Mimes and Music

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 140, 14 June 1924, Page 21

Mimes and Music

ey "ORPHEUS"

THE SHOWS.

CJrand . Opera House—'Varsity Students in "Pep," to-night, iutli, and 17th inst. Miss Beere's Pupils, 21st and 2Jrd inst. Nellie Bramley Company, 2»th June, ills i Majesty's—fuller s Vaudeville. The Tivoli—Jlusgrovo Vaudeville.- ■ King' 3 Theatre—Pictures. Ani-rali Theatre—Pictures. Our Theatre—Pictures, empress Theatre—Pictures.; , ' Sliurtt's Theatre—Pictures. Strand Theatre—Picture3 ' j Uritunnm Theatre—i'ictures. ■ I'tiocesß Theatre—Pictures. , , yueen s Theatre—Pictures.

One of Sir Benjamin Fullers recent engagements in London is 'that of Phil

JLSransby, a comedian whose clever impersonations ■of cockneys have delighted .English,, audience's for many years. Charles Hackett, acclaimed as "the second Cavuso," is due in New Zealand about Ihe cud of July. Australia is giving him a warm welcome at concerts under Mr. E. J. Gravestock's direction. Loader and Laney, great-favourites everywhere on the Fuller circuit,1 were in Canada at' latest advices.:...: Nellie Graham-Dent (iho name is pica-, surably recalled by New Zealand theatregoers from her association with her husband, Fred Graham, .in Fuller vaudeville) is receiving much ■ praise for her work as Lady Hammergallow, in 1 11. G. Wells's new play. -"The Wonderful Visit," now playing.iri New York. She recently returned to the stage after an absence of nineteen months due to illness. • . ' 1 Moon and Morris, that most successful comedy team, are due' to return to Australia at Christmas and play in the Fuller-Ward pantomime. They are spending a holiday in England alter five and a half years in Australia and New Zealand. . For ,many years George Willoughby has been-known to Australians, whether as actor or as manager, lie has made varied appearances in farce, comedy, and musical plays, j Mr. Willoughby has joined the company which is playing "Mr. Battling Butler" at the Nevv Princess, Melbourne. ■ • • ' An interesting "grand opera event" in Melbourne during May was the birth of a 'daughter to Signer Amleto Tornavi and Signora Carmen Tornari, of the Wil-liamson-Melba Opera Company at His Majesty's. Signor Tornari is the prompt-

er—"The man behind the Hood," ■as he has been called; arid his wife has played a long list of parts in the various operas, including Berta in "The .'Barber

of Seville," and Suzuki in "Ivladame Butterfly." Dame Melba is to be god-

mother to the infant, which is a girl, and Mr. Nevin Tait, director of the opera season, will be godfather. . Martin Walker, of the VanbrughBoucicault Company does not stop at being an actor, Besides being an amateur boxer of no mean order, he has for many years written rousing boys' stories for "Chums." : ■

Grace Christie, the girl of the mask,

a famous dancer, has arrived at Sydney .from i America. She is tall and -slender, and from the finger-tips to the tips of her toes she is the personification of grace W. T. Brenda, the creator of

the mask, came along, and Miss Chris-

tie it was who first put life into those grotesque faces and- gave tliem a soul. This girl has been immortalised by Rupert Brooke in his novel;"Beaiity." Later on Miss Christie will appear in New Zealand. •

Mr. Seymour Hicks, in ■ giving evidence in Melbourne on the Actors' Federations claims, said that most great actors were men of very poor education. They had in most cases gained their education in the course of. their work.

It is some time since a film company bought the screen rights o£ "Charley's Aunt" for £20,000. So far production has been delayed because of the lack of an ideal. star to play the leading part. Both Chaplin and Harold. Lloyd have been mentioned, but it seems most likely that the part will be taken by Douglas Ma'cLean, who has been screening the late Sir Charles Havrtrey's farco, "Never Say Die."

