THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2818, 8 July 1916, Page 6

THE THEATRE

(By "Sylvius.") Allen Doone Again. Mr. iy.en Doone, the American singing actor, who shared with Andrew Mack and Chauncey Olcott the lionour of importing the blarney stono to America for tho use of those graduating in the use of that primitive Irish sentimentality for stage purposes. Mr. Doone caters for those, who like their plays sticky with the glucose of blarney—a type of p'lay that is not known in Ireland, but is especially devised to appeal to the sontiment of those who, not being genuinely Irish, have a more or less remote interest in anything appertaining to tho "distressful country." These plays ore, as a rule, clean and wholesome, if not remarkable for dramatic depth or romantic subtlety, and they seel to' represent all that ia good and sweet in Irish character. Mr. Doone will commence his season at the Grand' Opera House this evening in a new play, entitled "O'Lenrv, V.C.," a play evidently written about tlie famous hero of'Ypres, and one that was written in New Zealand by Mr. Doone on the occasion of his Inst visit. There is still plpnty of material for Hie continuation of the series. One, for instance, could be written with Sir Roger Casement as the villain-in-cliief, tho Countess Jlarkievicz as the beautiful adventuress, and a returned Irish soldier as tho hero, with the Dublin riots thrown in as the chief sensation, .and the trial of Sir Roger as tho final scene. Tho idea is given to Mr. Doone gratis. For the present season Mr.. Doone will be assisted, as' formerly, by Miss Edna ICeeley and several members of his old 'iompany. New Fuller Star. Miss Wish Wynne, the celebrated English comedy actress, who is starring at the Adelphi 'Theatre, Sydney, was only 12 years of age when she made her first stage appearanco as a child dancer in a Drury Lane pantomime. She stayed there for three seasons, and during that time was under tlio tuition of Mmo. Katti Lanner, one of tlio' leading London dancing mistresses. Some musical comedy tours followed, and then Miss Wynne drifted into drama, playing small parts in such pieces as "East Lynne" and "Tho Shaug.hraun." Before she was 17 years of age she was playing loading laily iu a ropertoiro company. It was decidedly not' on a London standard. Tho parts had to be learned ofton at a few hours notice, and members of the company often hail to make the same costnujo snij three or four characters. . There was not much money in it either. > ...Miss.Wynne, then decided to try her luck at" tlio music halls. Sho had a heartrending struggle. Agent after agent and manager after manager turned her down. At last, she got a trial .w r eek at Greenwich Palaco Theatre, made good,: and a few weeks later, went on to the London Pavjilou at ,a salary of £'2 10s. a week. Within a year that salary had gone sky-high, and tho managers who originally. had turned her down were jostling each othj'r to get contracts from her. . ' .

Horace Golden Coming. 1 Mr. Hurold A. Bowden, who is, male-, ing arrangements in Auckland for tlio 'I'ivoli Follies tour, writes stating that he understands that Horace Golden, the noted English illusionist, is to commence a tour of New Zealand ill Wellington about August 30.' Golden, who presents an elaborate entertainment, exceeding in the appointments those of Chung,' .Ling ISOO, carries about a hundred tons of effects and a company of about 30 people. His illusions are said to bo tho most puzzling yet performed in Australia. A Stock Shakespearean Co, At tlTe conclusion of a .highly successful eleven weeks'" season ,of Shakespearean plaj-9 in Sydney last week, Mr. Allan Wilkio, who was enthusiastically recalled, said that night concluded a Shakespearean season of nearly eleven weeks, during which four tragedies and tlireo comedies had been staged, and a new Australian record had been created by twenty consecutive performances of "'.Richard 111/' -JHo .had. come to Aus-. itrulia, almpst .unkpown,. and. had opened at a theatre previously/identified, with melodrama and the lighter forms of entertainment,,' so that the success achieved represented no small feat. (Cheers.) Indeed, lie did not believe it would bepossible in any other p<irt of the British Empire,... Apart, from any artistic merits, the season ljad. proved a finan-' rial' success, and this arose from the hearty k encouragement accorded him by Sydney audiences. He was not leaving them for long., (Cheers.) After visiting Adelaide and New Zealand, and playing a return season in Melbourne, lie would revisit Sydney, when he hoped to produce "Julius. Caesar," "The Taming of tho Shrew," possibly "King John," and one or two of the old costume comedies, such as "The School for Scandal." (A voice: "How about the 'Silver King?"') He could hardly aspire to the "Silver King," ho feared. (Laughter.) His in-. ' tention, and hope, was that his company should become a permanent institution, the annual visits of which t<> the various State capitals would enable him to, stage the majority of Shakespeare's plays, with instruction both to himself and fellow-artists, and to the audiences who supported them. (Cheers.) He wished his many friends "au revoir." (Cheers.)

