FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 15308, 7 October 1913, Page 4

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Call Ror.j Dan, the Drunken Dog,’’ who earned a big reputation on the Puller Circuit a few years ago bv ins quaint impersonat.on ql a boor-soaker, has a rival in Carlo, who is appearing at present in Australia. . r spoilt Honeymoon ’ the dogs tell a simple story of domestic tragedv. wherein the lover of a newly-married*’ bride is shot dead by -her husband. Carlo provides most ol the comedy relief by hil antics when he gets inebriated. The clever animals go through the whole of the portormance without a single human being appearing on the stage. 5 Mailer Cqrnock, who comes to \ew ZeaJand with M‘Kay’s Royal Pantomime Company, is making his first visit to the Dominion. He plays the Shah in the opening production. ‘ 80-peep,’ ’ and has soieial songs, in which lie uses a fine baritone voice to good effect. The Royal Comics broke all records at Auckland with the revival of the ‘Bello of New \ork,’ the whole of the dress circle and stalls being sold out at 6s. and the gallery at- 2s. ‘The Quaker Girl’ will be staged here on Monday, Tueedav, and M odnesday (hovemher 5, 4, and s)‘; ‘The i-unslune Girl ’ on November 6 and 7. and the season will dose -on Saturday, November 8 with a revival 0 f ‘The Belle of New Fork.

Official confirmation is now forthcoming of tho announcement that Harry Lauder will, on tho termination of his two-years’ tour in Africa and Australia, betake’ himself to the theatre. His programme will then consist of a, dramatic and a light comedy sketch, between which he will give a lengthy series of selections from his repertoire. In England, Mr Lauder considers, an artist has no real chance it showing his versatility during the short time limit accorded him of an evening. In America, for instance, he personally was given the opportunity of contributing 10 songs, while here he is restricted to three or four. Under hie own management he will bo at liberty to change this state of affairs. Invited to name hie favorite song, Mr Lauder unhesitatingly plumped for ‘The Saftest o’ tbe Family.'’ David Popper, the famous ’cellist, who died in August last, was credited with a pretty wit. Musical anecdotes must always bo taken with a, gram of salt, but one particular story told in illustration of bis sense of humor is sufficiently amusing to justify the telling. It relates to the veteran composer David Goldmark. In early days the composer of ‘ The Queen of Sheba ’ achieved great .success with an orchestral suite, and was always willing to accept invitations to attend conceits at which it was performed. Atriving at an hotel in some town where he was to play. Popper discovered in the book of visilois the name Karl Goldmark. Taking up the pen, he promptly wrote after it “and suite." At least, so runs the story. Of the first Nordica concert in Clivlrtchurch the ‘Lyttelton Times’ says; “ Madame Nordica is entitled, should she care to do so, to borrow Cesar's ‘ Vcni, vidi, vici ’ in describing the opening night of her first, Christchurch concert, season. The audience at Hie Theatre Royal on Saturday evening—very largely a musicallytrained and critical audience—paid to the diva a. tribute, of enthusiastic appreciation which, only n groat -ailist could have evoked, and at tho conclusion of the programme most stubbornly refused to bud jo from its collective scat until the eingcr had complied with its tempestuous demand for another, and yet another, example, of her wonderful art ’’ Mr “Mike" Joseph, for many years manager for Mr William Anderson, has accepted a. similar position in Victoria with Clement Mason. Limited, the wellknown producers of artistic cinema films. In view of the production in Australia early next, year of the big London success ‘Tho Glad Eye,’ some interest attaches to the query: Will Miss Daisy Markham, the winner of the £50,000 breach of promise suit, be among the, company coming from England to* present tho farcical comedy? Miss Markham was in the London nroduction, and Mr Beaumont Smith, who 'is to produce the big money-maker in Australia, in conjunction‘with Mr Louis Mayer, of London, was asked the question upon his return to Sydney from America. “Fourteen of fifteen people will he brought to Australia- to play the chief characters in th.' comedy," he said, “hut 1 do not feel inclined to say at this juncture whether Miss Markham will he among them to play her original character. The selecting of’ tho company rests with Mr Mayer, whose ability to "choose the finest cast available is undisputed. Whether ho will or will not, ask Miss Markham to make the vox-ago I cannot say. 1 only know that he’ will send people host qualified to plav the, various, characters.” Mr Kennerlev Rumford and his wife. (Mine, Clara- Butt), before leaving Melbourne, entertained 80 members of tho Quinlan Grand Opera. Company to a supper party at the. Savoy Cafe. It is said that the evening cost- £250. It was given to tho TUimforcls 1251k concert in Australia. Opposite the Alhambra, the picturesque old palace of the Moorish Kings on tho outskirts of Granada, Spain, on another mountain of equal height, is the most famous gipsy village of the world. Of exactly tho 'type of the beauties of this village' is Esmeralda, the, xylophone soloist, now on the Bre.nnan-Fuliev circuit, and to appear here in the near future, Esmeralda is a nomad, being a member of tho Esmeralda Family cf seven musicians, once famous in Europe. Esmeralda, who xvas but a mite of a girl then, was born in Holland, where her father, accompanied by her mother, was then playing, and she spent the earlier part of her life in Russia. She has been a musician since the age of three, when she began to learn the xylophone and the violin. She has lived in most of the countries of Europe, and speaks Norwegian, 'Russian, French, German, and English fluently, Sho has two homes, one in England, the home of her father, the other (her own) in a pretty little suburb of Paris. Esmeralda had intended returning to Paris after her American tour, but the inducements held out by the Brennau-Fuller agent in San Francisco, together with tbo splendid reports she had read of Australia, made, the gifted musician change her mind. ’ Esmeralda xvears a conventional white dress while playing the xylophone. Miss Dolly Castles (sister of Miss Amy Castles) hae gone into vaudeville in New York.