THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 99, 19 January 1918, Page 3

THE THEATRE

(By "Sylvius.") J. C. Williamson, Ltd. J. O. Williamson, Ltd., attractions to be produced during the year comprise a goodly list of successes. 'J. lie dramas'' includo "The Silent Witness, "Tho Easiest Way," "The Thirteenth Chair," "A Scrap of Paper," ' "General Post, "Tho Heart of Wetona." "The Man AYIIO Camo Back," "The Willow Tree." Amongst the comedies are tho following:—"A Tailor-made Man," "Business Before Pleasure,' "The Cindrella. Man," "Captain Kidd, Junr," "Hit-the-Trail Holiday," "Johnny Get Yonr Gun," "Nothing But the Truth," "Parlour, Bedroom, and Bath." Musical plays include:— "The Maid of the Mountains," ''Maytime," "The Aviator," "Oh, Boy, "Oh, Oh, Delphine," "What Next? The programme of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., 1 during 1918, therefore, promises to be an interesting and varied one. During the Melbourne season of Muriel Starr at the Theatre Royal will be produced "The Easiest Way, a drama of intense human interest and powerful dramatic action. The author is Eugene W alter, who wrote _ Paid m Full" and others plays which have won enormous success. "The Easiest Way" will make a strong appeal to the women, and yet fascinate the m in the Kathlene MacDoiicll production of "Peter Pan" at tlio Criterion, Sydney, has been appearing Melbourno Ward, the younger son of Mr. Hugh J. Ward. He' plays Nana, the dog-nurse, 111 the first act, and the lion 111 the second. "Thus," remarks a Sydney paper, "he may be said to have made his entrance into the profession on all fours." „ ... , , The Melbourne "Argus" published an interview with Miss } r era Pcaice, the principal boy of the .T. C. ilhamson pantomime, "Dick Tl\hittmgton. Mise Pearce made her first stage appearance as'a rabbit in aJ- j , liamson pantomime years ago, and ner evolution through years of training to the proud position of principal ucy was accomplished only by hard woia, training, and ambition. 11. must confess that now I have got so far I oa\e still other ambitions," said Miss Pearce to the interviewer. "I would love to do some dramatic work. I have done a little for the moving pictures, and perhaps the opportunity will come some day for dramatic work on the stage. I'm studying for it'all the time, and continually adding to my other studies, besides keeping up the ola ones. It's the only way. Success .and laziness can never go together.

Current Shows in London. The following interesting letter from Mr. Zante Wood, now on military service iii England, gives a sketchy outline of some of the chief theatrical attractions claiming attention 111 England. Mr. Wood will be well remembered as • a rather clever amateur entertainer and as a member of the Orphans Club: 1 "Of quite new productions, I only 1 had time for threo. These were llio . Saving Graco' (Haddon Chambers), in which Charles Hawtrey appears in a part perfectly suited to his clever comedy stvle; 'Wild Heather,' a play that I do not expect will achieve great success, being rather of uneven quality, and Barrio's exquisite phantasy, 'Dear Brutus,'- a thing beautiful 111 itself, and enhanced by the clever acting of Gerald du Mauricr and Faith Colli, a superb artist, and, I believe, a 'discovery' of du Manner's. Barne deals with tho tliome of a second chance. Would men and women be anything very different from what they are if a~second clianco was given them ? The second act takes placo in a fairy wood, 011 midsummer's eve, and there we find several people taking the second clianco. In the majority of cases, \ as far as worldly success; is concerned, ' there is no material difference. The ! chances let slit), tlio opportunities ! thrown away, all occur again, and the • net result is ti'-e same. To quoto from | Shakespeare: S 'The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in jj our stars, j But in ourselves, that we are under--3 lings.'. Hence the title. I am afraid I have j • tnven you a very noor idea of .the play, a ijut.it' can not, well bo summarised. It I is so beautiful, dainty, exquisite, whiinI sical (adjectives ad. lib.), and tho dia- ! logue, particularly tho scene between the arti'st and bis dren.ra-<laugbt.er (du Maurior and Faith Celli), is 0110 of tho lovliest things that even Barrie has i given us. ! "Among other productions that have S settled down to bis? successes,_ T. witjj ncss"tl 'Romance,' now in its third year '! at the Lyric, and nO i signs of its wcll--1 merited success abating. Doris_ Keajie plays 'La Cavallini,' an operatic star, 5 in a really wonderful manner; the epi- ] logito is very reminiscent of the last scene in 'Milestones.' A clever modern comedy is 'General Post,' notable for a particularly strong cast of characters. Norman M'Kinnell, George ( Tully, Lilian Braithwaite, and' Madge | Tithcradge share the honours. There j are only seven characters in the com- ! edv, and each and every one is excels lenlily portrayed. I believe you have I had 'A Little Bit of Fluff' in New ! Zealand. This farce has been playing ! to big business at the Criterion for | months now, and is very cleverly i handled. In less capable hands I J can easily imagine it being an awful | bore. Tlio Criterion Theatre is built f entirely under ground, and in' these I air-raid times, probably, that fact i (which' tho management don't forget \ to advertise) helps to fill the theatre. | Revues are on tlio wane, for which we aro truly thankful, for' the average S English revue was in reality a sad afi fair, and not to be compared to the i original -French revues, which always | included clever skits on the politics of s. the day, burlesque of popular contemj porary drama or opera, etc. But our > revues seemed to be a hotch-potch of

