Ups and Downs Of Last Ten Years

Radio Record, Volume VIII, Issue 1, 12 July 1935, Page 14

Ups and Downs Of

Last Ten Years

Legitimate Stage Has Had Some Blows Since 1925 .

(By

Our Theatre Critic

O-DAY New Zealand is ringing with the name of Yehudi Menuhin. Ten years ago the name of another famous violinist was on everyone’s lips-Fritz Kxreisler. It is just a decade since Kreisler toured the Dominion which, at that time, was beset on all sides with musical and _ theatrical talent. Kreisler was drawing thousands to the Wellington Town Hall, Gladys Mon-

crieff-to appear this week at a charity concert in Wellington-was in the South Island with "The Southern Maid," Marie Burke was playing the lead in "Wildflower," Maurice Moscovitch was attracting half Auckland to His Majesty’s Theatre, where he was presenting "The Outsider," Sir Harry Lauder was "doing the provincial towns,’ and Galli Curci was on her way across the Tasman.

The New Zealand theatre was at its peak, English and American

stars were continually arriving

with shows that were com-

paratively fresh to London and New York audiences; famous musicians were making the journey

half-way across the world to give a little of their art to Australians and New Zealanders; box offices were being besieged by peo-

ple who had grown a little tired of the silent pictures. The spectre of the talkies was as yet unknown. Marie Burke had been discovered by J. C. Williamsons playing in vaudeville in South Africa. It was decided to give her a chance in musical comedy. in Australia, and, in a very short time, she was the most popular light opera star in this part of the world. After two or three tours, during which time she played the leads in "Wildflower" (her greatest success), "Katja * the Dancer," "The Cousin from Nowhere" and "Frasquita,’ she was offered an important part in "Show Boat," the spectacular musical play then about to be presented at Drury Lane Theatre, London. She was a great success in this play-her singing of "Can’t Help Lovin? Dat Man" was written about in a hundred papers-and she has since appeared in several big shows in Bngland and on the Continent. It is interesting to note that Miss’ Burke once appeared with Eddie Cantor in an American reyue called "Make it Snappy." , On the 1925 tour Moscovitch’s greatest success was the part of Anton Ragatzy, the man who entered a Chicago slaughterhouse the better to study. anatomy, in. "The Outsider." Three years later he came back with

two BWdgar Wallace. "thrillers’-The Ringer" and "The Terror." Moscovitch’s son, Nat Madison, accompanied him on these tours. Madison, who married a member of thé well-known Nathan family of Auckland, is now in America. He appeared last year as one of the brothers in Arliss’s picture, "The House of Rothschild." Musical comedies were coming along thick and fast at this time. One of the funniest-the sort of show that happens once in a lifetime-was "Tid (Continued on page 16.)

(Continued from page 14.) Boots." George Gee’s singing of ‘Seep Your Dye on the Ball" kept New Zealand chuckling for weeks. An American football comedy, "Leave it to Jane,’ was next. An important theatrical event about this time was the arrival of Pauline Frederick to present a series of straight plays. Miss Frederick was enjoying a considerable success as a screen star at this time, and her advent "in the flesh" was eagerly anticipated in the Dominion. MHer first play was presented in Wellington-IFrederick Lonsdale’s "Spring Cleaning." "Madame X" was the second show of the season, and the first one in which Miss Frederick appeared when she made her debut on the London stage at the conclusion of her Australian tour, Anna Pavlova was next, and many were the columns of rapturous praise that the New Zealand Press bestowed on her glorious art. She arrived in the middle of winter, but she had nothing but praise for a country that was turning on its coldest and wettest weather. She took a. lively interest in everything-our race meetings, our hotels, the way our women dressed. Five years after her visit she was dead -the slender creature who had danced to Saint Saens’s lovely music. At the end of 1926 Leon Gordon crossed the Tasman with his own play, "White Cargo"’-and one of the two plays presented in New Zealand ta cause the Police Department a little apprehension. The other was "Chu Chin Chow." "White Cargo". was cer-

