FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 14511, 1 November 1910, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Call Boy.] At the matinee at the Princess’s Theatre on Saturday a picture of special interest to children will bo shown—viz., a film’ of the complete story of the pantomime ‘ Robinson Crusoe.’ The intention of the management is to show the picture on Saturday afternoon only. , ‘The Whip’ is still in full swing at *Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, and is now in its sixth week. It .is quite natural to expect that tuning the racing season on which. Melbourne has now entered the big theatre will "be thronged with country visitors anxious to see the popular sporting drama. Old friends are soon to visit Dunedin in the persons of Mrs Robert Brough (what pleasant evenings the name conjures up in the long ago!) and Miss Lizette Parkcs (of ’Peter Pan’ fame). These two ladies arc with the Plimmor-Dcnniston combination, under the direction of Allan Hamilton, who are to bo congratulated on getting together such an aggregation as they now have. The company consists of some thirty persons, including the two proprietors, and Mrs Charles Holloway (Alice Deorwyn), Miss Valentine Sidney, and Mies Beatrice Usher, They will all make their reappearance next Monday night, accompanied by two or three artists New Zealand has not seen before. , . Realising that ‘ Salvation *vcll, tlic uc\ play in which Miss Katherine Grey is shortly to appear at the Sydney ihoatie Royal, would require careful and espenenced treatment in its production, Mr »*■ C. Williamson secured the services ot -Mr Burton to take up the work. Mr Burton produced the piece for Mrs Fislto, the original exponent of (ho leading role in America, and ho is so well acquainted with every detail of the piece, and every character also, that he declared the other day that there was no need to worry about understudies, as ho was quite ready to fill any part at a moment’s notice. Miss Grey, however, could not reconcile herself to the idea or Mr Burton as “ Salvation, Nell,” eleven “ Hallelujah Mary,” and had her doubts as to his overwhelming success m either of those two parts, and considering (hat there are forty-eight characters in ail, it might happen that more than one understudy might be required on occasion, and Mr Burton, with all his willingness to rush •nto the breach, might find himself unable to cope with the requirements in such an emergency. / On one occasion, while Mr Lionel Atwill was appearing in the title role of ‘ Ihe Flag Lieutenant ’ at Plymouth, a sailor i-anio to his room to see him on the evening following a big official performance of tho nautical play. The visitor, in the course of conversation, informed Mr Atwill that in addition to being a seaman, he wrote plays and stories, and then iMr Atwill drew attention to the fact that one of tho writers of the play was himself a brilliant member of the service. They then discussed the play, and fuming to Mr Atwill the sailor said enthusiastically: “You trend the quarter-deck as well as any officer in tho service, and I’d like to irate you a part.” Mr Atwill smiled, and asked what his admirer would cast him for. “An admiral at least,” lie replied, ‘‘and you’d look it.”

It is only necessary to put an advertisement in th© paper for show and chorus ladies for pantomime work to find out what a number of really fine-looking women there are in Australia. On the morning stipulated for their appearance at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, recently, they simply came in shoals, and so eager were they to bo to the fore in interviewing Mr Gerard Coventry, tho stage director, that they poured through the passages, through' Die green room, and right on to the stage in such numbers that tho long-suffering pantomime-producer was in imminent danger of being pushed headlong off tho stage and into the orchestra. However, lie did not mind so much, as out of tho 150 or so applicants he was able to select some forty or fifty young ladies, who were described by ono admiring youth as “a bunch of peaches.” So the pantomime of 1910 should bo well supplied in the matter of choristers and show cirls. Mr Ernest Core, who in the Press has been strongly advocating the furtherance of a Welsh national drama, has had a letter from Sir Herbert Tree, in which he says: " What better thing can Welsehmen do than create a Welsh national drama-? There are plenty of subjects to hand, and there is no medium of speaking to the people in so effectual and stirring a manner as does the drama. What you want is what we all want—a dramatist! .May he not bo straying at this moment, all unaware of his destiny, on your wild coast, or vainly seeking for some outlet for his genius in some Cardiff tramcar? Here is his chance! But you must kindle the torch of enthusiasm to help him. What we want much generally comes to pass. The Pageant is a good beginning.'’ I Amongst the many and various visitors |to ’Our Miss Gibbs ? in Sydney. Dr Frod--1 sham, Bishop of North Queensland, may be ; included. Dr Frodsham is well known for ; his'broad-minded views and liberal attitude towards theatrical entertainments.

