FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 10149, 30 October 1896, Page 4

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Call Boy.] Frank Thornton, of 'Private Secretary' fame, who visits New Zealand early next year, brings another novelty with him besides Robert Buchanan's ' Strange Adventures of Miss Brown.' This is a farcical comedy, ' The Bookmaker,' by J. VV. Figgott. The cast of the Darrell ' Trilby' Compuiy includes Mr Darrell as Sveugali ; Miss Ada Woodhill, Trilby; Mr Boothman, Tally; Mr Cambourne, the Laird; Mr Carden Wilson, Zou Zou ; Mr Ryan, Gecko ; Miss Rangton, Madame Viuard. Mr John Wallace had au enthusiastic birthday at Adelaide the other day. Upon the occasion of his becoming fifty-live years old the members of the ' Trilby ' Company, for whom he is stage manager, presented Mr Wallace with a gold medallion and an address. Mr Harry Roberts's gratification took the form of a diamond pin, and Miss Moore contributed a handsome pair of gold sleeve links. "We learn from Mr Vert," says the 'Musical Courier' (London), "that negotiations are now well forward for Mdme Albaui to visit the Australian colonics after her Canadian tour in October and November." The real name of the famous soprano singer is Marie Louise Emma Cecillie La Jeunnesse. It is stated that Mr Lempriere Pringle will be a member of Mdme Albani's concert party. Mr Pringle is a Tasmanian by birth. He recently severed his connection with the Carl Rosa Opera Company, of which he was the principal basso. The roll of "Little Dixie's" drum will be heard no more. He wa3 familiar to all colonial playgoers as a skilful performer on the side drum, and had assisted in the orchestra in most of the variety companies which have visited this City in recent years. The deceased first came to New Zealand with the Hicks-Sawyer Minstrels, and one of the features of their "march out" was the little man's playing. It is said that the Rev. Charles Clark was so anxious to give his two new lectures—'St. Paul'and 'A Fourth Dickens Entertainment '—in New Zealand that at the close of his winter season in England he will try to induce Mr Carlyle Smythe, who is in Loudon with Mark Twain, to take him to the Transvaal, and from the Cape he would come on direct to New Zealand. The Australian tour was brought to a closo in Adelaide, and in all the Australian capitals the audiences were as large and enthusiastic as ever, the old lectures proving as attractive as the new ones. The tour was under the management of Mr R. S. Smythe, who regretted equally with Mr Clark that he could not revisit the colony.

There are 1,0.'W theatres in Europe, and Italy possesses more than any other country. ' A Trip to Cniuaiown ' had a phenomenal run in Melbourne, where it was played for six weeks to overflowing houses. It gave place in the succeeding weeks of the company's stay in the Victorian capital to a musical melange under cover of the title of 'The Milk-white Flag,' which caught ou equally well. The company are now in Sydney, whence they go to Brisbane, and then come to this colony. But—tell it not in (hath—they will play only at Wellington and Auckland, and have booked passages for Home by the Californian steamer leaving Auckland ou December 29. Playgoers in Christchurch and Dunedin must put up with the disappointment, for they will miss a great treat. The principals of the company —especially Harry Connor (the comedian), Frank Lawton (the whistler), and Bessie Clayton (the dancer)—are undeniably clever, and have been prime favorites wherever they have appeared. The Finn have decided to restage the pantomime of 'Djin-djin'at the Princess's, Melbourne, during the Carnival, and expect it to run for four or five weeks.

' Tommy Atkins' has succeeded in hitting the public taste in Melbourne, and Mr George Rignold's season should benefit greatly from this military production. Mr Rignold visits New Zealand next autumn. The Auckland amateurs stage ' The Gondoliers' ou Tuesday next.

