MIMES AND MUSIC. [By Orpheus.]

Evening Post, Issue 51, 29 February 1908, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC. [By Orpheus.]

COMIXU EVENTS. OPERA HOUSE. ( ; Carter,, season closes to-n'ght. Edwin Gcacli, 12tl. March to 26th Xlaich. Flemmiug Compam, 28th March to 17th April. J. C. WiUiamsun, JSth April to 9th May. K. Geach. 11th M y to kOth Slay. J. C. Williamson, 23rd May to 13th June. Allan Hamilton. £Uh June to »l.h Juty. E. Geacn, 16th Jay to 25th July. J. C. Williamson, 14th August «o 31st August. Allan Hamilton, 2nd September to 22nd September. Blanrf Holt, 3rd October to ?Oth October. West's Pictures, 25th November to 19th December. J. 0. Williamson, 26th December to Kth January THEAIREUIOTAL. Fuller* Vaudeville Company. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. Royal Picture Syndicate, in season. TOWN HALL." Clara Dutt. 3rd March/an-J sth Iftich. There is every indication that the final concerts to .be given by T.ladamo Clara Butt and Mr. Kennerky Runaford in the Town fiall on Tuesday and Thursday evenings will bo great successes. The great contralto has 'had a triumphal tour through the Dominion, and the Messrs. Tait should have no reason to be dissatisfied v.-ith their venture. Madame Clara Butt and her party leave for Sydney on Friday, and ■will give concerts there between the 14th and 2lst March. As originally zrraneed, the- great contralto was to give tweniy-nve concerts in this part of the world. Seventy-five will bo the number when the tour closes. x Tho Opera House will bs closed after this evening until 12th March, when it will be reopened bj Edwin Geach's Dramatic Company, in the sensational melodrama "A Modern Adventurecs." The company is a strong one, and is headed by Miss Harrie Ireland and Mr. Max Maxwell, late of Bland Holt's Company. :Tiie other members include Mr. Godfrey ''Cnss, Mr. J. P. O'Neill, Mr. Jefferson Taite, Mr. M. Lynch, Miss" Ethel Buckley, and Miss 'Helen Fergus. The company was recently formed 1 in Melbourne, and has just concluded big seasons in Newcastle and Brisbane, and is at present playing to packed audiences afc Sydney Criterion. Belasco's beautiful new comedy theatre in New York, which was recently opened, is only fifteen rows deep on the orchestra- floor, so that everyone is close- to the stage. There is no orchestra to play between the acts, Mr. Belasco having adopted for his new house the policy that obtains in Paris, adding a novelty of a chime of bells to announce tht " beginning of each act. No children under fourteen years of ago are engaged in the Drury Lane pantomime this year. By setting this limit 'th 2 trouble of applying for licenses at, th<= police court is got rid of, fend the responsibilty of providing a schoolroom ,and teachers for the youngsters in the theatre- is also avoided. This is the first time* for some years that Mr. Collins has not had to omploy council teachers. Mr. Harry Fragson, the well-known variety comedian, is setting a good ex-, ample" to pantomime comedians. At ♦nch performance of "The Babes of the

