MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume XC, Issue 92, 16 October 1915, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus.") THE "SHOWS. GRAND OPERA HOUSE. J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Company, season opens to-night. ?. C. Williamson, "Potash and Perlmufcter," 16th December. HIS MAJESTY'S. Fuller Vaudeville. THE KING'S THEATBB. Pictures nightly. STAR THEATRE. Pictures nightly. NEW THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. EMPRESS THEATBB Continuous Pictures. SUORTT'S THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. PEOPLE'S PICTURE PALACE. Continuous Pictures. BRITANNIA THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. OPERA HOUSE. Continuous Pictures. Edwin Brett, who will be remembered here in pantomime, is in "The Ladybirds," one of the new revues in Britain. It has been announced that Mr. Julius Knight has abandoned his projected tour of the small towns of the Dominion. Miss Maud Williamson and Mr. Alfred Woods were lately presenting their short play, "The Saint or the Sinner," at Dover, England. Miss Dorothy Woods was a member of the cast. There is a possibility of an early production in either Melbourne or Syaney of a Maori play, the scenes of which are laid in New Zealand and. Sydney. _ The play is held by Mr. Beanmont Smith. After showing for four weeks in Sydney, the popularity of the comedy, "Potash and Perlmutter,". which the Williamson firm will produce here in due course, increased rather than diminished, a point which testifies to the attractiveness of the play. The wax threatens a shortage of drums in England. Vellum is _ expensive and the factories are busy with instruments of percussion that make a bigger noise, and produce a far more serious effect upon those within range of them. The demand for Italian music in England since the entry of Italy into the war is said to be so 1 great that a wellknown publishing house of Italian

foundation in London has had to send to Italy for a replenishment of it 3 stock. James Fernandez, described in the Stage as "a grand old man of the stage," died in London during July, aged eighty years. He was born at Petrograd on 28th May, 1835, and entered the dramatic profession in 1853, as a member of the company at the Queen's, _ Hull, England. Mr. Fernandez made his first appearance in London at the Queen's Theatre during 1835, and his last was at a command performance at Drury Lane on 19th May, 1911, William Archer, dramatic critic of the London Star, and one of London's foremost writers upon the drama, has written a play -which will be produced in the near future. It is the first play from Mr. Archer's pen. Mr. Archer was for many years critic of the London _ World, and it was while employed on this paper that he translated Ibsen's plays for the London stage, a work which brought him fame and fortune. He- is the author of many books upon the theatre. The recent jubilee of Messrs. Maske- 5 lyne and Devant in London is a reminder that J. N. Maskelyne claims to have introduced the matinee in London. Observing how few afternoon entertainments there were at that time, he arranged a series of matinees, frequently being able to advertise : "The only entertainment in London this afternoon." Sir Henry Irving, who wentlo some of these performances, remarked on the good attendance, and shortly afterwarcts tried matinees himself with such success that the practice was quickly copied byother managers. • Madame Melba and her concert associates, Messrs. Robert Parker and Frank St. Leger, made a profitable sojourn at Honolulu en route to San Francisco, or to the "mainland," us the Americans say in Honolulu. That genial island city -covered Melba with fragrant Hawaiian leis on departure by the Mateonia. Be,fore sailing she expressed the hope that her stage costumes will have arrived in time for her engagements in opera in Chicago and New York. "One can't sing grand opera without, clothes," she remarked whimsically, "and my entire operatic wardrobe has been war-bound in Paris since August of last year." London has been paying £11,000 a year for band music in the parks. This sum seems extravagant under present conditions, but a plan has been drawn up for 514 performances this summer at thirty-seven places, at a cost not to exceed £5000. In commenting on this one of the journals says that "to the value of music for recruiting purposes the last few weeks have borne eloquent testimony. But it is not only potential Tommies who stand in need of the heart-

