STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 25, 29 January 1921, Page 14

STAGE JOTTINGS.

Mr. Melbourne Ward, Mr. Hugh .). Ward's son, has made a big liil. with a grotesque golliwog dance in The Lilac Domino in Sydney. Mr. 11. R. 1 lignctt. who was in Australia with Mr. Oscar Aschc, was appearing as Itanquo in Mr. .lames K. Hackett's production of Macbeth at, the Aldwio.li Theatre, London, when the t last mail left. Mr. (icorjjp Giddens, in his day one of t the l>est. light comedians on uhe English f died in New York recently. Ble | was swn as .lose.ph I'ingle.t in "A Night j Oirt." mid Ajnns lilo-igood in "Are You v ( Mason , ;" at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, about 17 years ago. He w;us a great favourite in both parts, and, vviiih Mr. Cecil Ward. Hid cxveJlcnt comedy work. t r.i-enbohm Tree didn't mind t.-i":n<r n ' story against himself, vain ac lie «':».". of j his acting. The recently -pnblislied ".yjnk 1 about him has thw one:—"You might , think I want to (latter you." s:v:i 1 lie 1 commissionaire, "but a gentleman coming i < lit ot the pit Raid there wasn't mote i than a dozen or fo actors in your line ( of business as could play the part 1 better." One of the spectaculur features of the '"Sinbad the Sailor" pantomime at Melbourne will be the wreck at sea. with a change of srene to underneath tiie sea and a gorgeous coral ballet. This iniilot, ! it is said, will be one of the Hurst thin;r< | } of the kind ever seen in Australia. The effect, will lie added to by realistic water j ' effects, with fish, under water vegetation, ;■' and other realistic details. I Mr. Wm. Hasan, toe cut in t.he "Sin- j bad the bailor" pan torn (mc, had no \ d fiVculty in keeping down iiis weight j during che recent hot spells. Wh<n he emerged from his heavy skin P urn ,, nightK- he was dripping winh perspira- j tron. and had to be rubbed down am! : ' dried by his dreswr. Hie greatest,j danger was that of catching a chll when: he rpjJMuod his ordinary attire. When the ronductor of the Cinderella ' pantomime at the Prince?".-;, Theatre;' suddenly lays down his baton and join* < in the refrain of Piccaninny Land o . Dreams the audience is surprised, and some people with pood memories have an impression that they have heard the j, voice before. They have, for the con- , ductor is Mr. Walter Whyte, a tenor who was popular in musical .successes a ~ few years ago. When Frances Alda left Melbourne , years ago she was a young artist coins abroad to complete her studies. She i< , now about to return to Australia as a prima donna. After studying in Europe, where her voice developed remarkably, • she was engaged to go across to Arao- , rica to play in grand opera. Success , fell to her lot from the beginning, and one of her greatest successes was in the part of Mimi in "La Boheme" at the Metropolitan Grand Opera House. She , became the wife of Oattl Gassaza. the proprietor of the famous American theatre, and is to commence an Australian concert tour under Messrs .1. and N. Tait in Juno. | Several familiar n.xiues appear in tihel original London oast of "The Maid of;----the Mountains." which i* to be pre-1 sensed .for tiie Brat fiw in Australia, at the Theatre Kovul on January 22. Mlse j Jose Collins appeared in the. title roleto lx\ -plav<\l in AivMraiia by Miss Gladys MoneriefT She is a da-ughter of) Lottie Collins, of "Ta-ra-ra-boom-dc-av" fame, who vis-ted Australia years agi.i Mr. Arthur Wontner, who was seen in I ■Australia in th<> .hilius Knight-Maud j • lei Tries Company, also .ignres, α-i does Mr. Pop Ootv, husband of Winifred 1 O'Connor. wtho was leading woman of I the Clarke ami Meynell Comic Opera] Company. Miss Ethel M. Dell, the well-known novelist, has written a one-act play ! with an Australian petting, wntcTi was I produced at the Coliseum, Jxindon, re- j cently. It is entitled "The Odds," and, to judge by the views of the critics, cannot be described as typically Australian—for it bears a stronger resem- j blanee to a "boy's pliorkcr" than an I ■ incident of bush life. The scene is laid [ on a farm and the principal character i rejoices in the name of Buckshot Bill. He is wanted by the police, but having ! saved the life of the heroine who has ' been bitten by a deadly reptile, he ' enlists her aid and escapes the police. ! Miss Amy Brandon-Thomas and Mr. j Athol Stewart appeared in the sketch, j '■Chu Chin Chow," at the Tivoli, does ; not confine its gorgeousness to the i 'stage, says the "Bulletin's" contributor I lof "Melbourne Chatter." The whole I theatre is wrapped in Oriental dress and | j steeped in incense. Big, squat, bronze I urns sit about the corridors to delight the romantic and give nervy people headI aches. The lounges, which have been I upholstered in dead black to hit the gay colours of walls and rugp, recall old-time opera nights, so many of the Quality I stroll out in a fussy froeked way for a breath of fresh air and frivolous chatter. Vera Pearce is so heavily veiled that there is none of her visible except massive bare arms and bare feet. The henna-tipped fingers and toes are starting a rago. Sassiety girls do not yet i show -their toes, but manicured fingers I are steeped in pink to the first joint. J You might almost think t.hev had been I usefully employed making the family's I raspberry jam. '"■Bad coivdit : ons and evil practices" having l>cen men-tioned by Mr. Walter ! Ba.ker (irresMen* of the Australian !.Actors' Federation) «t the first meeting ! after the recent interim award, Mr. ' .T-ohn Fuller, iun.. made a sta-te-ment t.i • the Sydney "Diulv Telegra,p>'h." "Sno'li j thirasrs," Mr. iPtlHer sad, ''may have prei vailed wihon Mr. 'Kaker was a young man 'on the p-taire. Out they have all passed J out. If they do prevail, it woild be injtereslincr if Mr 'Raker would point them : ont. But hi* statements appear to have i been made a special object in I view." The jmlge. Mr. Fuller further : sai-d, made -a very good award. Tie .would not allow employers to discriminate beI tween unionises ajid non-uirioTrsts, nor j would he allow employees to intrmidate. ' fellow artiffts because tihey did not, /belong io the nn-ion. Mr. (Fuller pointed o<ut that chorus and bullet girls, in ■particular, were tho highest paid femnle I workers in any irrdtrstry : n the world. ! Though the award' provided foT £4 5/ per week, some of .the.ni were receiving as ihi-gh as JL'G per week for oijjht performances, which enta.ilcd about se-ven hours a dan - , and were to receive the s-anie wages during reh-earsals. More- ' over, the g'xls—or a great many o! them ] —lhad to be taiigbi Iheir business, and be ■ ipaid the award wages w.liilst they were ' 'being tauglrt. That, writih a big produc- ■ tton like a pantomime, ineaoit enonnoue i expendifcirre before there ocruM be any revenue.