Mr. Georgo Marlow has apparently enjoyed tho good fortune of closing .his management of the Adelphi with- a long and successful season of Shakespeare. Mr. Ben J. Fuller now becomes govern-_ ing director of the Adelphi, and will re-' main at tho head of affairs after, as well as during, the AVisli W T ynno season, as Mr. Marlow has decufod to retire. Movies for Children. . The Juvenile Moving-Picture Board in New York City, and other similar organisations in other cities, are attempting to solve the problem of supplying children with the mbvies they like and which, are suitable for them. Tho members of the Now York Board see every picture designated as suitable for children by the National Board of Censorship. From these they chooso tho\ones they wish for a schedule of programmes. These programmes they send on to their sister organisations in other. cities. At the first showing of each programme chosen by tho committee a Censorship Board, consisting of seven boys, ranging' from eight to sixteon years of age, pass judgment on them in their own Their opinions are treated with due respect, and a number of pictures chosen for particular educational or other merit have been tabooed by the Board of Juvenile Censors. The Wisdom of Vera, , lv Mi , s . s '-J?f. a Penrc e» uow Queen of the livoli Follies, has a very busy life. She works hard and constantly under several masters .at singing, music, and dramatic art. She is ah enthusiastic swimmer and mountaineer. She is very fond of billiards, and plays a very good game, bno thinks that boxing is a. very fine exercise, and she is very fond of it* "But at boxing," she says', "I do rather draw the line. I mean to say that I dn not commend boxing as a sport between women. Sparring is excellent exercise with a man. It makes one quick and supple, steadies one's nf>rves, and' all that. But women boxing with one another would scarcely find pleasure in it for long, because women are so seldom angels—outside books, of course. But if a girl wants to keep fit and to feel fit, exercise is the great.thing; exercise, a I fairly regular'rontine, and plenty of cold baths.| Wanting is splendid 'exercise: stage dancing, that is. Sleep, in a thoroughly ventilated room, seven to eight hours a day; never more. I eat anything that I happen to like, in moderation. As for drinking—well, a glass of wino now and thei| is very pleasant and stimulating; but the wise tirl' lets alcohol pretty much alone. My work with Uie'Follies takes up a great deal of time, and I find plenty to do outside that. I suppose that I do wort pretty hard, om\ way and another. Bul.jwork .hurts nobody. It is silly habits'that hurt."

Notes. The Now Zealand tour of the Tivoli Follies' Pantomime Comphny commences at Auckland to-morrow evening. Tho Wellington season has been extended from from Wednesday, August 2, to Saturday, August V 2 (ten nights). Consequent upon this extension the southern date hnvo been rearranged as follow:— D.unedin, August-16 to 22; Inverc-argill,

Agust 23 and 21; Oamaru, August 25; Timaru, Augst 28; Christchurch, August 30 to September !>. Touring Now Zenlaud with a big theatrical company to-day is a reckless venture. llr. Julius Knight returned from a seven weeks' season in the Dominion on Wednesday. Purcs and transportation charges amounted (o .CUOO. In other words, there was in this a "dead horse" of .£2OO a week to work off. Add salaries, author's royalties, rents, staffs, advertising, and other charges, amounting easily to .£IOOO a week, and an idea of the risk can be formed.—Sydney "Sun " "To-night's the Night," which musical frivolity has had such a long run. in London, is to bo produced in Melbourne (for tho first time in Australasia) toU'BW, by the'company, which .performed High Jinks! in Wellington a- few inontns ago.