MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 106, 31 October 1914, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus.") THE SHOWS. GRAND OPERA IIOUSi;. Leroy, Talma, and Bosco, sth November. "Humpfcy-Dumpty" Pan'-omime. 12th November. "The Court Cards." 17th December. Julius Knight, 26Ui December. HIS MAJESTY'S. Brennan-Fuller Vaudeville, THE KING'S THEATRE. Pictures nigbUj. STAR THEATRE. Pictures nightly. NEW THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. EMPRESS THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. BHORTT'S THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. PEOPLE'S PICTURE PaLvCI. Continuous Pictures. BRITANNIA THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. OPERA HOUSE. Continuous Pictures. Mr. Fred. Maguire, the light comedian of " The Girl in the Taxi," now at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, was selected by Mr. George Edwardes to play DanJo in the DrincipaJ English provincial tour of "The Merry Widow." The members of the Eoyal Wellington Choral Society are busily engaged in rehearsing "A Tale of Old Japan." which will be sung in the Town Hall on the 20th November. The following are the principals :— Madame' Bfigg& (Napier), soprano; Mrs. Rosewarne (Napier), alto , Mt Jatnea Sirnpsoit (Dunedin), tenor; Mr. James Jago (Dunedin), baritone. "The Messiah" will be sung in December. When the "Smart Set"' first visited Wellington a prominent member of the company wag Mr. Edward Elliott, the ventriloquist. Mr. Elliott returned to England, and it was afterwards reported that he had been killed in a motor-car I accident. Mr. Elliott writes to say that j "that report, like that of the death of another celebrated humouristj is 'greatly exaggerated.' " The outbreak of the war closed Mr. Elliott's Seasons at the ! English seaside resorts, and it is likely I that he will pay another visit to this portion of the earth with his own cony pany. Mr. W. A. Low will again pilot I Stephenson and Linley's pantomime company on its tour of New Zealand. The I pantomime, "Humpty-Dumpty," will be on a much larger scale than "80-Peep,' 1 the company will also be stronger, and will contain some high-class vocalists, comedians, and speciality artists. The ballets, marches, and tableaux' will also be original, and the costuming on a regal scale. The managers declare that taken all round "Humpty-Dumpty" will i be found to compare more than "favour1 ably with any similar class of entertainment. ' . Galleryites will come into their own again when 'Leroy, Talma, and Bosco's season of magic opens on Thursday next at the Grand Opera House. Lately the plank has been used by vaudeville artists to enable them to come down amongst the audience in the stalls, but a lot of theatregoers will remember the huge Success Bosco was when here eight years ago, when he invaded the gallery, while Leroy visited the circle and Talma' the stalls, and took rabbits, etc., out of the pockets of the people sitting there. This will be carried out during the forthcoming season in Wellington. Among the illusions promised are " Nero," in which two South African lions are juggled with, and the famous Indian " rope trick." It is claimed that the illusion of the lions has never previously been attempted on the stage by any former magician. Miss Margaret Anglm, who will be well remembered by New Zealandere as having toured these parts come five years ago, 'was to commence a season at the Broad-street Theatre, Philadelphia, on 28th September, in Oscar Wilde's jlay, "Lady Windermere's Fan." Miss Anglin, at the conclusion of that sea-son, was to take the play on an extended tour which would include Australia. Among the new pieces acquired lately by Miss Anglin is one called "The Divine Friend," which was written by Charles Phillips, a San Francisco newspaper man. She has also secured a- new play written by Ernest Denny, the- English writer. Both these pieces, together with a Shakespearean revival, are to be produced during Miss Anglin's season in New sTork, which is duo to commence in January next. Julitte Knight first impersonated Napoleon at Brighton, England. He had then returned from Australia, after a season with Laura Viiliers. The man- j ager who engaged him was none other than the celebrated W. W. Kelly, who ovyned the English rights of "A Eoyal Divorce." He had not begun to make money with the production of the Napoleonic drama* up to that time, and his managerial life was uncertain. He used to say : "I came to this country with a shoe-string — and I've still got it. ' Now, says Mr. Knight, he is Mayor of Birkenhead, and owns a couple of theatres in Liverpool. Mr. Knight's fret notice of the part was from, a fine old critic, who said : "It has been said of Barry Sullivan that he was born to play Richard III. ; ifc can be said of Julius Knight that he was bom to play