FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 15174, 3 May 1913, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Call Bot.] BOOKINGS. His Majesty’s. , Till May 10.—Allen Doone Company. May 12 to 15.—‘ The Red Dandies.’ May 16 to 22.—Maeterlinck’s ‘Bine Bird.’ June.—‘ The Geisha’ (Dunedin. Amateur Operatic Society). July 29 to August 7.— ‘ Puss in Boots’ Panto. September 26 to October 2.—Julius Knight ( Milestones* and ‘Bella Donna’). November 19 to 27—Royal Comic Opera Company; r Princess Theatre. Fullers’ Pictures, King’s Theatre. Brennan-Pullers’ Vaudeville and Pictures. Octagon Theatre. Haywards’ Pictures. New Queen’s Theatre. Continuous Pictures. In The Blue Bird ’ Maurice Maeterlinck baa shown himself onco more a blind par»wn i° f 1 u e Tt is not f or h i m that he should love the dog and pet him with far-sought phrases; he must needs hbsl the cat in the interests of her rival. Because Tylo (the dog) is sympathetic and" loyal, lylette (the cat) must be treacherous and selfish. One of Mr William Anderson’s dramatic companies, under the management of Mr G. H. Barnes, is now at Adelaide. A record run is promis-d. So marked has been the success of the Hugh Buckler-Reynolds Denniston ComP* r *y I] ,l, Fhe Man on the Box’ at the .Little Theatre in Castlereagh street, Sydney, that twice the management have had to defer producing the second play in their repertoire. ‘The Man on the Box’ is described as a fine comedv, well acted, with Mi- Hugh Buckler and Miss Violet 1 aget scoring marked success. As the unfortunate Colonel Annesley, who got mixed up in a foolish moment with a foreign Power, the versatile Mr Reynolds Denniston (it is said) played with polish and distinction. Ho is one of Sydney’s favorites. Many happy returns May 2.—May Chevalier, Dina Cooper. May 4.—Frank Compton. May s.—Fred Henningham. David Jefferson. May 7.—Ernest Fitts. Roxy Barton. Robert Chignell (Sheffield Choir). May 9—Katherine Elliot-Orton. The will of the late Sir Edward Moss, of music hail fame, was sworn at £145,000, lus principal interests being Moss’s Empires £26,000, Cranston Hotels £14,000 .Manchester Hippodrome £5,577. Hacknev and Shepherd Bush Empires £5,105, ancl the London Coliseum £9,962. He had Evening News,’ and was a large landowner in Midlothian. His was by far the largest estate left by a music hall manager, although exceeded by several theatre proprietors. The most noteworthy of the latter were : Mr D’Ovley Carte “£240,817 and Sir W S. Gilbert £111,971. Among those who attended the recent opening of the new West End Picture Hall in Coventry street, London, was a lady carrying a large black cat, resplendent in crimson bows. A stall seat had been reserved for pussy. Mr Gerald Kay Souper, now appearing at the Little Theatre, is one of the best swordsmen at present on the stage. With the J. C. Williamson ‘Blue Bird’ organisation are six trained nurses, whose duty it is to look after tlie children who were brought from Australia. Tno youngsters attend school daily, and go through a course of physical training under the supervision of a tutor, who also travels with the organisation. Harry Quealy and his wife are to revisit the Dominion shortly under the Ful-ler-Brennan management." Mr Tom Pollard is due in Dunedin early this month to put the finishing touches to the rehearsals of .‘ The Geisha,’ which is to be staged at His Majesty’s Theatre on June 9 by the Dunedin Operatic Society. The scenery, which is being specially painted by Mr J. H. Oliver, is taken from models designed by Mr W. S. Percy, of Williamson’s Opera Company. Both dresses and scenery are of a most elaborate nature, so that the amateurs should not fail to please the most fastidious theatre-frequenters. Mr Osborn, the well-known local elocutionist, takes the role of Marquis Imari, while Miss Florence Paeey is the Molly Seamore of the opera. Everything points towards a most successful season. Despite the attractions of her new home. Miss Eugenie Duggan will shortly make her reappearance at the King's, Melbourne, in ‘ Life’s Shop Window.’ in which the favorite actress will play the character around which the story is written—namely, Lydia Wilton. It is singular that quite a number of important characters in the play are of the same names as several members of the interpreting company, and a very important factor in the mounting of King’s Theatre productions.