The Corriek Family of Entertainers have returned to Australia, and have l>een giving orchestral performances combined with picture shows. The University of Dublin Inis conferred the degree of Doctor of Music on M;es Ft he! M. ,Smyth, the composer of ‘ The Wreckers,’ an opera based on the smuggling adventures of the eighteenth century, one scene of which takes place in a Methodist preaching* house in Cornwall. Mr George Willoughby has purchased the Australian and New Zealand rights of Willard Holcomb's dramatic stage version of Mrs Augusta J. Evans Wilson’s novel, ‘St. Elmo.’ This book is well known, and the play secured by Mr Willoughby is the only version authorised by Mrs Wilson and her publishers. It is said to preserve as far as possible within dramatic limits of time and space the main incidents and atmosphere of tho original romance. Ihe scenes are laid in South America before the Civil War. ‘ A Fool There Was ’ is tho title of a drama founded upon Kipling’s poem ‘The Vampire,’ which is just now being played in America, and is shortly duo in London. This piece will bo seen in Australia early next year, Mr George Willoughby having purchased the rights. It will be in the repertory of the company which h© is about to form to produce • The Woman in the Case.’ Mr Forbes Robertson has mad© an extraordinary impression in the United States with his sermon play, ‘ The Passing of the Third Floor Back.’ He is booked up in America with it till May, 1911. There are some really excellent interiors in ‘Paid in Full,” in which Mies Katherine Grey is appearing with such success at the Sydney Theatre Royal. They have all been painted by the scenic artists connected with thej. C. Williamson management. There are two gorgeous rooms representing apartments in an up-to-date New York hotel. ’There is a scene which bespeaks in every detail a woman's presence—all the little decorations and ornamentations telling of a woman’s artistic taste. Then in direct contrast there is the “ den ” of an old South Sea Island trader, for the equipment, of which every second-hand shop in Sydney must have been thoroughly overhauled—old models of strange-looking craft, a. capstan head which does duty as the lower part of a table, the walls hung with fearsome-backing weapons of war. This novel interior is illuminated by the port anti starboard lights of an old schooner—quite in keeping with the furnishings of the '•den.” The Plimmer-Denniston Company, under direction of Allan Hamilton, have done phenomenal business in the North Island, especially in Auckland, where on tho last few nights of tho ‘Passing of the Third Floor Back’ hundreds could not gain admittance. Similar business is now being don© in Wellington, where that mysticism of Jerome K. Jerome’s is being staged, to be followed by Clyde Pitch’s • Lover’s Lane.’ These two plays will be produced in His Majesty’s next week, opening,on Monday night with ‘ The Third Floor Back.’ which is about tho most weird piece of stagecraft’-that New Zealand has seen.

Mr George Rignold was seventy-one years of age October 18. H© has. for some years resicXd at his picturesque suburban homo on the shores of Middle Harbor, Sydney, and but rarely visits the city. —Glamor of the Stage.—

A maw meeting of women was held at the Sheffield Town Hall recently in connection with the Catholic Congress, under the presidency of Archbishop Bourne. Miss Alary Rorkc, the well-laidwn actrfess, said that artists were very often'failures in the art of living. In that respect they were not unlike philosophers. A philosopher often lived like a fool, and a. fool ,like a philosopher. As an artist on the stage she was convinced that it there was any girl there present who wanted to go on thet stage, nothing she could say or do would prevent her.' One of the chief dangers of life on tho stage was the idleness during tho day. That idleness was responsible for mere unhappiness and unfortunate results than any of the temptations to ho found inside the thatro. After the actor and actress had passed through the stage door they were top busy to think of wickedness. She strongly recommended all who went on the stage to have some occupation other than acting. S'he was afraid it was almcet impossible lor a girl entirely to support herself on the stage, on account of the uncertainty of employment. Tho dangers of the stage wore only tho dangers of everyday life, with tho limelight thrown on them. It was in the girl’s hands. It rested with her whether she found the world a. sink of iniquity or a tranquil pool of comparative righteousness. She should not get it into her head that all men were wicked. The most depraved and wicked of men would nover transgress in tho presence of a really pure-minded woman.— (Cheers.) To the girl who proposed to go on the stage her advice was: ” Don’t be in a hurry, especially if you are young.” Most young girls on leaving school wore possessed with one of two ideas—either they wanted to enter a convent or they longed to go on the stage. In both eases she should say: " Don't he in a hum - .” Th© passage of a. few years might find that the girl who wished to be a nun had drifted into the chorus of a musical comedy, and was leading a good and happy life, whereas the girl who sighed to go on the stage might find bersolf'in a convent, cheerfully performing her duties. “You never can tell,” added .Miss Rorkc.

