at Melbourne this evening. Mr. Eric 'fHoxon, Jerrold liobcrtshaw, and Miss Gweu Burroughs. Shaw in Melbourne. Evidently Julius lvnight, good and efiici'tJit actor its Jie is in piays oi romance, did not exactly shine in U. 13. Shaw's piay, "Man and Superman," presented last week at Melbourne. Of his and outer performances tile "Age" tays:— "Jlr. Julius ivniglit could not do himself justice JtL the exacting part of Joint Tanner, and it is <iouijlnu ll even prolonged study would ni-.uie him more perleei. lie lias not eauglit Hie S'liaw ninnjiat. It is a long part, lull of spc-*clies giov.-ing ivitlt beauTintl imagery, cynicism, sarcasm, od-u reflections on life, olid subtle lignts anil shades oi' expression that aro not precisely in Mr. fvmglit's metier. li<j is a line character and •romantic acto, with a keen knowledge oi stagecraft, Ijuit it requiris a speciaiist to play a part whicli is an epitome of Shaw niinseU. -Mr. Knight will improve liis presentation in a day or two when he has that command ol the words which will enablo him to lc.vl their exquisite eense. On Saturday night he was too concentratcd in the volume of intricate verbiage li» had to recite to give attention to tho detail .of inflection' and action. Miss U'eno Brown's Ann \\ ii.H'hdd was

a charming piece of portraiture. In actual life we should probably loathe llio unscrupulous deception by whic'li sue tracks her prey; but m the comedy it is tho very of art. Reading tlj.o book -of tlio play—which is probably as long again as tlio acting edition —ono has a Uiilicuity lit giving Ana a precise personality. We make her s'jiuKtinics a siren, tempting to destruction, «, woman to bo fc-ared rather man loved. but Miss Browne makes h'.ir a w'nolly delightful creati-on, who.-.e studied reposs and dainty weaving of the mesh around tho unsuspecting Don Juan are the pcrieotion of acting. How to Know Shaw. To appreciate Shaw's work (says tho Melbourne "Ago"), and tho extraordinary voguo ho has obtained among tlioso who wors'nip at the snrme ot quaint conceit aiut inverted sensibility, one must understand something 01 tno man. In lus dedication of ilan and Superman ho speaks oi himseii as "a reasonable patient, consistent, apologetic, laborious person with tho temperament ot a school Piaster and tno pursuits oi a vestryman." This is as lar from the real bnaw as an eagla from a polar bear. 'The man is the most sublmie egotist of his generation. His capacity lor advertisement, lor wresting notoriety even from tho most disheattening failure, make him tho very princo of showmen. In taking farewell of dramatic criticism, whicn 110 abandoned to promote his own schemo of civilisation, Georgo Bernard Shaw made the lollowiug naive conlession:—"lt is no use doing merely clever things in England. The English do not know what to think until tney are coached, laboriously and insistently, for years, in tho proper and becoming opinion. For ten years past, with an unprecedented pertinacity and obstination, 1 have been driving into the public head that I am a extraordinarily witty, brilliant, and clever man. That is now part of the public opinion of Luglanil; and 110 power in heaven or carili will ever change it. I may dodder and dote; I may pot boil and platitudinise; I may become tho butt and choppmgblock of all the bright original spirits of tho rising generation; but my reputation shall not sillier; it is built up iast and solid like Shakespeare's, on an impregnable basis of dogmatic reiteration.' in what frame of mind should ono approach tho brilliant scoffer who laughs_at his public with such delightful impertinence, About Some Stage Favourites. In its critique of "A Woman of Impulse," presented for the lirst time 111 Melbourne 011 May 2 by the HamiltonPlimmer Company, the "Argus" said:— "The' name-part of the woman of 1111pulso is splendidly taken by Miss Beatrice Day. Though a heavier part, emotionally, than those to which we have been used to from thi3 fine actress, sho played it with her usual charming competence, making of Lady Laugford a very womanly though scatter-brained person indeed. Her artistic handling' of tho emotional scenes in the second nnd third acts was conspicuously excellent. It'is so easy to over-act, and so easy to under-act such a scone as that of the third act finale, but Miss Day's artistic instincts were not at fault for one moment. In her hands tlio part was absolutely convincing. Mrs. Brough, as a scheming aunt., anxious, out of the wreck of the Langford household, to advance her 6wn daughter, gave nlso a lesson in the best restrained comedy style. Miss Lizctle Parkes was well suited in tilo ingenue part—the modern ingeinio who knows what she wants, and traps it with an engaging mixture of difiidcnco and confidence.

"Mr. George Tilheradge. was also provided with a part which might have been written for him. llis Sir Mathew West was a splendid study in the best, manner of this justly popular actor. One has seen elderly aristocrat? upon the stage, whose aristocracy ends with their clothes, but of such i.3 not the baronetcy and peerage of Mr. Tilheradge. Aristocracy of a different class was presented by Mr. Klyan in his very true characterisation cf a whisky-sudden repressntalivc of an ai;ciont lineage. He performed the dilticiilt feat of keeping the aristocracy side by side with the dipsomania. Mr. Piimi'vr, as the slro:i? fliee'-anchor of (lie ih'itish Cabinet, liad a rather colourless part, and made the most of it. The Nnvov.rac of Mr. 11. J{. KoberU was an excellent sludy of the scheming foreign diplomatist of tiio popular novel." America's Admiration of English Plays and Players, In an article entitled "The EnglMi Season on the American Stage," MY. George Willoughby writes in the "!Xalitiual Mngozinfi*';—• "11: is now well past mid-season at (lie theatre, but the plays sum players 'rom the other sidev. are still America-bound. At Ibis writing it is reported that three English companies with new plays are being rehearsed for American product ion. Sir Herbert Bccrbohn Tree's rcceut visit

consummated plans for an American tour next season, and it is also reported that Granville Barker is arranging to como to New York for a revival of tho classics. "Meantime Americans aro asking, Why this influx of English plays and players'? Are There not hundreds of our our actors out of work? Tho theatrical agencies will testify to this lamentable condition. Why, again? Producing managers will answer the question in a word—tho play. Seldom has there been such a poor season for tho American playwright. Audiences rcfuso to accept his product. Tliey havo begiiit to weary of commonplace, commercial drama or melodrama. They want plays with new plots, new problems. Tho plays from across tho water have set a now standard for our dramatic development. And of tho players from oversea—everyone'seems completely an artist. Tho man with one lino to say says it well; but that brings to lip Tit another interesting fact: in tho English plays the parts aro usually equalised. This has dissipated the star system in England; it compels every actor to be on his mettle. "Then the English actresses—what practical, wholesome women they are as a class. There glamour in their daily life than in that of our humblest chorus girls. They regard their work as it is their" 'job' to act, as ours may be to practice law or to keep books. They dress quictlv and live moro quietly. They are domestic. Thoir private life is entirely distinct from that in tho theatre," Notes. On March 16, Mr. Sutton Vane, a dramatist, several of whoso plays havo been produced in Australia, died at Hove, England. In early life, Mr. Vano was connected as actor and stage manager with the late Disney Roebuck's companies in South Africa. Ho ..was a pioneer in that country, founding ut£ first theatro in Johannesburg. His mo'Xt succcssful plays were "The Span of Life,' '"The Cotton King," and "In Sight of St. Paul's." One of the big features of the "Count of Luxembourg," now being played _in Melbourne, is the waltz on tho stairs. And so, it may bo remarked, musical comedy drifts slowly but surely towards vaudeville.