STAGE FOLK

Evening Star, Issue 22454, 26 September 1936, Page 6

STAGE FOLK

Four one-act plays will be presented by the Dunedin Little Theatre Society on October 1. The plays are ‘ Thirty Minutes in a Street,’ ‘ Little Glass Houses,’ ‘ Recoil,’ and ‘ Marriage in Fancy Dress,’ the winning play in the British Draina League’s competition for original plays. The next major production of the Dunedin. Repertory Society, will be Clemence ■ Dane’s three-act dramatic play, ‘ A Bill of Divorcement,’ which will be presented early in November, with Miss Bessie Thomson as producer. ‘ A Bill of Divorcement ’ was first played in St. Martin’s Theatre, London, in 'March, 1921. The first country branch to be affiliated to the Dunedin Little Theatre Society is the Ranfurly Society. Members of the society visited Ranfurly on Saturday, where they presented three one-act plays, ‘ Chinese White,’ ‘ The Actress,’ and ‘ The Hotel Porter.’ After the presentation a meeting was held, at which plans were formulated for the n.ew society. Similar arrangements are being made in Balclutha. It is an interesting circumstance that once again Frederick Blackman, the J. C. Williamson Ltd. producer, is associated with a revival of ‘ The Merry Widow ’ for the firm at Melbourne. Mr Blackman, who has staged many productions for J. C. Williamson Ltd. since he came to Australia from London, started his career as stage manager at Daly’s Theatre for the late George Edwardes, and subsequently became his leading producer, being associated with many delightful productions at that notable theatre, including ‘ The Merry Widow, ‘ Madame Pompadour,’ and ‘ Whirled Into Happiness.’ Mr Blackman Has many interesting reminiscences of the original production in London of Lehar’s ever-popular opera. Musical critics in Australia, where he has just concluded a phenomenal season, agreed that the art of Richard Crooks, America’s foremost tenor, rests firmly on the tradition of values of tone and line. “It is bel canto singing in its purity,” said one. “ His lieder singing links up all the emotional depths ana subtleties of Schubert, Brahms, and Strauss with the flawless aesthetic of his Italian singing style,” wrote another. All have been impressed with his well-rounded art, and his mastery of the finesse of technique, and generally concede that Richard Crooks joins the company of great tenors of our own and recent times. This smiling, genial, handsome American of athletic build, will commence his New Zealand tour at Wellington Town Hall on September 29; he goes to Christchurch for recitals on October 3-7; Dunedin, October 5; Auckland, October 10-13-15. Fred. Schauwecker, his accompanist, plays with an admirable sense of balance, and a firm, yet delicate adjustment of the keyboard to all the circumstances of the tenor’s work. Messrs Tait promise a rare treat for music lovers in the forthcoming visit of the notabo singer.

The elaborate nature of the ballets which are to be presented throughout Australia and New Zealand by the world-famous Monte Carlo Russian Ballet, under the. management of J. C. Williamson Ltd., is indicated by the fact that the wardrobe of the company comprises no fewer than 2,000 costumes, which have been designed by some of the world’s greatest artists and designers. Some of the members of the company taking part in the divertissements as well as the ballets will change their costumes at each performance 30 times. There are 24 ballets in the repertoire, which have been prepared for the Austialian and New Zealand tour by such world-famous choreographers as Michael Fokine, Leonide Massine. Georges Bnlanchini, and Bronislava Nijinska. There will be two musical conductors, Jascha Horenstein and Henri Morin. This company has had a wonderfully successful season at Covent Garden Opera House, London, where it has entranced crowded audiences for more than three months.