FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 12873, 24 July 1906, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[Bx Call Box.]

Mr Charles Waldron, the new leading main whom Mr J. 0. Williamson has engaged for ' The Squaw Man,' ' The Virginian,' and other pieces, has already made a most favorable impression upon Mel-, bourne theatregoers. He is still a young and ambitious man, but though on the sunny side of thirty he has been on the stage for nearly half that time, and m it he has played no less than 300 parts, most of them leading ones and of the most varied description. He can count ui his repertoire such widely dissimilar roles as Romeo and the Admirable Crichton, the Christian and Orlando, while his acquaintance with characters covers practically every division into which they fall. He is a New Yorker, and can look back upon a scholastic career that has fitted him to understand his work, and to enlarge his mental horizon with wide reading and cultivated outlook. In short, he may honestly bo regarded as a really valuable addition to the ranks of actors out hero.

Mr Edward Males, who claimed the title of England's oldest actor, died suddenly at Wisbech (England), aged ninety-two. "just after winning a, game of billiards at the Liberal dub. He cKHnmsertced his theatrical career over seventy years ago, and <rave Shakespearian recitals at eighty-five. = It was at the suggestion of " Joev"" Grimaldi in 1834, that Mr Miles took to the stng«| and after witnessing the performance of Mr James Welch m 'The New Clown' at Cambridge over a year ago he remarked : " T began my stage experiences with the old down, and I am finishing them with lh« new I should like to play him 'SO up.'" He was a keen billiard-player. Mr Philip Leslie has been engaged by Mr J. C. Williamson for one of-his companies, and will transfer his allegiance when his contact with th« mtng Company expires at the end of next month. Mr Leslio has already made his mark upon tic Australian stage in juvenile parts.

The managers of the subsidised theatres at Paris have decided to prohibit the wear ing of the matinee liat in the. stalls and dress circle. A vote of the theatregoers wtw-i taken Ly the ' Echo de Parin,' when 58.319_ out of 104,000 voters favored the prohibition. Among the special features of tho Ellen Terry jubilee commemoration on June 12 was u performance of Mr W. S. Gilbert's "Trial by Jury,' the jurymen being represented by well-known dramatic authors, with Mr Pinero as the foreman. The occasion, so far as the latter is concerned, recalls an incident over a quarter of a. century old, when the late Mr Edward Saker was rehearsing one of his celebrated Liverpool pantomimes. The author, Mr John F. M'Ardle, after the dress, rehearsal, wrote to Mr Saker that he would like to cut out one small part if it were not'for the vouns comedian to whom it was allotted. "I like that young fellow," he added, "and I shall be glad if you would do all you can for him. M-ufc my words, Saker, there's a. lot in that lad. He'll be heard of again." The "lad" in question, Mr ArthurWing.Pinero ; eertiunly justified the prophecv. Sir Edward Elgar's 'Tho Apostles' has been performed under the direction of Professor Schumann in Berlin. The conductor considers the work " unquestionably the greatest of modem British compositions." Dr Coward has accepted an invitation to take a, Yorkshire chorus to Germany. Three concerts will be given, and the works performed will include ' Gerontiut--,' Beethoven's 'Choral Symphony.' and Bach's Mass. The chorus will number 300. Mr Isadore He Tiara's new opera his proved a great ru-ccsss at Nice. As far as can be gauged, tho experiment of building a, Municipal Opera-house ir 1 almcrston has been an entire success (savs the ' Standard '). It certainlv has mot, with much favor by the theatre-going section, of the public since its opening twelve months ago. There is also no doubt that a. much better class of company has been induced to come here since the pface was put up. A seventeen-year-old chorus girl, named Thelma Rave, has jumped suddenly into a leading position at Daly's Theatre, 'London. An accidenj gave her the chance to take the part of Denise Orme in 'The Little Michus,' and so favorably did she impress Mr George Edwardes that hu appointed her principal lady of his leading touring company, and intends to cast her for a similar part in the next production at Daly's. Can you draw a gazeka? will be the question which will shortly be agitating the minds of everyone with an artistic taste in Adelaide and Melbourne. The little animal happens to be a great favorite with General des Ifs in ' Tho Little Michus,' and his explanation of it caught on so well that, following Mr George Edwardes's example, Mr Williamson intends instituting competitions in each town visited by the Bxryal Comic Opero Company for the best pictorial representation of the beastie. Already one has been held in Sydney, and the exhibition of drawings caused much amusement. It may be as well to mention that the gazeka is chiefly remarkable for its gentle disposition and for a tuft of hair on its chest. A perfect epidemic of sickness attacked the Royal Comic Opera Company, and for many of them took away the enjojTnent of their holidav. A more serious result was the unavoidable postponement of the opening night in Adelaide from the 14th to the 18th inst., but Mr J. 0. Williamson felt that it. would be better-to delay the season until everything was all right again, the more specially as the booking for the first week has been an absolute record for Adelaide- Colds were the chief affliction, but Mr Fred. Leslie, always original, put up another sort of record by cutting a wisdom tooth—at his age, too. The sight of his painfully swollen face provoked his friends to unseemly mirth when they knew the cause.