Wood" at Drury Lane, in which ho plays the part of a French Governess, he. sings a different Eong, and he states that he means to do so during the cntiro run. As the life of a pantomime at "Old Drury" is usually well over 120 performances, th? Anglo-French actor must have an extensive repertoire. The task is comparatively easy for Fragson, who accompanies himself on tho piano. "You ask me how I became a singer," says Mine. Tetrazzini in tho London Daily Mail. "I am afraid that I cannot Wl you. When I go on the stago to play Violctta or Lucia I simply foruat all about the audience, and — how, do you say — 'lose' myself in the part and "tho music. Tho other night there were real tears on my cheeks. But how to sing ! Th-io is a question I have nevor thought about. To be a singer you must first have a voice and then a 'heart.' If you havo these you will then know how to be ono without asking tiny one. If you have neither, I advise you to try something else." The sustained interest of the Melbourne public in the pantomime at Her Majesty's Theatre shown*, no sign of abatment vith tho 60th mile-post now well behini it. "Humpty Dumpty" to all appearance is extremely likely to top the 100 before it is withdrawn. | A year's tour jf Australasia has already been arranged for it 'to be entered upon as soon as tho Molbovune season is at an end. It will be in Sydnoy for Easter, and thereafter the Commonwealth and New Zealand lies before it. The tour will be on very much tho sames lines as that undertaken by "Mother Goose" last year, with tha exception that Perth will not bo visitjd, owing to th,e fact that suitable dates at th? theatre there are not available. Under present arrangements the tour will finish in 'New Zealand in November rieit. Referring to the marriage of Mr. W. H. Kelly, M.P., N.S.W., to Miss Olive Morroll, vli& was in Australia under special engagement to J. C Williamson for the "Moiher Gonpe" Pantomime, a lad} writer in the Bulletin tayß:— -It is interesting, apropos the recently-cabled Marriage of Willy, to consider the N.S.W- stage "society" weddings of the last five years. There i.i a wondrous divergence in the typo of player married, almost every possible sort of specialist being represented. For instanco:—(l) Squatlsr .1. Nott Osborne married Maud Jeffries (emotional and romantic) ; (2) Alderman T. H. KellyEthel Kiiight-Mollison (high-class comedy, with occasional excursions— as in "Madame Butterfly" — into serious drama) ; (3) Squatter Frerl. MrEvoy— Vi. Daniels (musical comedy) ; (4) A. Gordon. X.C. — Margaret Thomas (light opera singer) ; (5) W. H. Kelly, M.P.— Olive Morrell (principal pantomime girl) ; (6) Merchant and Wharf-owner Parbnry—Alice Thomas (Chorus maiden) ; (7) 'Squatter Jim McEvoy— Ewie Muret (Opero Co. show girl and smaller-part holder). All these young men mo wealthy. Is it a wonder that young women of their acquaintance, who has danced and raced and thpatred .ever so hopefully with the recreants for years past, flotcs their defection with puzzled rage, and murmurs a tearful "Whaffor" upon her "mummy's" angrily heaving bosom? Mr. Tyrone Power, who was for some time a favourite actor in Australia, 13 playing the leading part in "The Christian Pilgrim," a dramatised version of

| "The Pilgrim's Progress," in America. He. has niado a great success as' Beelzobub, and afterwards as Apollyon. Mr. Cyril Keightlcy has bcon engaged by Frederick Harrison to appear with Arthur Bourchiej- m the forthcoming production of "Son pere" at tho London Haymarket. Other Australian favourites to appear are Henrietta Watson and Mario Lohr. Mr. William Anderson, tho well-known theatrical manager, talks of building a now thcatro in Adelaide. Ho thinks that 'good melodramas would run there if properly staged and interpreted by competent artists. The theatre which is being built for' him in Mo'.bourno is costing £38,000 apart from tho land. Mr. J. 0. Williamson is returning to Australia on board tho now Orient steamer Asturias, which is duo to reach Fremantlo next week. His visit to Olctworld centres aud to tho United States has been particularly productivo of interesting engagements, promising a most attractive time theatrically in Australasia for a year or two to come. Th« first of tho "new things" he has acquired for Australia is, of course, "Peter Pan," the final arrangements for the production of which in Melbourne at Easter time ho only concluded a few months ago. Among the other people engaged for it is Ml*. Carlton, already well on his way out from America to act as stago manager. He comns with tlic strongest recommendation from Mr. J. M. Barne and Mr. Charles Frohman, both standing sponsors, for his ability to Mr. Williamson. An Australian sends along interesting items frcm Kc.w York to Melbourne Punch regarding popular artists know n in Australia i— All the Australians here are on the ground floor — all have good engagements. Geo. Majeroni is playiug in 'the new hit, "The Top of tho World," at the Majestic, New York. His biothcr, Mario, is with John Drew in "My Wife." Paul Scavdon is with Scthern, touring in the States ]reno Outtntii is with Henrietta. Grossman. She married an American actor named Booth the other day. Fred. Piivenhall is play ing a leading part in rt The Belle of Mayfair" in New York. Bert Levy is a huge hit and top liner in vaudeville — booked for a year at £60 per week. Hilda Spong, with her playlet, "Kit," is alto a hit in. vaudeville. Walter Howe is with her as leading man. Orlando Daly and wife and David Glassford aro with Hacket on tour. Maggie Moore is with Jefferson in Rip Van Winkle." "Let sleeping dogs lie" is an old saying, and _ a wife one. We had a waking-up with unfortunate results iv Mr. Julius Knight's revival of "Claudian" at the Theatre Royal (says "The Don," the Sydney critic for Melbourne Punch"). When the late Wilson Barrett gave us ■ "Claudian" ten years ago, wo consoled ourselves with tho, thought that no one wuuld I'm rafh enough to throw the mixture of fustian and farce in the face of the Sydney public a second time, Wilson Barrett dropped this .particular bundle of dramatic rubbish on his return visit to Australia. Mr. Knight ' should not have inflicted the so-caited famous play in a prologue and threo acts, by W. G. Wills and Henry Herman, on us after tho way ye supported him during ihe long and success run 0"f "The Scarlet Pimpernel." And apart flam being an error of judgment on tho part of tho actormanager, there is every reason to fear that tho revival of "Claudian" will turn out an unprofitable experiment

