FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 14635, 3 August 1911, Page 10

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Caix Bos.] Miss Alice Moffatt, an English actress, who has bad a wide experience in both London and tho provinces, reached Christchurch by last weeks’ Sydney boat, to take up Miss‘Winifred O’Connor’s part in ‘The Arcadians’ and ‘The Belle of Brittany.’ Miss O’Connor left here for Melbourne by th© Moana on Sunday to rehearse for ‘ The Chocolate Soldier.’ Mr Allan Hamilton has secured the rights for four new American plays, and wOl shortly organise a second dramatic play. ■By the last mail from Melbourne Mr Jas. Coombs, who conducted the Dunedin auxiliary choir's rehearsals in connection with the Sheffield Choir's visit, received a letter of congratulation on the able work done by the Dunedin choir. With it was a cheque for £ls, and since Mr Coombs had not put forward any claim fur remuneration for his services the remittance was a pleasant surprise. The Melbourne season of Ethel Irving and her company will last for onJv four more weeks, and will not bo extended, an Miss Irving has made all.her arrangements for reappearing in London. Immediately on her return she is to do a special starring engagement at the Coliseum at a salary of £6OO a week.

Dion Tithcradge, now in London, has abandoned play-acting to devote himself to play-writing. Mr Joseph S. Clair, who was in New Zealand some years ago as touring manager for several shows, and more recently in charge of one of the Moody-Manners opera companies in the Smith of England, has returned to the colonics, and is now deputy managing director of Brennan’s Amphitheatre, Ltd., the headquarters of whicli are at Sydney. Presiding over the recent, annual meeting of tho association, he gave particulars of the various assets taken over from the vendors, and stated ■that since the association had been registered business had been commenced at Hobart and Brisbane, where the prospects were very good. A freehold site had also been purchased at Melbourne, and a 50years’ building lease secured at Newcastle. At the last-mentioned town their theatre would ho ready for opening at the end of the current year. Both at Sydney and Melbourne the business done at the company’s houses showed a marked increase over the previous year. The Amphitheatres make a specialty of cheap vaudeville. On Saturday next no less than five of William Anderson’s companies will inaugurate seasons in various theatres in the Commonwealth, three of these attractions having their first presentations in Sydney. 'The Man from Out back’ wijl be presented by his No. 1 dramatic company for the first time in Sydney; Mr Joseph Blascheck and Miss Mildred Wrighton will make their first appearance in that city with their ‘Society Snapshots’; and the children's pantomime, ' The Old Woman Who Lived iu a Shoe,’ will bo presented at tho Palace Theatre. Sydney; whilst in Melbourne Air Walter Baker" and Miss Frances Ross will make their reappearance, under Air Andersons’ management in ‘ Tommy Atkins,' and hi New Zealand Air Harry Roberts and Miss Beatrice Day will, inaugurate a season in Christchurch. Aliss Ethel Irving will not bo able to visit New Zealand, but the firm of Clarke and Meynell announce that the engagements of-Oscar A ache (with ‘Kismet’) and Lewis Waller stipulate for a tour of the Dominion. Bomfiardier Wells has made his debut ns an actor in England at the Hackney Emporium on June 26 in a dramatic fragment. written by Walter Macnamara, entitled ‘Wanted, a Man.’ Time is a movement on loot among the producing managers of the V' itcd States to take action against the morion picture mamifattiuers who have been using the, general themes of successful theatrical produOions for picture subjects. New York is to be the. first scene of aoGvity on the part of the managers. There baa been a scrutiny of the copyright law as regarding motion pictures by a noted attorney, who, it is stated, will start an action in the United States courts.

[From Saturday's Sports Special.]

