THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1960, 17 January 1914, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

Theo.World's.-'a theatre;, tho' Earth.:.* .;,:-.' stage.—•Uo.j'wood. ■ ."*,'■■ .'■'.'' Mr, J atk cannot Discourses.';^',?' ;; ; '""■' f.:.,"1f the public Rftt, as mutli fun out of iu..as---I.Hlo they've linviug clio timo of tlioir lives." ■ Thus Mr. j ac | { . Cannot tu-asyilm-y "Sun" man on the revue . UmevOror Here." "Every night," lie says,-'/! collect half a dozen good . cigars from tho front stalls 1 ask sorncono lias ho a cigar to spare,- and Mil, a uozen respond. I'vo always said Australian audiences wero generous, xi it ™ tth °r l >re «f tlo you want than t.hat.*,,. 1 wonder would anyone- sppnc :i cold' watch or a set of studs nr tlip title deeds oi ■ s cottage at Coogce? There's nothing-like aslcmq.' I'll try it this :ive<Mv. There was a lady sitting nest the ■ plank last ilmrsday night with enough jewellery on to make a comedian inde- ■ pendent for life. I very nearly sent the call boy out for sonic chloroform so that I might take the treasure from her. ■People have no ,kl?« the risk they are taking by actors being allowed to niinglo among thorn. Edmund Slwiras has one of the best chances. Ho 'goes through' the audience in tiio dark just before tiio ,'Siimunin , number. Perhaps .1 oughtn't ■to tell you, but two of the show girls who appear in the dross parade through the house are detectives. They aro enRaged to 'seo that nobody attempts to rob the- actresses of their jewels. There's a lot of fun on the plank. On New Year's Eve a . gentleman in tiio stalls kept interrupting mo. I think he mistook me for a show girl. I asked him tip on tho plank to sing the 'Tra- . la-la' chorus,' telling him that the beauty of tiio song was that anyone who was shikkcr couM sing if. The audience gave the remark a big round of applause, and the interrupter didn't speak again. 'At the matinee- on Wednesday I tried to get the children to sing the same chorus. .I,implored thorn to'. At last I asked , , wasn't there someone who could sins; at. 'I can,' said a piping voice.' It was a bright little boy of five or six who spoke. I got lnm tip on the plank, and to the groat delight of us all hfi 'tra-la-ed' in, fine style. I got the call boy to go and get him a box of chocolates. ■ 1 kit he sang to tiio great- delight of 'all of.'us.' That's the whole idea of a revue —getting tiio audienco into tho spirit of tho entertainment ami letting them take part in the .futk They're that way now. Nearly every night I get suggestions for gags in tho letter rack. Sonic of them aro very funny, and I haves worked quite, a number with success," Actress and Linguist. . Miss Grace Palotta, who is playing tho titlo role in "Aladdin," tho pantomime at tho Adelphi Theatre, Sydney, is not only in the front rank cif actresses in- Australasia, • but she- is able to speak fluently six languages—English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, German she learned to speak at quite an early ago, and before- she was ten years old the understood French thoroughly. A few years later sho had mastered Spanish and Russian, "Russian," says Miss Palotta, "I found. liy far tho hardest to learn on account of tiio presence of so many difficult sounds in it. It ismado harder also to one learning it by the fact that many' things havo three- or four names, each of which must bb used in its propar place. Nevertheless, I stuck to it, and at tho end of threo years I was ■able to speak the language bo that Russians when they heard mo smiled. Previously they had laughed. "Some, day I think I will got busy and introduce a new system of teaching foreign lasiguages. Tho present way in which 'children aro taught at. school to speak alleged -Erjdntijm aricl./itt6raiaii"''is ridiculous, and generally results in their gettiug a smattering of useless words, which they have not got tho slightest' idea'of how ttrproitouuec." ; On one occasion Miss 'Palotta acted as an interpreter in a court.' It was ,;n. a seaport near Trieste, on tho Austrian coast, where imirdors aro of*.frequent occmrence. While Miss Palot-ta was spending a few days in tho town a stabbing affray took place, .in which a man from Northern Russia killed an Italian. The former was arrested, but owing to there being nobody available who understood his language, t'-io authorities were in a quandary. Eventually a Russian who spoke tho Siberian dialect of the /prisoner was found, but again there was a hitch on account of the interpreter nut being able te spealt German. At last an arrangement was fixed up by Miss Palotta coming to the assistance of the perplexed officials. The evidence of tho accused man was given in the Siberian dialect to tho interpreter, who repeated it in Russian to Miss Palotta, who translated it into German. _ The case, however, finished by the prisoner being discharged on aeeount of the disappearance of one of tho chief witnesses for the prosecution. Play to the Gaiiory—Why Not? . "I have been on tho stage- since I wa-s a chiicl," remarked Miss Ilaisv Jerome'to a Sydney "Sun" interviewer, "and there has always been euo thing 'that has puzzled me. It is ff'hy exception should be taker, to an artist 'playing to the gallery.' Ono would think that to say one "plays to the gallery' "was tho most damning statement that could ba levelled at a public pertonner. Why shouldn't one 'pl.iy to the gallery' ? If it is because they pay less for their seats there, that would be too snobbish. And, thank Heaven, whatever else; 1 nm, I'm not a snob. Supposing I playod to tho. stalls, what would bo the offpet ? ■ Tiio, gallon- would probably :iot hear me and would not be ablo to eateii my facial