STAGELAND

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 17, 17 December 1932, Page 9

STAGELAND

(By “Call Boy.”)

Hopes have boen entertained that the J. C. Williamson Grand Opera Company would pay a return visit to Palmerston North, but the company has returned to Sydney and most of the principles-ha.ve left for Europe. The Queen a fow days ago witnessed a performance of the play “Once a Husband,-*’ which was written by the Australians Margot Neville and Brett Hay. A season of the ever popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas will commence in Sydney on the 31st inst. For its last reading of the year the Wellington Repertory Theatre selected “Charles and Mary,” a play based on the life of Charles Lamb, by John Temple. “\oung people in Paris do enjoy life, and they get their pleasure at considerably less cost than in New Zealand,” said Miss Patricia Nelson, a New Zealand actress and dancer, who arrived from Europe this week. People in Paris were exceedingly friendly, Miss Nelson said. They did not possess the reserve of the Englishman, but were more spontaneous and natural. Although they were easy to approach, and easy people with whom to make acquaintance, nevertheless they still had a certain amount of reserve when it came to a question of forming a deeper friendship. A protego of Madame Melba and one of the favourite pupils of the noted teacher, Madame Marchesi, Madame Irene Ainsley, who gave a song recital in Auckland this week, has associations with some of the most famous musical circles in England and on the Continent. She herself was for many years a prima donna in European grand opera, her most notable role being the vivacious “Carmen” from Bizet’s opera, a part which she has taken over 250 times.

Margaret Rawlings, recently in New Zealand in “The Barretts of Wimpole Street,” is now at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, in Harrison Owen’s “Dr. Pygmalion.”

J. C. Williamson, Ltd., announce the commencement of Dame Sybil Thorndike’s New Zealand tour at Wellington Opera House on Boxing Night, December 26. “The greatest tragedienne since Bernhardt,” as Dame Sybil lia.s been cailed, is coming from Australia (after a notable season of several months) with an all-English company, and will present a repertoire of noted plays. Memories of the old days of vaudeville and revue will be revived by the proximity of a J. C. Williamson son of sujier revue and vaudeville, to commence in Auckland on December 24. The revival of vaudeville is good news in itself, but when the celebrity company is headed by Miss Ella Shields, the English male impersonator, and George Wallace, Australia’s prince of comedians, the success of the season is assured. Miss Shields has again captivated Australia with her characterisations. She is a Peter Pan if ever there was one—an ageless favourite who is the favourite of all ages. Of George Wallace it is said he has now no rival.

The new production at Drury Lane Theatre, London —“Wild Violets,” a spectacular musical play—has been hailed as a sensational success.

Shakespeare’s “As You Like it” has been revived at the Old Vic, London, with Peggy Ashcroft as Rosalind, Malcolm lveen us Jacques, and Geoffrey Wincott as Touchstone. Luisa Tetrazzini, the famous operatic soprano, who was mentioned recently in the cablegrams as being in London, was born at Florence in 1873 and came of a musical family. Her chance came when the manager of the Teatro Nicolini in Florence required a singer to take the smalL part of Inez in Meyerbeer’s “L’Afri caine.” He offered her the part, which she accepted, and was given a contract for four months, this being followed by a second engagement at double the salary. Engagements all over Italy. Spain, Russia and South America followed. Indeed, a more important debut may be said to have been made at Rio do Janeiro as Violetta in “Traviata,” and it wa.s owing to the pressing representations of her brother-in-law that she consented to try her luck in London, where she was a tremendous success. Her first appearance was not in the grand season, but in the autumn season of 1907 as Violetta, and her reception was such that the appearance of the Opera House in November recalled the days of Patti and Albani at the height of the London season. Tetrazzini has since added many famous and lyric roles to her repertoire, including Gilda and Lucia di Lammermoor. In 1925 she was one of the first front, rank sopranos who consented to sing for broadcasting in England. In 1926 she was married and did not sing in public again until this year, when, although she had made her farewell appearance at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, with Caruso years before, she returned to the stage in America. Tetrazzini claimed to have made £1,000,000 by her singing, but she explained that she had emerged from retirement because she needed money. This forced her to accept an engagement to sing at a Boston picture house and vaudevillo theatre, sharing in a “four-a-day” variety programme with acrobats, comedians and talking films. Signorina Toti dal Monte, the Italian prima donna, who has obtained a legal separation at Milan from her husband, gave an entertainment in Palmerston North in 1926. She was married to Enzo de Muro Lomanto, a principal in the Williamson-Melba Grand Opera Company, at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, on August 23, 1928. The event attracted large crowds, and there was a fashionable gathering of invited guests. Huge crowds of people stretched from the front of the cathedral across the road to Hyde Park. Thousands of women and girls fought desperately to secure entrance to the cathedral hours before the ceremony. The city streets and buildings were thronged with excited women, who waved and cheered the prima donna as she drove in a sedan car lavishly bedecked with hyacinths, sweet peas, violets and carnations. The bridal car was mobbed as it forced its way through the crowd. Women struggled to obtain souvenirs and in a few minutes every vestige of the flowers and of the ribbons on the car had disappeared or been torn to shreds. Many women fell in front of the following cars, but none was hurt. Hercule Poirot, the principal figure ■in Michael Morton’s piny, “Albi,” which was staged in Sydney recently, is a French counterpart of Sherlock Holmes. The character was originated by Agatha Christie in a series of short stories, and has since appeared on the Continental as well as on the English stage. “Alibi” was first staged in London in 1928. Tt gave a splendid acting opportunity to Charles Laughton, who in the previous year had established himself in high favour with the London public by his performances in Harrison Owen s “The Happv Husband” and Arnold Bennett’s “Mr Prohack,” in which he took the title role.