A Talented and Versatile New Zealander

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 27, 18 January 1929, Page 13

A Talented and Versatile New Zealander

Mrs. Marjory L. Hannah and Radio Playlets

N the eve of her. departure from New Zealand for an indefinite ‘tour of England, Europe, and America, I was privileged to hold brief farewell commune with Mrs. Marjory Hannah ‘in that home-like flat of hers, the tent-pegs of which are now upr d, but where, amid an atmosp of wit, culture, and mementoes of many lands, selected with fastidious acumen, so gracious a hospitality has been. extended. I was tempted to sadness. that countless: indications of a catholic and cultivated-taste in pottery, brass, and art in many manifestations, should be packed: away in zinc-lined cases, to await .in outer darkness the return of-their owner. Many were the books that strewed chairs and wide window ledges;and, while Mrs. Hannah interviewed ubiquitous furniture men, who: bumped up the stairs, I reflected: how happy in my lot would I be, the world forgetting, by the world forgot, to linger among them. The plays of Mr. Galsworthy were there, of ‘course, and the Forsythe Saga; Letters of Lord Byron, with an entrancing portrait of that beautiful rake; Victorian Essays jostled la¥est and greatest of modern poets; r. Le .Gallienne, .on The Romantic ’90’s; the great tetralogy of Polish Ladislas St Reymont; the delicious She-Shanties of Mr. A. P. Herbert, -which I nearly carried off then and there. AMID a confusion worse confounded that was somewhat distracting, Mrs. Hannah moved serene and unperturbed, clad in an attractively patterned lavender gown of an admirable simplicity, its bright cardigan a note of colour,. her well-poised head keeping its trim outline. Coming for a moment to rest beside me, she packed an admirable etching, and chat ted on matters of moment, "Radio holds tremendous possibilities for intimate communication," she remarked, and carefully. bestowed i fe corner a lovely bit from Bes. On its scope in relation to the drama, Mrs, Hannah grew pensive. "Tt may be that dialogue will prove the great essential in success of radio playlets," she mused, "Not so much the talent of the actor, who necessarily is not visualised, except in the

imagination. But there must be witty, forceful, picturesque dialogue." To those who listened to the lecturette over the air last week on "Everyday Work at Geneva,’ there is no need to say anything concerning the resonant voice, as they heard it for themselves, with is clear articu-

lation and persuasive cadences; good and pleasant attributes, indeed, in a country where oratory is a neglected art, and English, as she is spoken oftentimes a lamentably slipshod affair. Of the young genius, native to our Dominion, known to the world as Katherine Mansfield, whose strange, brave spirit and achievement have ‘stormed the buttresses of criticism, Mrs: Hannah commented on _ the

affinity of her work with that of certain Continental writers. "I’ve been reading Baudelaire and Maupassant," she said, "and all the time was aware of that spiritual and mental kinship. And, of course, she is entirely at one with the Russian Tchekov." With which one agrees, reviewing the il-

luminating clarity, economy of words, artistic austerity, and startling realism of some single etched episode or adventure; of a quality that ig the admiration and despair of literary tyro. N New York, it was interesting to hear, repertory has done, and is doing, great work; and Mrs. Hannah hopes to study there the drama so dear to her heart, and of which

she has proved herself an unflagging and intellectual exponent. "In England,"" she remarked, "the plays put on are confined in a great degree to British playwrights; but in America they range the world for the best; the work of dramatists of all nations and the widest scope of vision is selected for presentation,’’-this breadth of opportunity and open-eyed tolerance being probably due to the diversified population of the United States, and the surging creeds and classes drawn from all quarters of the wide world that are filling and crowding the big American cities. UR Dominion should gain kudos from the projected visit to America, as it is hoped to give lectures there concerning New Zealand life, its scenic beauties, its writers, and its poets. A few years ago one remembers Mrs. Hannah as a brilliant debater at Victoria College; since then hers is a record of achievement that creates a precedent, and almost persuades one into the feminist camp. Notable actor she has proved herself, lecturer, philanthropic worker, and author of two slim books of verse that have been acclaimed by critics with names to conjure wit in literary light and leading. In interpretation of some light, bright lady of a modern play, perchance by Mr. Noel Coward, she is excellent; but there are many who find her at her notable best in Irish drama, remembering that great performance of Maurya in Synge’s "Riders to the Sea." One of her ambitions is to see something of the work of the Irish Players at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, where one cherishes hope that her own dramatic flair will find recognition. Underlying her success in the decorative arts, there is a stratum of sheer practical philanthropy, which has found expression in unselfish kindness and help to many a down-and-out, about which she told me nothing at all. Mrs. Hannah’s is a personality that will be missed by a wider circle than those of her immediate friends. With competence and distinction, she has filled innumerable roles, both on the stage and off; and one looks forward to her return, in the not too distant future, to the land she loyally loves, bringing her freshly gathered sheaves with her.-H.V.I.