Who's Who With Dion Boucicault

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 146, 10 September 1927, Page 22 (Supplement)

Who's Who With Dion Boucicault

Experienced Players THEIR PAST PERFORMANCES Two main points may be observed in the list of names of members of the company with which Dion Boucicault and Irene Vanbrugh are returning to Australia and New ZealandOne is that most of the people, young or less young, are players ot' experience; and the other is that several have been “born in the profession.” Here is something, about a number of the leading members of the company : Norman McKinnel has played a variety' of parts in modern comedy and drama. To name just a few, he was the Devil in “Don Juan in Hell,” from Bernard Shaw’s “Man and Superman”; John Anthony in Galsworthy’s strike play, “Strife”; King Lear; Halvard Solness in Ibsen’s “Master Builder”; Prince Patiomkin in Shaw’s “Great Catherine”; Guido Colonna in Maeterlinck’s "Monna Vanna”; Sir Dennys Broughton in the wartime play “General Post”: Lucius Leniham in Lennox Robinson’s Parnell play, “The Lost Leader”; Sir Leslie Caryll in “A Voice from the Minaret,” by Robert Hichens; Oliver Blayds, the aged poet, in A. A. Milne’s “The Truth About Blayds,” which was a Vanbrugh-Boucicault production; John Brown in the comedy "Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife”; Sylvanus Hey thorp in Galsworthy's “Old English”; Thomas Whamond in Barrie’s "Little Minister,” and the Policeman in the same author’s “A Kiss for Cinderella.” Mr. McKinnel was stage director of the Hay market Theatre for some time, and he has been in management at the Vaudeville and Comedy Theatres. He is the author of an effective one-act play, “The Bishop’s Candlesticks,” founded on an incident in Victor Hugo’s “Les Miserables.” His favourite part is Morrell in Shaw’s “Candida.” Prudence Vanbrugh, of the new company, is a young niece of Irene Vanbrugh—the daughter of her sister Violet. In three* of the annual revivals of “Peter Pan” (1912-13-14) Miss Prudence was one of the children, "Curley”; and her “grown-up debut” was made in the same play in 1922 as Mrs. Darling. She has taken Shakespearean parts at Stratford-on-Avon and elsewhere, and she succeeded Pay Compton as the Princess Flavia in a revival of “The Prisoner of Zencla.” She toured with her mother as .Helen de Lys in “The Flame,” and she has played that part ‘and others in London in the hist few years. G wynne Whitby, another young actress of the Boucicault company, has taken up parts which had been played by Meggie Albanesi (Elizabeth in John Hastings Turner’s “The Lilies of the Field”) and Olga Lindo (Mrs. Kemp in “The Likes of Her” and Mrs. Ross in “The Will”). Miss Whitby was born at Leamington, Warwickshire, and was instructed in stage work by her father, the late Arthur Whitby, and at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her hrst appearance was made in childhood, when she was a sprite, in “Shakespeare’s Dream.” For a year, while still very youthful, she was in “Chu Chin Chow,” and among her parts in the last five or six years have been Mariana in "Blood and Sand,” from the Blasc.o Ibanez novel; Low Uoong in a revival of “Mr. Wu”; Amy Spet.tigue in one of the annual presentations of “Charley’s Aunt”; and Brunton and Miss Lacey in “London Life,” by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock. Annie Saker was “born in the profession,” being a daughter of Maria Saker and grand-daughter of Horace Saker. She began stage work as a child in “Hypatia,” at the Haymarket under the management of Beerbohm Tree, and afterwards appeared with Charles Wyndham in ingenue roles. Under the management of Cyril Maude and Frederic Harrison, was in "Under the Red Robe,” and understudied the leading woman, Eva Moore. On tour she played many leading parts in romantic plays and in popular comedy, drama and melodrama. Among plays in which Miss Saker has appeared in London have been “The Prince and the Begrgar-maid,” "The Story of the Rosary,” “The Silver Crucifix,” “Seven Days’ Leave,” “The Female Hun,” “Boy of My Heart” and “The Under Dog.” Evidently she has ability which some of these titles would not indicate for appearance in such comedies and dramas as those chosen for the Australian season. Interesting productions were at other theatres at the time of the first "Flora doru” season in Melbourne in 1900, which the recent revival has recalled. At the Princess there was a “Cinderella” pantomime, with Nellie Stewart as the Prince, Elise Cook as Cinderella, and Emmie Owen as Dandini. At the Royal Bland Holt was presenting the melodrama, “With Flying Colours.” by Seymour Hicks and Fred. G. Latham. Mr. Holt’s very strong company of that period consisted of Frances Ross, Jennie Opie, Harrie Ireland, Adela Kerr, Elsie Watson, Brightie Smith (playing child parts), Jennie Pollock, Ida Ingersole. Walter Baker, Albert Norman, Arthur Styan, Charles Brown, INI. F. Kemp, Alfred Harford, Max Maxwell, A. Scarlett E. B. Russell, E. C. Corlesse, W. Watson, C. Wheeler, Harold Carr, Young Stewart “and a host of auxiliary lid.” Harry Rickards had left the old Opera House for the Bijou, and on Boxing Night he gave his vaudeville programme at the Gaiety as well. Lottie Collins was the “star” of a fno programme. Many of these players are remembered by Aucklanders,