The theatre was not crowded on Saturday night, and the audioncc went away depressed after that miserable last act, in which CJaudian make a long speech and dies amid tho ruins of his paJaco Belasco seems to have an instinct for plays that will take, for, as a writer in Munsey's points oufc, during tho twenty-five years since his advent in New York, "h« has written ten, and produced twenty, playb, and out of these only two have been failures. What is the secret of such a splendid record? Belasco is, assuredly, not a brilliant writer. He is v man who hac had little schooling, from tho nhcer necessities of the case, but ho has been brought up in the atmosphere of the theatr3, and knows his stago as a nun knows her boads. Ho posecssea, moreover, a keen insight into human nature, and realises that his instinct for (ho dramatic must be leaened with a respect for realities. No better example of this can be found than his latest output, "Tho Grand Army Man.' Theie is not one incident that bears the mark of having been introduced for dramatic effect. Every single happening is tho logical outcome of that which went before. No character crosses the stage, to sit or P^and in a different place, merely becaupe tho stage manager believes that the audience 'wants tho scene broken up.' Of course, such pretty tricks are mere artifice, not art, and TJelaseo has banished them to th 6 limbo of 'has been*",' to join soliloquies aiid asidep. People in real life are not 'constantly moving from ono side of tho room to the. other. Why should they in plays?" Theatrical Clips. — Mr. Howard Ycrnon and Miss Vinia de Loitte have left for Auttralia. It is said that it is probable that agriculture and chicken-raising will onco more claim thsir attention. . . Arthur Roberta, in London, is playing a "skotch," with the ploasing titlo of "Till Sunday; or, The Girl Who Took the Wrong (Towing) Path." . . Messrs. fJailey and Duggan, the Andereonian melodramatists, aro digging tho foundations for a now play — another roal Australian drama, with horso in it. It is rumoured that it may be the first piece staged at tho now theatre in Russellstreet, Melbourne. . . "Peter Pan" is becoming a hardy annual of tho London stage. In fact, seats were being boolced last month for the revival next Christmas ! . . . Miss Amy Willard, who played in Australia and America m the "Sw>et K^oll of ' Old Drury" company, is the Paulina in Mr. Weeclon Grossmith's '"Night of tho Party" at the Avenuo Thcatro, London. . . Miss Florence Baines ("Miss Lancashire, Limited") has beaten all records at the New Bijou, Melbourne. . . J. W Winton is appearing in Now York. . . Bland Holt, writing from Fremantle, under tho date of 7th February, reports that both his wilb and Miss C'oppin are progressing satisfactorily, and that tho wholo party hofted to leave for tho eastern States in a few (icyp. . . Allan Hamilton haft secured ihe Australian rights of Arthur l ?u £V' S latest< drimj X "lhe Spider and the Fly," which will be sunt through New Zealand about the ond of April. . . Miss Florence Young rojoint, tho lloyal Comic Opera Company m tim. for the production of tha "Lady Dandies" in hydney. Miss Olivo Godwin will take -Miss Young's place jn the Melbourne panto. . . Kochestoi and Rivers, according to exchanges, would appear to have made a gitat success in America, and are booked many months ahead