Napoleon." Mre. W. S. Percy (Miss Je6sie Earn- [ cay), wife of the popular comedian, has returned to Dunedin, from London. Mrs. j Percy accompanied her husband to j America, and subsequently to London, whei'o^ lie received an engagement to play in the revue "Merry and Bright." Then the war bioke out, and all was not merry and bright (writes "Pasquin," in Otago Witness), so Mrs. Percy returned. AVhile in London Mrs. Percy was joined b.y an old friend of her Pollard days, Miss May Beatty (Mrs. Edward Lauri). The two New Zealanders had some exciting experiences when the war broke out — a trip to the Isle of Wight, a shot across the bows of the steamer, and a hold-up being not the least of thrills. By the way, W. S. Percy struck a bad time "to visit America, England, and the Continent, and in other ways he has not had the best of luck. After leaving Australia the popular comedian landed in New York, where he secured an engagement to go out with a touring musical comedy company. The show was a good one, but the run lasted no time. Percy was asked to "wait round," as the company would bo setting out on the road ngain very shortly. He waited round, and missed his passage to London. Seeing no prospects of the tour lesuming, Percy then took the next boat to England, and secured an engagement in London to appear in the revue "Merry and Bright.'' Then the war broke out, j theatres closed, and tours were abandoned. Meanwhile the popular comedian remains at Home, where he is certain to come into hiu own when tho war is over, if not before. Miss Ida Inglesole, of the "KlthlptyDumpty" Pantomime, is said to be a quaint commedienne besides being an excellent eccentric dancer. This is her second visit to the Dominion. She toured with Julius Knight Company as a child actress, and played the Little "King of Rome" in "The Royal Divorce" some years ago. Ernest Lashbrook. another member of the company, was imported from England for the j. C. Williamson production of tho rovuo "Coiho pve* 1 Hero." J3e ha# a congenial part

in "Humpty-Dumpty," and in conjunction with Con Moreni, who plays Dame,* has ample opportunities for merrymaking. Miss Olive Robinson, the Principal Boy, has an exceptionally strong singing voice, and is heard to great ad vantage in the patriotic song scena "New Zeahnd Will Bo There." One of the features of the pantomime is the "March of the Allies" introducing England, New Zealand, Belgium, Russia, and France. The uniforms worn by the handsome young ladies of the chorus, and the march which follows makes for a stirring effect. Mr. Albert Bletsoe, late of the Crimson Ramblers, who, .with Mrs. Bletsoe, is touring America, writes as follows of his experiences :— " We are now on our way to Chicago, having decided to let the American managers indirectly pay our way across the continent when we learned definitely it was no use arriving in the East before Ist September. In the meantime, we have an opportunity of trying all sorts of material 'on the dog. ' Wo have done well everywhere, although in some villages where there are six reels of pictures and the Bletsoes the only act, it is somewhat hard to make the audience wake up and take notice. After our opening matinee at North Yakima last week, tho manager came round, and said, ' Folks, you have got some act, and have received the best applause for many months.' Then, in the next breath, said, ' You have no idea what rotten acts we have had lately.' Sort of back-handed compliment, wasn't it? When opening on the Fisher circuit we jumped from 'Frisco to Klamath Falls. We received a wire to open at Aberdeen (Washington) in a week, but, in order to break the jump, played at Grant's Pass for two nights. We arrived at Grant's Pass at 6.30 p.m., proceeded to the theatre, and found a forlorn little girl reading a penny novelette. She was the pianiste. Just before starting rehearsal, the manager, who was very dirty, came in and proceeded to sweep out. The little girl, after several attempts to struggle through our opening, said, "Please, miss, will you play it through and show me how it goes?' It couldn't go, so we said, 'Cut it out.' My song was next, I and when the fair damsel saw all the black notes, she absolutely jibbed Then we proceeded to locate the dress-ing-room ; ' it ' was a sort of landing at the back of the stage, with a two foof; fence round, so Mrs. Bletsoe and I dressed in sections. ' The manager, who was village engineer, operator, and electrician, pulled up the curtain, worked the spots, swept out, etc., informed us that he did not expect to do much business, as there was a Chautaqna against us. Ho was right. However, next night we proved > a draw (so he said) in the shape of eight dollars extra. The work paid our expenses, with a few dollars over, and so we went merrily on our way, having many experiences of a humorous nature, which the little diary contains."