STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 136, 10 June 1922, Page 18

STAGE JOTTINGS.

. t • i J'eiix Petyrek, a Viennese, has written - a string quartet in quarter-tones. H« is a described as a musical acrobat, an imitajtor of Stravinsky, and the Edgar Poe ot ! imueU-. i " i Lcs Wiiarton, a .popular Fuller ooiueI dian, is reported to have left the stage -j to become "min-e host" at a Bendigo J (Victoria) hotel. r i Paris has awarded a, prize of 10,000 f :> francs to Jean Cms for his opera, "Polyv- 'ipheme." The premiere is announced for a .the Opera Oomique. F I j < j Thfr new 'Tfritish National Opera i;oiu- | * pany is making great headway. During . j tive weeks SO.OOO people purchased seats. ' v I The ixmdon eeason is now in progress. \ I 1 i " j Japan j« to have a season of Pavlova ' ljand a Russian ballet. Tlurok, her ' t manager, is branching "out in the Orient j and may look south and discover this | f I'Oiintry, I, t ' ( \ Elsa tStralia has been offered the f firjt contract (naming her own terms, , c practically) in an ot»>ra comnany jur.t . c ised br a crowd of Chicago (U.S.) mil- j i Honaircs, which will render the works i of the operatic masters in English. ' ] s j William Desmond, an actor who j j ; became very popular when he toured : r i Xew Zealand under the J. 0. William- j p J son banner, was seriously (probably j .; fatally) injured at Truekee, California, t aj on April 18, when scenes were being It s j filmed in a. Universal production. Ho ] n lie 11 lifty feet into a river, and way jli •injured internally. ill i ' ; ° A unique attraction appearing in ■ t ,! Sydney is the original and complete jg r I company of Iri?h Players, from the j \ ~ ' Abbey Theatre. Dublin, in "The White- a 1 headed Boy." This remarkable organis- ! ation is now in its sixth year, aud Aus- ; tralia is the sixth country of its triura- | ? phanl world's tour. "The White-headed.'-Boy" ig described as "a play of all " periods and of all lands." The perform- ' anoc has caused something of a senea- * , tion in Sydney. r > While theatres are struggling to make J 5 ends meet, Sir Harry Lander ie enjoying j! an exceptional farew«ll London eoason I .■at the 'Pavilion, prior to a three years' , ! tour of Australia, New Zealand, Africa, and Tndia, under the management of B. 6 J. and Dan CaTroll. Sir Harry Lauder J declares that his previous trip to Australasia was an unalloyed joy, because I the audiences there -were the mo?l re- j t iceptive in the world. j. f Sir John Hare, the famous actor and i ' y manager, left a striking tribute to his , jj ' wife in his will. The gross value of j j his estate was £30,0C6, and this he ~ n j bequeathed absolutely to Lady Hare, , n ! saying: "She has 'been my helpmate, \ ■• j beet friend, and wisest counsellor during s ' our long married life of over SO year?, j j and I wish to eliow my entire confidence If j ! in her judgment as to how my property | s 5 J should 'be divided amongst our children t to their ibest advantage." I ■Arnold 'Bell, -who played "Old Bill" in ' Hugh D. 'M-cTntosh's production, "The i Better 'Ole," was Harry Thureton'a j . understudy at the 'Hippodrome during { °the run af "Johnson , * 'Ole," in which ' s : ifr. Thwrston created "Old Bill" for » Bairnsfaiher. At the conclusion of the ? . performance. Bruce Bainrsrather, who c r watched his drawing come to life on the s 1 stage, rushed around to Mr. Thurston'a * f ] dressing-room and kisepd him. "I was mover so embarrassed in all my life,' ■ , eaid the famous comedian. |C ; j. Musical enthusiasts who had 'been \ looking forward to the appearance of v , the Sistine Choir in New Zealand will j. s regret to learn that there is now no < > probability of the visit eventuating, j . Some weeks ago the conductor, Monsig- c [t nor Rella, was instructed to return to a I Italy, and the tour had thus to be ' c severely curtailed. The choral combination consists of two complete chamber .. music choirs, and it was hoped that only c •J a portion of this world-renowned inusi- d . oal force would be required to return to n i, Rome. It now seems, however, that the a c full choir ie to leave for Italy at the I p conclusion of the present Australasian i o r . tour. [ 'I c it \- 1 There was some close oross-examina- j I tion work in the Q.P.-Leonard Nelson B T case in Christchurch. It was said that r i' the heads had stated that the com- j e'pany had a capital of £10,000, 'but it i s was ascertained during the hearing of j v j the case that this was but the nominal „ !- capital. It was stated that the actual r '•• J amount of money put into the show was ~ i- £1400. When the company of 17 artists v I- landed in Wellington the principals had c i-1 £200. There was trouble at Auckland, r i- New Plymouth and Wanganui owing to j the irregular and leisurely manner in which "the ghost walked," and they , ■ appeared to be anything but a happy t i family. A new company has 'been T ■ formed iby the performers. , i Radio music is having Such a boom in | T 1 the United State? that the ".Musical , Forecast," a musical paper of Pittsburgh, • T r where the Westinjrhoiiec has its head- I . qua-rters, devotes three pages of its issue 1 to liotef, news, and advertisements o* ) the various firms selling radio equip- I' • ment. At present in the States there are i four radio stations .maintained for > broadsAsting rauetc and news—Pitts- j i burgh, Newark, Springfield, and Chi- , ■ cago. Since the wave length is 330 U i. metre?, and siwe the service, according |, ■ to report, rea«lies out a thousand miles j ( ' in all directions, it. will be seen that a , ( i goodly portion of the country is already j } • covored. The programme at Pittsburgh ~ ■ includes music, time, news., market re1 ports, the Heinroth organ recitals, h vhiirch «cn r ices on .Sunday, etc. In Syd- I, f ncy. the lAaialgamatcd Wireless Com- j > pany is preparing to do radio music in a I big way: Ibut it will be conic weeks be- j j fore the arrangements arc completed. \: 1 Nicola., the famous lvagician, who will 1 eiiortly be seen in this country, for lift ;. > commences a tour under the. direction . r of J. <"'• Williamson. Ltd., in Auckland j- - at the end of .Tune, is simply longing l° : , ( have a keen game of cards. Vet once i I people learn who he is they simply refuse ' . to play witih him. They don't impute ■ - anything, but they prefer nof to dn it. 1! j This >poor man who can do anything j' . with cards on the stage «iys: •'! am ' i always unlucky at oard playing, yet 1 > can never induce anyone to sit in with , n ; mc. I admit that it is due io my art ot i. ■ knowing the location of almost every • ; 'card in the paak. I have never once ■i resorted to tricks while playing, but it c ia hard to convince anyone of the fact, ji z t ln reality it would nev-er do for top io 11 i j win at a game, for a? su.rp I did every- I »'|onc wlto knew of my power? vrouM f accuse mc of trickery. Yet the irony i < 1 of it is that T dearly love a game, and i 1 when I sit in and have v real int p rp=t I am -rtrangely unlucky." I