STAGELAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 768, 14 September 1929, Page 26

STAGELAND

FIXTURES

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE Now Playing: Westminster Glee Singers. October 8: “Dracula” and “No. 17,” Nat. Madison and Bertha Riccardo. November 27: “Tile Desert Song,” Lance Fairfax. COMING “This Year of Grace,” Maisie Gay. ST. JAMES THEATRE Now Playing: “Rio Rita,” Gladys Moncrieff. COMING Nikola, magician. Hector St. Clair Revue Company. "Lido Lady." "Baby Cyclone” and “Good News,” Elsie Prince and Jimmy Godden. CONCERT CHAMBER Now Playing: "Mrs. Moonlight,” Little Theatre Society. September 19: Dennis Barry Recital September 25-28: "The Scrape o' the Pen,” St. Andrew’s Society.

Joseph Coyne may return to Australia and New Zealand in a repertory of farces. Frank Royde, here with “Young Woodley” will appear with Nat Madison in "Dracula” and "No 17.” The Westminster Glee Singers will begin their season at His Majesty's Theater this evening. This may be the last occasion on which such an organisation will visit the Dominion. Two more thrillers are to be presented in Auckland on October 8. One is "Dracula” and concerns vampires, the other is “No 17.” Nat Madison will be supported by Bertha Riccardo, Helga Rolunde, Andrew Money, Leonard Stephens, Ellis Irving, Ashton Jarry, Guy Hastings and Campbell Copelin. The Italian Government has banned the war play, “Journey’s End.” It is understood in London that there is no special opposition to “Journey’s End,” but that it is banned in accordance with the Rome Government’s general policy of prohibiting war plays.

By COTHURNUS

In a message from Irene Vanbrugh, recently bereaved by the death of Dion Boucicault, she says that she is staying at home in the country at present, but intends before long to return to London and take up again the work which has always been so dear to her. The production in French of “Journey’s End” is fixed for September 22 at the Theatre Edouard VII. in Paris. By that time 12 companies, including a German one in Berlin, will be playing this fine war dr.ama. Miss Statham, the daughter of the Hon. Sir Charles Statham, Speaker of the House of Representatives, is a visitor to Sydney. If a suitable opening should offer in the theatrical realm, the Wellington girl may consider remaining across the Tasman. BACK TO LONDON Margaret Bannerman in Disappointing Play In 1915 Margaret Bannerman was in. the chorus of “Tina” at the Adelphi Theatre, London. Last month she returned there for the first time as leading lady in “The Tiger in Men.”

It was her first London appearance since her return from Australia and New Zealand. The trouble with the play, which concerns an expedition to the Malayan jungle, is that one always feels and hopes that the big thrill is coming, but it never quite does so, writes a London critic. Miss Bannerman plays the girl, who is rather an obstinate, opinionated person, with a quiet sincerity that is appealing, and she looks beautiful —perhaps just a trifle too beautiful and tidy for the Malay jungles. lan Hunter is admirable as the Englishman, and the author has his big acting moment in the second act as the nerve-wracked Frenchman. COMING SHOWS J.G.W. Plans For Future MANY NEW PRODUCTIONS Interesting announcements were made by Sir George Tallis when be gave an outline of J. C. Williamson plans for the coming year, and commented on theati'ical conditions abroad. Sir George said that Lynne Overman would probably be brought to Australia for the big role in “Little Accident.” This comedy by Floyd Dell and Thomas Mitchell had its London premiere at the Apollo last April with a cast headed by Mr. Overman. Sir George expects that Australia will like Leo Carillo, who opens in Sydney this month in Lombardi, Ltd.,” a tliree-aet comedy by Frederic and Fanny Hutton. “Hold Everything” will be the next musical comedy to be staged by the company which played “The Five O’clock Girl.” Both Alfred Frith and Gus Bluett will be In the cast. The story of “Hold Everything” concerns two boxers. It was staged :.t the London Palace last June with George Gee and John Kirby in the cast. “Follow Through,” in which the heroine wins a golf championship, will be staged at the end of the year or the beginning of 1930. “Two of the biggest musical comedy successes in London are ‘Mr. Cinders,’ which J. C. Williamson, Ltd., produced in London recently, and ‘Love Lies,’ written by Stanley Lupino and Arthur Rigby with music by Hal Brody. These will be produced in Australia in 1930.” The next musical play will be “New Moon,” which will be given its Australian premiere in Melbourne by “The Desert Song” company at the end of this year or in January. Sir George says that he met Maurice Moscovitch in London, but that actor was still experiencing difficulty in obtaining good plays that would be suitable for him in Australia. “The outstanding dramatic success was ‘Journey’s End,’ which has now reached many countries and when I left England was being rehearsed by eight companies. ‘Murder on the Second Floor,’ at the London Lyric and the new Edgar Wallace play ’Person Unknown’ were obtained for Australia. The company headed by Nat Madison will stage ‘Murder on the Second Floor’ here. This is an excellent play written by a young English actor, Frank Vosper. Sir George added that though musical plays were well up to standard this had been a comparatively lean year from a dramatic point of view. Both the new plays by Bernard Shaw and Galsworthy had been failures. However, clever young dramatists like R„ C. Sherriff and Vosper had come: forward and opportunity would faring others into the limelight.

