FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 15074, 4 January 1913, Page 12

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

"'•[By Call Box.] The repertoire of the D. B. O'Connor Opera Company, who opened their Dominion tour at Grey month on Mtinda-y-lnsf;; consist* of ' Our Miss Gibbs,' 'The MerryWidow,* 'A Waltz Dream,' andthe -Catchof the Season.' The principhls'-'arel Miss. Eva Mqorc. Mies Cliff Palmer,' -and 'Mists* Ida Leggatt, Messrs J. Ra,lft:bnf'D'." : B. 1 - O'Connor, and George Edwards'."' """'-' It was lately stated in the-cables''that-one firm alone had taken 'feet of war pictures. This firm' waVPath'es,~ who, in addition to immediately' seiftlitig' to the seat of war the operator's resident at Budapest and Odessa, denuded their Paris, London, and Milan staffs for the; purpose of pushing men to the front: "All', the operators were insured at .' Lloyd's" at the enormous premium of 25; guineas per cent, against risk of death "by..accident;"' within six months. One of^the"'special' operators sent out by Pathes [has''been',"jri; five campaigns, whilst the"\"others'•"have; roughed it in most parts of th^\yorld, : Haywards' Picture Enterprises. the exclusive rights of the Pa = tn¥' : pictiire3" for New' Zealand.

When the last mail left' Australia..:tte' management of the Rickaids; bimi.it" iiv Australia were considering whether;'"or 'rj:6t'.' to add Mies Minnie t.lie c'fitn". pany to tour New Zealand,; b"egi«"nijig-'at Auckland on February 17". in all the Australian theatres'"'oil/"tj-fe cir-' cuit are being remodelled, "owin.g. tb;,tllf.' closing down of the Adelaide'■' Tjyoli Theatre for rebuilding, and/it; is; pcssibfe that Miss Kaufmann may • come "to' N%\v Zealand along with the other big attractions. She is one.of the world's- greatest lady trick cyclists, and in addition t<v her skill on one wheel or two, she~is said i-tb-be one of the prettiest and -most graceful' cyclists who ever came to Australia.:'■''" •. '•]>•

Captain Amundsen lectured 'bfefoYe:Hire King of Italy and the Duke of A-bruzzr<-;rt Rome last week. The Duke 1 is himself a distinguished Arctic explorer,'arid at-ahe time held the " farthest north": record.Tne discoverer of the South '■ Pole' was: ■■pre 1 - ser.ted with the gold medal of the Italian Geographical Society. --r.-"- j Many happy returns:—' '-^ January B.—H. Bracy. "•-'■■ V s " Victor Gouriet. January 9. W. R. Shirley. January 11.—Roy Redgrave. Georgio Majeroni. January 14.—Eardley Turner. January 15.—Andrew Black. ..

Truly named "The Divine Sarah,"Mine Bernhardt, on the stage, never showed more charm of manner th;m. in the great pictorial reproduction of the love story of Queen Bess. Frenchwomen .hare always been famous for their charm pf 'manner,' and Mmp Bernhardt in this alone, more especially in this, great ijilrn! Tn the production in question. .iieiOief. trouble nov expense wa- spatedV assistance possible' was given 'by those'"m high places Even the British. Government lent documents from the 'Public Records Office. One of these was the' famous S.X. letter, a tender epistle from the Hail of Essex to Queen Elizabeth. This is reproduced in its entirety. •' All the world loves a lover", is a hue saying. Lovn stories on th> stage and the picture screen never fail to draw. The. love storv of "Good Queen Bess" has always held inorp than ordinary fascination forH'ie average reader. The film will be shown at' air the picture houses owned or suppiied v % the firm of John Fuller and Sons in the Dominion. ■>; niij '.••-■ii>i-

A most interesting controversy-has Keen. going on in recent weeks iii'the Sydiife Press on the subject of the comparative attractions for vaudeville artists in the United States and Australia. It was begun by Earl Taylor, of the Taylor and Arnold Duo at the Sydney Tivoli, who proclaimed that in comparison with America, Australia was a paradise for those who inake their living on the variety stage One ot two disappointed artists contradicted Air Taylor, but others stepped into the breach, and when the echoes of the controversy ge> to the United States thev will probably cause many American artists to turn their steps towards this new Eden for their profession. The Taylor and' Arnold Duo, of which Mr Taylor is a member is the ragtime specialty of the vaudeville company which Mr Hugh :, D: M'lntosh is orgardsing for the RicKlras feli'cmt to tour the Dominion, beginhrn'g s't A'Wkland an February. . - ' I

