A “Cradle-Snatcher” Talks of the Theatre

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 196, 8 November 1927, Page 9

A “Cradle-Snatcher” Talks of the Theatre

MISS SLOANE’S EXPERIENCES

TOO MANY “NASTY” PARTS Musical comedy, comedy, drama and the films—Miss Olive Sloane has appeared in them all. Few actresses of to-day can claim such a wide acquaintance with all branches of her art. Although she is still young, she has appeared in an extraordinary number of successes *in almost every London theatre, and with most of the leading players on the London stage to-day. Miss Sloane arrived from Sydney by the Marama to-day with the other members of the “Cradle Snatchers” company. She has been playing the leading role since the play was first staged in Australia and is now including New Zealand in her list of ‘‘countries I have played in.” Miss Sloane is emphatic about the “nasty” parts which every playwright seems to delight in writing at the present time. “There are too many of them,” she declared this morning. “Too many nasty parts. I can’t stand them. If I can’t get the part I like I shall give up the stage in live years’ time. I detest the constant giggling which seems to be part of a farce or comedy these days. “I rather think managers have given up trying to get good English plays,” continued Miss Sloane in answer to a question about English writers. “I think Somerst Maugham is doing some of the best work. His plays are excellent. Frederick Lonsdale, too, is very good.” Miss Sloane numbers Lonsdale among her personal friends and she says that he gets the material for his comedies while riding in the train or the steamer or while sitting in a bar.

Any good line he hears he jots it down and uses it at the first opportunity. There are few beautiful plays being written by Englishmen at the present time, continued Miss Sloane. Those which are beautifully written, like Flecker’s “Hassan,” do not enjoy long Proof of Miss Sloane s versatility can be gained from the fact that after playing in light comedy she went into “Lick Whittington” as principal boy and then back to drama. Her London successes have been many. She played in “The Last Warning,” “The Flame (with Violet Vanbrugh), “The Camel’s Back” (with the late Frank Curzon). “London Life” (at Drury Lane), “The Adding Machine” (Elmer Rice’s clever but ill-fated play), “Easy Money’ (under the Reandean management), “Anyhouse” (Tennyson Jesse), “The Beggar on Horseback,” and “The Padre,” her last performance in London. In addition to these plays Miss Sloane was for 10 years in musical comedy and has pjayed in a dozen films, including the film version of “Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime.” She has many amusing experiences to tell of “Cradle Snatchers.” In Melbourne the police came on the first night full of the sternest duty, but they came for the following nights because thev were so thoroughly amused.