FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 14038, 20 April 1909, Page 5

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[Bx Caul Boy.] Melbourne—in fact, every Australian city for that matter—has always been \ noted for the warmth of the welcomes it invariably extends to returned favorites, but every previous •demonstration of that nature was exceeded in the case of Nellie Stewart when she stepped on the stage of the Princess Theatre on .Easter Saturday in the charming costume of “ Sweet Kitty Bellaire.’’ It would seem as though every member of the vast audience—a record one for the theatre, by the way—went there with the fixed intention of “letting themselves go’’ in her honor, and certainly they did the thing in style. ■ There was an overwhelming roar of applause, and the cheering and hand-clapping continued deafeningly for many minutes before the action of the piece was allowed to proceed, only to break out again and again irrepressibly, as it were, through the evening, and to culminate in another demonstration at the final curtain. It was indeed a truly magnificent ovation. A better vehicle for Nellie Stewart’s return to Australia than ‘ Sweet Kitty Bella irs ’ could hardly be imagined. The part of the gay, impetuous, light-hearted, and generons-natured young Irish widow, whose elderly nabob of a husband has obligingly died and left her his fortune, suited “ Australia’s Idol” as if it had been specially written for her, and every delightful trait in the Celtic temperament was admirably emphasised, every point in the ingenious plot and bright dialogue was perfectly brought out. She had the assistance, too, of a really fine- company, the newcomers of which one and all made excellent first impressions. The trying ordeal of speaking the prologue was entrusted to Miss Marjorie Chard, who is described as both a oeantr and an actress—a very different thing from being a “ beauty actress ’’; and Miss Rosslyn Vayne was really splendid is the crying wife of Sir Jasper Standish, whose defections, imaginary or otherwise, jhe is deploring all through the piece. Mr Claude King was polished and experienced as Sir Jasper Standish, Mr Laughorne Burton a breezy officer and diffident lover, and Mr Fred Moyes a pompous colonel of infantry, while the rest of the cast, made i up of well-known and well-tried people, was entirely adequate from first to last. The long-expected and much-discussed play ‘An Englishman’s Home’ was introduced for the first time to an Australian audience at the Sydney Theatre Royal'on Saturday, the 10th inat., and from the reception accorded it it seems safe to prophesy for it a career as sensational in the colonies as it is experiencing in England. The intensely dramatic situations, the leaven of light comedy in the first act,

growing gradually to grimmer and grimmer tragedy as the action progresses, the crisp, biting satire of the dialogue, and the whole dramatic powerfulness of the play as a play held a huge audience spellbound throughout the three acts. At the same lime, the lessons it teaches and the sermon on national self-defence it inculcates with mch extraordinary vividness appealed most ividently with equal force to an Australian as it did to an English audience. Two very significant items about ‘An Englishman’s Home ’ came to hand by last week’s mail, i In the first place, the London ‘Sketch’ contained illustrations showing several of the principal members if the company now playing it at Wyndiam’s Theatre speaking their lines into a jramophone. The records of telling speeches thus obtained are intended to be

sirculated everywhere throughout the British Isles in places where the touring companies cannot go, so that the whole of the population, if they cannot see the play, may at any rate learn the lessons it •caches. In the second place, Mr Charles frohmnn, has acquired the piece for Ame.’ica,,.an”d has announced his intention of .mnicdiately equipping six or seven companies to take it through the length and breadth of the United States. He declares