expression, and that would bea 'pity—perhaps! But whoa I play to the gallery tlie stallitcs can bi'tii sec> and hoar, me- and so can the. occupants of-tho dress.circle. Technically, therefore, one should laako sure of tho gallery hearing and seeing you. It is tho furthest away, and if tho boy sitting 'in the back row up there is hearing and seeing all that fe going on you know :that tho rest of the house liirs no coinj)i.'Jtnt on that score. There is it lot of iioncscnso talked about the gallory nowadays. ■ People have tho idea that they -aro'easy u> please, that anything can be made to go with them. But is it so? I have "no hesitation in saying it isn't. They have, perhaps, fewer prejudices, but their judgment is iiuemng. It is tho same nil thu world over. When •the gallery;. refuses to.'accept you tho ■.iii'Hiumt is final, irrevocable. It is ' entirely different with tho stalls. ■ They faro apt te bo moody and one is as likely ■ to" succeed with thorn when ono is at one's worst a3 when one- is at one's boat. ■ It.just depends on how they fool about things generally, not you in parCtieular. Hut with the nailery, it is you all "tho time. You j,-et your ap.piauso or you don't according- to what .■you. merit,' and when they onco accept 'you "there is no more causa te worry, as .you, give then; tho- best ■■■you-havo in you." :,'-,.".Another thins.' There aro as many .-people in the nailery as in the stalls and 'circs* circle put together. What about .the greatest good to tho greatest niiiti■;ber! J -v. J- , don't think you'll find any .'performer , who is honest about it. seorn-iiuii-tlic'.-.nallory or any other part of the house, for that matter. When yoii show .me i anyone who says ho dons I'll : show- you a hypocrite. It can't he done. ■ If wo don't please, we don't pet pnjiaj»p»nents. The more we please the.more money \vo got. There is th« plain-business of it and nil you have .to apply to tho position in order to llKiniiij'iily ur.ders-.lrtml it is n litllo common sense. Why, certainly 1 piny to the gallery."- ■■ ; ■ . ■'.'Who's the Lady." ■ London critics have been stirred to their depths by tho production of "Who's the Lady!'" at tiio Garrick, This farco-eomody from tho French will ,bo.: played ia Australia by the Louis

Meyer-Beaumont Smith Comedy Company commencing next August- at Melbourne. Princess. Tho "Daily Mail" described tho, piece as "risky," "shl* try,", "naughty," "impudent," "unblushing," and on top of this criticism tho ■ JJishop of Kensington sent- two trusty henchmen to seo and report on the fnrco to him. One. reported: "It's very funny, really clover, and humorous.,.'l wouldn't mind m.y wifo seeing it. ...In-fact, I propose to talto her." The ."Telegraph" described tho piece as /'a, jolly, rollicking, wjjiking, nudfi.ine' farce," but tho "Express" said it was probably the most salneious comedy, over seen ui London. Whilst this controversy , raged the Garrick booked up rapidly and when the mail loft the very earliest data possible to secure a scat to see "Who's tlie Lady" was tho middle of May nest. ..,-' . Notes, .:■..■'. ... . Tho success of tlio extension of tba 3. C. Williamson firm's business to South Africa has teen so pronounced that it is intended to Bend most of the bis attractions there, tho nosii; being Mr. Lewis AVeller and his company, who leave aftor tlicir visit to Sydney. The marring© took place in Melbourne last week of Mr, Charles A. Tt'ciimtm, tlie' J. C. Williamson, Ltd., producer, with Miss Flossio Dickinson, tho bright young Australian who has appeared with success in Clarke and Meyncll and J. C. Williamson productions. Mr. Wenman and Ills wifo wero tho recipients of good wishes and congratulations froin members of the profession in all parts of Australia, with whom they are exceedingly popular. Mr.AVontnan's last big production is the "Forty Thiwes" pantomime, which is packing Her Majesty's, Melbourne, and has so far beaten tho financial record of all its predecessors in pantomime at Hor Majesty's for the corresponding period. By the recent death of her father. Miss Lillah M'Carthy {Mrs. Gram-illo Barker) comes into a fortune of £50,000. The eminent actress remains, for all that,. actively in harness. At recent.' advices she was playing in, and with hor husband, directing, a three weeks' repertory season at tho St. James's Theatre, tho programme of which included Ibsen's "Tho Wild Duck" and "Tho Master Builder," Shaw's "The Doctor's Dilemma," And a doable bill consisting of MansefieM's "Nan" (Lillah M'Carthy was its original exponent) and a translation of Molierc's "Lo Mari'ngo Force." Harry Lauder, the great Scotch comedian, who opens an Australasian tour m Melbourne in a few weeks' time. 13 the proud and responsible head of a family of one. This one.-is a tall and sturdy son, who has been studying law at' Cambridge, and is said to possesa considerable musical ability. In his vacations lie accotnpanics his parents on their vaudeville tows, and is to travel with them on their trip round the world. When the ted of tfio house is on holiday, usually a. bare week or fortnight, which ho can snatch from . pressing vaudeville business, tho' wJiolo family resides at the Lauder seat, a big picturesque house not far from Glasgow, Tho house overlooks a famous loch, and is a splendid holiday haunt for a tired man. Miss Tittell Bruno is enjoying a good time at the London Lyeeum. where her Cigarette in "Under. Two Flags" draws nightly the cheers of au approving audience. Tho Lyceum is now, of eowso, entirely a melodrama theatre, with n pantomime interval at Christmas. Its audience is a hilariously popular audience, and Miss Bruno's dash and sparkle in popular lmroins part* hove made her a great favourite,