Last week's production of 'The Mikado' by the Odiniru amateurs was a very creditaide one. I would suggest to Mr BrandonCremer that he secure the dresses, etc., for the performance here at the end of the year. As already mentioned, the Brown PotterBellew tour of this colony begins at Auckland early in December. "In these artists," says a Melbourne writer, " New Zealanders will get the best stars it has ever beeu their lot to see. They have a splendid repertoire, an excellent company to support them, and as for wardrobe—well, I venture to prophesy that the ladies of New Zealand will forget allaboutelactions, polities, womeu'sfranchise, and prohibition once they set eyes en Mrs Potter's dresses, all made specially for her by tho great Worth, of Paris." They appear here at Dunedin Cup time.

Our London correspondent writes :—Most men like Haddon Chambers. There is a buoyancy, a geniality, and a cool insouciance about the young man which pleases even those who know nothing cf the dogged resolution and unflinching perseverance which have marked his chequered and yet on the whole brilliant career. Chambers is one of those fortunate men whom bad luck, instead of crushing, spurs to iutenser effort. More than once 3iuce ' Captain Swift' made his name the fates have seemed bent on breaking him. But he has always risen to the occasion, and scored off his detractors just at the right moment. The Sydney lad's earlv struggles were splendid. In the ' Evening News ' of Saturday last he is interviewed, and gives some account of them. Chambers arrived from Sydney in ISB2 with a W"ife to support, and only vague notions how to do it. Someone suggested his writing a short story, and after several rebuffs the editor of ' Society '" gave him £"> for one.

I also, he says, received a letter from the editor telling me that he liked the story, and inviting me to write more. I did. 1 wrote fifty-two short stories between ISS4 and ISe 5 ". They appeared in many places—in Cassell's publications, 'Truth's' ' C/ueer Stories,' the 'Argosy,' ' Lelgravia,' and other magazines. And so I managed to live, just paying my way. Something has always happened to enable me to do this, and I have never had a shilling that I have not earned myself. You will understand that in spite of the stories I remained fairly hard up. 1 worked very hard in my rooms over a milk shop in Buyswater—' Captain Swift' was written there—at paragraphic journalism, and, yes, dramatic criticism. I also wrote for the Sydney 'Bulletin,' one of the smartest papers on earth. I suppose that, writing dramatic criticism, you thought it very easy to write a play?—No ; even up to that time I had never thought of writing a play, nor did the idea enter my head until a year or two afterwards, when one of my stories was dramatised, without- permission, by a lady. It then occurred to me that if others could dramatise ray stories perhaps I could make plays from them myself. 1 took a short story of mine called 'A Mere Cypher,' which appeared in 'Society,' and turned it into a one-act piece of the MacldisonMorton tvpe. I remember reading it at Margate to Miss Sarah Thome. She liked it, and asked me to lend it to Frank Diet-z, the manager of the Yoke' Compauy. lie gave me £5 for it, and very glad I was to get it. It has never been played in England to my knowledge, but the Yokes produced it in America. This fiver encouraged me. [ wrote another one-act play. It is now in French's amateur list (French is the big dramatic publisher in the Strand 1 ). It was called 'The Open Gite'—an idyllic, little thing. A friend of mine gave it to a fiiend of his—a manager—to read. His friend liked it, and a meeting was appointed between the three of us at the Green Boom Club. My friend's friend came in. "Good heavens!" he said, "is it you?" It was a man I had met and knocked about with in Melbourne years ago. He produced the piece, and that*vas the first work of mine ever placed on the stage. It was a success, and I was called before the curtain. This was the greatest moment of my life, before or since. Never again shall I experience such a supreme emotion.. All I heard was the voice of a woman in the pit, who said : "Poor young fellow, 'ow pale'e do look!" This was in 188(3.