A feature of the Christmas season in London has been the production of manv wonderful spectacular pantomimes. 'The bleeping Beauty' at Drury Lane Theatre is a remarkable production. The stage settings are extraordinary in their lavishness and novelty of arrangement. Onlv bright and glaring colors are used, but they are blended into the richest of harmonies. The music and acting are remarkable for their abandon. BANNED PLAY. SCENE AT~ THEATRE. ■ Archbishop Kelly, of Sytlnwr? cemb,er 23 forwarded the tonr.mumcation to the clergy of the Roman Lathohc Archdiocese:— ••'■- :;;. ;;-: r,v Rev. and dear sir,—Arnorigsfr trie amusements provided for the Christmas season there is one—according mornings papers-at the Adelphi Theatre which must be stigmatised as grossly offensive to Catholic sentiment. And it is a calumny against religious life, which is simply the fulfilment of the Evangelical Counsels.

We would leave the company and its advertisers to be dealt with'bv the public but we trust that no Catholic worthy of the name -would countenance even indirectly such depravity af sudh a* "season Un similar occasions the' Catholics Dublin and of cities on' th'eLContinent have been able promptly to bring those cerned to the observanceat'-" "least of civic propriety. We would Ibok to'-'fiie citizens of Sydney for the same, and'' iu this sense we appeal to our own flock.-l lour servant in Christ, .-?..--. iMichakl, Archbishop of Sydney." r( , N .-S-—To be read at all Masses on Christmas Day and the Sunday following. At a critical situation of the drama on .Boxing N lg ht the packed audience were stirred to sudden and unlooked-for excite ment by a man who had been sitting in the stalls, and who, rising from his seat, threw his arm in the air and cried • '/ Stop this play ! f protest against it. It is against the principles of-.my-church- 7 ' The man's manner was that.-.of'one-labor-' ing -under the deepest emotion.-' Evidently hj» had been infected by Archbishop Kelly's Jn upon the play, and the scene irs! which Ue monk is married to the beautiful 'hero-: ine was too much for his religionsi'feelings j He ende.ayored to proceed further;-' but the! huge holiday audience strongly resented his intrusion. A concerted cry ' of '". Put him out" went up from the house, and- the speaker was not allowed to •' proceed"-any further with his objectoin.' :-'- ; -'-' Mr George Cross, looking the picture of monkly sainthness in his monastic robes thereupon stepped to the footlights, and askedthe audience to declare if they saw eJiTtbing objectionable in the piece. Did", i*A audience desire the plav-to prfe'Cdf Jl'» audience emphatically ma;nitcfited their wishes in no uncertain 'voice. The play then proceeded with"even'more Tim than usual, and when the curtain fell the house manifested their approval by "a storm of applause. Mr George Willoughby, managing director for George Marlow, Ltd./ referring''to the episode, - said : " This'is just what I feared when I read Archbishop;/Kelly's inapt date. There are always religioW'Tahatics ready to be inflamed at the slightest'cause; and it is really a wonder that weaid'/not have a riot. Fortunately, '■ the';peiiple' : 'of Sydney are too sane to be carried off' their feet by such expressions of intolerance as are revealed in Archbishop Kelly's action. If in real life such a scene were enacted as thc : marriage of a novice, ,'witri a" womiiri whose life he thus saved sidered perfectly justifiable. 'Why, then; this unwarranted attack whose motive is perfectly pure?'"l ! sliould !-! adi vise Archbishop Kelly to divert his attrition to those occasions when''mohks 'are ridiculed on the stage—trayed as senseless debauchees': ; '-Irii-:this play the monk 16 respected-- : eveii idealised —and that fact will, I feel sure; gain'-ifor ■us the sympathy of all- .right-thinking jseoßlf*-" '■•''• -+-i..1^..

Mr Willoughby has invitad the Archbishop and the' clergy of hie diocese to witness the performance at a special matinee, when the play will be staged in its entirety. The drama, he 'says, was licensed by the Lord Chamberlain in England, and produced, at one of'the principal-theatres in London (where is van for about 12 months) without the slightest objection being taken to it. He saj-6: "I'grant it the Archbishop is perfectly within his rights in advising the people of his' own religion on any subject he chooses, but I think he is stepping over the legitimate boundary when he appeals to the citizens of Sydney—who, mind you, are of all denominations—to stay away from any place of amusement or play. Why should any head of a Church presume to act as the mouthpiece "of the citizens of Sydney on a matter of this nature? "\Vhy, it militates against their liberty of thought and even decorum. Has the' Archbishop any right to set himself up as a court for the morals or the religious foundation for the citizens of Sydney? There has been absolutely no note of dissent from the audiences who have seen this play, and surely those who have seen something are the best, judges of what is right and proper? I repeat there is no intention of this management now or at any time to do anything derogatory to the '.feelings or good taste of any section of the community, and. in the confident belief we .-/i-e not injuring any body or creed I leave the drama to speak for itself."