THE SHOW BUSINESS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 185, 23 August 1937, Page 7

THE SHOW BUSINESS

-Presg Association.

Theatrical Revival is in Progress MORE MONEY IHE CAUSE

i " By Teleernnh-

AUCKLAND, Las.t Night. Last year was a good year for the theatre business; this year has -been even better, according to Sir Benjamin Fuller. "The theatro needs it, too," he said, "to overtake the lag of the de- | pression years. Better wages, more * leisure and the other factors opfirating j are sending more money through every- | body's "hiands . Of course, it goes out i again in taxation aud increased costs, ! but it is nice to have it passng through j your hands agian." j Sir Benjamin is spending % few .days j in Auckland before his returm to Australia next week and he spoke eagcrly j of the plans he and the other theatrij eal enterpreneurs had in mind for the ! greater servicing of New Zealand — ; uarticularly • with stagc shows of all j varieties. Ainong them, he said, they l would be maintiaining a consecutive j service for this country with produej tions ranging from vaudeville, musical ! comedy, drama and Shakespeare to grand opera. It was a xenaissance of the theatre which was evident throughout the j world. In London the theatre .was j thriving, and in New York it was ex- ; pccted that this season there would be ! a definite shortage of production houses. Though the pieture theatre was the : "brcad-and-butter" of the amuscment | world, there was a largo opening for I the sta^e show, though it had to be first-class to msake an impression. • Sir Benjamin pointed out that, without deprecating the pieture theatre j business, this revival of the stage was i a development that should be welcom- ! od everywhere, because of the economic j aspect. Commenting on the growth. of the i theatre in New Zealand, Sir Benjamin S rccalljed that he first landed ixt Auckj land in 1894, when, - comparativcly | speaking, it was merely a "sleepy i country town." New Zealand had now moro theatres, on a population basis, than any country in the world. There was a suggestion "in the wind" at the moment, he said, for the erection of a new production theatre in Auckland, but otherwise it was not likely that there would be aay more building for a while.