FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 9830, 19 October 1895, Page 2 (Supplement)

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Call Boy.J

When Mr Brough, on his arrival in Adelaide, was asked " What about talent for Australia?" he replied: "I wanted to get good people, but none of the kind needed were available, all the best being engaged. Talent is deteriorating, probably because of lack of training—people are selected now more for their physical than their intellectual qualities. The old Btock companies are done away with; people engage for the run of a play for a week or a year as the case may be." The Fitzgerald Brothers have returned to the colonies with a company modelled on the style of the London Aquarium Company. The company, whioh is styled " Fitzgerald's New London Company," is totally different to a circus. It includes Madame Antonio, a daring aerial performer; Professor Peart, a famous diver; the three acrobats, the Alton 8; La Belle Rose, a Parisian artiste; Leonarda, a clown ; Mahommed, the talking horse; and many other performers. Jennie Lee is said to have made a hatful of money in South Africa. At Johannesburg " Jo " brought in £l,lOO in ten nights.

The younger of the Rathbone sisters (Mona), who visited New Zealand with the opera company at the beginning of this year, has retired from the stage, having married. Her proper name was Fischer. A nice little fairy tale is going the rounds at the expense of Ada Crossley, the Victorian contralto, now in Paris. It is alleged that before proceeding to Europe to study she was induced to iuvest £lO in au original Coolgardie spec, which turned out trumps ; that her fellow-speculators (Charles Saunders, the tenor, and Mr P. A. Howells, of Adelaide) sold out for £IOO and £2OO respectively ; but Miss Ada held on till now, and still holds her share, representing a money value of £B,OOO ! It was some time ago rumored that Mr Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan would collaborate in a new comic opera for the Savoy. The matter has just been definitely settled, and Sir Arthur, indeed, has now Mr Gilbert's libretto before him. Immediately after the Leeds Festival, therefore, he will set to work, and the new opera may be expected to be produced' at the Savoy before Christmas. Till then the theatre will be closed. I understand (says a London correspondent) that the book is of that topsyturvey style in which Mr Gilbert always delights. Rumor, indeed, has it that the scene is laid in the sixteenth century in a land so densely populated by duellists that some original expedient has to be discovered of settling quarrels. Mrs Charles Turner (Annis Montague) has decided to rejoin her family at Honolulu. She is to be given a "farewell" at Sydney, and will be assisted by the leading members of both professions. The Faust Family, piloted by Joe St. Clair, go through the North Island before tackling Christchurch and Dunedin. The new faces (Lucy Fraser and Montyn Hagan) are well spoken of. A quarter of a century ago, when Ada Swanborough was lessee of the Strand Theatre, London, and the late David James a leading member of her company, she produced the burlesque of 'The Field of the Cloth of Gold,' in which this couplet appeared:—

And at every evening party soon we shall hear the footman sayThat Lady Clara Vere de Vere's bicycle stops the way. A correspondent of ' The Times,' in calling attention to this little bit of prophecy, wrote:—"ln a society paper a few weeks ago, in the height of the season which is just thawing to a close, appeared the aiiiKiiuioenitiit: 'Lady A went to Mrs B's evening parry on her bicycle.' This curiouß instance of a somewhat tardily - fulfilled prophecy may interest some of your theatrical and bicycling readers." If Max Hambourg comes this way the people of Dunedin will hear a pianist of the first quality—a finer performer than even Ketteu (whom he much resembles) ever was. Evangeline Florence is a true artist, and sings with rare feeling.

The North Queenslanders have not been using Maggie Moore well.

" B. and B." and Bland have decided not to bump against each other this tour. Mr Gladstone is a loyal Irvingite. Meeting the actor-manager in Bond street twenty years ago, during the first great run at the Lyceum of ' Hamlet,' he stopped, introduced himself, and spoke of the keen intellectual pleasure he had derived from the performance. That was the beginning of a lasting friendship between the two. Now and then Mr Gladstone may be seen behind the scenes of the Lyceum, where, owing to his deafness, a sort of box is fitted up for him in the wings during the performance. He speaks of the knighthood as a " more than deserved honor," and a3 having " caused him the liveliest gratification."