The nest two American steamers will bring to Australia important artists for the J. C. Williamson management. Chief of these will, of course, be Gonee, who is booked to arrive by the Ventura. Accompanying her will' bo LI. Violinin and Milo Schmolz, of the Imperial Ballot of St. Petersburg. There will also bo principals from the Metropolitan Opera-house, New York, for grand operettas, which will be a portion of the programme of the Gene© season. The American, principals for the crime drama ‘ Within the Law ’ are also due. These include Miss Muriel Starr, Mr Lincoln Plumer, Mr Eddie Morrison, and Miss Mary Worth. The death is announced" at Chicago of Miss Adrienne Augarde, the famous French actress, which occurred following an operation for appendicitis. The late actress was a well-known figure on the English stage. She was a niece of Lliss Amy Augarde, another popular actress, and some of her early experience in the profession was obtained while singing in the chorus of the J. W. Turner Opera Company, after which she was promoted to parts on tour. Going to London,, she saw Mr George Edwardes, and was given by him the leading ingenue role in ‘The Duchess-of Dantzig’ at the Lyric, 1903. Following this, she created the title role in ‘ Ladv Madcap,’ at the Prince of Wales’s, 1964. Having played the part for two weeks, she sailed for New York, appearing in the United States in ‘ The Duchess of Dantzig,’ with the original London company. She played in New York for two months, and then returned to Loudon to create one of the Little Michus in the piece of that name at Daly’s, 1905. During the closing weeks of that piecn she rehearsed for ‘ See-See ’ at the Prince of Wales’s, and after playing a leading part in that piece for 'two months left to create the part of the Princess in ‘The New- Aladdin’ at the Gaiety. During 1907 she appeared at the Lvric Theatre as Lady Betty Noel in ‘ CJancarty,' and at Drury Lane as Lady Gwendoline Ashley in ‘The Sins of Society.’ She was engaged by Mr Beerbohm Tree to appear at nis Majesty's Theatre in January, 1908, as Rosa Bud in ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood.’ More recently she performed at English variety halls, adding considerably to her great popularity. —Manager Loses His Star.— A somewhat amusing experience is related to the Adelaide ' Advertiser ’ of Mr C;ulyle Smythe iosing his lecturer for nearly a week. Mr Joseph MTiabe, the popular writer and lecturer on evolution and astronomy, was expected to arrive at Port Melbourne from London very early one Saturday morning, to begin his* second Australian tour a week later. A deputation of the principal members of the Melbourne Rationalist Society, with numerous other friends, including .Mr Smythe, met the boat; but no Mr M'Cabe could be found. As soon as it was learned that he was not on board there was naturally some concern, which was increased when no replies were received to letters and telegrams sent to city. The mystery lasted for five The explanation is that Mr M'Caba decided to soend a few days ia tie

Adelaide hills, of which he is a great admirer, and whore he could be quite secluded, so as to complete tho preparation of his new series of lectures for this tour. He wrote to tell Mr Smytbo of bis intention, but apparently his letter went astiav and as he is staying at Stirling he did not receive any communications from Melbournl, and did not dream that his “disappearance” had caused uneasiness. Mr MlCabe will remain only a fortnight in Melbourne, and then proceed direct to Dunedin, —‘ The Dandies ’: Mr Branscombc’s Methods.— Mr > Edward Branscombe, as initial supervisor of his Dandies entertainments, is beset with many difficulties which are not apparent to his patrons, as instance the following:—Solos, harmonious concerted business numbers, and other novelties thought suitable for his class of entertainment in the colonies are procured bv his overseas agents, and forwarded in budgets from time to time. These are “ read ” by Mr Branscombe and allocated according to their characteristics and requirements, and their general treatment outfined to the different local producers. The measure of success attained cannot be attributed to luck; it is due more to care and method. When the repertoires are well in rehearsal Mr Branscombe is notified, and he proceeds to the scene of action. He ensconces himself in a remote part of the auditorium, pulls his cap well over his eyes, lights a cigarette, conccncentrates his attention on the stage, and endeavors to anticipate evorv possible ol> jection on the part of the public. Frequently he finds his best judgment at fault, but he is never averse to acknowledging public opinion. If anv particular number which has met with bis approval does not meet with the public favor it is immediately expunged. Mr Branscmnbe’s motto is Eliminate every possible chance ot tailure so far as can be foreseen, but nold. no Royal Commissions. If the public do not want a certain number root it out and plant another.” Thus is Mr Rvanscombe the most successful manager in his type of work in Australasia. —“ Blue Birdlings” in Their Own Play.— f““ n °k ?^ ea given to one to see a full-blown, six-act melodrama written by a 14-year-old girl, and acted entirely bv a company of girleens of varyiugs ages, yet 18 ® x P erlc nce (says the ‘ Dominion ’) was vouchsafed the members of the ‘ The Blue S‘VL Company and a few of their friends at the Opera House on Tuesday afternoon. f!ib oae Jj in g was a Play written bv little Lileeu Hayes (who is Cold-iu-the-Head Bte 00 N lght scene in ‘The W™. Bl « J ) entitled ‘ The Stolen Invention and acted by her clever juvenile associates in that play. Whilst it would be unreasonable to expect anything in the nature of finished playwriting from one so ma y he said that the germ of the melodramatic idea at least is displayed m Miss Hayes’s effort. A craftsman could without a great deal of alteration turn it into a playable play, the faults were easy to discern— tis always so—lack of comedy and love interests, and in technical construction. On the other hand the plot was not all bad and the emotional element was not lacking The youngsters thoroughly enjoyed the divergence from Maeterlinck, and considenng the age of the performers, which ranged from 7 to IS, did very well indeed. It disclosed m Miss Cecil Bradley, who played the hero, a remarkably sincere, intelligent, and buoyant actress. There were two scenes in each act, and each lasted about five minutes. At the conclusion of every act and after the performance the “Blue Birdlings” were heartily applauded.