ening influence of inspiring strains at a j time like the present. The civilian population, the vast majority of whom have relatives and friends fighting at the front, require cheering up, and what greater power is there than music to drive away the demon of depression?" The Serge Diaghilew Imperial Russian Ballet — which for the past five years has made a notable success in Paris, Petrograd, Berlin, Vienna, Rome, Monte Carlo, and elsewhere in Europe — will visit the United States in 1916. All of the Russian organisation's 200 members, including an orchestra of 70 men, will go on tour. A large technical staff of the utmost importance (because of the unusual lighting and stage effects employed) will accompany the troupe everywhere, and no fewer than 55 principals. The settings and the draperies for the 12 big ballets in the repertoire will be 'taken on tour ; these are by Leon Bastk, the Russian master colourist. Leon Bastk took Paris by storm in 1906, when Serge Diaghilew, regisseur of the Opera in Pefcrograd, arranged an exhibition of Russian art. But it was not until June, 1909, that he created for himself his present name, through designing the settings and costumes for the_ ballet "Cleopatra," presented at that time. The "code of morals" for Boston theatres, which was prepared by Mayor Curley, has been sent to all theatrical managers, with no reference to barelegged dancers, which last spring he bitterly condemned. The notices read :—: — "All performances shall be confined entirely to the stage of the theafoe or place of amusement. No wearing of one-piece union suits by females, where the same is worn simply to display the female figure, as in living pictures. No portrayal of a moral pervert. No muscle dances, known as Tioochy' and 'Apache' dances. No performer of either sex shall portray a 'dope fiend.' It should be the aim of the management of places of amusement to see that indecent suggestions and vulgarity are eliminated, and bear in mind that the substantial element of the community desire clean performances." "O'Leary, V.C." is the title of Mr. Allen Doone's new play, which will see the stage-lighta for tie first time in Melbourne at Cup time. In the meantime he has registered the title, and the play is in the throes of completion. The hero will, of course, be the great O'Leary, V.C, over whom London went crazy for a day, and Ireland for a week. There is good red blood in the title, and with Mr. Doone's native cleverness to weave the story there should be more than a "V.C." in it for him. Mr. Doone, who is now in Sydney, will play Brisbane and New South. Wales centres,

opening in Melbourne at Cup time, at Hobart at Christmas, Sydney at Easter, and back to New Zealand in June next year, opening at Gisborne, and then coming on to Napier, Hastings, and Wellington, with the West Coast to follow. _ Although some time ago J. C. Williamson, Ltd., included "Peg o' My Heart " as one of its future productions, it is now stated that J. and N. Tait are going into the dramatic business with this pretty little play which J. Hartley Manners wrote for his wife, Miss Laurette Taylor, and made her a star. " Peg o' My Heart" for 604 nights in New York, Miss Taylor appearing throughout the season without interruption, a record for America. In London "Peg" has a 350 nights' record. It was first produced at Rochester, New York, on 25th November, 1912, by Oliver Morosco, and made a small fortune for him. It is not yet announced who will play Peg in Australia. The Glad Eye Company has been disbanded until Christmas time, when it will enter upon what is hoped will be a long season of "Stop Your Nonsense" at the King's Theatre, Melbourne. All the members of the old cast will be reengaged, but bigger specialties are to be provided, so that something like decent competition with the other holiday attractions may be the result. " Stop Your Nonsense-" is to be followed by " Mum's the Word," which has yet to be tried on Melbourne auSiences. Ethel Dane and Tom Shelford join the comedy company at Sydney Criterion Theatre for the production of "A Pair of Sixes," the farce comedy which will follow "Stop Thief." It is reported in Australia that Mr. Percy St. John, manager of Holland and St. John Vaudeville Theatre, Brisbane, is dead. His partner, Mr. Holland, died about 18 months ago. The return to the scene of so many of her successes was taken .advantage of by the Melbourne public to accord Miss Florence Young an ovation when she made her reappearance as Paul Jones last Saturday. There was present an enormous house, and at the fall of the curtain the popular artist was the recipient of enough flowers to stock a florist's shop, while the members of the company gathered round her, and added their quota to the salvos of applause from the front. Miss Carrie Moore has been engaged by Mr. George Marlow to play the principal boy in his Christmas pantomime, "Dick Whittington." Mr. Dan Thomas will be the Dame. Like "Within the Law," the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., production of "Potash and Perlmutter" will tour on its own right through Australia and New Zealand. The comedy is drawing crowded houses at Sydney, and in due course it will be despatched to New Zealand. Other J. C. Williamson attractions for the Dominion will be the Royal Comic Opera Company, with a repertoire of "musical plays, and the Muriel _ Starr Company with some new productions.