STAGELAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 212, 26 November 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

STAGELAND

(By

COTHURNUS

FIXTURES , HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE Xow Playing: Gilbert and Sullivan j Opera Co. December 10-17: Hawaiian Troubadors. December 19-20: "Carmen,” Madame Irene Ainsley. December 21 to January 4: "Hose Marie.” CONCERT CHAMBER December S, 9, 10 and 12: Auckland Little Theatre Society: “Pygmalion.” COMING “Tell Me More.” “Tip Toes “Castles In the Air.”

The bookings are particularly heavy for the Auckland season of "Ruddigore,” which will open at His Majesty’s Theatre this evening. Many favourites are in the cast. Annie Croft, a London musical comedy star, has been engaged to play leading roles in J. C. Williamson productions and has arrived in Australia. She will appear in “The Desert Song,” now at Drury Lane; “Hit the Deck” and “The Girl friend.” Auckland is to see grand opera with an all-Auckland cast. Madame Irene Ainsley the well-known contralto, will present “Carmen” at His Majesty’s Theatre on December 19 and 20. Miss Daphne Knight will arange the ballets. “Carmen” is full ot' the colour of Spain and contains many beautiful ballets. The opera should receive splendid support from Aucklanders. lhe photographs of those who will take part in the Auckland Little Theatre Society’s production of “Pygmalion” are all from Tornquist’s Studio. Mr. Tornquist is always ready to assist amateur theatricals and a most valuable method is by means of the camera. A charming study of Lynda Murphy has appeared on this page.

The Little Art Theatre Company will commence its next season with a production of Sudermann's play, “The Fires of St. John,” at the Queen’s Hall, Melbourne. This play, which caused something of a sensation when staged in Melbourne and Sydney by Nance O’Neill some years ago, wiil be followed by Galsworthy’s “Joy” on the larger stage of St. Peter's I-lall, and Shaw’s “Major Barbara.” The plays will be under the direction of J. Beresford Fowler.

Back to British

Plays and Films BIG CHANGE IN ENGLAND <• British films are succeeding, American plays are failing—that is the current, vastly interesting, and important trend of entertainment affairs in London. The film-going and play-going publics are obviously becoming j*ided, tired, and impatient, and if the importers do not see the danger-lights some of them are going to burn their fingers badly, writes William Pollock in the “Daily Mail.” Half a dozen imported plays have lately had very short shrift; two or three more are shortly going to disappear from London theatres; and you have only to glance at the audiences which “Thark,” “Lady Luck,” “On Approval,” “Yellow Sands,” “Interferference,” which Sir Gerald du Maurier tells rue is going to run well over Christmas “The High Road,” and “One Dam Thing After Another,” are attracting, to know which way the wind is blowing in the theatre. Here and there an imported piece is doing well —examples are “The Father” (thanks largely to Robert Lorain e’s wonderful acting in it), “Oh, Kay!’* which the Prince of Wales saw some evenings ago, and which, Gertrude Lawrence told me the other evening in her funny little quick-change dressing room at the back of the stage, is packed at most performances; “The Girl Friend,” “The Silver Cord,” and, of course “The Desert Song”—but there is no doubt that just as people are becoming heartily sick of the ordinary, machine-made American film so are they heartily sick of mediocre imported plays. No one knows in advance what the play-going public wants, but it most certainly does not want sickly sentimental plays such as “The Music Master, false and—to my mind—badly cast plays such as “Seventh Heaven,” and weak, oldfashioned, short-story ish plays such as “The Climax,” all of which were out of joint with the times. But gratifying and pleasant though all this may be, the worst possible thing that could happen for the theatre in general would be for managers completely to ignore and neglect foreign plays. It is a platitude to say that the art of the theatre, like every other art, must be international to be healthy and so long as foreign plays are worth while they must be welcome here. It is not at all astonishing that New York audiences did not care about “Yellow Sands,” but it will be disappointing if they do not go to see “The Fanatics,” and “And So To Bed,” both of which are shortly to be produced there. Richard Bird has gone to play the leading man’s part in “The Fanatics.” and . Yvonne Arnaud is going with “And So 1-To Bed*”

Regatta, a new play by Sutton Vane, author of “Outward Bound/’ recently had a two weeks’ tour in the English provinces before its production in the West End. The rush for Christmas booking has set in in the London theatres. Early in October there was not a seat left unbooked in some of the theatres where musical shows were playing. “Miss Julie,” a Strindberg play which, has failed to pass the censor, was produced by the Playroom Six in London recently. The company included Douglas Burbidge, Olga Martin and Hilda Maude. It was preceded by “Pariah,” also by Strindberg. “The Wrecker,” a mystery play by Arnold Ridley (author of "The Ghost Train”) and Bernard Merivale, is to be produced in the English provinces and will then go to the West End. Mollie Kerr, Edna Davies, Kenneth Kent and George Elton will be in the cast. A new romantic musical play. “The Call of the Legion,” will shortly be produced in London. It has been adapted by Vera Beringer from Major P. C. Wren’s novel, “The Wages of Virtue.” Leading parts will be taken by Mai Bacon (the Australian) and Edmund Willard.

