ACTOR AND KAISER

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2231, 18 August 1914, Page 8

ACTOR AND KAISER

MR, HUGH: BUCKLER'S EXPERIENCES' IN BERLIN. Mr. Hugh" Buckler, tho English actor, who was due to commence 'a New Zealand tour at- Auckland with "His House in Order" last evening, had when, in Berlin the opportunity of mceting'ahd talking Kith the Kaifer. Tho meeting mme about in this way. Beerbohm Tree was reviving Shakespeare's plays in London on an elaborate scale, and so much interest was created in the productions that the Kaiser invited the English . actormanager -to .bring his company to the German capital. The whole company, therefore, journeyed' to Berlin. Without ony great preliminary pomp and frill, the Kaiser had the actors introduced to him and extended to them a hearty welcome.; He discussed Shakespeare and his critics, oudVjspUyed an intimate knowEnglish drama, past ond present, vouchsafing the opinion that, although Shakespeare was -English, it had taken the Germans to discover his. genius. The Shakespearean performances were attended with a series of extraordinary dis- ' asters. ' Somehow it had been noised abroad that the actors'.idea was •to teach the Germans how Shakespeare should bo played, and the idea was resented in student cricles. ■ On the first night, at a critical juncture,'the .light, mon went on strike, and considerably hampered the. production. Thereafter strikes of scene-shifters, mechanists, and light men were, frequent Blocks and tackle would drop suddenly. Mechanics were never at. their ' posts. Things got so bad that Tree decided; that his own actors would .do their own.e-tage' work, as well; as act their parts'. Mr. Buckler says.that the English actor did yeoman service, and he remembers, how, ■as the curtain rose .on one scene, \Tree •; was discovered with a giant tree trunk under his anp, saying "Where do I put ,this?". . | , ~'".'. , That part of .1 he .audience ,which had ;ccntiributed' tjo ihe discomfiture of - the 'aotors;. enjoyed themselves immensely. The .') part of the audience not in : the 'know regarded the various misfortunes as the result of English clumsiness.Mr.: Buckler says no never heard what the Kaiser thought obout the performances..'.' Every' light -the . Emperor 'attended, in a. different English uniform, :and'on the last ,hight,'having apparently 'exhausted his.stock, came along in ordinary evening dress. Mr. Buckler, by the way; is an -English- officer, holding the rank of lieutenant, .and he. carried the .colours of':his regiment (the sth .Royal Irish) at' the funeral of. Queen Victoria, • .-';.