that the weaknesses of national defence that it exposes obtain equally in the States as in Great Britain. Not a line need be altered; it is to be played as in London, and Mr Frohman foresees as big a sensation for it in his own country. ‘Jack and Jill’ has settled into its stride at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, in real earnest, and houses since the* opening night have been so crowded as to augur that ‘ Humpty-Dumpty’s ’ record for a ■week's business, put up at Easter last year, will be surpassed. Realism is all very well in its way, but doubtless Mr Hardinge thinks that there should .he a limit. The other night, at Melbourne, in the school scone in ‘ The Girl of the Golden West,’ where Mr Hardinge has to " tuck in his twopenny ” and make a back for Mr Lloyd, the latter, instead of leap-frogging gracefully, missed his jump, fell over Mr Hardinge, and propelled him forward with such force that he tripped over the footlights and fell into the orchestra. Nothing was broken, luckily, except the bass fiddler’s bow, and Mr Hardipge nonchalantly clambered hack on the, stage and went on with his part. MisSj.jEittell Bruno has been giving a Melbourne daily some interesting points about the way she studies a part—and no actress in Australia, judged on her “performances” during the past few years, is fitted to speak with more authority on the subject. She never concentrates on a part; it comes to her gradually during rehearsal. Her first move is to read through the whole play carefully, in order to assimilate the atmosphere. Then she goes down to “ reading rehearsals,” and that ;s practically all she does, excent that the stage manager sometimes “hears her” the speeches after the rehearsal. By the time the parts are put aside and the vdayeis have, to trust to their memory Miss liriine is perfect in her lines. She is a wonderfully quick study, and is fortunate in having such a retentive memory that she can carry a dozen characters in her head and go on and play them after a lapse of years without rehearsal. It is wonderful what a small “advt.” will do. The other day there was an unobtrusive announcement that chorus girls —' “voung, tall, fine figure, stylish, and voices’’—were wanted at Her Majesty’s, Melbourne, and at the time appointed there were at least 100 applicants on view, not all of them, be it said, with the necessary qualifications. However, Mr Spencer Barry had a very good selection from which to choose his chorus for ‘ The King of Cadonia,’ for the Australian production of which (under the direction of J. _ C. Williamson) the company are now being organised. Will Percy, who graduated with Pol•ards, and no_w holds the responsible position of comedian in the Royal Comic Opera Company, has had to submit to the inevitable “interview” since his return to Wellington with ‘The Merry Widow.’ In the course of his chat he said : “ How manv parts have I played ? Well, I have nearly reached a century, ‘not out,’ ranging from old men to young girls, and even 3 lately to a boy of ten in ‘The Spring Chicken.’ In all those years I have been in two companies only, and have not had a day resting time. I joined the Royal Comics nearly five years ago, and have had good parts in nearly all the productions, notably Meakin (‘Orchid’), Chambuddy Ram (‘Cingalee’), Percy Fitzthistle (‘Girl from Kay’s’), Laurent (‘Mascotte’), Polite Lunatic (‘Belle of New York’), Stephen Henry (‘Spring Chicken’), Joe Mivens (‘Dairymaids’), Nisch (‘Merry Widow’), as also 1 Country Girl,’ ‘ The Geisha,’ ‘ Paul Jones,’ Veiomque,’ ‘Little Michus,’ ‘The Lady Dandies, ‘ Girls of Gottenberg.’ The future? Well, the firm have' been very K°°d to me, and I have signed on for another two years, so that my intentions are axed for that period. Afterwards? Well, who knows? London is the actor’s Mecca! and some day I'may at least visit it for relaxation, when suffering from fatty degeneration of the bank book. Delighted to be back in is cw Zealand after two years’ absence? Of course. Here I have many friends, and I enjoy every moment of it. . 7 colleagues chaff me, but I can stand it. Mrs Percy (Miss Ramsay, of Pollards) is at present on a visit to her family in r „ Dauedil ?. and will remain here till W.S.P. arrivesjvith the Comics. Madame Carreno, the celebrated pianist, is to pay another visit to Australasia later in the year. Madame has played at over ninety concerts in England since September. “ The amusing part of it is,” she csys, “that every year I vow I shall rest

through, the winter. Yet this one finds me'working harder than ever. It is enthusiasm that keeps one working, and work that keeps one alive. Encouragement one must also have. At least, mine is a nature that must have it. And from no people in tho world do I get such encouragement as from the English. I am jin consequence looking forward specially j to my tour in Australasia.” i Oddments—-Dick Stewart’s daughter, Maimie, is reported to' be anxious to follow, m the footsteps of her aunt, “Sweet ■Weli. _ Andrew Mack is in vaudeville in America, and is reported to be drawing £4OO per week.—Blanche Arral recently sang at the Apollo Club, St. Louis, and won golden opinions.—Fred Millis, the ventriloquy has gone almost blind, and was recently tendered a monster benefit in London.—Miss Gladys Harvey, of Mevnell and Gunn’s new English dramatic company ,now playirtg ‘The Hypocrite’ in bydney, is a daughter of Martin Harvey, the famous English actor.—Mr H B Hving, playing in the title role in ‘Louis , •> , ln revival of the season at the London Shaftesbury, is said to be more amazingly like his celebrated father in this than in any other of his characters.—Mr Allan Hamilton’s musical company are to visit Australia- next October with a series of farcical musical extravaganzas. The tour will last about thirty weeks.—Chung Ling Soo, the magician who. visits Dunedin next month, has engagements running into September, 1918.—Zarka Premovitch, the prettiest actress on the Servian stTage’ has Seen killed by her husband because lie was jealous of her love-making on the stage.