THE THEATRE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 81, 29 December 1917, Page 10

THE THEATRE

(By Sylvius.) -.- : | V ■ --— • Vaudeville people from' the "Legitimate." There is a big sprinkling of dramatio artists engaged among the few huudred vaudeville performers under contract to tho Fullers. Genevieve Lfce iva3 in romantic drama, with the American star, Robert Warwick; Ted' M'Lean began his career with E. H. Sothern, and has associated with many - stago ( celebrities; Tom Cannam, now at tbe Fullers' Sydney house, is one of the best-known character men in Australia: David Urquhart, Abie Barker,' and Jean Clyde were principals with Graham Moffatt's Scotch company; Leslie Wood was a Bland Holt lead; Ernest Lashbrooke (Johnson's Revue Co.) played the Cat in the Australian presentation of Maeterlinck's "Blue Bird"; Lew James was the South African" Potash of "Potash and Perlmutter"; Dorothy. Hastings (Prince Revue)' graced the "Glad Eye" .Company; and W r alter Johnson, at present heading his revuq company in New Zealand, was for a long period in etocK drama introduced here by Walter , Sandford, tho American producer. • . ■;.. , .

Cast of "Dick Whittington." The cast for the J,' C. Williamson "Dick Whittington" pantomime at Melbourne Her Majesty's on Saturday, December 22, was as follows:— Vera Pearce'as Dick Whittington;'. Maggie Dickinson, premier danseuse; Sidney Yates as principal danseur; Harry lloxbury as Idle Jack; Pauline Bindley as Alice Fitzwarreu; William. Fullbrook as Alderman Fitzwarren; Arthur Stigant as Mary the Cook; Ernest Langford as Johnnie, the cook's son; Claude Bantock as Captain Barnacle; Oliver Peacock as the Emperor of Morocco; Constance Cayley as Rupert; Pearl Ladd as Princess Rosy Dawn; Billy Le Brun as Tommy the Cat; Villiers Arnold as Rodente, King of Ratland; Ethel Walker , as Dulcibelle, the Spirit of the Chimes. There were seventeen scenes in the pantomime, which , was produced by Charles A. Wenman. The ballets, ' marches, and groupings were invented and arranged by Minnie Everett, and Victor Champion, the musical director, had specially composed the ballet and incidental music. Season de Luxe. Thoro is no sparing in the dramatic treasures that are to be offered to the Wellington public by Miss Marie Tempest, Mr. Graham Browne and Co. "Penelope," in which Miss Tempest has scored heavily within recent years, is said to be a charming play liy Somerset Maugham, whose skilful hand we have known in "Lady Frederic and "The Land of Promise:" and who also wroto "Liza of Lambeth," a novel Mat had a considerable. run a few years a"0. Maugham has been about as prolific a playwright as Horace \s<*oll>and iust as successful. Indeed, Ins plays have the touch of universality to a creator degree than tho delicate products o£ Vacholl (of whose plays only "Quinncy's" has been played in Australasia). Another of .Somerset Maugham's plays to. bo performed by tho 'i'ompest Company , is 'Mrs. .Wot, which had a long run in London, and is said to provide a part almost, .it not quite, as' good as Becky Sharp, lor tho vcrsatilo artist. Another vc lccinc bill will be "Good Gracious, ;innabellc," by Claire Kummor, an Amencan writer whose success has been positively meteoric. Tho play has the oddest, 'maddest, and most elusive humour, and tho situations are quaint ju their originality.,

Notes, J. 0. Williamson, Ltd., have engaged for inclusion in their "Dick W! ■ tingtou". pantomime a novi'l, specialty act. \ This is the Cauiille . ,'l'rio, whose humorous acrobatic performanco is something to scream over.; Miss Norma Mitchell, who accompanied Miss Muriel Starr from America, will appear as" the American girl, Diana, in "The Bird of Paradise" at , Melbourne Theatre Royal. Miss Mitchell has done a deal of important work on the- American stage. One of her recent appearances was in New York with Miss" Marie Tempest and Mr. Graham Browne l in a comedy entitled "Her Husband's Wife." Miss Mitchell has also played iii David Belasco', and other pro&uctions. On Christmas Day Mr.. Cyril Maude, who had just, arrived, in Christchurch,extended an invitation to the of his company to spend), a day in tl;e. country with him, and 25 of a party ■'. made'the trip to the Ashfey Gorge: in-■ the afternoon. The weather was perfect for such an outing, an\l all enjoyed themselves immensely, the party returning to town at about H. 30 p.m. Elaborate arrangements were made by Mr. Maude, and an excellent dinner >as • discussed in the open air. Mr, Maude was greatly pleased with the success of the gathering, and said that it was absolutely "the greatest Christmas Day he. had even spent." J. and N. Tait promise to stitge a number of new attractions during 1918. In addition to the fantastic comedy "Do Luxe Annie" and the mystery, play "The Invisible Foe,", they have acquired the rights of a sentimental comedy of character, "Mother Carey'? Chickens," written by the author of "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.' ■ Viscount Drumlanrig, eldest son and heir of the ninth Marquis of Queensberry, has married Miss Irene Richards, an actress, who has been appearing in "Theodore and Co." at the Gaiety Theatre in London. Ho was 21 years of ago in January Inst. When , war broke out he joined tho Black Watch.' . , The recent casualties reported by the Italian War Office, according to American newspapers, include the name oi Ernesto Pagani, who as "Maciste" was a- prominent motion picture figure on both sides of the Atlantic. Maciste, who was a giant in build, will be icmembered by • New Zealand picture theatre-goers as the slave in "CaWia." He is said to have been the largest man in Italy. He was killed during tho recent offensive on the Baiusizza. Plateau. • '

Philadelphia is to possess the first theatre in tho world to be operated without footlights. All tho stage illumination will come from above, being as nearly as possible a reproduction of ordinary sunlight. The innovation of taking away the-footlights comes as a genoral surprise to theatre-goers, violating as it does one of the traditions of stage jnrfc. : .The system employed demands a long steel bridge, of cantilover construction and 10 feet wide, which, is thrown all the way across tho proscenium arch' directly behind tho curtain. On tho bridge will be stationed 80 electricians, each handling tv;o lamps, -pointed downward and manipulated much as a soldier might aim a machine-gun. The rays of light completely envelop.tho characters on tho stage below, and explore every corner of the stage. It is just rfs though nn enormous sun were above the players'. Tho effect is described as the most natural lighting ever seen in a theatre. Tho combined candle-power of these lamps is 160,000, and the electric curront used at each performance would carry a submarine across the Athuitio or illurtiinato two largo metropolitan, hotels for 21 days. . *■'