STAGELAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 934, 29 March 1930, Page 25

STAGELAND

FIXTURES HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE „ Y' v ’ Paying.—“ Mercenary Mary,” pany 16 Forbes Musical Comedy Comn,C°<?inE ~ Leon Gordon: "Murder on the Second Floor.” and other plays. Clem Dawe: “Cove Lies.” ST. JAMES THEATRE Now Playing.— Talking pictures. THEATRE INDEFINITE Quiet on the Waterfront, Auckland University Students. CONCERT CHAMBER April s. Alexander Watson recitals. R A p r ' l ,. 2 ' 3 > 4 and s.—“ The Man They Buried, Little Theatre Society. May 9,10.—“ The New Morality,” lunds for Obstetric Appeal. Violet Lorraine, who toured New Zealand many years ago, made one or ner rare appearances on the Loadon stage recently in aid of the Variety Artists’ Orphans. She retired trom the stage when she married. * * * Thurza Rogers, the Wellington girl who danced in Pavlova’s company, is dancing at the English music halls with her partner, Edward Lascelles, who was also a member of the Pavlova Ballet. The all-women cast of 16 actresses m “Nine-Till-Six fc ” Mrs. C. B. Cochran s first production in London, gave a cocktail party to the all-men cast of Journey’s End” on the stage of the Apollo Theatre after matinee performances of these plays.

When Richard White and Eric Edgley, together with the other members of their family, were gaining then- first experience of the theatrical business, with the well-known dancing troupe, “The Eight Lancashire Lads,” one of the things their teacher was most particular about was precision and team work in ' dancing. Profiting by this knowledge White and Edgley have instilled the same ideas into the young Australian ballet which is a feature of the production of “Love Lies,” the musical comedy success from the Gaiety Theatre, London.

By COTHURNUS. OUTSPOKEN PLAY “The Man They Buried” Controversy in London LITTLE THEATRE PRODUCTION “The Man They Buried,” the comedy of fear, which is to be the next production by the Auckland Little Theatre Society, is almost sure to raise a controversy as it did in London. Karen Bramson’s play is outspoken and daring to a degree. It treats a subject vital to mankind, which has rarely been touched on the stage and never before with such penetrating effect. Scandinavian playwrights, and those of Europe generally, have a vastly 1 different outlook on life from that of ! the average Englishman. For this reason alone “The Man They Buried” will be welcomed by members and supporters of the repertory movement in Auckland. The comedy is true repertory, and an excellent example of the work of one of the foremost women playwrights. It is to he hoped that this first production of the year will be followed by other plays of a similar calibre. Speaking of the plays to be produced this year, Mr. Kenneth Brampton, producer for the Little Theatre Society, said recently that the committee intended to give the members a Galsworthy—the choice to lie be-

tween “The Eldest Son” and “Justice.”

A play by Sutton Vane, whose “Outward Bound” was admirably done by the society, was also under consideration. In all probability “Overture” would be chosen, as it was another excellent example of this playwright’s work. It was also hoped to do Eugene O’Neill’s “Anna Christie.” This is a really great play by a great author, but it has casting difficulties which cannot easily he overcome. A play which had been a tremendous success in England, “The Constant Nymph,” was also under consideration. This play requires a huge cast. The society is at present communicating with London for the rights of' production in New Zealand. There was also a triple bill to be considered, but it had not been decided whether one would be presented this year.

Meanwhile the membership of the society continues to grow. This year a ipebership of 2,000 is the aim of the society. If this can be achieved the dream of the society in establishing its own theatre may be realised before the end of the year. Nearly 1,700 members have subscribed this year, and others are still coining in. Rehearsals of “The Man They Buried” are nearing finality, and when the comedy is produced it should be ope of the finest things the society has yet done.

The comedy will be presented at the concert chamber on April 2,3, 4 and 5.

“Milestones” Ranks with “Saint Joan”

LONDON CRITIC’S OPINION THIRD REVIVAL A SUCCESS The third London revival of "Milestones,” by Arnold Bennett and Edward Knoblock, which took place at the Criterion Theatre recently, convinced me once again that it ranks with “Saint Joan” and “Loyalties” as one of the very finest play's written since the beginning of the centurv, writes Alan Parsons in the “Daily Mail.” One’s outstanding memory of the original 1912 production is the performance of Haidee Wright as Gertrude Rhead, the old maid who sees not once, but twice the tragedy of her own life repeated in those whom she loves. I can still hear the quaver of her voice when, as an old woman, she murmurs: “All this self-sacrifice is a great mistake.” Clare Eames now plays the part, and does so in a very sincere and moving fashion: it is a performance of rare and sensitive delicacy. Allan Jeayes has taken on the late Dennis Eadie’s part of John Rhead, the man who had the foresight to envisage iron ships, but not the steel ships of his employee Arthur Preece (lon Swinley); he is at his best in the pompous self-satisfaction of the successful commercial man of the ISSS period.

MODERN GIRL

Alfred Sutro Defends Short Hair and Frocks VILLAGE MAIDEN HAS GONE Alfred Sutro, the playwright, defended the modern girl in a lecture at the Working Men’s College, Crowndale Road, London, recently. He said: —In our advanced plays and novels the girl of today is depicted as a harum-scarum, hysterical creature, whose life is one long round of cocktails and dissipation. This seems to me to be rather a shame. I confess to a great deal of admiration for the modern girl. She wears her hair anti dresses short, and I hope she will continue to do so. The girl of today can more or less go •where she pleases, work where she pleases, see whom she pleases, and wear what she pleases, and I maintain that she has forfeited none of the charm and modesty which were her characteristics in the past. The village maiden and the village squire long ago retired into private life. Their place has been taken by the woman with a past. Though marriage may become obsolete, the last woman in the world will go on loving the man who is the father of her children. You may do away with marriage; you will never, so long as women continue to be mothers, do away with the wife.