Our London correspondent under date London, September 7, writes : The West End theatres are still nearly all closed, though one hears of active preparations everywhere for the impending season. Though there is small prospect of Miss Nellie Farren herself ever again appearing in burlesque, or even comedy, she cannot resist the smell of the footlights, and has resolved to try her luck as a manageress. One earnestly hopes the little lady will be well advised. So often lately we have seen the savings of a lifetime mopped up in one short unlucky season, and "our Nellie," from all accounts, is not too well off. When she has found a theatre a burlesque of 'Trilby,' rather feebly entitled 'Frilby,' will be the opening programme. I have not much faith myself in the old-fashioned description of extravaganza once so popular at the Gaiety. Vaudevilles of the school of 'An Artist's Model' and ' The Shop Girl,' which rely on crisp dialogue and clever "gags" and business, with, above all, catchy songs, are much more to the taste of the audiences of to-day than puns and doggerel verse. The technical name of the illness which has put an end to Miss Farren's career as an actress is rhmmatoid arthritis, developed during her last Australian tour. She is now living at Tulse Hilr"with her son, Mr Farren-Soutar, who favors his burly sire rather than "little mother," and is a fine upstanding youth. The news that "handsome Harry Conway," erstwhile most popular and successful of " leading men," endeavored to commit suicide by imbibing an overdose of opium at Birmingham last week has caused a great sensation in the profession. For many years no one held a more enviable position on the stage than H. B. Conway. He w&s the hero of most of the Bancroft revivals at the Haymarket, spent some time with Irving at the Lyceum, and admittedly had no rivals in such characters as Captain Absolute, Charles Surface, Young Dornton, and Al/red Evelyn. I can remember when he was a greater "star" than either George Alexander or "Bill" Terriss. Latterly Mr Conway has been seen little in London, and when I met him once in the Strand a year or two ago it was apparent he had not acquired the secret of perpetual youth, nowadays so necessary to the everlasting jeune premiere. Like Charley Warner, "handsome Harry "seemed troubled by " too, too solid flesh." But he still obtained plenty of engagements, and at the time of the recent catastrophe was playing Ned Annesley in 'Sowing the Wind,' at Birmingham. The papers hint that the actor is threatened with the subtle complaint which carried off Lord R. Churchill and Sir John Bray, and that it affects his powers of articulation and memory. Anyhow, on the opening night at Birmingham it was apparent Mr Conway was not himself, and, the local papers jumping to an altogether erroneous conclusion, severe things were said. The injustice of 1 he accusation and the impossibility of refuting it upset poor Conway's mental balance, and resulted in a fortunately abortive suicide. The art of growing old gracefully has been highly successfully cultivated by the Matron of the Drama and her husband, who have returnedfromtheStateßyoungeraswellasricher than ever. They open an English provincial tour at Blackpool on September 13 with a new comedy by Sydney Grundy, called 'The Greatest of These,' Mrs Kendal, of course, plays the principal part, but this will not be a young girl. Miss Nellie Campbell and Mr J. F. Graham—both, known in Australia—are in the Keadals 1 Company. Mr Toole has decided not to renew his lease of the little theatre in Ku>g WiHiam

street, Mid as Nellie Vtma my it is not Urge enough for her purpose the mom will probably be palled down." Vrotn the public's point of view' this would be » Mewing. It is a poky relio of the dark ages of theatrical enterprise. Madam Patti has been telling the mysterious Baroness Somebody • or- Other who crops up so frequently in the' Woman At Home 1 and other feminine periodicals all about her jewels, etc. It seems the diva's collection is valued by expert! at £400,000, and at Convent Garden, on Jane 11, she wore over £200,000 worth of them. Her corsage was Btudded with brilliants and other jewels', to this amount, and the arranging and setting of them in the dress by jewellers cost the sum of £BOO. This was in all probability the most costly robe Covent Garden stage has ever seen. In England the youth or maiden addicted to "ink-spilling" writes novels—in Italy they spread themselves-out on opera libretto. Mascagni receives on an average 200 to 250 manuscripts per annum, amongst his last year's aspirants being- a railway porter, a sailor, a shoemaker, and a pig doctor. One libretto sent him dealt with Italian unity, the dramatis persona including Garibaldi as baritone, the Pope as basso, and Victor Emanuel as tenor. Another entitled * May Day' was a labor opera containing an oftrepeated chorus " We boldly claim an eighthour day," whilst a third brought Signor Crispi and Mr Gladstone on to the stage disguised as Pierrots. Mr D'Oyley Carte's severe illness and business troubles have healed the breach betwixt the three old Savoyards as perhaps nothing else would have done, and both Mr Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan are now hard at work on a new opera for their friend's theatre. This piece, it is hoped, will be ready by next November, and eflecI tually revive the ancient glories of the " ten years of fatness " betwixt 1880-90.