THE DRAMA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 159, 4 January 1912, Page 8

THE DRAMA.

MR. H. 8.. IRVING'S VIEWS. Auckland, January 2. Mr. H. B. Irving, in acknowledging a civic welcome accorded to him this morning, said he was sensible of the fact that as unusual honor was being done to himself and his wife, and he realised that the reason was perhaps due in some measure-to the name he bore and to the memory of Ms father. (Applause.) It was a pleasing feature of his tour to find memory so highly cherished. He thanked the Mayor and the citizens for their kindly reception and for their apparent desire to give them what he might term an encouraging welcome. (Applause.) He entirely agreed with some remarks made about the theatre in Australia and New Zealand having been overwhelmed in recent years by a preponderance of lighter works. It was, therefore, necessary for the sounder drama to put forth all its efforts in sustaining interest. They must remember that drama was written not to be read, but to be acted, and that as soon as it ceased to be acted it would cease to live. (Applause.) What with light comedies nowadays, and what with pictures—(laughter)—in which plays like "Romeo and Juliet" were reduced to 40 minutes, he was surprised that there were left in Australia sufficient people to sit through a play of the more substantial order. (Laughter.) He wanted the.theatre to do its utmost to remind the people that, after all, it had a high and noble purpose. (Hear, hear.) Just as there were good books and bad books, likewise grand and vile pictures, there were fine plays and undesirable plays, and he would ask people to look at the theatre just as they would look at books and pictures. (Applause.) To those who were among the class of people who carried false ideas of the theatre to a very extraordinary extent he would say, "Go to the theatre, see the class of play, and judge for yourselves whether it is bad in the way you say it is."

Regarding an astonishing assertion that the sale of strong drink in theatres constituted their greatest attraction, he would say that the most popular theatres in England and Australia were those that did not hold a license for the sale of liquor. Regarding the future of the theatre in Australia and New Zealand, he believed that it would be very different to the past, and it was entirely in the. hands of the people to make it so. (Ap-' plause.) He believed that, in view <ot the support which had been given to Mr. Asche and himself in Australia, the lead-' ing actors of the day would come out there, and it was probable that they j would come to New Zealand too. (Loud y 1 great pleasure to come here and find so keen a desire for drama, and especially for the drama of Shakespeare. I Something had been said about tie popu!arity of ■ Shakespeare in Germany. but his impressions were that it would not be necessary for the Germans to take half of Australasia in order to furnish these lands with a sufficient quan- j tity of Shakespearian plays. (Laughter ■and applause.) Shakespeare was a proe- ! tical writer, who wrote to keep himself alive, and the only reason why his works survived, while the finely-written plays of his contemporaries had died, was because Sbakespeare understood the requirements of the stage. His greatest if he could but come back and present conditions, would »UH|yla |l}#t, W>se, phayS wMieh drew

luse.) As long as this continued, and virile works of those who were writing for the stage at the present time survived, there was no fear of decadence. It might be considered .that he should say something about Hamlet, but he would not so impose himself. He was going to play Hamlet. "Personally," said Mr. Irving, "I would prefer an actor who played Hamlet and did not talk about him, to an actor who talked about him and could not. play him." (Laughter and applause.) Since coming out here he had learned of quantities ol Hamlets, many of which he had not known before. (Laughter.) However, lie hoped that those who intended coming to hear him would go unfettered by anything he had said or by anything others had said. They would be more than happy if they were able to do_ anything to make the play live, on this side of the world, and he hoped their visit might be as pleasant to the people of New Zealand as it promised to be to his wife and himself. (Prolonged applause.)