Plaza Theatre

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 422, 1 May 1937, Page 3

Plaza Theatre

To-day and Monday: “Rangle River'’ (Victor Jory, Margaret Dare, Robert Coote). * * * Tuesday and Wednesday: “Chan at The Circus" (Warner Oland). * * * Thuursday and Friday: “Lonely Road” (Clive Brook, Victoria Hopper). * * •stSaturday: and Monday: “Mary o£ Scotland" (Kat.herine Hepburn, Fredric Marsh). FILM OF ROSE MARIE The glorious operatic voices of Janette Ma«cDana|d and Nelson Eddy will ring out more triumphantly than ever in “Rose Marie” because of the unusual altitude of their sixweek mountain location. Such was the at’tonishing announcement of Mr Edouard Lippe, Nelson Eddy’s vocal teacher, while with the star at Lake Tahoe to coa,ch. him through the outdoor numbers of 'the giant musical, the first to be filmed against natural backgrounds. “We discovered it th 3 firet day here,” Lippe said. “Between scenes in a mountain valley sest, Jeanette land Nelson harmonised softly in ‘The Indian Love Call.’ At the first bar they looked at each other in surprise. To the musical ear, the tones were as clear and bell-like as a flute, “They went on with the song, then, in excitement, asked Bill Steinkjamp, the chief soundman, to make a flash recording—the kind which can be played back after a minute or <two. “No one tpoke during the minute, then the machine burst out with the recording. It was beautifully clear, >o rough edges, none of the usual haze which singers must rehearse to cut through. It was an exciting discovery for us.” Lippe explained that ths altitude, a mile and a half above sea level, was responsible. “The mountain stillness and the purity of the air is the perfect medium for music,” he said. *‘ln the city no matter how ft ill it may seem to the accustomed ear, there is always extraneous noise and dirt and smok?3’ to contend with.” The Repertory Society in Palmerston North have decided on “The Late Christopher Bean” for their first production for 1937, May 27, 28 and 29 are the dates.

The Paimsrston North Little Theatre gtpged “Short Story” this week. Marie Tempest played in “Short Story” in London over a year ago. * * * Tito Schipa, lyric tenor of the New York Metropolitan Opera, is expected to arrive at Sydney in June. J. and N. Tait have also booked Kirsten Flagstad, Norwegian soprano, Lawrence Tibbett and Serge Rachmaninoff, for tours of Australia and New Zealand. * * * The Russian Ballet, now in the South Island, will return to Sydney in June. Several enthusiasts, who witnessed every performance in Sydney, followed the company to New Zealand. * * * Benno Moiseiwitsch, the brilliant Russian pianist, will open hi s Sydney season at the Town Hall on Tuesday, May 25. It will be his fifth visit to Australia. Later he will come to New Zealand.

ACADEMY ACES 4N MARY OF SCOTLAND “Mary of Scotland,” RKO Radio’s dflama of the Scottish Queen who sacrificed her life and crown for love, has been brought to the screen by an impressive array of talent. It will screen next week at the Plaza. Katharine Hepburn and Fredric March, it he co-stars, have both won Motion Picture Academy awards l for “b st of the year” performances, Miss Hepburn for her “Morning Glory,” March for his Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde ” And 1935 Academy award winners are John Ford, the director, and Dudley Nichols, who adopted the story from Maxwell Anderson’s etagte success of ithe same name. The latter pair were named for their respective direction and adaptation of “The Informer.” Included in the supporting cast of more then forty outstanding players ire Florence Eldridge, Douglas Walton and John Carraline. Pandro S. Berman pre-sided. “Give the actors a telephone, a Jgarett?, a glass of sherry, a coylycovered bed, and a few trivial sentences of dialogue and there you have the classic actor of the day,” says.' Sean O’Casey, the great Irish playwright whose masterpiece “Juno and the Playcock” is to be staged by th- | Wellington Repertory Society under the direction of Mr Leo du Chateau, early in May. * * * Thrj Geoirge Wa-llr/ce-Conr^oi'rB 1 and Paul Company were recently playing to enthusiastic audiences in the South Island iand will open a six night’s season at the Opera House, Wellington, this .evening. 4-

RAIDING .AUSTRALIA. One of the major difficulties of film production in Australia is that immediately a new player is found and trained lie, or she, invariably is offered an attractive contract by Hollywood. or Elstree. It is at further blow, to the local industry that each of the stolen players has done well in overseas pictures. All have proved that the Commonwealth is rich in undeveloped scren talent, but of those who made first screen appearances in Australian productions Errol Flynn has had the most meteoric overseas career. Others who have recently gone abroad include Jocelyn Howarth, Mary Maguire, Margaret Vyner and Janet Johnson. This continual desertion of Australians tor overseas films provides a constant problem for local producers. Recently they “discovered” Margaret Bare, a Sydney girl, to play opposite Victor Jory in “Rangle River,” which s ®t the Plaza to-night. Now she also has been taken under contract to Hollywood. Another, player of “Rangle River,” Robert Coote, is also in Hollywood as the result of an attractive offer. Now Cinesound is concentrating on a new find in Shirley Ann Richards. She plays a leading role with Cecil Kellaway in the Comedy-drama “It Isn’t Done,” and is co-starring with Frank Leighton in “Tall Timbers,” now in production. Sir Benjamin Fuller is bubbling over with pleasure at the success in Auckland of the Marcus Show, the big American revue company that he brought across the Pacific to prove that he’s still 100 per cent, for the real thing" in stage entertainment. The Auckland season is going ahead splendidly. New Plymouth, unfortunately, will not be visited.