THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2860, 26 August 1916, Page 6

THE THEATRE

(By "Sylvius.")

The Amateurs, The amateurs of Wellington arc to ho heartily and sincerely congratulated on thoir capital performance of "San Toy" at the Opera House during the week. After a glut of swift - moving revues the action of the seventeen-year-old musical comedy seemed a trifle slow, and there were tedious patches here and there, but on tho whole tho performance was sound, and tho scenery and dressing were up to tho best standards. . Mr. W. J. Beck's palace scene, with its glowing scarlet pillars, encompassed by sprawling dragons in vivid grcon, with its peep of the arched water-lily pond, through the back opening was a fine example of the scone-painter's art. Tho design and beautiful colours of the dresses woro another outstanding feature of "San Toy." It is almost impossible to concoive how tho show, from San Toy down to the back row of- tho chorus, could have been better dressed. There were some very charming stago pictures during the evening, notably tho terraced chorus (with lanterns) at the termination of "The Moon" number, and finally the cluster of court ladies and wives that glitter round the Emperor on his throne. Mr. Bernard Pago is also 'to be congratulated on his share in tho success. No orchestra in amateur opera has done bettor. It should bo made clear that tho orchestra players are professionals, and should do good work, but that has not always been the case in the past. My congratulations to Mr. Tom Pollard. He desorves the D.S.O. for his .distinguished services to the Wellington Society.

New Comedies Coming. The ..Williamson Comedy Company, headed by Halo Hamilton (the original Wallingford in "Get-Rich-Quick- Walingford") and his "wife, Myrtle Tannohill, is to commence a tour of New Zealand in Wellington on October 23. Tbo company will be seen in that fine comedy "The Boomerang," which has succeeded so deservedly in New York, London, and Sydney, '".'lt Pays to Advertise, "Twin Beds," and possibly a revival of""Get-Rich-Quick Wailingi'ord." The company also 'includes a very clever character actor in Mr: D. Bowles, and a ■ charming ingenue actress in Miss Beatrice Nicholls. Of tho new plays to be seen "The Boomerang" has been described as "a clean delight" by people not connected with tho management. It should find favour with New Zealand audiences.

New York News. Mr. J£. Pirie Bush, tho young Wellington actor (son of Mr. Thomas Bush, of the Terrace), writes me tnat he has "put over" hi s first New York success in a capital part in a condensed version of "Her Husband's Wifo" (by A. ffi. Thomas) in vaudeville with Miss Laura Hope Crews (her first appearance in vaudeville). Strange to say, her chief malo' support were both members of tho Fred Niblo Company in Now Zealand, Mr. Ronald Byram and Mr. Bush himself. Mr. Bush writes: "I have a ripping part, quite different to anything 1 have ever done before. It is quite dramatic, and in one scone I 'emote' all over the place. I suppose you hoard that we lost our poor littlo'josie (Mrs. F. Niblo) ■ last week. Fred, is absolutely a broken man. I have never seen anyone go to pieces so quickly. Of course, he has been under a terrible strain lor the last year. Tho doctors had given her up so often, and she would got well ior a week or two and then got worse than over again. For tho last six months she has had two trained nurses the whole time. So, of course, when tho end did come Fred, went to pieces. However, I Jiopo he will pick up quickly. We are going for a long moto.v tour as soon as my excursion into vaudeville is over. . .

Enid Bonnett is to play lead in a new play next 6eason to be produced by Henry Savage."

