THE THEATRE.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2693, 12 February 1916, Page 9

THE THEATRE.

The. World's a theatre; the Earth a stage.—Heywood. TBr Smics.] ' "Charley's Aunt" Again. J That merry old farce, "Charley's < Aunt," is to be revived once more by 1 the dramatic club which takes its name ' from the play. Arrangements are be- ' mg made by Mr. Norman Aitken 1 (whose impersonation of Charley's : quaint relative is so popular) to play 1 the farce for a season of three nights . towards the end of next lr.onth at the ] Opera House, giving the whole of the . profits to patriotic funds. Last year 1 Mr. Aitken and his friends had the temerity to trot the "Aunt" all round 1 the Dominion, and the success which ! attended the tour constitutes a record in amateur theatrical achievement in tills part of the world. As there are no theatrical attractions on the horizon at present, it is pretty safe to conclude that the funds will benefit substantially by the effort. 1 ' Non-Laugh Audiences, £ Hale Hamilton, the star comedian In 'It Pays to Advertise," at the Theatre Royal, was discussing the intricacies of laughter-making. "There is 110 branch of the art of tho stage moro difficult than comedy," declared Mr. Hamilton. It may seem a strange thing to say, but it is a fact that people aro unwilling to laugh when they go to a humorous play. They struggle against the desire to laugh; they defy the comedians to mako them laugh, and if they laugh they laugh unwillingly. It is the sanio everywhere, whether in England, Amcrica, or Australia. This is what makes the art of being humorous so extremely difficult, particularly -so on account of the peculiar variability of audiences. One night they will laugh 3 -\ 1? P o ' l )*' ia t will be ignored the next. Other nights, the audience will refuse to laugh at all. We never know when wo have got them. . 111 drama, < for example, a scene or a situation is designed to produce a certain effect, and this effect will be achieved by the proper methods. In comedy, however, there are no such definite circumstances, and discouragement naturally' follows when an audience that has, for example, had il ., a <l day at the races, sits glum and silent and refuses to repay tho work of the comedians by laughing." "Qulnney's," "Quinney's" is a new and charming Play by Horace Anucsley Vachell, which lias pleased the English critics and playgoers, and has been duly transferred to America. It is that pleasant, wellrounded, well-bred type of play that Australian managers give the go-by Vo with such sad consistency. Time was when all such'plays would be eagerly secured for the colonies, but the big firm has squeezed out nearly all opposition by securing the theatres in Sydney and Melbourne, and America is now tho , source of most of their attractions. Alack the day 1 "The Unohastoned Woman." "The Unchastened Woman," by Louis Anspacher, is (says "Collier's Weekly") u triumph not only for the author and tho actors, but for thj t'heatregoing public of Now ¥ork. Mr. Anspacher lias dared to throw aside the convention that virtue must oitlie. - conquer vico gaily or fall before_ it tragically. As is not unknown 'in life, vice and virtue Btl'Ugglo to a draw in thw play. The author has not feared to put his greatest emphasis on an unsympathetic character. Caroline Knolys, his heroine—for want of a better name—is neither gcotl nor yofc one of those heroically evil women. She is, above everything else, selfish and malicious, but so tenaciously does sho romam Herself tfias the character is one which seizes and holds the attention of the audience. In a singularly happy moment tho playwright puts tho woman in a position in which she is seemingly humbled, and then by a rare stroke lie allows her to sweep back to the high tide of malice and leave the play unbroken and magnificent. Tho unchastened woman is acted by Miss Emily Stevens with great skill. She has learned the lesson which Mrs. Fisks is ' said to have taught her when 6110 remarked: "Use more facial expression, Emily, and remember to keep your back to the audience." Arthur Adams's Play. "Mrs. Pretty and tho Premier," the play which Arthur Bourohicr bought troia Mr. Arthur H. Adams, of Sydney, for English production, was staged in Birmingham audi Manchester last month, first under tho title of "lie Division Bell" and then under its original name. The cast included Mr. bourchier and Miss Kyrle Bellow, the latter a greairiieoe ot the famous actoiv Audiences received tiie play well, and t-Jie critics varied from admiration to severity. The "Birmingham i'ost" regards the play as. "a musical comedy ploi that has strayed," but adds, "The author has put a considerable amount of racy humour, generally of an antipodean variety, into llie dialogue." Whai on earth is antipodean humour? Perhaps Birmingham knows. "Tho thing does not hang together at all well," says the "Mancnester Courier," but on tho other hand "The Stage" remarks with admiration, "Tho piece is certainly one of the most amusing farces that Mr. Bourchier has staged for some time. . . . Full of mirthful, lighthearted entertainment." In the "Manchester Guardian" "A.N.M." is judiciously critical, 6aying, "It would not be fair to Mr. Adams to judge his play by its plot. Ho is out for fun, and in some degree he manages to get it. We shudder to think what the play would bo like without Mr. Bourchier; it is not what is called actor-proof." "Unconventional and vigorous, as an Australian play is expected to be," says tho "Manchester Evening News." But the "Birmingham Mail" did not taste tlio' Australian flavour it expected, and said: "The play is a farce of a kind that could bo produced anywhere and located anywhere." Certain parts were to the "Mail" unpalatable, but it found tho rest "very entertaining." Tho "Daily Mail" reports "a magnificent reception" in Manchester, and adds: "The piece is full of merriment and bright situations." The "Manchester EcSio" likes Mrs. Pretty: "What a part this for a Marie Tempest or an, Ethel Irving!" Tho pantomime "Boy Blue" is to bo produced by tha Stanley ,M'lCay Company at tho Opera House on Saturday evening next. Tho company, which-is composed of Australians, includes Mr. James Gerald as principal comedian, and Miss Essie Jennings as principal boy. The company includes a full ballet, chorus, and orchestra. Yaklovenko, the Russian dancer, who was here last year with the Tivoli Follies, has left Sydney for Vladivostok, to report for service. Alexander Lauskman, another Russian dancer, has also gone to the front.