THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2647, 18 December 1915, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The World's a theatre; the Earth t . stage.—Hey wood. [Br Etltiub.] New Williamson Players, The following new artists arrived in /V™£y,. ou December 7, consigned to J, C. \\ llliamson, Ltd.: —Mr. Hale Hamil. ton (the original Wallingford of "Get-Kieh-Quick Wallingford," in New York and London); Miss Connie Ediss'; Mr Louis' Kimball, a light comedian (wlir will appear in "Under Fire"); Mia Myrtle J'annehill, ingenue; Signor Ardissoni; Miss Mildred Warren, comedi enue; aud Mr. Donald Howies, pro ducer. More Amerioan Plays. The American drama "Under Fire' and ditto comedy "Twin Beds" will b< produced by JC. Williamson, Ltd., ir Sydney at Christmas. " 'Under Fire is a war drama, written by a Fronci playwright, Roi Megrue. It is i strong- pro-British play, and it has already been secured for Drury Lane J-lns reminds'mo that everywhere I encountered strong pro-Ally sentiments, and this in spite of a vigorous anc subtle Press propaganda by enemy-sub-sidised papers. As an illustration ol tins, I may mention that General Sii j'li ®?' les ) Canada, recently stat ed that he had received over 5000 applications .from Americans to serve witl the Canadian' forces," states Mr. Hurf J. Ward. So Long, Lctty," an Americar muscial_ comedy, will be the Christmai production at His Majesty's Theatre bydney. This will make tliree play* of purely American origin to be plavec — in Williamsoniaii theatres at the on< fcinie. / After all; Williamson was ar American,- but he made 'his name in linghsh plays.- The order appears tc uave been reversed entirely. Nance O'Neil in Plotures. - Through the earnest efforts of Messrs. Singlu and Lowry, of the Lubin Company, Nance O'Neil, the great American'emotional actress, has been persuaded to abandon . her contemplated theatrical tour, and has-sigried-'a contract with the Lubin Company for hei appearance -in a series of feature pic- , . e ? # ,i.Wiat the vehicle will be in which Miss O'Neil will make her appearance under the Lubin banner has not as vet been definitely decided -upon, and before 'making decision there will be a careful consideration' of the stock of motion picture rights at hand in the scenario department. . Nance O'Neil in pictures should bo a big draw in Australia and New Zealand, whore tho actress was so popular. Hugh J, Ward In America. Interviewed on his return to Sydney from America last week, Mr. Hugh J. Ward said:—"Tli9 New York season opened with a series of failures. . For a time it looked as if 'The Boomerang',' the one solid success of New York when '* I arrived there, was going to.have it all its own way. This is a delicious comedy by Winchell Smith (author of ,T„? fortune Hunter" and "Brewster's , f ?. ns ') an d. Victor Mapes. .It is-a blending of quiet comedy and subdried iarce. The next play to score was Common Clay,' tho author of which is Cleves Kinkead. This won the draraatio prize at Harvard University, and was first prodiiced at Boston, where it ran tho whole of the previous season. Mr. Al. Woods, one of New York's most vigorous and astute managers,, controls Pjay. It is proving itself another _Witmn the l Law.' The Cohan and Harris management also havo a big success in 'The House of Glass,' written by > Max Marcin,_, a newspaper man. Tho ' play shows signs of having. been gone Joy 6 1" b>' remarkable stage genius, Mr. George M. Cohan. As it stands it ; is a vivid dramatic statement. Mr. i Cohan, too, has a success of his own . writing in a farce called 'Hit the Trail i Holliday,' in which Billy Sunday's popu- , larity is burlesqued. Ae you have no • doubt heard, Mr. Fred Niblo.is starring in this farce. In the first-night house I saw a number of Australians. I shared a box with Mrs. Nihlo (Miss Josephine Cohan) and the author's father and mother. George Cohan is Broadway's idol, and naturally the audience demanded his appearance before the curtain. His speech embraced the whole family: 'Father thanks, you, mother thanks you, Josie thanks;, you, Fred thanks you, ana I thank you!' Probably fifteen plays had failed ■in the. time that these few successes, made their appearance. -The competition for the patronage of the immense play-going public of New York is the cause of so many enterprises ending in disaster. Thero has been overbuilding of theatres. Every night in New York there arc- over one million seats to bo filled. Tills includes every class of entertainment. It is a costly business having theatres closed. Often it is more nostly to havo them open. Again, the traffic in tickets by. speculators does not make tho, public any more easy to please. People who are held up by speculators enter the theatre feeling resentment at tho outset against everyone concerned with it." Notes. Mary Elizabeth, the dressy American, who has been charming Tivoli audiences, has had to undergo an operation recently. When the mail left she was convalescent, and tho papers were publishing pictures of the fair one in bed; bowered in the floral offering of a host of friends. "Mother Goose," a new version of an old themo, goes up at is Majesty's Theatre this evening. Some 300 people will be engaged in the production, there will bo seventeen scenes, and the number of costumes to be worn will be ! 750 ' "Never saw so much money in my life," remarked a member of the stago staff at Her Majesty's, when watching a rehearsal. He was referring to the "Ballet of Australian Money." There wore represented gold, silver, copper, and not-os, all in amazing profusion. This ballet will be one of the features of 'the "Mother Goose" pantomime. Already the people in the big -extravaganza, who are very apt at picking on their own description of things, nave dubbed this, ballot "a financial frolic"! A cable messago from London appearing in last Tuesday's Sydney papers stated: "Mr. Arthur Adams's play, 'Mrs. Pretty and the Premier,' was accordcd an excellent reception on its production by Arthur Bourchier, whose impersonation of the Labour Premier, splendidly characterised, was probably one of his greatest successes. Miss Kyrle Bellow proved an admirable heroine."

Miss Violet Paget, who was hero witli "Tho Man Who Stayed at Home" Company, is leaving for Engalnd at once,' to join her husband, Mr. Hugh Buckler, who has been wounded at the front.

The latest American drama "Kick 'II" was produced in Melbourne for the first time on Saturday last.