Ths American Invasion. . "As to the increasing importation of American plays there's no kiok (says a writer in London "Opinion")—on the contrary ire hope they'll push 'em along, providing they are'well worth the journey, as somo of the later ones certainly have been. What docs affright me a little is that, according to the observations of Cyril Maude, there havo been established in various parts of America educational institutions .set up for fho purpose of teaching everybody "the art and technique of playwriting." Reading a little deeper into this, my fears of possible rosults are lightened by the discovery of the hidden joke. Two of these factories for making high-guide dramatic authors at fixed terms are located in Minneapolis and Minnesota. 'Sense mo latf'n, but one of these mid-dle-west wonderlands gave us a specimen of tho local product in 'The College Widow.' Another institootion is called, The Carnegie, it is situated in that famous seat of erudition and relined thought, Pittsburg, and it teaches 'budding playwrights all about the grammar of acting for £8 a year." I'd like a sample of this real higliTgrade superfine Pittsburg stuff some day." Joke as they will, there is no denying the American play. It is as boldly persistent as the American bagman and American slang. Take the faro now being offered to Londoners—"Daddy Jjonglegs," "Romance," "Disraeli," "Hobson's Choice," "Mr. Manhattan," "Peg o' My Heart," and other plays, all running successfully cheek by jowl at the ono time. As far as Australia is concerned, there may as well bo no English plays wittou at all. Take' those now being played in Australia. At the latest "Ihe Boomerang" was running in Sydney and "Romance" in Melbourne, under the Williamson management, and they have recently produced. "It Pays to Advertise," "Twin Beds,"' "So Long, Letty," "High-Jinks," "On Trial," and revived "The Lion and the Mouse" and "The Third Degree," every ono American. So far wo have not been permitted to form an acquaintance with tho beautiful plays that have been written by Somerset Maugham, Vacholl, and such later plays by Pinero as "His House in Order," "The Thundorbolt," "Tho Big Drum," and to dream of dramatic refreshment by Shaw, Barker, or Galsworthy appears to be altogether out of the question. Yet "Justice," by the last-named English author, is one of tho big hits of tho present Now York season. So it is to America one has to journey to see the best English plnys.

A Stupid Protest: Protests made by the Commonwealth Vaudovillo Artists' Association of Australia against tho facilities which am being granted theatrical and vaudeville managers to go abroad and secure artists have failod to move the Minis-' ter for External Affairs, Mr. Malion. The association is anxious to obtain a greater share of employment for Australian artists during war time. The secretary of tho organisation, Mr. ]). Solomon, has boon in correspondence with Mr. Malion for some time with respect to his action granting permits to certain amusement managers, who are within the military age, to go to America to engage foreign artists for Australia. 'Hie association has strongly two tested against this action of the Minister, especially in viow of the fact that there is a largo number of vaudeville artists unemployed in Australia, who are quite capable of giving good performances. A suggestion was made to the Minister that the Contract Labourers Act should be amended bo as to include professional as well as manual labour, and to provido that contracts made for the importation of

theatrical artists would have to ho submitted to the Minister boforo the artists could be brought to Australia. Mr. Mahon, in a letter dated July 20, however, declined to withdraw the permits or to refuso to grant passports (says the- Melbourno "Ago"). Ho was pressed to alter his decision, but again declined. 1 do not know Mr. Solomon, but I do know many vaudeville performers and actors, and do not for one moment beliove that thoy harbour any really sincere dosiro to olose down on all importations, for by doing so they would act against their own interests. It is not to bo contemplated that tho public is to bo satisfied with tho one set of artists going round aud round, year in and year out, and Australia is not yet a big enough nation to jiavo a sufficient output to meet the demand. The logical conclusion would be' that tho public, tired of the samo old faces and acts, would grow sick of vaudeville, and by refusing to patronise tho shows would reduce the prestige of "artists." It is tho imported vaudeville performers who have raised the salaries in tho business, otherwise thoy would be on the samo low status (as regards salaries) as they wore in the days of Charles Hugo, and tho Ooghill Bros.' Minstrels. It is equally absurd to argue about shutting off the imported actor or.actress. It might not be impossible to -hark back to the stock company idea, bub it is only by seeing new faces and personalities that we in this little patch of earth in the Southorn Pacific aro able to get cither plays 01 players in anything approaching a true perspective.

A Promising Amateur. If I woro asked to select the perfromer of the greatest promise among tho comers-on in the "San Toy" cast, I should say Mr. Charles Moore, who played the minor role of Lieutenant Harvey Tucker. This young man has an exceptionally bold, vigorous, gritty, baritone voice, and a personality in keeping. It was a rare treat to bear him sing his little bits in tho concerted numbors, for no matter how rapid tho time was his overy word came out clean and sharp to the back wall of tho theatre. Moreover, he acted with intelligence, and is "just in height and general appearance.