FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 14982, 16 September 1912, Page 7

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Call Boy.] BOOKINGS. —His Majesty's.— . September 25 to October 12—Competitions Society. October 22 to 31.—' Sinbad the Sailor' panto. November 21 to December 4.—Oscar Aeche. January 15 to 24.—Grant-Bailey Dramatic Company. —Princess's.— Fullers' Pictures.—Permanent. —Tho King's.— Vaudeville.—Permanent. —Burns Hall.— Hay wards' Pictures.—Permanent. —New Queen's Theatre.— Continuous Pictures. There arrived in the Dominion" by the Aorangi last week an American party under engagement to Mr Gaston Melies, moving picture manufacturer of New York. Last July -*r Melies, with a company of 17 and the necessary appurtenances of picture-recorders, sailed on a Pacific voyage. At Tahiti the voyagers disembarked to take views amid the "palms and forests of that tropical island. The ttory is enacted by the company, local color being afforded by the natives as supers. An expert journalist, Mr E. Mitchell, travels with the company for tha;._ purpose of furnishing appropriate stories and scenes for tho occasion. Some time is to bo spent at Rotorua, where, no doubt, the Maoris will participate in the picture stories among the lakes and geyeers of the thermal country. Both dramatic and educational subjects are to be treated, and after tha films have been developed in a dark room they will be forwarded to New York for preparation and distribution throughout the world. Dunedinites are to have an oppoitunitv on the 24th inst. of hearing Miss Adelaide Bruce, _ the Australian contralto, who ha 6 been singing with marked success in the northern parts of the Dominion. Miss Bruce, who is a native of Melbourne, and a leading exponent of Scottish song, came over under engagement to the Auckland Liedertafel to assist in 'The Messiah' at the opening of the new Town Hall there, and to take part in the Caledonian Society's concert at Wanganui. The Melbourne ' Age' says that Miss Bruce, who has a good stage presence and a robust voice, of excellent quality, sang Gounod's 'Easter Eve' with rare justice to its melody and rhvthm; while the 'Argus' states that 'Sullivan's 'Lost Chord' was finely performed by Miss Bruce, whose recall was well merited. In the towns of New Zealand Miss Bruce has invariably received excellent criticisms. One paper observed that her voice is clear and cultured, and the Celtic spirit rings through, tho vocalist being a singer of Scotch-Irish descent. All the Scottish societies in this City are giving their patronage to the concert in the Art Gallery Hall. Charles Frohman and David Bclasco have startled the theatrical world bv announcing that thev will go into the motion picture business. William A. Brady, another American manager, has made a similar announcement. As an judical ion of the manner in which the additions to the Quinlan opera repertoire will be dealt with for the Australian season next year, it may bo mentioned that three days before sailing from Melbourne for London Mr Thomas Quinlan cabled £IO,OOO deposit to Paris for the costumes, scenery, translations, and accessories of 'Louise' The Marriage of Figaro,' and 'The Meistersingers.' For next year's J. C. Williamson pantomime ' Puss in Boots ' Violet Lorraine ha.s been engaged as principal boy, a part which she filled in last year's pantomime n.t Drnry Lane, London." Alice Russon, a popular and well-known comic opera artiste, will be the principal girl. Mr and Mrs George Marlow (Mies Ethel Buckley) hav? returned to Svdnev from then visit to England. ' ' 1 The ninth week of ' The Quaker Girl' at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, has been reached, yet the vivacious musical plav is running as buoyantly as ever. Few productions of the kind have enjoved the continuous popularity achieved by : The Quaker .Girl.' Public desires as regards the play have'been so well expressed by the enor- ' nious success it has won that not a single alteration has been made in the piece since the opening -.light. It is r.,-,id that, the visit of Oscar Asche and Lily Brayton to Melbourne has resulted in euch a study of Shakespeare that hardly a copy of the plays of the bard is left in the city. The study of Shakesneare was given a great impetus, and the effect, it is considered, will remain for some considerable time to come. . London i:-, chuckling over a fine bit of satire in connection with popular ideas as to what is right and wrong in stage productions. When ' Improper Peter' was produced at, the Garrick, a cry went up from an extreme section of the Puritans, protesting against.the " suggestiveness "of the title. As it happened" there was nothing indecorous about. Peter or anybody or anything in the play, but there was a [ fine chance to score mi advertisement, so j the title was changed to ' Proper Peter,' and the result was packed houses. London 'Punch' now suggests that other managements and dramatists might follow suit. "For example," it says, "why not turn 'Bella. Donna' into ' Ammonia ted Quinine,' and 'Ben Hur' into 'Ben Him'?" .Henry Kolker, lending man in Australia with Margaret Anglin, was recently toruin<r America in 'The Greyhound,' a'drama offering that gentleman exceptional opportunities for robust acting. Mr Kolker, by j the way, lately won in a New York raffle a pearl necklace, valued at 6.0C0d01. The trinket was the propertv of the wellknown American actress. Miss Truly Shat|tcuk,_and Mr Kolker acquired tat the expenditure of Idol for one chance in the gamble. Miss Tittell Brune is in New York appearing as the Siren in "An Aztec. Romance.' ! Apropos of the opening of the New ZcaI land tour of the Asrhe-Brayton Company with 'Kismet.' it is interesting to learn, on the author's; own authority, that tho piece was offered to manager ai'tcr manager before it eventually secured acceptance'at the hands of Oscar Asche. This is another example of how difficult it is to gauge tho chances of a play In more than one instance, it is true, the costly nature of its mounting proved an obstacle to the production of 'Kismet.' but in others that certainly was not the principal reason for its refusal. At the susreestien of 11 wellknown London manager. Mr Knoblauch wad engaged rewriting his piece at the moment when the original was shown to Mr Asche. who unhesitatingly declared in favor of the latter. 'Kismet' is the outcome of a prolonged study of ' The Arabian Nights,' and so abundant is the material collected by Mr Knoblauch during its writing that he contemplates weaving a new play out of the surplus at his disposal.