NEW ZEALANDER'S PLAY IN LONDON

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 31, 30 October 1937, Page 8

NEW ZEALANDER'S PLAY IN LONDON

The opening night at the Adelphi L'heatre, London, of "The Laughing 3avalier," a romantic musical play by ;he New Zealand author, Mr P. Stafford Byrne, of Wellington, and Mr S. Wainwright Morgan of Christchurch, who jomposed the music, was a brilliant success, according to a cable recently xeceived by the anthor's sister, Mrs M. Chapman, of Ross. The story of the play, which was first produced on October 12, was based on the famous por* trait of the same name by Franz Hals, and is hinged on the expression of the subject of the picture. The Adelphi Theatre has been redecorated to siiit the play, and an ex« cellent cast has been engaged, including Irfene Eisinger, a soprano, who for several seasonsh as been such a success at the Glyndbebourno feticals, Nora Swinburne, Charles Heslop, comedian, Yiola Tree, and Nini Theilade, the wellknown hallerina. The play is very spectacular and beautiful. In includes seventeenth century Dutch dances, with Dutch': music of the period, and no expense has been spared to make the production a' success. Mr Morgan 's music is bright, melodious,; and lilting. Mr Byrne and Mr Morgan have for some time been collaborating in delicate and amusing plays with music. When staged at the Chanticleer Theatre^ in South Kensington, they have proved very popular, -and some" have been, repeated further afield to larger audiences. "The Laughing Cavalier" is something altogether more ambitious. The story starts\and ends in the Wallace Collection, but the main part is set in the studio of Franz Hals in 1624, the year the picture — originally known as a "Half-length Portrait of an Officer" —was painted. There ares ix or seven scenes, and the action is practically continuos. Mr • Byrne recently appeared in "Pride and Prejudice," and in Noel Coward's play "Red Peppers." In Jnly he acted "Comus" in Hyde Park. and also appeared in two of Noi^ Coward's sketches "Fumed Oak" and "Family Album."