FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 14627, 25 July 1911, Page 9

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Cauc Box.]

Tom Walls, the jockey Doodey in the 'Arcadians,' went to America a few years ago u a jester with the Scarlet Troubadiere, now in this City. 'The Man From Out Back' met with a sincere and hearty demonstration of welcome on rte revival at the King's Theatre, Melbourne, last week, and its success was equal to that which marked its initial production at the suae theatre over two years ago. The members of the company all appeared in the parts originally created by them.

New Zealand has seen the last of Hen.' Benno Scherek, who has accepted the position of musical director at the Royalty Theatre. Dean street, London, and* has under him a double quartet, each member of which is a concert artist. Mrs Scherek (nee Tewsley, a native of Dunedin) and her daughters have just left Australia to join the head of the family, but Mr Max Scherek will continue his residence in this City. " Benno," by the way, was recently the guest of honor at the Trinity College Examiners' annual dinner, his health being proposed by Sir Frederick Bridge, who thanked him for his efforts to Tai.-e the standard of intricate music in London. It is quite a long time since Mr Scherek first came to New Zealand. In May, 1880, he was one of the pianists and accompanists to a concert company including Camilla TJrw (violinist), Jennie Sergeant (soprano), and Agnes Palma. (contralto), who appeared at the Garrison Hall, and whoso enjoyable entertainments linger amongst my most pleasurable recollections. The last time he visited us was in the capacity of manager for Carreno. Mr Scherek left New Zealand some 20 odd years ago, when Amy Sherwin. (the Tasmanian nightingale) snared him as conductor for her short-lived opera company in Australia, and thereafter the clever littje man set up as a pianist and teacher in Melbourne, and organised a Scherek orchestra for concert purposes. As a card manipulator he had few equals, and those of us who were privileged to enjoy his private seances.—for he never practised trickery publicly—were absolutely baffled by his "dexterity. "Mr Ambrose Manning, the well-known English actor, has been re-engaged by J. C. Williamson, Ltd. for another three months. The engagement will keep him in Australia np till November next. Clarke arid Mevnell will send here shortly their complete 'Gay Gordons'company, the production being .staged on exactly tbe same scale as in Sydney and Melbourne. It is a musical play, with a Highland setting, and is of a spectacular character. The whole of the principals have been imported. There are £3 songs in the two act£

Upwarfls of 220 pieces have been tent in in response to the offer of a 25-guinea prize by West's Pictures, in Melbourne, for the> best drama suitable- for picture representation.

The Sydney seasfla of the William Anderson Dramatic Organisation commences on Saturday. August 5, at the Criterion Theatre, the piece chosen for presenuaion being Albert Edmund's last Australian drama, "The Man From Out Back,' which is at present being revived in Melbourne. Melbourne playgoers rose magnificently to the occasion, and gave a tight royal welcome to Ethel Irving and her complete English company, who opened under the Clarke and Meyneil management on Saturday, the Bth lost. Patrons showed their keen interest and enthusiasm jii the event by commencing to assemble to secure teats as early as eight o'clock in the morning. Every seat in the dress circle and stalls had been secured under the advanced booking arrangement, and the curtain rose on as brilliant an audience as had ever assembled within the walls .of an Australian theatre. To gay that the performance was a a aguificent success is but to inadequately describe the all-round triumph that was achieved by -Miss Irving, the company, and the play. After the performance the famous actress and the company were formally welcomed to Melbourne by the Lord Mayor, on behalf of the citizens. Apropos of the West of London Mana-

gers' Society, one or the principal reasons for the formation of th;it organisation was to regulate the amount to be expended on advertising in the metroplitan Pie&s. One effect was the practical disappearance of

the once familiar announcement ."under the clock." But the newspaper proprietors gave a Roland for the society's Oliver by increasing their rates, which policy soon brought the managers; to their senses.

The recent tour of Madame Sarah Bernh:irdt in the United States extended over 35 weeks. It is computed that she travelled 25.000 miles, visited 103 American cities, gave 285 performances, and won neej-ly a million dollars from theatregoers. As " the divine Sarah. - ' who ir. in her 68th year, chatted on deck before the steamer

tailed from .New York for France, she talked of plans for a return visit in 1915.

It was nc unusual tiling for her to give two performances a day. He! share of the profits of the tour axe set down at £50.000.

