STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 213, 8 September 1923, Page 18

STAGE JOTTINGS.

Stan Lawson, who made his name with the Diggers as a female impersonator, leaves shortly for America. A recent matinee at the Theatre Royal, Sydney; to aid the funds of St. Margaret's Hospital, has resulted in Lee White now being able to present that institution with a cheque of £ 1000, The Bert Le Blanc Tevue show finishes at Auckland this week, and the Fullers are Bending over from Sydney thofriurle-Evans show to replace it. Frank Perryn remains to join the Hurle aggregation, but the rest of the Lβ Blanc company return to Sydney. Lottie Sargent had a Wonderful sendoff in Brisbane recently, and the presents received from admiring friends would have filled an automobile. Miss Sargent is *ow en route to join her husband, Frank Greene, who has siinediip another lengthy contract in America. Mrs. Steggall, who took part in tho extravaganza, "Potted Mixtures," at I the Hastings Municipal Theatre, is leaving for Holland, under contract to Mr. Louis Bounmeester, a Dutch play producer. Mrs. Steggall will stay in London for a month, and afterwards go to Holland. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra is assured of a second five years of existence by the generosity of William A. Clafk, jun. Started by Mr. Clark three years ago, by the end of the first five years it will have cost hiiri near a million dollars. Granville Bantock is nearing the completion of his latest work in large proportions. It is a setting of the "Song of Solomon," which is to be divided into ! five scenes oi , days. It is to be cast in | a dramatic form by assigning tho parts to a few characters. Tli recent rcappearanco of Paderewski at the Queen's Hall, London, to the unusual announcement, "All seats sold," is proof positive that, although it is ' quite ten years since he played in England, his personality is as powerful as ever. Politics practically beggared Paderewski, but ho went to America, j gave seventy concerts, and cleared one ' hundred thousand pounds—not dollars 1 A natural gift for acting is useful, i though unusual, in operatic work (says tho Melbourne "Argus"). The singer : known in Australia as Leah Myers, and !; in England as Leah Russel-Myre, has ; been receiving compliments in London on her acting in Charpentier's "Louise" and in other operas. Here she did noticeably good dramatic and vocal work in "Cavalleria Eusticana. ,, . ' The production of "The Toreador" by i the Christchurch Amateur Operatic • Society waa an excellent one, but, un- ' fortunately it did not receive the public ] support which it deserved. Two extra ' performances were given in order to . assist the Society in reducing the loss ' incurred. For one performance the j Theatre Royal was granted free by J. , C. Williamson, Ltd., and all the mem- j ' bers of the theatre si-aff gave their eer- j vices gratuitously. , i Madame Galli-Curci, the famous so- , prano, may shortly undertake a tour of Australia and New Zealand—that iq, if the negotiations now pending are successful. It is said that the great singer I has .been offered a Sydney season of 11 twenty concerts at f660 per concert. '. This is the high-water mark in figures, so far as Australia is concerned, though i Caruso would hare taken £750 per night j ■ on a ten weeks' contract had he accepted j" the offer of a well-known Australian j ; entrepreneur. The long voyage and his ; dislike of the eca spoiled Australia's j ] chances of hearing the famous tenor. "* 1 Irene Vanbrugh, the great actress now , appearing with her husband, Dion Bou- > eicault, in "His House in Order" and , other plays, has some delightful recollec- : . tions of the famous people she has met : , during the course of her distinguished , career. She remembers most vividly j Charles Frohman, the son of a German father and mother, who, by the irony of fate, was drowned when the Lusitanla was torpedoed fn 1915. Frohman's , father haH settled in America in 1855, . and Frohman was born there in ISGO. : He was a most genial little man, boundless in his humour and his generosity. 'it was his proud boast that he never made a written contract with any of ' ] liia stars, and ho always watched the j ] 'first night of his shows from the back i row of the gallery. , It was officially announced recently , that the Royal Carl K6sa Opera Com- , pany. which recently went into volun- ( tary liquidation, had been purchased i by Mr. H. B. Phillips, of London, who j was formerly associated with the Phillips Opera Company. Mr. Phillips, in:, the course of a statement to the Press | 'said: "I have taken Carl Rosa over as, , a going concern, and I am quite at | ' liberty to arrange its personnel as 1, think best, although I hope to utilise ' tho sendees of many of the principals ' whose names have become familiar to the i public. I have the support of a small ■ * syndicate in my venture, and I am \ ( taking over such of the Carl Rosa dates I i and contracts as I can fulfil. The effect i of my acquisition is that grand opera ! in England will still be given by Carl ! i Rosa both in London and the country I ( during the ensuing season, which starts ; ( in August; and I confidently count on [ \ the support of the public in my venture." t " A writer in an English exchange, discussing the performance of the Teatre (lei Piccoli of Rome (marionettes) at the New Scala Theatre. London, says: ; —"The croscii teste in this, the first of ( the marionette programmes, is an opera in three ucts, written about the story a of "The Sleeping Beauty," and sung in c England by singers unseen. The uee of ' j puppets avoids many of the disadvan- I(■ tages which sometimes tempt opera- I, ■goers to sit far back in their boxes, and j c cloee their eyes to the stage. If when | T tho Princess has pricked her finger the £ Old Woman seems to fret too long and j a a little tediously, there are on the other ' ] side of the stage a Cat and a Spindle, !j dancing , for our diversion as no men ! n have ever danced; if when Prince April j j comes to break the epell it is necessary I that he do battle with a spider, the marionettes have no difficulty in that, if for to them a spider is no harder than i a Prince. They have, indeed, within c their range all thinss animate and r inanimate. Their fairies fly without; I the agony of suspension, their rosea n dance, their horses roam across the stage with the same easy undulation as I the King and Queen. They weep with \ an odd little posture of the hands and \ an exaggerated heaving of the shoulders y that would win the wickedest of fairies j< to pity. They can, in short, do every- o thing but walk as we walk, and are none 1 the worse for that." v