MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1922, Page 17

MIMES AND MUSIC

(By "Orpheus,") IKE SHOWS. . ' > Grand Opera House—'|Maid ot the Mountains" season opens to-night.' His Majesty's—Vaudeville. The King's Theatre—Pictures. Artcraft Theatre—Pictures. Our Theatre—Pictures. Empress Theatre—Eieturet. Shortt's Theatre—Pictures. Strand Theatre—Pictures; '•Britannia Theatre—Pictum. Princess Theatre—Pictures. Everybody's Theatre—Pictures, queen's Theatre—Pictures, Paramount Theatre—Pictures, „ Ella Shields has been booked by Harry G. Musgrove for a return visit to Australia'early, next year. . Miss Shields became very, attached to Australia during her recent tour, and was loth to leave. Buenos Aires rejoices annually in a brilliant opera season. - This year there are to be 50 performances; also 10 speoial symphony concerts by the Philharmonic Orchestra from, Vienna. Weingartner .will conduct these, and share the opera conducting with Mascagni. ■ The London run of "Paddy the Next Best Thing," together with tr.e touring companies, resulted in a profit of £175,---000. One item of expense was £100, the .accumulated cost of a pane of glass which waß broken nightly. Mischa Elman has had overflowing audiences in Berlin. After travel in many lands, he declares Englishwomen incomparable, all natural. "I ccuiid n«t lose my heart," says Elman, "to* an artificial woman, such as the American. This sounds as if. Elman had made enough money to retire upon. According to Sydney Sun's -London representative, Messrs. J. C. <ViUwmson :and J. and N. Tait have signed a five years' agreement with the Daly's Theatre Syndicate to present their plays,, including the presentproductions, "Lady of the Kose" and "Whirled Into Happiness. ':. Lady Forbes Bobertson will'.aotnmti.ee the Australian tour in March, 1923, with an English company, with a repertory of English plays. . • ■ "Bulldog' Drumtnotad, one of the new plays secured by Hugh Ward for the Ward-Fuller combine, was described by Gerald Dv Maurier on the opening night in his end-of-the-play speeoh .as "a thick-ear drama." An intensely, dramatio scene occurs in a our3ing home when ; the treacherous quack doctor tortures the heroine before Drummond's e\es, having previously bo and him in ; chains and leather thongs. / Drummond, being a real hero, naturally manages to work: himself free and turn the tables on the; doctor. The play is by "Sapper/ ana has been running in-London .for eighteen months. . ... .',. • ■ The latest "freak" violin has beeD made at Buffalo, U.S.A. It is entirely of brass, and it is reported that musicians of standing who have tried it believe it to be a success. ' It is said that the instrument, while not .of large volume, is exceedingly sweet in tone; and that used in a small, room and especially' as , an. accompaniment to, the I voice it is very interesting. . ■ „.,'■ I During their recent season in Adelaide, the Humphrey Bishop company, now appearing at the King's : Theatre, Melbourne, gave a huge children's party at the exhibition grounds, which were turned into ; a veritable wonderland. -, Over 7000 children and their parents were entertained in quite a novel way, the occasion being marked as "the birthday of Sunshine James, the Living Doll. Inree items alone for that afternoon were 150 gallons of ice oream, 240 pounds of chocolate, and 10,000 buttered scones. "Mr. Wu" has been revived at the New Theatre, London, and will doubtless fill the bill for some time, to come. On* of the London critics, dealing with this revival, writes:—"J. am t"sorry that Matheson Lang has'seen fit to rely on an old play rather than put on.a new one. A revival of theatrical business cannot be kept going with revivals. What with 'Mr. Wu' at the New, 'Mr. Pirn' at the Globe, 'Quality Street' at the Haymarket, 'The Silver Box' lately at the Court,' 'The Yellow' Jacket. at. the Kingsway, 'Dear Brutus' coming on at Wyndham's, and 'The Merry Widow.' in the offing, it would really appear as if theatrical managers had got a bad fit of the funks!" ,■ / A wonderful profusion of flowers, huge boxes of chocolates, scents, and other gifts—all addressed to Miss Marie Tempest, the distinguished .English actress. The gifts had a table devoted to them in the dining saloon of the Ventura today (says the Sydney Sun, 14th June), On the wharf, was a host of adoring friends. "It is my intention to proceed to New -York,, and later on to London," the actress said. Then Miss Tempest remarked that in spite of the little talking to she gave Sydney people, she was genuinely sorry to be going. "Sydney is a jolly place, full of jolly people, but this I repeat: that what appeals to the, intellectual and cultivated classes elsewhere does not appeal in Sydney. Your most accomplished players are nev^r the most popular in Sydney. The whole trouble is that, Sydney will not think, and it hates to be driven to think.,. Yet I love it in spite of its mental laziness, and I'm sorry to go." Sir Benjamin and Mr. John Fuller's oversea booking agents are sending such a number of new turns to Australia that there is a possibility of them being overstocked with acts, says the Sydney Daily Telegraph. New turns are arriving on every boat. During the week they were notified by. cablegram that he following acts had left for - Australia: — Hirsate and Venton, comedy and burlesque artists; The' Novas, comedy aerial gymnasts; the Milton Brothers, skating comedians; and Babs Pacey, a comedienne and dancer. ■ • A German film company claims to have a definite solution of the synchronisation of.film and music. The premiere of the firs't'film 'in opera will take place at the Berlin Opera House shortly, the score having been written by Professor Hummel, a well-known German composer. The' timing of the music to the tale unrolled in the film is attained by a narrow ribbon bearing the music, which appears at the bottom of the picture, having been photographed simultaneously with the scenes in the. play. Singers and'orchestra take part in the film opera, the conductor of the orchestra keeping his eye upon the changing ribbon of music. With one hand tha conductor operates an automatic relay, which retards the film whenever the action is too fast for the tempo. Thus exact timing is possible. The film opera is entitled "Beyond the Stream," and the scene is the underworld. "Nero," in the Bulletin: Billy Russell, one of the Firm's touring managers, is about to exploit Maoriland with a stock company playing the better class of modern drama and comody. He is to have his choice of the Firm's accumulations of^ scripts, and first call on their M.L. theatres after their own wants are satisfied. The company, includes , George Hewlett, Victor Fitzherbert, Guy Hastj ings, Ethel Bashford, Charles. Lawrence, land 'Arthur Cornell, u,nd Billy's wife, Nellie Bramley, will play the leading feminine roles. Tallis is supposed to be financially interested in the venture. Dame Ethel Smyth, the composer, won a triumph when "The Boatswain's Mate," 'a two-act opera, was given in London under her direction. Dame Smyth had. had some hard things to say about the way in which women composers were being ignored, so she produced, her own opera, and a largo audience deemed her conducting eminently satisfactory. Her success is greatly encouraging other women composers in Great Britain. Hitherto they have laboured under sex disadvantages in the competition of the musical world, but they now hope that Dame Smyth's recognition will provo a steppingstone for them.