Florence wluj is a leading lady af 'Gay Gordon' company, h.<s plaved the loading parts in a host of musical comedies well-known in Xew Zealand. In London and South Africa she made a big hit with Hayden Coffin in 'The Geisha, playing the Toln of Molly Seymour, and Lydia in 'Dorothy.' In 'Veronique' >he appeared in the title role, and in the ' Gay Jorckms' she will be seen in the part taken in England by Ellaline Terriss. Miss Imesaa made one of her most notable successes in South Africa a& Eileen Cavanagh in ' The Arcadians,' in which GertTude Gilliam was seen to such advantage in the Australian production, and another notable achievement was her Sonia in • Tho Merry Widow.' The English humorist Mr Joseph Mas- j check will make hk first appearance in Sydney at the Y.M.C.A. Hall on Saturday, I August 5, under the direction of Mx William Anderson. He is to he supported in his delightfully novel entetainjnent. "Society Snapshots* by Mifs Mildred Wrighton, whose popular 'Songs at the Piano' fccured for her a fine reputation in London. Ma.bc! Trevor, who will be seen here under the Clarke and Meyuell banner as Margaret Rolfo. the courageous wife in ' The Woman in the Cast*.' has had a most eventful stage career. She was brought out specially from London for tho Australian and New Zealand tour of ' The Woman in the Case.' 'Her first engagement was with George Alexander. ;ujd after six months in. his company alio was allotted excellent parts with him on four, and in I ' The Awakening.' ' The Importance of Be- ! ing Earnest,' and ' The Idler' the played the various characters which had fallen in town to Miss Julie Opp. The young actress, after being two years with Sir George Alexander, joined Mr .Arthur Bourehier, and understudied Miss Violet Vanbrugh in 'The Walls of Jericho.' ' Whitewashing Julia,' and other plays, and in every piece enacted the principal's role in the London productions. Her next engagement was with Mr Cyril Maude at the Playhouee, London. Throughout America, on a lengthy and successful tour, Miss Trevor supported Mr E. S. Willard in his repertcire, and in New York later on played seconds to Marie Tempest in her production of ' Penelope/ under the management of Mr Frohman. In ' i'ho Woman in the Case' in England Miss Trevor appeared in the role she is at present enacting with lmnieinse success. London theatre managers as a body will summon no more music-hall managers for playing dramatic sketches. At a meeting of the Theatrical Managers' Association the other day the "concordat" was torn up. The "concordat" laid down, among other things, that a sketch must not last more th&n half-an-boar, must not contain more than six speaking parte, and must not be based on a play which was not fifteen yeais old. Hitherto when these stipulationshave been infringed the Theatrical Managers' Association have prosecuted. The cancelling of tho "concordat," which was reaffirmed only a few months ago, arises largely from the action of the dramatists, who lately made private but vigorous representations to the Society of West End Managers, who, not wanting to force into existence a monopoly of dramatic authors

snch as the all-powerful French Societie, » climbed down at once. The 'West End JfiaeLefar y«*ifi«4 the TJieatrieal Managers'

Association: thai they would take no farther pari in prosecutions. This intimation came just at tbe right moment, for the growing party in the Theatrical Managers' Association who have pleaded for freedom all ronnd. They are supported by the provincial theatre managers, who desire liberty to put on variety programmes as much as- the music halls do stage plays. Mr William Anderson has arranged to present Mr Walter Baker and Miss Frances Rose at the King's Theatre, Melbourne, on Saturday, August 5, in the finest of all military dramas, 'Tommy Atkins,' supported by a specially-formed drumaiic company. (from Saturday's ' Sport* Special.*) I hav-t? information from the headquarters of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., regarding some of that firm's ventures, which will prove of interest to my readers. 'Our Miss Gibbs' (now in its tenth week in Sydney) is booked for New Zealand. It opens in Auckland on September 11, and will be taken on the Dominion tour absolutely "on its own," which presumably means short seasons. Every effort is being made to induce H. B. Irving and wife (Dorothea Baird) and company to extend his stay to embrace a visit to New Zealand. In that case he will come over at Christmas time.

