MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 18, 22 January 1916, Page 13

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus,")

THE SHOWS. GEAND OPERA HOUSE. J, C. Williamson Opera Company, in leason. HIS MAJESTY'S. Fuller Vaudeville. THE SING'S THEATRE. Flcture* nightly. STAR THEATRE. Pictures nlfhtly, NEW THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. EMPRESS THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. SHORTT'S THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. PEOPLE'S PICTURE PAIACt. Continuous Pictures. ' PHITANWIA THEATRE. Continuous Pictures. OPERA SOUSE. Continuous Picture*.

Mr. Allan Hamilton has left Sydney for London, via New Zealand and Bueno3 Ayres. . .

Mr. Charles Stanford, who is well known in New Zealand,, is to begin a three weeks' season at the .Palace Theatre, Sydney, on 20th February, with » farce-comedy entitled "Factory Hands," which is a dramatisation of Edward Dyson's widely-read book of the same name.

George Lupino, father of Barry Lupino, one of th« comedians, recently in the Williamson circuit, is playing the part1 of a farmer in "This 16 the Life," of which Stanley. Lupino, another son, is the principal comedian. Lupino, senior, has been on the stage for over sixty years, and can still dance a single and double piroutte, work traps like a juve- i nile acrobat, and sing a good operatic solo. . ...

Barlee and Sutton describe their act (to be : given: at His Majesty's; Theatre shortly) as a "musical comedy trifle," and Loth are artists of repute. Miss Barlee (Mrs. Phil Smifch) made a reputation at Home in "singing" parts in musical comedy, and came out to the colonies when her husband was engaged by J. 0. Williamson, ,Ltd- Mr. Sutton was for many years a director and principal of Adeler and Sutton's Al Fresco entertainments —" companies touring the English seaside; and quite lately made a long tour of South Africa at the head of the Musical Madcaps.. Mr. Harold Ashton, who has been connected with th« J. C. Williamson organisation for a number of years, has been appointed associate director to the.firm. Mr. Ashton,. who returned to Melbourne recently from South Africa, where for two years he managed the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., interests in that- country as resident managing director, will leave at the end of this month for America, sto secure new . attractions and artists for J. C. Williamson, Ltd., in Australasia and South Africa. ;

"Melodrama is moribund." cabled Mr.. Ben Fuller from America to Mr. George Marlow in Sydney. Mr. Fuller, has been canvassing the United: States market for new plays and- people! for t>he George Marlow firm, and his cabled reports indicate that the best pieces offering are revues and other musical frivolities.. Mr. Marlow, whose policy it has always been to be with the'- times, has; therefore, authorised Mr. Fuller to engage a complete company of musical' comedy and revue artists, and to secure Jthe best available pieces of this description This does not mean, however, that Mr.' Marlow has abandoned melodrama, says a. Sydney paper. "I am not the one to desert a horse that has carried me, well," he says. -On the contrary,:he intends to keep a continual lookout for that class of,melodrama which he believes the public wants.. ■-■ . ..'..- :

, Lieutenant I>artnell, the actor-soldier who wod the Victoria Cross for bravery in Africa, and died in the '.winning of it, was an Australian. He commenced his stage life in . Victoria, playing with Howard .Eadie, and went with, him to Western 'Australia with' a company which ,wai' stranded at Perth. He remained in> Australia some time, and, was once in a company organised by Charles Kenningham at the Theatre Boyal, Sydney;:',' :mv ' '.' ■}■■'■'■■■'■ ■'■■' .■' .■.■■' '.

Genevieve;Ward,' -who was acting in Melbourne,and Sydney befpre' most pre-sent-day Australian playgoers were born, was bookeo" ;for~ reappearance at tne St. James's, London, on,: New Year's Day. George Alexander, who runs that fashionable playhouse,l describing the new fouract comedy, ','The Basker," with which he proposed' to . inaugurate 1916, ■ and asked about his leading lady, remarked: "Ah; there comes' something of a sur-' prise, but I think you will all; agree I could not have made a better choice. The role, because of its complex character,, is rather difficult 'to ,611.; .Still, I think I have' found an ideal representa: tiye in Miss Genevieve Ward. Theatrical biographers give her '.age, I.'know,. as 77, but if she doesn't prove r the youngest in.the cast I.'shaU be.vastly-mist-aken." "The. Basker" ;is' a .foiir-act comedy written, by Mrs. i Clifford-Mills, part authoress of .'the successful: .."Where the Rainbow Ends." Alexander sunisiit up as a "bright, breery, cheery", piece which sounds like a new depaj-ture lite in life for the stately and _ dignified Genevieve.—Bulletin.

Mr. Ben Fuller, in a letter from San Francisco to Mr. 'Will. Doughs, general manager in Sydney of the Fuller circuit, gays he was a great deal more favourably impressed with A.merican people than ever before. He attributes the fact to the pro-British sentiments that ,he has heard everywhere. "This is not altogether brought about by disinterested friendship," he proceeds. "They have come to realise by their own unpreparedness how ■ important they have become as a world-power, and in spite of the German press campaign they also realise what would happen to them in the event of ,a German victory I believe it was the best thing that ever happened that this country'did not enter the war, even on • the side of the Allies. • They are now free to supply' us with munitions and war supplies, although they are also busy setting their own house in order." Mr. Fuller spent two days at the Exposition. "Believe me," he says, resorting to the vernacular of the country, "it is some show. I have never before seen anything like it in mv life. I would like to dump a couple of the buildings and their contents down in Sydney just to show how far behind the times we are.'' Kef erring in his letter to the business that took him to the States, Mr.' Fuller says he.has riot only booked a large numberof attractions for the circuit, but has decided to adopt a number of novel ideas in theatre management Some of the innovations refer even to orchestral devices, stage .lighting, and auditorium arrangements. One difficulty he has experienced with his bookings,' and that is that in his attempt to skim the cream off American vaudeville, he hae hit up against the fact that the big star attractions are all under lucrative contracts. Not only has he had to bid high for them, but in a number of cases the artists will not be able to sail for Australia until their local contracts are finished. But, he adds, he feels confident that the Australian public will justify his enterprise. As a result of his energies a big contingent of artists is leaving San Francisco by the next American mail steamer, and arrangements have been, made for others to leave by successive mail steamers, and thus keep up a constant flow of new artists with headline turns. Mr Fuller has been so successful in his arrangements that he will return at an earlier date than he originally anticipated,