mediocre songs and jokes, a few novel scenic effects, and ample opportunity for scantily-clad chorus damsels to display tho latest thing in lingerie. 'Zig-Zag' at the Hippodrome is a big j show, but without Georgo Robev as chief laughter-raisor, would, I think, i soon fizzle out. It does not como up jj to tho first revile at the house, 'Hullo 5 Ragtime,' which I saw in 1913. 111 ! Liverpool I saw Harry Tate's revue | 'Good-bye-ee,' l now on tour, and/in which { Tate is funnier than ever. It is realj ly only a number of Tate's inimitable S sketches, with songs and dances sand- \ wiched in. Last Saturday I heard a ! fine symphony concert at Queen's J Hall. Russian music formed the main } part of the programme, the symphonit ette oi' Rimsky-Korsakov being the big | attraction, It was tho first performS ance of this work in London, and it (j was well received. Mme. Kirkby £j Lunn sang an aria from 'Titus' (Mo- | start), and later two French songs, I 'Testament' (Henri Dupa-re), 'Coeur | Solitaire' (Moreau), these also being I new to the London public. Miss Rojj sina Buckmann is appearing in grand i opera at Drury Lane, and is a first favourite with London audiences. Ani other Now Zealand vocalist making ji good here is Miss Thelma Petersen, ; whoso work has improved beyond all I conception. She frequently appears 5 with the Queen's Hall Orchestra (Sir Henry Wood), and has just been en- • gaged for this season's Chappell's Bali lad Concerts. Miss Petersen is spec- [ ialising in Russian songs, and was tho * first artist in London to sing Grechlaninor's sombre song 'The Dreary Steppe,' which she introduced at ono of her Queen's Hall appearances." Notes, ' Tho Trio Classique, at present appearing at His Majesty's Theatre, eontains members of tho renowned Kennedy family of musicians: Laurie, the — 'celiist and cornet-player, and' Lance,

tho flautist. 'Their vaudeville offering is of a high-class musical genre, and is creating n nightly furore.- The standard of duller acts is becoming very high with the recruiting in tho ranks of vaudeville of so many well-known concert platform and grand opera stars. So successful has tho big Fuller pantomime been at the Sydney Opera House that the management lias instituted a series of daily matinees, in lieu of tho single weekly matinee. This is something like a record when out considers that they have just experienced a huge holiday rusli season. Leonard Nelson and Nellie Black, both well known 011 the Fuller circuit, were at latest appearing in Kobe, Japan.