FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 14525, 29 November 1910, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Call Bov.] Miss Florence Young has joined ‘The Dollar Princess’ Company for their Now Zealand tour, which begins at Wellington on Boxing Night. Sho was not in the cast of 1 Our Miss Gibbs,’ and her parts in ‘ A Waltz Dream’ and ‘The Orchid’ will be entrusted to Mies Rosina Beckmann. Mr Reginald Roberts and Mx Bert Gilbert will also bo associated with the New Comics for tho Dominion tour. Besides the ‘Dollar Princess,’ they will produce ‘A Knight for a Day’ and revivals of ‘The Bello of New York’ and ‘The Merry Widow.’ Tnrough London theatrical papers an appeal is being made on behalf of the widow and daughter of Mol. B. Spurr. They are said to be “ absolutely destitute.” The reproduction of ‘Harbor Lights’ at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, on Saturday revives very many memories among old playgoers. Originally produced at tho old Princess’s Theatre in 1887, _ it achieved a run there of no less than nine weeks, an almost phenomenal season for any drama in those days. Eleven years later, in 1898, another big production of tho same old drama was given at the Princess’s Theatre, with Julius Knight as David Kingsley 'and an excellent supporting cast, which included Mr Bert Gilbert as Torn Dossiter. Even then, notwithstanding the fact that it had been revived at intervals previously, it ran no less than four weeks, and was taken off to very excellent business. Fullers’ now theatre (tho King's) at Newton, Auckland, was opened last night. Tho Hill-Birch opera, ‘A Moorish Maid,’ is to be staged in Sydney at Gliristmas for a couple of weeks, Madame Slapolfski sustaining tho role of leading lady. -Aif. Hill will personally conduct the orchestra. In* a letter to hand from Mr Hugh D. MTntosh, dated from New York, the popular entrepreneur writes to a Melbourne paper;—“Olivo Lenton landed at Vancouver on tho Zealandia, and went straight on to New York to take up her engagement with Klaw and Erlanger, on tho conclusion of which sho opens .at tho London Palladium in December with a striking new act and novelty entitled 1 The Sur) Bathers.' Annette Keliermann is doing particularly well, and is tho most boomed lady swimmer in tho world to-day. Madame Alda (Miss Francis Adler) is with tho Metropolitan Opera Company, and hei marriage to tho manager has iiotdnninished her popularity.” The lirsl newcomer for this year’s pantomime company reached Australian waters last week in the person of Mr Jack Cannot, who comes out to play the damo in ‘Jack and tho Beanstalk.’ "Mr Cannot is the possessor of a line tenor voice, and liad his bent not been to the comedy side of life, could have shone as a vocalist. This week will seo the arrival at Fremantle by the Orvieto of the bulk of the engagements made by Mr J. C. Williamson for tho pantomime —Miss Sybil Arundalc, the principal boy, and Miss Dorothy Firmin, tho principal girl, together with the Doharty sisters, whoso function will be to play parts in the pantomime, and also to contribute a big singing and dancing specialty. The I'antzer troupe are also on board, comprising a big coraody acrobatic turn which Mr Williamson himself (saw at tho London Hippodrome; and last, but by no means least, Mr Bam Elton, whose specialty is tho smashing of crockery. This gentleman reckons that during the hist ten years he lias smashed no less than £I,OOO worth of crockery. New Zealand playgoers (writes my London correspondent) have a genuine treat to look forward to in the next Australasian tour of Mr Oscar Ascho and his talented wife, Miss Lily Brayton, for the Dominion is to be included in tho list of places to be visited. And much Mr and Mrs Asche are looking forward to the trip. They were quite overwhelmed with the warmth of the welcome given them in Australia, ;md of it Miss Brayton last week wrote me: “I shall never forget the pleasant days I spent in tho sunny South, and look forward to our return.” ‘ Count Hannibal,’ the play in which the newly-returned actors opened at the New Theatre, is new only to the London public, as it has been played in tho provinces here and also in Australia. In it Miss Brayton is tho Huguenot heroine, Clotilde, Lady of Vrillac, Mr Asche Count Hannibal do Tramies. The setting is in Paris on the night of tho terrible St. Bartholomew massacres. Mr Asche was bom in Geelong, educated in Melbourne, and in his youth was a rancher “up country.” Miss Florence Vic, who plays Mrs Farqiihar in 1 Our Miss Gibbs,’ is an ardent surf bather. She caught the craze in Durban, South Africa, when there with one of George Edwardes’s London companies. Every morning site may bo seen at Coogee, Svdney, in tho breakers Tliis notwithstanding an adventure that would have caused one of weaker nerves to abandon Hie water front. One morning recently Miss Vie was swimming about forty yards from tho beach, when the warning call of ‘‘Shark!” was given by the Googcc policeman. The monster was not ton yards away from Miss Vie at tho time. She caught one glimpse of it, and struck out for the shore. Luckily the shark did not follow her. Mr Hugh J. Ward, who, on July 1 next, quits the stage as an actor, and becomes Sydney representative and partner in j‘ C." Williamson triumvirate, is thirtyrino years of age. During his twenty-two years’ stage connection—eleven in America. and the second half divided between Australia and the Old Country—ho