THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2445, 26 April 1915, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

IBr Stlyius.]

The World's a tfieatro; the Esutb a stage.—Haywood.

The Pllmmer-Hall Company.

> a successful season in Auck- : land, the Plimmer-Hall Comedy Com- ' !S ny i iS n wl-pl ay ? ng trough the North Is and. Whilst m Auckland His Ex- • cellency the Governor, who had attended. the performance in Wellington, honoured the company no less than three times-sufficient proof that the fare was good. The company (which is giving all profits to the Belgian Fund? will appear in Eltham on April 24, Eawera on April 26, Feildmg on April 27, Danliovirke oil April 28, Napier on April 29 and 30 and May 1, Hastings on May 3, Masterton on May 4 and o, and Greytown on May 6. The Christchurch i season will commence on May 8. s Snapping Popular Comedies, When Mr. Fred. Niblo leaves Australia shortly at tiio end of a notable three years 'engagement in Australia under the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., management. it will still ba possible for thousands of his admirers, as well as those outside of the cities who have not seen the. popular American • comedian, to witness his performances in the most successful plays'he has staged in this country. A kinematograph studio is being erected in Melbourne opposite Her Majesty's Theatre, on the historic' site of the "Iron Pot''—Melbourne's firstpermanent theatre; and here will be taken in. moving-picture form "Get-Kich-Quick Wallingford," "Seven Key 6 to Baldpate," "Officer 666," and other plays in which Mr. Niblo has appeared. These will be presented with practically the same casts as in the original productions in Melbourne and Sydney. When the Niblo plays have been kinematographed, a number of other plays steged by J. C. Williamson, Ltd.'s, companies will be filmed. The new enterprise has aroused a great deal of public interest. Ragging Grand Opera. At least five playgours who have witnessed "High Jinks" at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, have written to the J. C. Williamson management in friendly remonstrance at the "ragging" of the prison scene from "Faust in the lively musical play. While admitting that they enjoyed it, three of the protesting playgoers epitomise their complaints in the expression of opinion that it is and "enough to make Gounod turn in his grave As a matter of fact, "ragging" opera is all the rage in America just now, and many people consider that it makes operas bearable! When Mr. Hugh J. Ward was in America last year, he heard the finale of "Rigoletto" being ragged. While this wa-s being done a. figure of Verdi appeared in the background, holding up his hands in horror. As he listened, however, his expression changed, and his face became wreathed in smiles of enjoyment before he disappeared into thin air. In any case, the item in "High Jinks" has proved one of the most successful ana popular features of a productioi crowded with good things. Notes. « The first production in Australia of the war play, "The Man Who Stayed Home,' will be given in Sydney, prior to the staging of the play in Melbourne, following the season of the Fred Niblo Company at the Theatre Royal. _ At the present time the is drawing enormous houses in London, one of the principals in the cast, by the_ way, being. an old Australian favourite in the person of Mrs. Robert Brough. The play isl cleverly written to keep up the interest till the end, when "the man who stayed at home" turns out to be a secret service agent who has run to.earth a swarm of German spies on the East Coast of England.

Mr. Clyde Meynell left for London last week on- business connected with, the firm of J, C. Williamson, Ltd., of which he' is a director. Mr. Meynell will make arrangements for the dispatching to Australia of a number of important artists and attractions.

The new comic opera star, Ethel Cadman, who is coming to Australia under the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., management to appear in "The' Marriage Market," owes her forthcoming visit to Australia to the war, which dislocated number of contracts made some time back for her appearance on tho Continent. • Miss Cadman was to have started: her tour this year in Vienna, followed by appearancos in Berlin, St. Petersburg (now Petrograd), Budapest, and other cities, concluding with a season in Madrid, the Spanish capital. The cancellation of the contract, however, owing to the war allowed of Miss Cadman accepting the offer first made by J. 0. Williamson. Ltd., nearly three years ago, and which was;renewed when it became-possible for the actress to find a blank space in her list of bookings.

The Brennan-Fuller management Is apparently no more. The latest Australian papers refer to the Fuller Vaudeville oircuit, and I notice that advertisements in the local papers now only refer to the Messrs. Fuller. Mr. Ben Fuller is called the governing director and Mr. John Fuller (of tho Wellington City Council) is set down as the general manager.