SOCIETY SENSATION.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 63, 14 March 1924, Page 8

SOCIETY SENSATION.

LADY PAT. BLACKWOOD. BEGINS STAGS CAREER. PART IN "CABARET IiIRL." (From Cm- Own Correspondent.) SYDNEY, March 7. The engagement of Lady Patricia Blackwood for a part in the "Cabaret, Girl," to begin in Melbourne on Saturday, has caused quite a flutter in Mcl- ! bounil- social circles. j Lady Blackwood has been the guest I |of the Governor-General and his wife, ' j Lord and Lady Forster. at the Federal (j'ovornmet House lor the last II) I months, and she is one of the outsuind- j ing figures in society circles. Few sua-j pectcd that she had' any inclination to j I adopt the stage as m profession. She is quite earnest about it. however.' and refers to it as the most exciting adventure of her life. The overtures were made to her a day or two ago by j Sir George Tallis. leading member of the I firm of .1. C. Williamson and Company. Her charm and beauty had impressed j him. for she is of a type that would [ command admiration in any place. She j |is about sft. oin. in height, and has a slim graceful figure, dark attractive eyes, and an ivory limed oval face. Sir George Tallis was struck by her, likeness lo ihe hue Maggie Albanesi. the | celebrated London actress, and at a | luncheon party he asked her whether j she would care lo take up acting seri-' uttsly. She has already appeared in a number of amateur theatrical enter- . tainments. He made her a definite oll'cr, which she accepted immediately, sub- • ject to the approval of relatives and friends. Apparently they raised no serious objection, for a contract was signed by her at Federal Government House on Tuesday. The Governor-General nnd suite wil. attend at Her .Majesty's Theatre on Saturday to sec Lady Blackwood make her debut. Her part will not be a big one. and she will be a butt for the . ■•okt-s of Alfred Frith. In an interview she confessed that. she was having "moments." If it had ill happened in less of a hurry, she ■idmitted that she would have been j 'empled to withdraw. "Amateur a.-ting lias its thrills for] a beginner.'' she said, "but it's :i very ditl'ercut thing when one commits oneself to a six months' contract. 1 wisli • make it quite clear that it is not -nerelv a whim. 1 am taking (o the <tuge" in deadly earnest, and. if the Vople will have mc. for good." I Lady Patricia likes comedy-drama best of all, and if her undertaking proves successful she will endeavour to ii.-ike a name for herself in that line. | She is a member of a distinguished English family. Her father is Earl Howe, and she is related to the second Marquis of DufTerin and Ava. and a granddaughter of the famous Marquis of Dufferin, who was Viceroy of India and Ambassador to France. Russia and ! Turkey. She is also a niece of Lord j Novar. known here as Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, a former Governor-General.