has played about 400 parts—as a pantomime comedian, as a serious dramatic artist, as a diameter actor, as a comedian in a musical comedy and comic opera, and as an eccentric dancer. In the latter role be was specially engaged for Paris for a dancing act known as " The Scarecrow,” with a French supporting company including Mdlle Gaby de-s Lys. to whom the misfortunes of the King of Portugal have quite recently brought notoriety. He was also for iium v months premiere dancer at the Empire 'TIu-.iLro, with tho famous Mdilc Gcnee. Ills farewell tour as an actor begins a! Sydney at Christmas with ‘Glittering Gloria,’ a new play by Hugh Morton, the author of ‘The Bello of New York,’ with which ho will tour the Dominion before settling down to tho cures of managing directorship. Last week I mentioned that several members of the Nellie Stewart company were about to complete their engagement with that lady. Mr Eardley Turner was, by oversight, omitted from the list. This capable and conscientious actor was only lent by the J. C. Williamson, Ltd., for the tour, which ended at Invercargill on Saturday, and ho returned by the outgoing Melbourne boat to complete his contract with tho Him. During the past couple of years Mr Turner has established himself quite a favorite with Dominion theatregoers, and should ht again pay us a visit may rely on a hearty welcome. Tho season of the Now Comic Opera Company in Melbourne is now rapidly drawing to a close, and revivals of ‘The Dollar Princess ’ and ‘ Tho King of Cadonia 1 are contemplated. In tho firstouaraed opera Miss Florence Young will appear for the first time with tho company as the Lion Queen, Miss Olive Godwin (who was particularly successful previously in this part) representing Alice Conder. The cast includes Herbert Clayton and Frank Greene as tho two young Englishmen, Miss Lottie Sargent as Daisy, Mr Percy as Bulger, and, of course, Mr Bert Gilbert as Harry Q. Condor. ‘ The King of Cadonia' will be put on for the last few nights ol the season, and there will be a new Princess in the person of Miss Olivo Godwin. Mr Robert Needham, the New Zealand baritone, who was for some yearn engaged in comic and opera work in Australia, latterly under the banner of Mr J. G. Williamson, is now playing the part of the Prince in ‘ The Merry Widow,’ in one ol Mr George Edwardes’s provincial touring companies. Despite her many years of stage experi ence, Mdme Nordica is still a sufferer iron stage fright, and insists that “ she feeh like running away when the fateful horn arrives.”

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According to the London correspondent' of a Perth paper, Mr W. Percy has secured u big London engagement that will ruii close on to a century a week ! Martinetti and Grossi, who appear mider tho. Fuller banner shortly, are said to surpriso audiences at the way thoy seduce unexpected tunes from innocent-looking articles. The novelty of a "continuous" performance of living pictures is the attraction at the American Theatre, Wellesloy street* Auckland. For tho benefit of tho tuiinitiatcd, a "continuous" performance is a series of 6hows repeated one immediately after the other. Thus, if a patron misses some of tho pictures in the early portion of the programme, or if ho wishes to become, moro famdiarised with some particular picture, he can remain for the repetition witaout any additional chai-ge. There was a strong protest at the Theatre Royal, Dublin, recently during the ] performance of the play ' Walter Raleigh.' A great portion of it was cna.ct.cd in dumb show. Some of the people in tho gallery sang ' Faith of Our Fathers,' which was taken up by tho pit mid other parts of tho house. Those singing in the gallery were requested to leave, and the | majority did so, without disorder. After ! tho performance a number of the audience, uiduding many members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, held a meeting objecting to the production in a Itomau Catholic city of a play wliich it was eontended was anti-Roman Catholic in tone. Tho M.iay Magdalen© of the ' Passion Play' at ObCT-Ammcrpau, Fraulein Man Mayr, is visiting America this autumn, m .response to pressing invitations received from many friends and admirers of her powerful dramatic talent on tho other side of the Atlantic. She left her homo in the Bavarian Highlands towards the en<l of October, and expects to spend about two months visiting different American cities. "Sarah Bernhardt is a great, creature!" The exclamation came from Sir Herbert Tree, in tho early hours of a recent I»ndon morning, and it struck iho keynote of an occasion which will become historic in the annals of tho British ..and French theatres. A few hours before Sir Herbert had made this apt. ejaculation Mdmc Bernhardt had held a vast audience at tho Coliseum enthralled by her majectic acting in tho torture scene of ' La Tosca.' When the curtain fell her spellbound listeners gave vent to their feelings in a most extr;iordinary demonstration. The applause, inconsiderable at first, gradually swelled with the constant rising and falling of the curtain into a mighty roar, almost passionate* in its intercity, and sustained at amazing length. Then the scene of this red-letter evening changed lo the gilded halls of tho Holborn Restaurant, where the divine Sarah was again greeted by an assemblage of her admirers. On the stroko of midnight, when Mdme Bernhardt entered the King's Hall— a noble apartment