Mr Hardes Kirkland, whose fine study of the Indian chieftain, in ' The Squaw Man' is such a notable piece of character acting, takes two hours to make up for his part every night, so'careful is he to portray the Redskin to the life. No one would think when listening to the ease with which he rolls out the harsh gutturals, and the wonderful expression he puts into his strangely sounding sentences, that it took him thirty-five weeks to learn the Dte language to his satisfaction. 'The Squaw Man' has come to stav. That is evident from the remarkably good attendances which have been the rule ever since the opening of B. Milton Rovle's powerful play at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, on Saturday, the 7th. The audiences have not only been largo, but also very enthusiastic, and the story, with its changes from comedy to pathos and its strongly dramatic, situations, culminating in the poetically and denouement of the last ucfc,_ is always followed with the keenest interest and anoreciation by all parts of the house. Mr J. C. Williamson, moreover, in addition to securing a sound and eminently popular play, has had the good fortune to engage for it a company who, individually, could not be better suited to their respective parts, and to have for his stage surroundings perfectly produced pictures of the necessary atmosphere. The company play in Melbourne up to August 10, and thereafter are booked for an extended tour of Victoria, embracing ' visits to Ballarat, Bendigo, GeeJong, Caslleiuaine, and WarrnambooL Then they go to Adelaide for a short season, afterwards returning to Sydney. Al to New Zealand will then be undertaken.

The London i--i.'< ', Theatre Club recently produced privately a play by the. late Mr Oscar Wilde, to -which a very interesting history is attached. It is a short one-act play, entitled ' The Florentine Tragedy,' ocaipyrog only some thirty minutes in presentation. The orisrinal manuscript of the play was lost at the time Mr Wilde was first declared bankrupt, and ifc has now been reconstructed from 6ome draft sheets found .'iir.ong the poet's papers after his death. A friend of the late Mr Wilde told a ' Daily News' representative that the work of reconstruction had been carried out by Mr T. Sturge Moore, under the direction of Mr Robert Ross, who is Mr Wilde's literary executor. "Mr Ross knew the play fairly well, _ I believe," he said,/"from having read ifc and having heard tie* author read it. Among the lettera and papers left .behind bv Mr Oecar Wilde. Mr Ross- found several sheets t>£ lie play,.obviouslyjpartoi the-fijest

draft The beginning and! ending of the ) play were missing, but the part that ns mained was undoubtedly the major portion. Tho work of} reconstruction was facilitated by the fact that there is in existence a German version of the play, r which has already.been given many times in Germany with great success. The work of Mr. W:kle is. indeed, much appreciated in Germany, I need only mention' 'Salome,' to which Strauss has written some wonderful music, and to 'The Importance of Being BarriesV which was produced only a month or two back with enormous success. There are only three characters in 'The Florentine Tragedy'—the husband, the wife,* and the lover. lam inclined to think that the late Sir Henry Irving would have .played the husband to perfection, though. I always understood that the part was written for Mr George Alexander." ' , Auckland playgoers are now marvelling at the ingenuity of a novel kind of entertainment being supplied to them by the Stonham Morrison Company, with an instrument, called the " Gaumont Ghronophone." According to the Auckland dailies, this wonderful piece of mechanism, produces what the management aptly describes as "articulating pictures "—that is to say, the animated pictures, when projected, also sing, talk, laugh, and whistle in a way that is described as wonderfully realistic, the audience, quickly forgetting the mechanical means resorted to, are led to believe that they are actually listening to and watching at the same time the motions of real vocalists. So realistic are the results that er cores are invariably demanded, which clearly shows that the audience is for the time being entirely carried away. Tho " clironophone " was invented by a Parisian, { and although patented throughout the world the secret and mechanism are nevertheless zealously guarded by the manage- ' ment, whose only explanation is that the re- ' suits arc obtained entirely by electricity. ' That is borne out by the fact that the com- . pany travel with their own engine and dy- ' name, which arc evidently indispensable. j The papers describe the entertainment as the most interesting and ingenious form of j amusement ever brought to the colonies. | The " chronophone " had a big run at the London Hippodrome, and the New Zealand tour, judging from the Auckland receptions, should prove a tremendous success. The company will play a season in this town shortly.