Among the passengers who arrived at Wellington by the Rotorua from England was Constance Burleigh, a prominent English actress, who figures in plays of the Bernard Shawtype. Miss Burleigh is making a holiday visit to New Zealand. Diana Wilson will shortly leave England on a tour of South Africa. This actress, who was so popular in New Zealand a few years ago, was in Canada recently. Miss Wilson has also appeared in one or two English film productions. LESLIE FABER Death in London at Age of 49 Leslie Faber, the actor-manager, died in London recently from heart failure at the age of 49. He had been ill for more than a fortnight, suffering from pneumonia and pleurisy, and an operation was performed. Mr. Faber, the 3'ounger son of a former Consul-General for Denmark, made his first stage appearance as a member of Sir Frank Benson’s company 31 years ago. He has played tin “Outward Bound,” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “Havoc” and “The Great Adventure.” Last year he became associated ias an actor-manager with Ronald 'Squire, their first enterprise (in conjunction with Lady Wyndham) being ithe presentation of “By Candle Light” jat the Criterion. It is the play with the longest run at present in London. In 1915 Mr. Faber gave up a large [salary in “Diplomacy” in New York jto come home to join the Army. He won the Military Cross, became a major, and was taken prisoner by the Germans in 1918. He was married in 1902 to a daughter of the late Henry Arthur Jones, •the dramatist. He was divorced in j 1922, and married, in 1923, Gladys Gray, an actress. LONDON SHOWS Barrie and Shaw to Be Revived COSTLY PRODUCTIONS Shakespeare is off; Barrie and Shaw are coming on. Both Sir Gerald du Maurier and Robert Loraine are to play revivals, writes William Pollock, in the London “Daily Mail.” Sir Gerald has chosen Barrie’s “Dear Brutus,” which provides him with one of his best parts—Mr. Dearth, and Mr. Loraine is putting on “Major Barbara” in a double bill (his other piece is Strindberg’s “The Father”) at the Apollo in place of the short-lived modern dress version of “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” Despite—or because of—all its not unamusing modern touches and allusions, Oscar Osche could get only an eight performances run out of “The Merry Wives.” The fact seems to be that people are not in the mood for Shakespeare. The “Old Vic” is peculiar, and its success is very difficult to duplicate elsewhere. Romeo—ln Revue Style? All the same, there may be something in C. B. Cochran’s idea that if a Shakespeare play were produced with the speed and the slickness of revue there would be a public for it.

He sometimes talks of trying the experiment with "Romeo and Juliet.” Jean Forbes-Robertson should be the Juliet, but who could be the Romeo? “Dear Brutus” is to be done at the Playhouse, not at the St. James’s, the theatre at which Sir Gerald du Maurier has played since he left Wyndham’s. “The New Moon” has been withdrawn from the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, and “Rose Marie” is to be revived there. Sir Alfred Butt has given the reasons for this change: “ ‘The New Moon’ is playing to what is probably the second best theatre business in London —more than £4,000 a week in box office receipts—but the profits do not justify us in keeping it on. It is not sufficient to make only two hundred and something pounds a week out of a theatre such as Drury Lane. £1,587 Artists’ Salaries “It may seem that any piece which is drawing fully £4,000 a week is a success. In a way ‘The New Moon’ is a success, but the weekly r-unning expenses of it are very high.” Apart from the rent of the theatre, Sir Alfred gave the following outgoings, taken at random from an ordinary week: Artists’ salaries, £1,587; author’s and composers’ fees, £543; orchestra, £279; stage staff, £231; lighting and warming, £188; advertising, £330; house staff, £199; upkeep of wardrobe, £l3l. Various other payments, such as National Health Insurance £27, stationery £l4, dressers’ wages £32, wigmaker £4O, flowers for front of the house £7 and laundry £l4, may be added to this. Another of Sir Alfred Butt’s theatres, the Queen’s, is to have a new Frederick Lonsdale comedy, “Canaries Sometimes Sing,” as its autumn production. Like Mr. Lonsdale’s "On Approval,” this Is another four characters play, -with a part for Ronald Squire—already engaged—and a part for Yvonne Arnaud, if she is free to play it.