of great height and .spaciousness, converted into a temporary theatre—the spectacle was a magnificent one. Hundreds of celebrities thronged the floor and galleries, and, rising to their feet en masse, they overwhelmed the actress with a. thrilling ovation. When the cheers had subsided, Mdme Bernhardt was conducted by Sir Herbert Tree and Sir Charles Wyndham to a seat in the centre of the front row between Miss Ellen Terry and the Countess of Warwick, while immediately behind her sat Mrs Patrick Campbell, "a strikingly beautiful figure in becoming black. Everywhere one looked one sawfaces famous in literature, the arts,, and Society, and every face was alert with admiration for the "great creature" whom they liad come to honor. Then Sir Herbert, after a graceful compliment to the Bernhardt on her perennial youth, said : " Sarah Bernhardt is a great creature, and bv her art has conferred tho legion of Honor upon tho French Republic. Happy indeed is tho nation that gives birth lo a Sarah Bernhardt! To-day sho still holds her pre-eminenco in tho dramatic work!. A place of entertainment devoted to tho interests of tho greater public, on which, alas, wo others cannot always rely, has been crowded nightly at the magic spell of her name. In the name of the committee, my dear Mdme Sarah, I desire to congratulate you on this, your latest achievement, and to express tho hope that for many years to come your great gifts maybe preserved to gladden mankind. And, in tho name of those present, I desire to welcomo you as their guest to-night, and to lay their affectionate homage at vour feet." In commemoriation of the anniversary of the death of Sir Henry Irving, many wreaths and bunches of flowers were placed on his grave in Westminster Abbey. Many of the tributes were anonymous. Among those win sent flowers were Miss Terry and Mr Austin Brereton. There was a wreath from " Six Old Lyceum Pittites," while others were inscribed " From tho garden of dear memories," and (with the initials H. 1.) "I shall be with you while the light shines yet, and in the darkness I shall not forget." Oddments.—Miss E. Guildford Quin has returned to Australia., and has accepted an engagement with Mr George Marlow as leading lady in his 'Nick Carter' Company.—Mmo Ada Crossley is about to undergo, under medical advice, two months' rest in Sicily.—Tho famous Welsh Ladies' Choir are visiting Canada for a comprehensive tour of the centres.—Rostand's extraordinary play 'Chanleelex' has been withdrawn from the stage in Pai:.after a remarkably successful run. J 'ho takings averaged £240 per night for the 322 performances given.—Mr Juo St. Clair, after an absence of some years in Ixmdon and on the Continent, returned to Australia by the Bremen.—The Kathorino Grey-William Desmond Company havo been allotted ' Tho Lion and the .Mouse,' 'Tho Third Degree,' and 'Paid in Full' for their Now Zealand tour.--When Mr Georgo Willoughby produces 'The Woman in tho Case' iu Sydney at Easter ho will be supported by Miss Lilian Dundas. who lias already played Claire Fcstor jri England, and Miss Mabel Trevor, similarly known for her impersonation of the wife. Margaret Ilofe, in the same comedy-drama. —The Plimmcr-Denniston Company are due *0 Auckland at Christmas, and will stage ' Tho Second Mrs Tanquaray' and ' A Message from Mars.' lam pleased to hear that they had a very successful time in Ohristchurch with ' Tho Passing of tho Third Floor.'—Mr George Port-us lias joined the Maxwell Dramatic Company as manager. They come to New Zealand next year with a number of .sensational dramas by Arthur Shirley. —New Zealand Prima Donna's Success.— Miss Nonih D'Argel the young New Zealand prima donna, appears to luivo achieved a very conspicuous success at Lyons, where she played Marguerite in ' Faust' at the opening of tho six months' opera season in the French city. Sho came fresh to the famous rolo of Marguerite, having never heard it interpreted by any other artist, and tho result was that her treatment of the part was quite. unconveutional and distinctive. Tlus seems to liave delighted tho French critics, and they comment in glowing terms not 1 only on the brilliancy of her voice, but also on the freshness and personal charm which sho infused into the character of Marguerite. "This performance will live in our memories," says '' Ix; Progres,' " by reason of tho brilliant success attained by a debutante, Miss No rah D'Argel. This success assumed, after the final trio, tho proportions of a triumph." This pap"r describes the young New Zealander as "line etoile de demain !"' Tho critic of ' L-o ■ Nouvelliste' speaks of Miss D'Argcl's original and personal rendering of tho part ; as a precious surprise, and praises the i "finesse"' of her phrasing and the belllike quality of her high notes. "It is impossible to resist her charm," says ' La Depecho do Lyon.'' " Sho has given us a Marguerite such as Goethe conceived." And this paper goes on to declare that the New Zealander pronounces French a good . deal better than many French people. " one possesses a very charming voico, very clear and very pure," add 6 ' La Depeche,' i "and she manages it adroitly." Yet another Lyon6 paper, ' Le Salut Public,' is : i-eminded of tho famous MaTy Garden by Miss D'Argel's performance, and suggests • that the New Zealander should take up i Wagnerian roles. " What a delicious Eva i and what a splendid Elsa she would be ' capable of . giving us'." exclaim;, the ' Salut' critic'.