MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 48, 25 August 1917, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(BI "ORPBEBS.")

THE SHOWS. Brand Opera House.— J. and N. Tait Company, season closes to-night. Miss Reere's Dance Kecitals, 2oth and 27th

August. His Majesty's.—Vaudeville. The King's Theatre.—Pictures nightly. Crown Theatre.—Pictures nightly. Star Theatre.- -Pictures nishtly. Our Theatre.—Pictures nightly. New Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Empress Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Shortt's Pictures.—'Oontinuous Pictures. People's Picture Palace.—Continuous Pictures, Britannia Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Everybody's Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Queen's Pictures. —Continuous Pictures. Paramount Theatre—Continuous Pictures.

Miss Connie Ediss has agreed to stay for another term under the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., management, and has signed a renewal of her contract with

tlie firm.

The J. C. Williamson attraction for the Dominion at Christmas time will be Miss Mario Tempest and Mr. Graham Browne.

Signor Balboni, late tenor with the-G-onsalez Opera Company, haa been engaged by J. and N. Tait for a concert tour. Ho will be supported by the Kennedy Trio. Miss Maud Fane is to succeed Miss Dorothy Brunton as lea-der of Williamson's Musical Comedy Company. Miss Bruntou will make her final appearance in Sydney, before leaving for England, in "So Long, Letty." Mr. B. J. Tait, of J. and N. Tait, has gone to America in search of attractions. He is not expected back in Australia until Christmas time.

Miss Genevieve Lee, a young Californian actress, has arrived in Sydney, and will appear as lead in one of the Fuller dramatic companies, which, is to produce "My Little Grey Home hi the West." Apropos of the violent war raging in England over the vexed question of an amusements tax on the critic's ticket, Mr. Clement Shorter, in the Era, tells a delicious story of the journalist, not overpaid, who has to go night after night to the theatre as a business. "He has never End for anything in, his life," says Mr. horter, "and has never been in.a position to pay for much of tho luxury of life He is sometimes of the order of the gentleman who. when standing to look at a Punch and Judy show^ at the coiner of the street, and an urchin with the mug came round for his pence, almost unconsciously muttered the magic woid 'Press.'"

Recently Madame Alia. Nazimova. was annoyed in Washington by talkative people in a box. She ordered-all the lights out and a spot light concentrated on the offending box-folk. Her opponents fled. The incident (says an American paper) has recalled an actual occurrence which puts the shooting of the pianist in Arizona completely on the blink:—The Hon. James Blair, M.C., from South Carolina, attended the Washington theatre one evening in March, 1834, "when,, the players displeasing him, he drew his pistol and fired at the actors on the stage, the bullet passing just above the head of Miss Jefferson, daughter of Joseph Jefferson, sen. Tho players stampeded from the stage and a quick curtain was rung down. Presently the manager appeared, looking pale and agitated, and said to the audience, 'Ladies and gentlemen, if there is to be shooting at the actors on.tho stage it will be impossible for* the performance to g<> on !' 'I'll shoot again if they don't do better!' responded the critical statesman." Interruptions of this kind c,<> back to the earliest days. "To the King's House to see 'The Mayd's Tragedy,'" wrote Mr.' Pepys in 1667, "but vexed all the while with two talking ladies and Sir Charles Sedley; yet pleased with their discourse.

. . *. But by that means lost the pleasure of the pla-y wholly, to which now and then Sir Charles Sedley's exceptions against both words and pronouncing were very pretty."