BEAUTY OF SPEECH

Teaching Children to Use Voices Correctly

ALEXANDER WATSON’S IMPRESSIONS The necessity for the development j of better speech among the mem- j hers of the younger generation was emphasised by Mr. Alexander Watson, the well-known elocutionist and entertainer, who is due in Auckland shortly. During his present tour through New Zealand, said Mr. Watson, he had found that a number of schools had realised that his recitals had an educational as well as an entertainment value, and he had had the opportunity of performing before several ‘delightful audiences of children. This was particularly encouraging, as it indicated that the authorities were now realising the possibilities of the

spoken word as an educational medium and, moreover, the possibilities of developing better speech in the young. When he talked of good speech, continued Mr. Watson, he was not advocating anything pedantic or severely formal. The idea was to teach children to use the voice so that its natural beauty was developed. Beauty of voice was necessary in speech, and could be brought out if the right form of instruction were employed. Unfortunately, with some teachers it was not the beauty of the children’s voices that was developed so much as their powers of mimicry, and it’ was all too usual for a child to be taught a poem with more regard to displaying Its “flair” for imitation and dramatic utterance than giving it a thorough grounding in phonetics and an understanding of its subject. Unfortunately, the term elocutionist had become a synonym for reciters; for because a child or an adult could recite reasonably well it did not stand to reason that he or she was an elocutionist, any more than a child who won a race at a Sunday school picnic was an athlete. While he did not think that the talkies would ever usurp the influence of living personalities, they inlgnt tend to improve acting and speech on the legitimate stage, i

Legitimate Stage Back to its Own

AUSTRALIAN REVIVAL “BELLE OF NEW* YORK” There has been an astonishing revival of an interest in the legitimate stage by the Australian public. Frank Bradley, who was here last in “The Trial of Mary Dugan,” and before that in a series of English comedies supporting Zilla Bateman, writes me from Sydney that the talkies boom is over. “We have just arrived in Sydney after a season of 20 weeks in * Melbourne,” he says. “Curiously enough

we withdrew ‘Murder on the Second Floor’ in Melbourne after a five weeks’ season when it was doing big business. “The Firm seems only to be waking up to the fact that the theatres can get back to long runs again. We played ’

a revival of one week of ‘White Cargo’ in Melbourne and turned the public away in droves. “At the moment of writing it looks as if the legitimate business is coming back to its own, but the day of the second-raters is definitely over.” Mr. Bradley mentioned that J. C. Williamson were considering a revival of “The Duchess of Dantzig,” with Gladys Moncrieff and himself in the leading parts. He played in the London revival of this musical piece iu 1912 with Evie Green and Courtice Pounds. “Allan Wilkie opened iu Melbourne and his advance booking was a picture,” Mr. Bradley continues. “He turned the public away in shoals from ‘The School for Scandal’ after 7.15 and even ’Twelfth Night’ packed the house. This, I think, is definite evidence of the reaction from the talkies. “The opening night of the revival of ‘The Belle of New York, evoked scenes of the greatest enthusiasm such as have not been seen in Australia for many a year.” Mr. Bradley has been appearing with Leon Gordon in Several productions. The Australian newspaper critics regard him as one of the finest character actors in the Commonwealth and he has been advised to go back to London again. If he does not decide to do this New Zealand will see him again when Gordon tours the Dominion with a number of plays, including an Edgar Wallace, “Murder on the Second Floor,” and “The Poppy God.”

Chapin Comedy by Local Amateurs

FUNDS TO ASSIST OBSTETRICS APPEAL “The New Morality,” Harold Chapin's delightful comedy, will be presented at the Town Hall concert chamber on May 9 and 10 by a number of Auckland’s best-known amateur players. Funds from the production will go toward the Chair of Obstetrics, for which a general appeal is now being made throughout New Zealand. “The New Morality” will be produced by Mrs. Zoe Bartley Baxter and the staging and business manager will be Sister Peggy Hovey. Mona Waibank. and Lees Bullot will play the leads in this excellent example of one of the best works of Mr. Chapin.

May Beatty, last here in “Hit the I Deck,” is playing for the talkies in I Hollywood. Her last picture was i “The Benson Murder Case.” Pat and Terry Kendall, who danced here in the recent revivals of "Lilac i Time,” “The Maid of the Mountains” i and other pieces, are sailing from Syd- 1 ney by the Ventura for Hollywood. ! * Freddie Forbes, now appearing at His Majesty’s Theatre, will sail for the United States on the return trip of the Niagara. He will try his luck in the talkies. “Bobby” Storey, a former London barmaid and revue artist, was found dead in a New York apartment recently. She had 2Jd in her purse. At one time Miss Storey received a salary of £I,OOO a year, when she appeared in Ziegfeld’s revue in New York. Sixteen of Bernard Shaw’s plays have been translated into Polish. His last play, “The Apple Cart,” was staged in Warsaw because that city had been refused the premiere of “St. Joan.” After that production Shaw told the Poles they could have his next play. They had to wait six years for it —but Shaw kept his word. The Stratford-ou-Avon Shakespearean Company will return to England next month, after touring Canada and the United States for six months. Eric Maxon, who was in New Zealand some years ago with Guy Bates Post, is a member of the company. * S-- >¥ Two offers have been made to buy j Daly’s Theatre, one of London’s best- ! known theatrical landmarks. One is j by Woolworth’s, Ltd., and the other by j an American syndicate which already I owns several important London theatres. The lease, which has 40 j years to run, cannot be sold without : the consent of the ground landlord, | the Marquis of Salisbury, and his j opinion has not yet been obtained. !