On Saturday, 23th June, Miss Josie Melville, of "Sally. fame, \yill bo seen in a new musical comedy •in Sydney— r "Good Morning, Dearie." Miss Melville; of course, will have the leading role. George Crotty (dancing comedian), Percy Le Fre (comedian), and Boran and Kivkin (specialty dancers) have arrived in Sydney from England, and will make; their Australian debut in "Good Morning, Dearie." The cast will also be strengthened by the , inclusion of Mr. John Price Jones (juvenile lead), who has arrived from America. ' ' To say the Mclba Grand Opera Company has proved a sensational triumph in Melbourne isby no means an extravagant expression. The business has exceeded the wildest dreams of anyone concerned, and the season has teen extended time after time. Mr. Bert Roylo ia making every effort to persuade his directors to send this great attraction (6 New Zealand, but the expenses are so enormous that they hesitate to undertake the ;risk. Another difficulty- ia the term of some of the engagements—most lof which might possibly be renewed for the necessary time, but certain of the ai-tists have'1 American and European contracts ...which; would prevent any extension in Australasia; so that even if Mr. I Royle's supplication prevails, three or i.'four of the performers would be unable to visit the Dominion. The allround excellence of the company, however, would no doubt enablo the management to fill these vacancies without detracting from the perfection of the performances. In any case, the standard of excellence would easily surpass anything New Zealand has seen before. The ever-present obstacle is expense. With such a remarkable organisation almost at our doors, it would be a hard fate for New Zealand to miss what is probably the musical carnival Australasia has ever known. It is to be hoped that the Williamson management will place sufficient faith in the taste and artistic enthusiasm of New Zealanders, and this being so, that New Zealanders will rise to tho great occasion, as the Australian public has done. While in Italy Miss Eileen Driscoll has successfully introduced some of the characteristic Maori souga she has in her repertoire, including Mr. Alfred Hill's "Waiata Poi." In a letter to a friend in Wellington, she'remarked that she sang "The Mere" and "Waiata Poi" at a matinee reception given for the Italian Minister of Eduation, and others of Mussolini's right-hand men. The audience was greatly taken with the Maori songs, and the Minister himself .expressed his admiration and appreciation, remarking upon their novelty. An Italian paper, commenting upon the performance, printed . the words of tho chorus, "Kiariti, Kiarite, etc.," 'and tho writer compared the concluding descending effect of tho concluding line, "Hei, ha, heirj Hei, ha !" with Brun.hilde's battle cry in Wagner's "Valkyrie."

Mr. Hugh J. Ward is off on another quest, ahvoad for new plays and players foi- Australia. He will.visit New York and oilier American theatrical cenlren. jLsesclsb ami Paris, and the outcome iviJJ

I lie a succession of notable productions 'for tlio Australian stage. He will be ac-' companied by Mr. Frank Neil, a clever young Australian, who has lately been acting as stage manager to Seymour Hicks at the Grand Opera House, Syd-

i.ney. Mr. Neil has a long list of dra- I matic productions in Sydney and else- j | where to his credit, and his jaunt j i abroad with Mr. Ward will afford him d unique opportunity to study production methods in .England and on the Continent. Hiss Nellie Bramley, who will open a New Zealand tour at His Majesty's

Theatre, Auckland,^to-night, has a fine repertoire of plays' to present, and will include many new to New Zealand audiences, among them being "Fair and ! "Warmer." a comedy which ran for three ; years in London. "The Misleading j i\ady." "Paid in • Full," "Long Legs," j "Peg 0' My Heart," and "The BulterI fly on tin;' Wheel," It was in the Instj named piece that Australia's Madge | Titheraclgc made hcv London reputation, when playing opposite to the late .Kiwis Waller. 'Jiiss Bramley lias just

accomplished the .distinction of breaking j a record as far as the <T. C. AVilliamson Theatre Uoy"al, Adelaide, -is concerned.' Twenty-five years ago, Alfred Dampicr i and Company played for eiight weeks, i which had not been eclipsed until Miss Bramley and her. company appeared on tin* scene .last Christmas, and played eighteen plays, extending over fourteen weeks. It is stated that if ,it were not for the fact that the theatre had been previously booked to Oscar' Asche, the company could have remained easily

another fourteen -weeks. Bobby Watson, a well-known old vauI devillian, and author of "Behind the Scenes," writes in the Sydney "Sun" a postscript to Tom Reed's reminiscences of Harry Rickards, published earlier :— "Harry Rickards first appeared at the old School of Arts, and was afterwards engaged alone to appear- at the old Queen's Theatre by Michael Hegarty

