FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 14535, 10 December 1910, Page 13

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Call Ho*/] BOOKINGS. His Majesty's Theaire. C. MaoMaiion.— December 26 to 51. t;ivy-Desmond Dramatic Company ('The ; Lion "and tho Mouse,' ' Arms and the ; Man,' etc.).—January 9 to 14. iur G. Willoughby (' Mr Preedy and tho Countess '). —January 16 to 21. i New Comic Opera Company (' The Dot- : lar Princess ' and ' A Knight for a Day ). —February 28 to March 10. ' Jack aiid the Beanstalk ' PantomimeSeptember 8 to 14. Princess Theatre. Fullers' Pictures.—Permanent. Alhambra Theatre. Vaudeville-Biograph— Permanent. There was a Navy night at Perth a couple of weeks ago, when the officers of the Parramatta, tho Yarra, tho Fantome, and tho Gibraltar responded in strength to Mr Hugh J. Ward's invitation to witness 'Glittering Gloria.' His Excellency the Governor (Sir Gerald Strickland) was also present, as well as the cadets, boy scouts, Young Australia Leaguers, and the Minister of Defence (Senator Pearce). It was, indeed, a memorablo night—a tribute paid by Mr Ward's company to Our Navy. ' GUttering Gloria,' which will be. seen in this City in a few months' time, had a. splendid reception. Something of a record was established by the Marlow Company in tho production at tho Theatre Royal, Adelaide, of 'Nick Carter. Detective.' Let Mr George Darrcll. the well-known actor-author, who i produced tho melodrama, explain :--" 1 I think wo put up a record with the first presentation in Australia of 'Nick Carter? Mr Marlow obtained possos.-ion of the Theatre Royal on Saturday last. 1 went in with the" company at ten o'clock in the morning. The drama was new to all of us. 'there "were- fourteen scones, embracing three sensations, a pony leap, and several tricky ctiocU; yet we played the piece the same nisht without a single hitch oi prompt, and had tho curtain down at twelve minutes to eleven." •Mr Preedv and the Countess' was seen in New Zealand for the first time on Monday last. It is by Mr It. C. Carton, the author of 'Mr Uopkiuson' and ' Lady HuiitsirorthVs i'.'xi>eriinent.' The Auckland 'Herald' says that, played by "a uniformly good company, the farce would hold its own with any that have come to the Dominion. As it was pmontcd last evening by Mr George Willoughby's company hj caine'as a line jaughtvr-maker. lacking but little of its full virtue, and pleased everyone. The story in its details is one that should be learnt by seeing the play ; but in its essentials it is that of a highly estimable man compromised by circumstances." The 'Stat' describes it as bright, witty, original, and piquant—an amazingly clever farce. Duncdinites will have an opportunity of witnessing 'Mr Preedy and the Countess' on January 16 and following nights. Mr H. 15. living's new London theatre, which ho will name the Irving Theatre, will be erected within one hundred yards of the statue of hi* illustrious father, which is to lie placed at the side of the National Portrait Gallery. Tho new plavhoiife. will have its main entrance m Charing Cross road, and will provide accommodation for 2.000 people. Special attention is to be paid to the stage, which is to be hirer, and fitted with the most i modern appliances for the quick changing !of elaborate scenes. It is hoped that the i house will be completed in fourteen months' time, when Mr Irving will open it, with a- Shukesperian play on his return from Australia. The King's Theatre, Melbourne, wilt be a busv theatre this coining Christmas. Mr i William Anderson will have two coin- '■ panics performing at the same time. His "dramatic organisation will be in occupa- ' lion in the. evening, while in the afternoon ; his juvenile pantomime company will ap- : pear'dailv in the juvenile pantomime ' The i Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe.' The i initial performance will be on Saturday afternoon, December 24.

Madame Yvette Guilbert_ attended the Act resseis' Franchise Leagues "at home,' held in the. Georgian Rom of the Piccadilly Hotel. Loudon, on October 25, and spoke brioflv in English. No vocation, she- held, called mor ■• • naiieipation than that ot an aetn -.. . .-die had to be, eternally voiuig, and sometimes it was awfully Ufflk-nlt. Sho had -ali-o t<>_ be always beautiful, which was also difficult.: and sho had to have- a slender figure, but, that was easily done in England. Madame Guilbcrt'gavo an interesting description of the- work she recently started in Paris for young actresses. Managers of the French'capital, sho ©xpla.inod._did not ■supply t-tage dresses, and sometimes a.n actress I ravelling on a salary of £8 a month had to provide- her own costumes for as many as fifteen plays. In England there was a Salvation Army ; in Franco, the Starvation Army of tho -stage. There was almost a fatality during the first performance of ' Tho Winning Ticket' in Adelaide. Little Nellie M'Donald, who undertakes tho part of Jenny Biggs, the voting lady who is thrown in the river bv Count do 'Cartel (Roy Redgrave), forgot to dose her mouth when the thing happened. She swallowed huge quantities ■of water, and sank almosk unconscious to the bottom of the 4ft tank. Ruby Boobier, as Ruth, dived in after her ajid rescued the really drowning child. It was gome considerable time ~bcforo the child was brought to, and Nolly for a few minutes caused the company great alarm. Nelly now keeps her mouth tightly closed. Mr E. B. Sharp, barrister and solicitor, who was in the.dramatic profession in England prior to settling in Wellington, lefton .Saturday for Auckland, having received an otter from Mr George WiUoughby to join his company. Mr Sharp, who played in 'What Happened to Jones' at Home, will probably tour New Zealand with the company prior to leaving for England. Mr Willoughby's company, of which Miss Beatrice Day is tho leading lady, opened in Auckland on Monday in 'Mr I'reedy aJid I the Countess.'

In its loading columns tho Perth ' Daily News' lias this kindly reference to Mr Hugh J. Ward anont his early retirement from the stage for the comparative seclusion of manager of the. Sydney branch of J. 0. Williamson, Limited:—" Mr Ward is a born comedian, and it will be difficult to replace him. It is pleasing to know, however, that ho will still, as a member of the firm of Williamson and Co., exert an influence on the Australian theatre. Mr Ward has not won tho admiration of Australians aG an actor only; ho has end oared himself to them as a man. He has never hesitated to place himself and his company at the .service of any worthy humanitarian cause. In New Zealand, throughout Australia, and in Perth itselE, he has given local charities substantial assistance. Tho success of the Children's Hospital movement in this city was duo in'no small measnro to the help he rendered at the critical moment. Ar> an actor, as a man, and as a citizen Mr Ward hac won universal esteem,

and we believe that the audience at the Theatre Royal to-night, when he s.tys farewell to the' stage so far as Perth is concerned, will place that fact beyond all disputing."