tainly strong meat, dealing as it did with the demoralising effect of tropical Africa on white men. Gordon later returned to New Zealand with the American play, "The Trial of Mary Dugan." He is now in America, and. his name frequently appears’ among the script. writers for talking pictures. Blsie Prince and Jimmy Godden were the next on the scene with the big musical comedy success of the year-"No, No, Nanette." Elsie Prince was an actress with "lots of everything." She had been discovered singing in a pierrot troupe at Blackpool in 1917 by 1920 she was one of the leading artists at the London Hippodrome. After the "No, No, Nanette" season she. paid several returns visits: to’ New Zealand, appearing: in’. such popular plays as "Sunny," "Archie" and "Mercenary Mary." Jimmy Godden, her co partner in mirth. and:song, has since made a name'for himself in Eng" sh talkies, The day of the thriller was at, hand. It was about this time: that Moscovitch paid the Dominion a return visit ‘with. the Edgar Wallace plays mentioned above, while Arnold Ridley’s "The Ghost. Train"? was puffing its spinechilling: way through’ the country. Another Ridley play, "The Wrecker," was presented a: year or two later. The big event of 1928 was the production of "Rose Marie," the musicai play that had then been running at Drury Lane for heaven knows how long and had already broken musical comedy records. ‘in’ Australia, An intereoting name among.the "gentlemen of the ensemble" was that of John Batten, brother of the famous "Flying Jean"

and film actor of some note. "Rose Marie" introduced something new to the Dominion in the way of lavish settings and ballets-who is likely to forget the Totem Pole Ballet? ‘The hero of the play was Reginald Dandy, who later achieved fame in American talkies under the name of John Garrick, Soon after came "The Student Prince" and, while "Rose Marie" was memorable for its ballets, "The Student Prince" is ‘remembered for its

male chorus, the finest ever heard in light opera in New Zealand. The play was a musical version of ‘Old Heidelberg," and it played to huge houses everywhere. The music ws glorious. there was nothing slipshed about itnothing to make one suspect that it had been written to "tickle the ear ofthe groundlings." A play that left New Zealand and Australia slightly shocked was "Our Betters," Somerset, Maugham’s prilliant satire’ on modern society, and presented in this part of the world-in 1928 by Margaret Bannerman. This famous London actress presented three other plays during the New Zealand season. The Christmas attraction of that year was "The Girl Friend," a bright and. tuneful comedy with Annie Croft and Reginald Sharland in ‘the leading roles. Reginald Sharland is well known to New. Zealand listeners to-day as the "Honourable Archie’ in the "Japanese Houseboy" recordings. May Beatty, who was. born in Christchurch and received her early stage training in Pollard’s Opera, Company, was with this company. Miss Beatty has been in Hollywood for some years. And now the spectre loomed large. The talkies had become an accomplished fact,:and thousands were -fighi-

ing to get into thie theatrés showing these new "see and hear" movies. Gladys Moncrieff, whose arrival in New Zealand last week was an event of considerable interest for radio listeners, came round in 1929 in "Rio Rita," a musical play that ran for two yeurs in Australia and New Zealand. There were other interesting visitsbut they were few and far between. A Gilbert and Sullivan season was most successful; Margaret Rawlings pre-

~'gented .two plays-the first, "The Barrets of Wimpole’ Street, * was most suc cessful, the second, "Happy sind Glori-* ous," played to empty houses; Madge Elliot and Cyril Ritchard came through the Dominion with "Blue Roses" and "Follow Through’; Dame Sybil Thortidike presented some wonderful- plays. perhaps the greatest "being Shaw's "Saint Joan." "The Dubarry" did good "business in some cities last year-and bad in others, "Ten Minute Alibi"

and "fhe Wind and the Rain" did good business in EVERY city and town in the country-the most heartening sign of returning publie favour in six years.