TUG SHEFFIELD CHOIK. —A Omit Enterprise.— Feu - people can have an idea of the tremendous undertaking of a tour of the British Empire. When reading tha announcement that the Sheffield Choir are to make a tour of the British Dominions, and give a number of festivals in the hig centres of the Dominions, it may sound as if it was an easy matter as long as there was money enough to accomplish this. But the work to he done for this purpose is something enormous, and it may interest my readers to get an insight into the planning out of the details. Tho preparatory crafting has taken Dr Charles Harries nine years to do, and has cost him upwards of £IO,OOO, and since December, 1909, a small army of agents nave had their hands full to spread the gospel of "Musical Reciprocity,” of which Dr Han ns is the apostle. .In October last year he started on a preliminary trip, visiting all the principal cities in Australasia, • returning to London in January, 1910. and since then has travelled through Ronth Africa, Ciinada, and the United States of America. To bring a small army of singers, ladies and gentlemen, on a trip around the British Dominions calk for many preparations. Emergencies of every kind must ho provided for—lives must be insured, there must be doctors, nurses, subrlitutcs for singers, and many other un-looked-for events. As only one hall in this Dominion has an organ, a great organ will have to be brought along, to be shifted as quickly as tho body of singers move. Time is precious to those who have but six months to accomplish a trip around tire Dominions, and no time can l>e lost in unnecessary “days off.” The choir leave Sheffield on March 17 for Canada, whore festivals will bo given until May 19, when the start will be made from Vancouver to Brisbane, arriving there three weeks later. Four festival concerts in Brisbane and a week in Sydney, then departure for New Zealand, arriving at Ancle land on June 25. Then begins tho most arduous bask of tho entire journey. Four festival concerts will Bike place at Auckland, June 26, June 27, Juno 28, matinee and evening. At 10.50 p.m., after the performance of ' Elijah,’ ih© choir, the soloists, the orchestra, and the managerial staff leave Auckland by special train for Wellington, arriving there at five in the aiternoon on Thursday, Juno 29. Tit ere will ho a scramble for lodgings, a search for baggage, a- hasty meal, dressing, and at eight o'clock the Wellington season at the Town Hall commences. Now comes' one of tho trying days of tho tour. At 7.45 a.m. on Friday, June 30, tho members of the company leave Wellington for Palmerston North, arriving at 11.32. The Corporation of Palmerston on arrival will wel-

come the visitors and entertain them. at’ luncheon. At 1 p.m. the festival, to bo given at the A. and P. Exhibition Building, starts, and ends at 5 p.m., -when a special train will take the party back to Wellington. Several dining cars wi]l be run on the special train to be provided ior this occasion, as there-will not be time lor the singers and instrumentalists to go to their lodgings for dinner. They have to proceed on arrival direct to the Town. Hall for the second festival concert. On Saturday, July 1, an empire matinee and an evening festival concert bring the Wellington season to a close, and at midnight a start is made bv steamer for' Lyttelton. Sunday, July ■ 2! is the first day of rest. On Monday, ! July 3, the Christchurch festival is in- | augurated, and ends after the four great 1 events on July 5, at 10 p.m. Another I special train lakes the monster combination to Dunedin, where four festival concerts will occur—July 6. 7. and 8 (a matinee and evening concert on the latter date). Pending certain concessions,to be obtained from ibo Invercargill Corporation, the Union Steam Ship Company will start the mail steamer for the Bluff at midnight on Satin'day, arriving at ths Bluff at 11 a.m. on ‘ Sunday, July 9. At one o’clock a special train will convey lire party to Invercargill to give a sacred festival at the King’s Hall between 2.50 and 4.50 p.m. For all tlic-.se events special trains will be run. On Monday, July 10. the party leave the Bluff for Hobart, where a festival is to be given on July 15, and on the fiamij night they depart'for Melbourne, opening there on Saturday, the 15th. But this is not all. Two hundred and odd trunks and four hundred and fifty portmanteaux have to be despatched to the lodgings of the membeni of the organisation in every centre in 1 very small space of time. Once a week, the linen of this small army has to be hiundried, inquiries have to be answered, railwav comforts have to be provided, . ordinary cars have to 1v converted into sleeping care, and refreshments to bo pro- | cured when en route. And all this docs not include the usual work of .the manager, such as advertising, control of tickets, accommodation of country clients \\ ho arrive lato without having provided for seals, and last, but not least, the regulation of accounts and details of finances. J)r Harms has undertaken a. gigantic task, but with ample preparatory work it is sale to* ta,-. that- he will coma out with (lying colors. |