One misses this opera season (says the 'Daily News') the familiar presence of Mdlle. Bauermeister, who Iras appeared during her long career in no less than 100 operas. _ Last yeaT, it will be remembered, die received a. benefit which was organised by Madame Melba. Mdlle. Bauermeister tells this interesting story of the great singer. One morning at* Govern; Garden Augustus Harris lier for an opinion of a new singer whom he had engaged in Brussels. A charming woman appeared and sang an air. and while Mdlle. Bauermeister was still under the thrall of her splendid voice Harris said: "Do vou think anything of her?" Mdlle. Bauermeister replied: "She has gold in.her voice, and will put gold into your pocket." Augustus Harris) said: "I am so glad vou like her." The singer was Madame Melba. Signor D'Annunzio's scheme to build a reproduction of an antique theatre on the shores of Lake Albano, near Rome, in order to educate the people in what was styled the cult of beauty, has received a check. The site chosen belongs to.the signor's wife, who is separated from him, and she (the London 'Telegraph' says) refused to sell it for the purpose intended, and Signor D'Annunrio on his side prohibited her from selling it at all. A lawsuit ensued, and judgment has now been given in favor of Signora D'Aununzio, so the land will be sold, and will become a f;irm.

Miss Marie Hall relates in the 'Tatler' that, after a recital at the Queen's Hall, she was accosted by a little girl, who, in a hesitating, timid manner, told her that her mother, a poor working woman, was lying dangerously ill. "The'little mite proceeded to tell me how fond her mother was of music, especially when rendered on the violin, 'which daddy used to play,' and concluded by begging me to call audi play to her mother. I shall never forget the oelight of both mother and child wiien I called on them the following day, and played a few pieces in that poor room " A memorial to "Sir Henry Irving will shortly be erected in the Episcopal Church oi St. Clirysostom, in Seventh avenue, New York, the vicar of which, the Rev. Thomas H. Sill, takes a deep interest in the Actors' Church Alliance, and is in close touch with the woild of the stage. It will be the work of Mr E. St. John Mathews, and will take the form of a bronze tablet, six feet in height, with a half-relief of living at the top and an inscription civing a. summarv of his life beneath. About £2,000 has been raised by subscription for the cost of the monument.

Mr Robert Ross, dramatic exitio of tho ' Academy.' had the following curious statement in that journal a few weeks ago : " I have just .written a morality play, prohibited by tlie County Council and the Censor, whom it satirises severely. P combines tho poetry of Mr Arthur 'Symons with the actuality of Brienx's 'Maiernite.' The play will he performed at the Bijou Theatre, William Aicher street, Bayswater. Admission free. The play is entitled ' Every Householder, A Mystery.' " An amusing story comes from Vienna, telling of the troubles of the celebrated pianist Emil Saner. Professor Saaer lives in a suburb of Vienna, in a very charming villa, from the windows of which ho has a uide and attractive view into the orchardga.ideu of a. wealthy neighbor. The neighbor, however, is lacking in musical instincts, and raised decided objections to the inccssiint scales and exercises which reached him over the dividing fence, and one day Professor Sauer found the view into his neighbor's garden, obstructed. A huge black wooden wall, many feet high, had been erected between the two houses. Herr Sauer immediately took radical measures He lodged a protest with the court against his neighbor's action, drawing attention to the fact that the rooms of his.home were robbed of light and air, and that a strong wind might at any moment blow down the hoarding with dangerous results. It was also proved by means of a plumb-line that the improvised wall projected to the extent of two inches into Professor Sauer's own property. Herr Sauer's complaint was crowned with success, and orders were given for the removal of the hoarding within the space of twenty-four hours. An interesting Continental nroprietor and manager, Mr Ben Tieber, of the Apollo, Vienna—the Paiaee Theatre of the Austrian capital—has been in London booking English "turns" for his coming Continental season. "English 'turns' are very popular in Vienna.," he says. "There is a strong English colony there, and the Austriaiis themselves are very favorably disposed towudis the English, and even prefer English to French artiste. English singing and danoiug 'turns' are in greatest demand, and all sorts of refined acts go.well. _ 'Talking turns,' however, are not appreciated." Mr W. Spencer Jones, the Canadian entrepreneur who managed both of Mr Watkins Mills's Australian tonrs, has arranged for the visit, to Australia of two distinguished artiste next year. One of these is Harold Bauer, an eminent pianist born in England of German parentage. As a boy Harold Bauer a.O"ieaired before the public as a violinist, but at eighteen years, of age Paderewski heard him nlay the piano, and persuaded him to study that instrument seriously in Paris. He has toured South America, Spain, Holland, and the United Kingdom, and on March 10 of this year made a eiicc-earful debut at the Mendels6olin Hall, New York. The other; artist- referred to is Clarence Eddy, famous American couc&rt-org.ankt, whom the late- Chevalier Wiegand was never weary of recommending as a visitor to Sydney. _ Mr Eddy has been recently appointed city organist at Pittsburg in connection with the Carnegie • Institute, an important post filled at one time by Mr Edwin Lemare. Mr Eddy, who was musi-. cijly educated at Berlin, has long been" known as the foremost organist' in Chicago.