Mr Chambers after this definitely followed the pursuit of dramatist. His next play was an adaptation of a novel of Mr Rider Haggard—' Devil Caresfoot.' Mr Beerbohm Tree liked it, and would have staged it, but Chambers was under contract with Mr Charrington, then manager of the Vaudeville, to give him the first refusal, and it was produced at that house. Mr Tree asked Mr Chambers to write him another play to consider. Thus arose 'Captain Swift' The piece—which made a fortune for author and manager—was written in four months. It was pure fiction, and not, as has been often assumed, founded upon fact. "I could not get to see Tree; he was always terribly busy. Try as I might—and you

may understand how 1 tried—something always arose to prevent his hearing it. One day I went to the theatre, and was told that Tree had gone to have a Turkish bath. I followed him, tracked him to the hot room, and then and there read the play to him. He accepted it at once, but only consented to try it at a matiuca, which took place on June 20, 1888." And a notable matindo it was, as playgoers will remember. London went into ecstasies over the piece. It was put into the evening bill, and enjoyed one of the longest runs—over 200 nights—ever experienced at the Haymarket. Later on it was revived there for fifty nights, and has, besides, been played all over the world. "As I was an Australian," Mr Chambers said simply, "the news was cabled to Sydney. It was very pleasant to think of my mother and sisters over there reading the news in the morning papers. I remember that was my chief thought when I was called before the curtain." Not only Miss Hilda Spong, but Mr " Billie" Elton, Mr Charles (ilenney, and Mr Clarence Holt will appear in the ' Duchess of Coolgardie ' at Drury Lane, the principal characters of which are : ; Big Ben ... ... ... Mr Charles Glenney The Captain MrE.II. Vanderfelt Melbourne .Jerry ... ... Mr William Elton The Warden ... ... Mr llermin Vczin Tom Airy... ... ... Mr Oswald Yorke Myles of Clonakilty ... Mr J. L. Shine Yorkshire Dick ... ... Mr C. M. Lowne Hcrr Yon Schwoss ... Mr J. Story-Croftou Hiram Vannicker ... ... Mr Clarence Holt Wallaroo (a boy aborigine)... Miss Laura Johnson Sybil Grey... ... ... Miss Hilda Spong Nellie Grev Miss Kdith Jordan Kathleen O'Mara ... ... Miss Laura Linden. A comedy part will bo undertaken by Miss Kate Phillips. The drama extends over five acts, and may be summarised thus:—Act I.—Scene 1: The inu of the Widow o"Mara in Coolgardie. Scene 2 : The wilderness. The fight tor the nugget. Act ll.—Again in the wilderness. Act 111. —Scene 1 : The Erin-go-Bragh Hotel. Scene 2 : Main street in Coolgardie. The revolt. Act IV.—Scene 1 : Oat in the scrub. Scene 2 : The police cell. Scene .'1: The Warden's Court at Coolgardie. Act V. —The new inn of Eiin-go-Bragh. The house-warming. Mr John Coleman represents his venture as a return to the drama proper and a protest against the school of play which he sums up in the phrase " Paris Fash-uus." In the course of a puff-preliminary interview Mr Coleman is reported to declare : "Ihavemade a careful study of the drama of the moment, and I find it all begins and ends with Paris Fash-uns.' The impetus, sir, was given by my dear friend Gus in 'Cheer, Boys, Cheer,' and after him they have all followed. I go to the Gaiety and what do I see ? Paris fash-uns ; to the Adelphi, Paris fash-uns ; and, in fact, everywhere do I find the iconoclastic trail of the decorativo milliner's dummy—a drum, sir, of tawdries, toilettes, and Totties. I like it, sir; but is it art? It may be art, with a big H—but is it art with a big A ? No, sir ; no, sir—a thousand times no. When I saw the drama beiDg swamped by tho octopus-armed rapidity of Paris fashions, I thought that the time had arrived for a play written, produced, and played for the play's sake, and not for Pari3 fash-uns. I have gathered round me a fiue cast. My friend Hermann Vezin will play a small part —an artist, sir, will play any part. M 3' leading lady is Miss Hilda Spong, of Australia, where the gold and tho dramas without Parish fash-uns oome from. She is beautiful to look upon, and fair to view. Mr Shine will play an Irish part. I think he will play it well; but it is a drama in the strict sense of the term, and at the end there is a situation naturally led up to which astonish them."