According to the London 'Daily Chronicle’ Mr George Kdwardes (London). Mr Charles Frohman. and Mr Williamson (the “millionaire theatre magnate” from Australia) have joined forces and formed a strong general theatrical syndicate; also that J.C.W. has purchased the Adelphi Theatre, London. Pending the alterations at Her Majesty's Theatre, ’Melbourne, the nm of ‘Our Mirs Gibbs' comes to a conclusion on Saturday next. August 6. -when the record-breaker embarks on a tour that -mill carry the company right up to Christmas time, playing no other piece but ‘ Our Miss Gibbs.’ jins means (bat the Royal Comic Opera. ( cmpany inr fifteen months will have been engaged solely and exclusively on this one musical comedy, a record that very few pieces, even in London, with (wire the population of the whole of Australasia, ran equal, wliile it has certainly never been approached in the whole of the British Empire outside that one city Miss Maud Allan, the. famous Salome dancer, supported by a high-class English concert, party, will visit Australia and New Zealand next January, under tho direction of Baring Bros. The great Lafayette, whoso real name was Sigmund Newbtrgrr. appears to have provided at. his death a. last illusion. It will bo recalled that lie perished in tho fire which, broke out during tho performance of one of his items at the Empire Theatre. .Edinburgh, on June 9. and immediately stories were current of his great we.ilth--thft lowest figure mentioned being £loo,ooo—of tho style in which he lived, and the fortune he, had made, not only from the exercise of his art, but from lucky speculations in rubber. But, according to the sworn statement lying in tho Principal Probate Registry, the pror perty left at bis decease was of the gross value of £2,289 4s lid. and the net personalty £2,CcB 2s 9d. Search for his will having proved unproductive, lie is admitted to have died intestate. “Nature theatres” are the latest rage in Germany. All over the Empire are. being founded theatrical organisations which produce plays in the open air. During this summer “ Nature representations” will bo given more or less regularly near every large town. At. Potsdam the municipality is leading tho movement., and proposes to build an ojion air stage in a picturesque part of a neighboring forest. The movement in that city is under the patronage of the Princess Eitel Friedrich, who is a keen amateur actress. Li South Germany the Nature theatre movement is leading to amusing extravagances. Near Nurnbcrg an organisation is at work which fosters the quaint idea of “therapeutic spectacles.” The theory is held that acting and reciting are cures for' mental and nervous diseases. A.n Austrian doctor named Lack, who is in charge, professes to have cured many persons by forcing them to act before audiences of (heir friends in the open air. The explanation given is that acting takes the patients out of them selves, and thus prevents them thinking of their own maladies. ‘A Ticket in TattV naturally suggests a sporting drama, and as New Zealanders are ec-sen Daily a sporting community it is not surprising to find that the picture presentation of the play has “ caught on ” thoroughly at the Opera-house, Wellington. ‘ A Ticket in Tati’s’ is a melodrama of a strongly sensational type, which points an anti-gambling moral. The central figure in the story is a young man*named flare, who is dismissed from his employment because he persists in attending a race meeting against the wishes of bids employer. Here lie peeks a way out of the difficulties that ensue by purchasing a ticket , in “TattV.” with which ho draws a favorite, and wins a large amount of money; but this easily-attained prosperity leads to his downfall. Incidental to the drama two remarkably fine pictures are introduced—oue showing the progress of a stirring steeplechase and the other a flat race on the course at Adelaide. Both pictures are said to take high rank a<* representations of “ the sport of kings.” The play was acted for the biograph iu Sydney under Mr Gaston Her vale’s management, with Mks liarric Ireland and Mr Alec Patrick in the principal-parts. It- may -not b© generally known nor

credited that Mr Willy Pantser. principal of the Pantzer troupe of acrobats, to appear here in ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ has acted as boxing instructor to His Imperial Majesty the Taar of all the Ruse,ias. The fact, however, remains that for three weeks daily at the Peterhof Palace, in St. Petersburg, Mr Pantzer put the gloves on with this Royal opponent. _ Pantzer, sen., had been heavy-weight-lifting instructor to tho late Tsar, and the present monarch, learning that the son was playing a season in St. Petersburg, sent for him. mid Mr Pantzer had the pleasure of teaching his Imperial patron the noble art. Tho Tear was a most enthusiastic pupil, and at tho conclusion made Air Pantzer a present of 1.000 roubles and a magnificent diamoi„t, which the brilliant athlete now wears with pride Mr Gaston Mervole, the well-known actor, who has been engaged to play Dr Rylitt in ‘The Speckled Band.’ was last week introduced to tho title character in Sydney. This is a large snake, which reposes in a glass case in the property department of Her'Majesty’s Theatre, Mr Mervale expressed the, opinion that his heart would not warm to a friendship with the reniile. and his bearing towards it evinced a distrust that time is not likely to overcome. Tho amended Health Act, which k to he submitted to the Victorian Par I ament at the instance of tho Public Health Board will contain a provision that no biogrnph operator, be licensed w’M'out an examination. To safeguard the public the department liolds that such provision is absolutely necessary. It is alleged that tho recent accident, due to the ignition of a. film at a Geelong picture show was caused hy tho desire, of the operator to preserve tho other films fliat were within the cabinet. .Mr J. (J. Willi amaon, who readied New York a few days ago, did not let tho groat heat of which the cable messages have spoken interfere much with Iris energies—judging by his cables. He had barely arrived there before he advised that lie’ had secured ‘ Every Woman,’ a modern morality play which at present is one of the biggest booms the Now York stage has ever known, and ‘The Pink Lady,’ which everyone, who has seen it, says runs ‘ The Belle of New’ York’ pretty close as the representative American musical piece--and to do that it must he something extra special. ‘The Lyons Mail’ was staged by Mr H. B. Irving at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney. last Saturday night, when the distinguished English star was shown both in tho light of actor and producer. Of his performance of tho dual roles, of Dubose and Lcserques, members of the audience who had the privilege of seeing his father, tho late Sir Henry Irving, remarked upon the veiy distinct difference in the methods of the son. Mr H. B. Irving suits the action of the play to its exciting atmosphere. He puts « fever of desperate deeds into the scenes, and takes the story with such force and intensity that tho audience were never suffered to escape the thrill of th.e drama for a moment. Sir Henry Irving made Dubose a slow, deliberate criminal, glorying in his acu~> of violence and gloating over hi.s gains. His study of Lesorques presented a man of almost heavenly virtues. Mr H. B. Irving plays tho wronged man on more human lines, and the pathos is all the more poignant for being natural, and consequently recognisable.