A very beautiful residence at Darling Point, Sydney, has been purchased by Miss Florence Young. It is charmingly situated, with a delightful view of tJae harbor. ' The Lyons Mail,' which will be the second piece in Mr H. B. Irving's ■ repertoire in Sydney, was built up on an incident which took place in the year 1796 in France. A brutal murder was committed, and suspicion rested on a highly-respected French citizen. Circumstantial evidence was so strong against tho citizen that he was arrested, and finally convicted, although afterwards it transpired that he was innocent, while the crime had really been committed by a desperate ruffian whose revolting deed was but the fitting climax to his life of wrongdoing. The story was dramatised in 1850, and a year later was played in London. A special version of it was prepared by Charles Reado for Charles Kean. In France it used to be the custom to give alternate endings to the drama—one night the innocent man would suffer the consequences of the crime he had not committed, and ths next he would be reprieved just at the last moment. It is the latter version which was adopted in England, and which is played by Mr Irving. It may be said of Mr Irving in this connection that his presentation of the double roles of Lesurques and Dubosc enjoyed the longest run ever achieved by any actor in the piece. Nicola, the magician, is bound to excite attention as an "esxapologiet." A few weeks ago in Manila he was nailed securely in a box under the supervision of a committee, and escaped from his prison without disturbing a nail. The astonishment of the committee and of the whole audience was laughable to witness, many of the native population fleeing from the theatre and declaring that Nicola was "n league with the-. Prince of Darkness. Nicola is regarded with tremendous awe by the natives in the East, and in places where there aro no white musicians, he has the greatest difficulty in inducing a colored orchestra to appear and play at his performances. His Dunedin season begins on August 21, and will be under the direction of ''General" Buller.

It is said on reliable authority that the Melba tour will run into an expenditure of over £5,000 per week; that, in fact, J.C.W., Ltd., are shouldering a liability of over £52,000 for the 16 weeks in Sydney and Melbourne. Only these two cities will be visited, the show being too expensive to warrant seasons in Adelaide and Brisbane. It will be miles in advance of anything yet attempted in Australasia, and it really ought to be a unique boom. Plan* for a new municipal theatre at Napier have been prepared by the Hon. W. Pitt, of Melbourne. The cost of the building is estimated at between £IB,OOO and £20,000, and tenders are to be called immediately. Ail around the building will be escapes that no other theatre in Australia possesses. The stage, 75ft by 50ft, will be spacious and lofty. Many happy returns of the day: July 23. F. Roland Slavery. July 24.—Mary Van Buren. lyeslie Harris. Mav Irene Marshal. July 25.—Amy Castles. Andrew Mack. Julv 27.—Charles Blackall.

Miss Margaret Cooper, the English society entertainer, is one of the latest to lie engaged by J. and X. Tail. She- will visit Austr«dia at an early date, and give a series of entertainments remarkable for their lightness, refinement, and delicate humor. Mies Cooper claims to be the first woman, to introduce the song-at-the-piano to the English public, and declares that she has tjeon so successful that she now ha-s hundreds of imitators. Many of her triumphs have been gained on the concert platform, but she has won her greatest successes at the Loudon Palace Theatre. Mifcs Cooper is a groat favorite at the Palace, and arnuaily appears at the theatre for an extensive season.

The engagement its announced of Mr Puipert Darrell, the clever young Australian comedian, who for some time past has played prominent roles in tho J. C. Williamson pantomimes, and who is. now tailing the part of King Stoneybrokish in ' Jack and the Beanstalk,' and Miss Eva CoJlinis-Sha.nßh.an, the only daughter of Mrs CoLlins-Shauaiian, of the Ulster Hotel, Brisbane.

J. C. Williamson, Limited, have secured the Australasian rights of Had don Chambers's latest play, ' Pacsera By.' The powerful drama, with its intensely human touch, is regarded by the critics as the star pieco of the ex-Australian dramatist. The story is of a young couple whose love for each other exceeds the bounds of prudence. Peter Waverton is quite prepared to make reparation to the woman he-loves, but his step-sister interposes, and succeeds in separating them, making Margaret believe that Peter wishes her to pass out of his life. Seven years slip away, and one night, in a thick London fog, Margaret, thickly veiled, after struggling through the streets, pauses, on Peter's doorway, and is invited in to rest and shelter. Peter eventually find* out her identity, and also hears from her the story of his stepsister's duplicity, and of the liltle. son whom Margaret is striving to educate. Peter gives Margaret no peace till she promises to bring tha boy to see him, and the next day, though he had promised to take his fiancee and Lady Hurley for a motor ride, he excuses himself and remains at home to make the acquaintance of his son. Later on the boy wanders off with a half-witted protege of Peter's, and when Margaret calls for him he is nowhere to be found. There is a hue-and-cry, and Peter, sen., rushes out to find the boy. In the meantime Lady Hurley and Beatrice arrive, and finding Margaret there naturally expect an explanation, which they get. In the end, Beatrice, learning that Margaret really loves Peter, and that he has all along loved Margaret, in her own words, gives Peter "the chuck," and little Peter having been discovered safe and sound sleeping with his companion in a haystack, all ends happily. There will be a special pictorial display at His Majesty's Theatre during Show Week. Mr Hamer advises me that tho trump card will be a respresentation of the dramatic play ' Never Too Late, to Mend,' the incidents of which will be described by Aif. Boothman.