THROUGH STAGE EYES

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 48, 26 February 1914, Page 9

THROUGH STAGE EYES

MISS GRACE PALOTTA IN A NEW ROLE. It was but typical of one gifted with such a personality and natural buoyancy that, when a Post representative made an unexpected call on. Miss Grace Palotta yesterday, she found in her at once a most interesting and entertain* ing hostess. Hithjerto Wellington audiences have seen Miss Palotta in the role of "grande dame," but on this occasion they will have the opportunity' of seeing her in an entirely new role™ her first appearance, in pantomime in Australasia. She is a Viennese by birth, and her heart and soul is in her work, which ha& been principally confined to musical comedy. Naturally she is very proud of the fact that she was chosen to play the role of Prince in the famous "George Edwardes Pantomime Company in London— her first appearance in pantomime. The company afterwards played a musical comedy, "My Friend the Prihce," and a pretty compliment was paid the actress by her artist colleagues, who sent her a perfect, bower of flowers, inscribed "From My Friend the Prince" to "Their Friend the Prince." "In 'Aladdin/ of course," said Miss Palotta, "I'm only 'a little fella, 1 but I love being a boy. I've played boy parts in America — in comic opera —where 1 have been compared to Vesta Tilley." She laughed, merrily. "I used to get my buttonholes from the girls in the front stalls. It waa great fun. Ther",e is no life like it," she added, "but it meann lots of work — real hard work- and lota of heartache. If you could see us sometimes at rehearsals ! The _ Work in connection with the production of a pantomime is terrific. In the final relxeai'sal of 'Aladdin' we reach ed home with the dawn. We went away with the coffee and returned with the milkman. And I haven't often met the milkman," she confessed quaintly. Miss ■ Palotta wears some beautiful costumes ih "Aladdin." One of deep carnation pink satin .is particularly effective. Then there is one in shades of violet, and another in royal blue— each prettier than the last. She paid a graceful tribute to Miss Nellie Stewart, who spent several hours in helping her choose and design the costumes, some of them being exact replicas of costumes worn by Miss Stewart when playing in pantomime. In this they were assisted by Miss Emily Sherwood, for very many years wardrobe mistress to Miss Stewart, and who designed the dresses in "Nell Gwyrnie." Stage dressing, said Miss Palotta. is an art in itself, and Emily' Sherwood, a genuine artist, is responsible for most of the wonderful colour effects achieved by the Australasian opera companies. In London an innovation is being made in connection with pantomime. The role of "Prince" for the future is to be taken by a boy. Miss Palotta said that those responsible for the innovation had paid a warm tribute to Miss Nellie Stewart. She was, they said, the best Prince ever seen in pantomime. In answer to a question, Miss Palot,ta said she had wanted to act ever since she could remember. The best school for learning, she said, was a tour round the world — an actor never ceased learninghe was always at school. She had had a wonderful advantage in living on the Continent, where ehe had had the opportunity of seeing great artists of every nationality—French, Get-man, English, and Italian. One of the greatest assets an artist could have, she declared, was tact, for tact i& wanted all the time, behind the scenes as well as on the stage. Like many another artist, Miss Palotta has a hankering after tragedy, but she says people want to laugh, and so she makes them laugh. She had never enjoyed playing anything so much as a part in an exquisite little sketch, "The Test Supreme." At first, shesaid, people had been inclined to laugh, just because they expected to laugh, but they did not laugh long. It had been a proud moment of her life when she had been able to make people wteep instead of laugh. Miss Palotta will also act as hostess at the Tango teas, when she will, in conjunction with Miss Marjory Maurice and Mr. Fred. Oswald, demonstrate the fascination and charm of that much-dis-cussed dancje, the Argentine Tango.