MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 78, 28 September 1918, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

(BY "ORPHEUS.")

THE SHOWS. Grand Opera Bouse: J. C. Williamson, "The Thirteenth Chair," in season. Cappelli, Ist, 2nd, and 3rd October. Concert Chamber 1 The Pierrots, in season. His Majesty's.—Vaudeville. The King's Theatre.—Pictures continuously. Artcraft Theatre.—Pictures nightly. Our Theatre.—Pictures nightly. Kew Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Empress Theatre.—Continuous Picture!. Shortt's Pictures.—Continuous Pictures. People's Picture Palace.—Continuous Picture!. Britannia Theatre.—Continuous Pictures. Everybody's Theatre.—Continuous Picture!. Queen's Pictures.—Continuous Pictures. Paramount Theatre—Continuous Plcturei. Arthur Stigant has once again been engaged by the Williamson management for their forthcoming pantomime, "Goody Two Shoes." Victor Loydall, the Scottish comedian who made a hit with "We Parted On the Shore" in the "Mother Goose" pantomime, died in Sydney the other day. For some years deceased had met with misfortune, and subscriptions were raised to alleviate his distress. Miss Maude Adorns is one of the very few stars of the American legitimate stage who remain, adamant to the tempting offers of the "movie" managers. It is stated that she refused recently an offer of £10,000 to appear in a screen version of Barries "Peter Pah."

Regrefc will be felt at the announcement of the death, of the wsll-knoivn Scottish vocalist, Mr. Robert Kennedy, member of a musical family which enjoyed a great reputation throughout the Commonwealth and elsewhere for many years. Mr. Kennedy, who died at hds home in Melbourne last week (says Sydney Sun) left a widow and grown-up family. One son is serving with the Australian Imperial Forces, and another (Corporal Robert Kennedy) was killed. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., are making preparations for a production in Melbourne of a revue containing the cream of the big musical featares and specialties of London arid ■ New York. The title will be "Hello, Everybody." Mr. J. M'Donald has joined (the J. and N. Tait firm as advance manager for "Pe°- o' My Heart" throughout the North Island tour. He recently terminated a, successful, engagement with Malini.

Perth is in for the longest high-class dramatic season yet played in Western Australia. Next Saturday Allan 'Wilkie and Frediswyde Hunter-Watts will commence a season there with "Seven Days' Leave," and remain to play a repertory under the Fuller direction which will include "The Story of the Rosary," "The Second Mrs. Tanqueray," "The Woman in the Case," "The Confession," "A Fool There Was," "Hamlet," "Twelfth Night," "She Stoops to Conquer," "The Rivals," "David Garrick," "The School for Scandal," and "As You Like It." Miss Nataline M'Callum, the Dunedin soprano, is now singing with the Cappelli Company, and the Auckland H«rald recently made the following eulogistic reference:—"One of the delights of the concert was the artistic and unaffected singing by Miss Natalina M'Callum of Sanderson's 'The Valley of Laughter' and 'Spring's Awakening.' In the choice of these, as well as the recall numbers, 'I Know a Lovely Garden' (D'Hardelpt), 'Wake Up!' (Phillips), and 'I hear a. Thrush' (Cadman), the' soprano wisely avoided straying into regions too remote. Miss M'Callum has an engaging freshness of manner, and a pleasing^way of suggesting' the mood of a song." J. and N. Tait's "Peg o' My Heart" Company, which has • just completed a touT.olthe 'West Coast, enjoyed the distinction..of putting up new records in nearly every town visited. The company travelled the district in. a twelve-seater motor-car, and as the weather was delightful.were able to enjoy to tile full the magnificent scenery of the Otira and Buller Gorges, and the fine run up the coast to Nelson, and on through the Sounds district to Blenheim. In Nelson the theatre was packed, and so many had to be' turned away that the management was induced to give a matinee the next day. This performance commenced at 2 p.m.', was over at'4.3o p.m., and the same evening a performance was given in ' Motueka— a busy day. Mr. Ralph reports that the business on the overland tour of the North Island continues to be very good. ■ That popular New Zealand actress Miss Maiid Beatty, whom Mr. Hugh J. Ward brought back to the colonies with him on his last visit to America, has been appearing with success in a piece called "Oh, Boy!" The Sydney papers stated there was little scope for. the artist in that piece, but later the company produced the well-known musical comedy of "High Jinks," and the Sydney Daily Telegraph heads its. notice with "Miss Maud Beatty Sings at Last." After mentioning that the prima> donna, Miss Maud Fane,' was snff ering with tonsilitis.and that her part would be taken by Miss' Cecil Bradley, the notice goes on to say: "Then there -was Miss Maud Beatty, who for the first time since her association with the present company was given something to sing. After her first number the 'I-told-you-so' brigade found recruits in every part of the theatre. Miss Beatty employed a rich contralto; to such effect that her offerings were really the moat vocally effective of the whole programme. Moreover, she 'put enough ginger' into their singing to qualify her for the role of principal boy in the next pantomime." The Sydney Morning Herald in its notice of the performance says: "Maud Beatty, who sang with spirit, mads her success as Mrs. Thome by her clever outbursts of dramatio indignation in the last act."

There was a flutter at Her Majesty's Theatre at Sydney one night recently, says a -writer in the Sunday Times. Miss Connie Ediss did not come on until after 10 o'clock. To pass tho time between dinner and her call she dropped into a picture show, where the film was apparently a somewhat dull one, for she presently dropped asleep. "God Save the King'! being played awoke her to the dreadful knowledge that she was late for her entrance into "Oh, Boy!" Rushing out, Miss Ediss jumped into a taxi and arrived at the stage door just as Cecil Bradley walked, on to the stage in her part. Miss Ediss remarked afterwards that she had been 28 years on the stage, and had never before missed her cue. For 19 years she played at the London Gaiety, and was never once late. After the performance Mr. Ward presented Miss Bradley with a :heque for Miss Ediss's salary for that night.

"Ceiling Movies" is the latest ingenuity, exercised in the good- cause of providing entertainment for convalescent soldiers. The honour of the invention ber longs,' apparently, to Goldwyn. Its inception occurred this way: Several hundred convalescent soldier boys were given a Goldwyn film show. They enjoyed it mightily, but someone.remember«d that some hundred ; other boys were not partaking of the treat. These were the chaps who were still '.'sick abed." Now, it didn't seem fair to favour just the boys who could get around to the assembly' hall. The real sick ones could not even sit up in their beds. What did the ingenious movie man do? Why, he brought into play some sort of new projecting apparatus that' would "throw" pictures right on the ceiling of the ward. The development of this idea may give the movies an important medical aspect, for it is stated 1 that judiciously selected subjects are effective in shell-shook owe*,