PITY THE CRITIC

♦- 4 JT'O/C some reason which dramatic critics themselves can never satisfactorily explain, they arc regarded by many actors and actresses as fearsome personages ■who, having sat through a. performance in complete ignorance of the fact, that there is the slightest merit in cither the performers or the play, retire to their fastnesses with, the single object of writing devastating notices.

Particularly is this so in America. One critic in New York is said to be so outspoken that players open the paper in the morning with tears all ready in their eyes.

ft is related that recently an “alleged” comedy was produced in New York, and one writer concluded his notice of the performance with this sentence: “daughter coming from the rear rows indicated that somebody ivas telling a joke back there.”

How G. M. Cohan Writes Successes

Energy and Skill NO TIME WASTED Many of George M. Cohan’s musical comedies have been played in Auckland, and the following account of how he works will be of interest: His name is a household word in America for energy and skill in writing drama, musical comedy, and popular songs. Edward Dunn, long his personal representative, was asked the other day: “How do you account for I Mr. Cohan’s success?” Mr. Dunn said: ' “Cohan was born in the theatre and cradled in a theatre trunk. His father and mother were players. As a child he was around the theatre much of the time, and acquired a great love for it.” “What training did he ever have for his writing career?” “Very little. He is a great reader—lie reads everything. “When he was about 20 he realised that if he was to win large success in the theatre he would have to educate himself.” “How does he write?” “He writes rapidly at times, and at other times he will meditate for hours, but when he starts to write he writes rapidly. Tie uses a pencil, never dictates, finds it impossible to dictate to a stenographer. He turns his material

A Little Theatre Society Player

over to the stenographer, and has it i typed, and then edits it himself. He seldom makes changes, does not rewrite much —just adds or cuts.” ‘•Hoes he, in starting his work, use an outline or schedule?” “He gets an idea for a play, and assembles his characters in his mind. To this he gives a great deal of thought—perhaps weeks, perhaps months. But when he sits down to write he can turn nut a play in 10 days, because he has it all marshalled in his mind, and it is very easy for him to put it on paper.” "How does he write music?”’ “George played the violin at 10 years, but he can play the piano only with one finger. When he gets the melody j ip his head, he digs it out with one j finger, and hums it po himself. Then j he calls i'* his musical director, who takes it down like a stenographer.” “About business acumen—has he a. quick knowledge of business practice?” “He has a great memory for figures I and dates. For instance, if some old- ' timer happened to mention an old song, which is about 30 years old. the chances nre that Mr. Cohan will start . right out and sing that lyric, even i though it is not his own.”

Thurza Rogers, now on her way to London, may soon go back to classical dancing. She has heard that Anton Dolin contemplates the formation of a British combination of dancers. There are many noted dancers who are British, but have taken Russian names. “Cairo Moon” is the song-hic of “Archie,” now being played in Sydney with Elsie Prince and Jimmy Godden in the lead. With a few trifles in makeup, appropriate to the characters, they depict in apearance and speech a surprising range of types. In turn they are Japanese, Scots, Lancashire, French, and Cockney. Truly is it a triumph in humorous characterisation. Others who share in the vocal honours of the production are Elsie Parkes, Leonard Rich and Charlton Morton.

Mr. John Farrell has received definite information from Sydney that “Rose Marie” will open in Auckland on December 23.

There is quite a host of ex-J. C. Williamson stars in the London production of “Hit The Lech.'’ Josie Melville, of “Sally” fame, is understudying Ivy Tresmand, the lead. Mamie Watson, of “The O’Brien Girl” and other pieces, Ellen Pollock, here with Maurice Moscovitclr, and Elsie Prince’s sisters are also in the cast. “The Cuckoo in the Tsest,” is listed for the Criterion, Sydney, on December 3. It is a farce-comedy, based on the Ben Travers novel of the same title. An English production, it will be played by an entirely new English company, headed by Hastings Lynn. The story centres in Rev. Sloley Jones, “who arrives everywhere at the wrong moment,” and whose fatal tendency to create scandal leads to endless humorous complications.