THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2812, 1 July 1916, Page 6

THE THEATRE

(By "Sylvius.")

Singled Out for Praise. Wihen the last mail left Honolulu the Lytell-Vaughan Players wero playing a season there.. Included in tho company was Mr.-Ethelbert D. Hales, formerly of Wellington. a son of (ha lato Engineer-in-Chief for New Zealand, and an ex-stu-(lout of Wellington College. The third bill presented was Michael Morton's sombre pla.v of tho darker side of Russian lifo entitled "Tho Yellow Ticket." Of Mr. Hales's performance, the Honolulu "Advertiser" says

"One of the outstanding features of the new offering is the sudden power revealed to local theatregoers by E. D. Hales, rrlio took the dominating, villainous personality of Baron Stepan Audrey, chief of tho Okrana,' or chief of the secret police, that stamped him as a remarkable delineator of. character. Ia fact, his impersonation was so unusual that it won popular approval, despite its wickedness, and at tho end of the second act he received an enthusiastic ovation. It is indeed, rare for tho villain of the piece to win such recognition." Mrs. Haies, of Oriental Bay, is at present visiting her son in Honolulu. Taxing Amusements. -There is 'much interest and anxiety in tho English -amusement world concerning the - proposed new tax upon entertainments. Tho Managers' Association" is dbo'ut to discuss, the situation. A London, theatrical writer says "While, there is-not likely to be any opposition to the general idea of a. tax upon amusement in the special circumstances, there was some' disposition to criticise the details of the proposal. It was. pointed out by more than- olio theatrical manager that, 'while as a general rule taxation hits the richer; class; more heavily than the poorer, in the oase of tho tax on amusements tho process seems to be reversed. They could not see why a person who could ■only afford to pay Is. for, the gallery should pay'a tax of 2d—the same amount as would obtained from ..the person who could afford to spend 2s. Cd. on the pit. The 2d. tax on the gallery ticket seemed,to be out of proportion when compared with the Is. tax to bo levied on tho 10s. Gd. stall. In the caso of tho picture theatres the situation is even more serious, for here practically all the -revenue is derived from seats costing Is/ or less. There 'are many of tho pio.ture theatres in poorer districts which make a special feature of Id, matinees for children. Unless the proposal is changed, children will now havo to pay lid., or an increase of 50 per cent., as against 10 per cent., increase for tho purchaser •of a stall in tho West. End." Plays of the Grand Guignot, The playlets of tho Grand Guignot deal starkly in concentrated horror, and aim at thrilling their audience by the audacity in which siark horror is piled on horror. A recent production was "The Black Curtain," a resume of which will give the public an idea of their grim character. In "The Black Curtain" aro three characters—the big athletic instructor and proprietor of a gymnasium, bis pretty\Wife, and a yoiing and handsome inalo pupil. One evening the instructor, returning home unexpectedly, finds his wife in the young man's arms—obviously they aro lovers. Ho withdraws unseen, and a little later his return is announced by the servant. Ho speaks conventionally to tho guilty pair, and asks his wife to fetch him certain papers from another room. As soon as she depairts the instructor pounces on tho ' young man; there is a tussle, and finally tho young fellow is tied hand and foot; gagged, and lashed to a door behind a black curtainA Tho wife returns, inquires for tlin young man, and is told that he had to go'away. Then the husband, with suppressed passion, chides his' wife for not assisting hira more in the active work of the gymnasium, says how strong and active she is—how steady her nerves were compared with his own. He reminds her of the accuracy of her aim with the revolver, and gaily pinning a card, tho aco of spades, on to the black curtain, he induces her to sco if her cunning in anna . still existed. She fires, but misses the centre. Another laugh. "Try again! Good, right through the centre!" Then lie pulls the curtain back, exposing the lovor in a state of collapse, with blood streaming from his head and heart. The husband laughs demoniacally, as tho wife backs toward the door, livid with horror. Curtain! "Cabiria." ' 1 "Cabiria" is one of tho greatest kinema pictures over produced in the world. There have only been half a dozen really great pictures, and of these "Cabiria" and "The Birth of a Nation" Tank high, "Cabiria" whs conceived' by tho Italian poet and patriot Gabriele D'Annunzio, who took the great Punic wars of a. forgotten age as his background subject, and weaved upon its cardinal tapestry a beautiful story that makes a poignant appeal to the sympathies, even as. the great battle scenes, employing thousands of men, amaze by the magnitude of tho author's conception. "Cabiria" is one of tho few pictures' whose qualities can hardly be overstated by publicity agents —it is a monument to tho limitless resources of the kinema. Notes. The Five Manchurians. who have been appearing most successfully in Auckland, are to make their first appearance' at Hie Majesty's Theatre on Monday evening. Japanese acrobats and contortionists are fairly numerous on the vaudeville stage, but real Chinese are very rare. There are several very clever fako Chinamen, on the stage, such as Chung Ling Soo and others, but genuine natives of tho Flowery Land aro very rarely seen on tho English stage, though they are. as a rule, fond of theatre-going. Tho Manchurians' act is said to be as sensational as that of the Banzais.

J. and A T . Tait have been fortunato in seouring tho services of E. W. Morrison as producer of tho delightful little comedy. "Peg o' My Heart." Mr. Morrison, who first witno to Australia with the lato Edith Crane and Tyrone Power several years ago, gained a lot of experience as a producer. in America under various well-known, managers.

On Saturday last Miss-Wish Wynne, the English comedy actress, commenced an engagement with the Fuller Company at tho Adolphi Theatre, Sydney, with Mr. Fred Coyne's revue company, in

"Something Doing." Tho popular "J.C." new English musical comedy company' presented a revival at Melbourne Her Majesty'B on Saturdaylast of "High Jinks," which will be the third time this musical jollity has been played in Melbourne. An interesting feature of the cast was tho first appear-' anco in it of Connie Ediss, who will be seen as Adelaide Fontaine (last played by Miss Florence Vie), and liobert Greig, who will be seen as J. J. Jeffreys, tho part so adequately filled by Mr. W. H. Rawlings.