Good Plays by New Company

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 810, 2 November 1929, Page 26

Good Plays by New Company

AUSTRALIAN ORGANISATION TO COMBAT TALKIES GREGAN McMAHON AT HELM A new theatrical organisation, known as the Gregan McMahon Players, has been formed in Australia. Mr. McMahon will both act and produce, and the productions will be staged by arrangement with Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller. The season opened last Saturday in Melbourne with Drinkwater's “Bird in Hand.” Several other fine productions are to be done, including: “The Fanactics,” by Miles Malleson, Percy Robinson’s “To What Red Hell,” and “A Messago from Mars,” Robert Ganthony’s old play, which will be revived as a Christmas attraction. The repertoire also includes Somerset Maugham’s “The Circle,” "Jacob’s

Ladder,” by Norman Macowen; Robert Millar’s “Thunder in the Air,” and St John Ervine’s “Jane Clegg.” The company includes Beatrice Day, Gerald Kay Souper, Bonita Appleton, Leal Douglas, Campbell Copelin, Ellis Irving, Frederick Hughes and Leonard Stephens. Mr. A. Ben Fuller said that the intention was to present good plays, which had a human and popular appeal. Admission charges would be less than was usually made in the theatres, but the acting talent and the production would be just as good.

“Though the talkies have struck a blow at the stage, they have no-t killed it,” added Mr. Fuller. “In fact, we are confident that there will soon be a revival of interest in it. The stage has had to encounter various forms of opposition, and it has always survived them, because the human element has the strongest appeal. And now we are going to give the public an opportunity to witness the production of good plays at prices considerably lower than they have to pay in the best -talkie theatres.”