at £100 per week and a brougham for travelling round the city. X recollect, winning a cup", for the best imitation, of Rickards- in a song- called "Brown the Tragedian," and after I had finished the stage was .showered with coin of : ali values. That was in 1874, the good old days of the gold diggings, and the town was full of diggers. Harry afterwards .went away, and came back broke, and got together some Australian artists and opened the Opera House,;at the corner of King and York streets vvhere.lio introduced Albert Chevalier's ■ cosber songs. He did so well that he leased the. Garrick, which had been pawned by Schulor with the. Mont de IHete Company. Eventually he brought out artists from London, and finally purchased the theatre himself. That was the be-

ginning of Rickards's success. • Tom errs when he says Jack Leeto was RieUavds's brother-in-law, for as a matter of fact Richards's real name was Benjamin Leete, and Jack was his brother. Tom forgot to mention that he was part proprietor, once. of the Hicks-Sawyer Minstrels, among whom were Irving Sayles and Charles Pope, who afterwards appeared with great success . with Rickards." *■ , ' ; ■

The. latest news .by.-letter from. Miss Eileen Driscoll, the well-known Wellington vocalist, who \yent abroad last year, comes from the Italian Riviera, where at the beginning of .last month ..she had joined" Miss Gweii Knight. She writes enthusiastically about the beauties of the country, and refers particularly to Santa Margherita and Portofino, where she stayed.. Miss Driscoll was very reluctant to leave Eome, which, vshe remarks, takes a hold upon the heart of the visitor. Referring to grand opera in the historic capital, she mentions performances of "La Boheme," beautifully done; and "Salome," conducted, by Strauss himself, a glorious opera which she saw twice. The principals were. an Italian named Carmen Melys, and a French linger, G'enevieve Vix, •• whose performance as Salome was wonderful and horrible. The part she had was tremendous, demanding ncr continuous presence on the stage, singing most of the time. Her range is from low G flat to B natural. Other operas the writer witnessed were Puccini's "Manon,'1 in which the choruses were particularly striking, and M. Cagni's "Iris," the overture to which was most enthusiastically received. The finest opera, in Miss Driscoll's opinion, was Moussorgsky's "Boris Godounov," which profoundly affected her. To hear close on two hundred Italian voices singing in the choruses was a memorable experience. "They do know the art of chorus singing," says Miss Driscoll ; "every m^n, woman, and child can sing in Italy, and the people know every opera, not only the solo parts, but, also choruses and the orchestral music. It is really marvellous, hut, after, all, the Italians are brought up on music. They are always allowed to take their children 'to the matinees for nothing, so thsy get to know and love the good music before they are grown up." ' ,' Under the heading, "Wanted, Plays," j Robert Gale Wood has been relating his i experiences in the London "Stage." "I know," he says, "that there is no room in this country for new authors unless they are in a certain clique or magic circle. I have sent dozens of plays and playlets and comedy stuff to managers and actor-managers and producers, and everything I have sent has been returned, nine times out of every ten not having been opened, much less read. Only in one instance was a reason given for the' return of the article: 'We do not know your name.' Another play was kept by a certain producer for seven months, and, when I at last, in no measured'terms, demanded its return, I was. coolly informed that it had been lost. I at once threatened legal proceedings, and the script was returned to mo by the I next post, and no apology. But I have since seen my first act. taken and used in a show produced by this same manager. . Another script came, back with the cool request: 'Eliminate your own.name, and put in mine as author, and we will take it right away.' Another came back with something to this effect: 'Have read script and like it immensely. Great possibilities in it. I am. reader to Mr. ■ —.' If you, care to send on small cheque I shall place script before him, and have no doubt'business will ensue.' I did not enclose cheque, and script came back. Bach of the same scripts returned I have afterwards, in disgust, sent out to the States and Canada, and 1 have riot had one of them returned, hut sold them at my own price. A few weeks ago I picked up a prominent English magazine, and was astounded to find, under a different title, a. story written by myseli'. one of which I had offered to the pelf-same magazine' publishers, and which had been returned as 'not suitable.' 1 sent it overseas, whero it was published. ■■ I afterwards- was able to prove that, my story had been stolen from the -American / magazine. Nothing had bepn paid Cor it by tho English publisher, and, furthermore, as I had sold it to tho ..American publisher, I had no recompense." (_

For lnHucnza <-i!<e Woods' Great Peppermiut C'urc.- J.Uvt. : .'