"Ilic Lion and the Mouse,' which will probably be produced wilder Mr J. C. tVilIfamscn's managemcJit, is a play of singular interest. According to the London 'Era/ it is, consciously or uhconscidusly, an ajveFon>e itKlrctment. of Ainer.fca-u life. " Thpy say there w only one thing which it 'As. useless to fig-lit. and that is money," the teve Kille lierpiae. 11l thi? jprticuhu:

case, money is fought and beaten; "tho gods come," as Remonin says in 'LTStTangene.' f . But supposing they had stopped away; supposing that Judge Rcssmore had not had a clever, resolute dasughter, who was a realistdc. novelistrr-what is the inference contained in the story? Obviously, that under an omnipotent democracy money is able to.work what iniquities it'' pleases. It buys senators, it buys English noblemen, it buys truth and honesty. And if it should happen that an upright Judge refuses to be bwigbt, then it ewmply drops u-pon him with all fits weigh* and ruins him."

Kubelik, the violinist, who, accompanied by his wife, has returned to his home near "Vienna, with the intention of taking a holiday extending to three months, delivered himself thus to an interviewer prior to his departure from London::-—" I have had a very long and tiring tour in America, bat I am glad to say it has been successful from eveiy point of view—so successful, indeed, that I think I am justified in taking a short rest. Aftea-.. my holiday I shall go on a tour to Australia, and shall come back to Europe via America. I consequently do not expect to be able to give a concert in London for two years." Oddments.—Another addition to the Fuller kind of artists is Monaghan and Sheehan, who do a " musical" act. They appear at Christchurch on Saturday next.—Miss May Moore Duprez is at present in South Africa, after which she visits Australia.—Rio de Janeiro has a dramatic novelty in the shape of a theatre solely for children, which has been erected and will be maintained by the municipality. —• Mr Hugo Gorlitz, under whose management Kubehk was to tour Australia, is unable to accompany the violinist to the Commonwealth owing to pressure of business in London.—-Mi* Cyril Keightley, formerly leading ' man with the Benson Shakespearian Company, has formed a touring company of his own, and has engaged Miss Haidee Gunn as leading lady. Miss Gunn has been playing most successfully as Portia and Desdemona in Dublin.—The Empire Entertainers, including Misses Celia Mavis and Phyllis Chrystal and Mr J. E. Courtenay, under the management of Mr R-. M. Shnpsxm, commence a New Zealand tour at Christchurch on August 4.—The New York courts have decided that Sunday concerts are not illegal in that State, and have acquitted Mr Reinrich Conreid, whose performance of Verdi's 'Requiem' at the Metropolitan Opera-house, of which he is the manager, was taken as a test caae.—Mr James Harvey and Miss Madge Morris, two sketch artists, who toured New Zealand some four years ago, open at Wellington Royal on -Saturday next under the Fuller ri.anigV.ment.'—A record giant, billed as "the.human mountain," is now being exhibited in New York. His name is George Auger, he is a native of Cardiff, and is 7ft llin high. —A Theatrical Libel SuitIn an action for alleged libel brought by Mr'Gus Elen, the well-known comedian, against the London Music Hall and Mr , Charles Hector, Mr Elen raid that prior to his action against the defendants for wrongful dismissal his name was " starred" on defendants' bills. In September. 1905, he appeared at Collins's Music Hall, and in the bill Ins name appeared in large type on the top. In the following week his name appeared in small type, just above the prices of admission. The same thing occurred when he bad to give "a turn" on October 2. His name was also put in small type on the bills' when he had to appear at the London Music Hall on October 9. He considered the dropping of his name i»om large to small type both injurious ani contemptible, and he could take ro other view than that it was done in a spiteful way towards him. He practically received the same salarv at the Oxford as at ;V.e defendants' halls—£2o a week. Mr T. K Dtmville, also a wei'-known comedian, gave evidence to the effect that it was customary to star such nrt-fits as the plaintiff in the bills. Mr Duke: Are you a star?— They say so. —{Laughter.) Mr Justice Grantham: Then you and the plaintiff make a constellation?—(Laughter.) —Yes; we could make anything. (Laughter.) Mr Duke: H you are not starred, what do you do? I always kick up a row.— (Laughter.) Other popular comedians who appeared in the box were Mr Bert Gilbert, Mr Chirgwin, and Mr Harry Randall. Mr Whately, for the defence, said the defendants had acted in a perfectly bona fide manner, and had net in any sense been actuated by malice. Mr Charles Hector, one of the defendants, said there was no ill-feeling between him and. the plaintiff. An artist had no light to be starred. That rested with the management in drawing up -the attractions for the week. The jury, without leaving the box, found for the plaintiff, and assessed the damages at £35.