FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 15644, 7 November 1914, Page 11

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By Loitebeb.] PhiT. Xewbury was announced to give a farewell conceit in Sydney Town Hall on October 31. He sails at once for the East. Howard Wnoii'and his wife are giving recjtals in Sydney. Ivy Moore, a sister of Carrie, made her appearance in vaudeville at the Bijou Theatre, .Melbourne, recently, and scored success in ragtime melodies. Mr Frank dhayle Gardner, formerly of Auckland, is (or was recently) playing in the Cyril Maude success • Grumpy ’ at the Boval. Bradford.

je.-sic Lon non, last year’s panto, "hoy," who left Australia just before the war, has arrived safely in England. That well-known Australian actor Arthur Gieenaway was lately appearing in tlie Jfow York production" of Sard on’s ‘Diplomacy,’ being associated with Win. Gillette (the original Sherlock Holme*) and the famous Blanche Bates.

S Many Dunedin people, will remember that fascinating little singer .Mine Blanche Arral, whoso concert tour of this country was not wholly successful, although in addition to her charming ’ Cannon ’ selections she attracted some curiosity by the rumor that alia was uu oven more famous singer traveling incognito. The July number of the ‘Xew York Dramatic -Mirror \ contains an advertisement over her name, in which, it appears that the singer learned in Java Urn secret of keeping slim by drinking a special kind of tea, the secret of winch tea she is (or was) prepared to give to victims of llcsh for a small consideration Another of the artist’s enterprises is called "Anal’s Philtre d’Armour” (sic), and is modestly described as “a voluptuous perfume used exclusively by the nobility and the beautiful women of the Orient." Miss Adelaide Von Staveren. the Wellington singer, recently signed a contract with the Quinlan Opera- Company for a tour embracing America., Australia, and New Zealand, but the, war has rendered tho tour impossible. She is not, however, to remain idle, having entered into a contract with the Spizzi Opera Company, who are. to open a season at the Middlesex Theatre, Drury lane, presently. .Miss Van Stavcrcn will fill the principal feminine parts in ’ Carmen A ‘ Trovntore.’ ami ‘Faust.’ In addition to her grand opera engagements, Miss Van Staveren continues to find many excellent conceit openings. It is stated that the Beaumont. Smit-h----l.ouis Meyer management endeavored to obtain tire services of Tilteli Bnme for (ha role of Xecia in the Au.-t;alian production of Hex Beach’s ’'The Barrier.’ The part hears a great resemblance (o that of Sunday, in which Miss Bnntc achieved such a personal success here.

A nmv animal act, which ha? reached Sydney from San Francisco, under special engagement, to the Fuller-Brennan circuit, consists of a trained ape and a baby elephant--Napoleon the Groat and Little Hip arc' their stage nanus. They had completed a starling engagement with the Ringling Bros.' Circus, and were to sail for '.he Winter Garden, Berlin, when the war broke out. Mr Shepard, the Brennnn-Fullev agent, hearing this, made them an Australian offer, which was accepted. The ifir.itilc.%l writer for Christchurch ‘Sun’ slates that the reopening o{ vaudeville to-night in that town by the FullerBrennan management is only a tempo) ary one—for six nights, in fact. The hill was to be provided by the Leslie Holmes Costume Comedy Company, the Three Horna/ (aerial gymnasts). Rosa Loader (tire slavey at the piano),' White and drey (musical comedy artists). Great We.stiu [impersonator). Brown and Sorlie (negro comedians), and Troutt and Voiles (in their water carnival).

It is stated by .a Northern paper that, the Royal Wellington Choral Society lost rather heavily on their performance of Saint-Saen's opera- ‘ Samson and Delilah.’ On Monday night the long break in theatrical entertainment here will he bridged hy the appearance of Mr Graham Moffat and Co. in his own play ‘ Bnnty Pulls the Strings.’ Northern papers speak vorv highly of the piece,, which appear.to be an unusual species of comic romance. A Wellington resident has received a letter from Madame Wielaevt. the Auckland vocalist, who. with her hn-haml, Herr Wielnert, has been visiting Beilin. They left that rent re of muse jvc-t before war broke out, and she iicconiit°d_ herself fortunate in reaching London before the leg upheaval. Owen Wistev's -The Virginian,’ which was plaved here some wars ago hy Chas. Wald rnn. has been adapted for the “movies." According to report, it is shown in 400 scenes and with a east of 400 players. Just exactly where the 4CO plnvers come in it is difficult to see—that is from perusal of the novel. ’.Mine Schumann Heink, saudy returned from Europe, tells to the Now A oik •Musical Cout'cr 1 a story of how German army officials came on to the stage at Bavreuth during a performance of ‘Parsifal*,’ and notified tho.se principals, orchestra! players, and choristers who were eligible for war service that they had to start for the front immediately. On the same steamer with Mine Srhuinann-Heink was Johanna Gadski. and both singers appeared at a concert on board for the herefit of the. Red Cross, Mr W. A. Low is touring manager .a the Linley-Slephcnson pantomime, which will lie staged in Dunedin on December 15. In addition to ‘ Humpty Dumpty,’ the company will produce a musical extravaganza entitled ‘The Jan of Cathay. Maud Allan’s repeated ill-hick with the cartilage of one knee (which brought her Dunedin season to an abrupt end) culminated recently in tho Sydney courts, where she was cited by \\ m. Anderson for breach of contract, a claim for BI.COO being entered. The dancer had contracted with Anderson on terms under which she was to/receive 60 per cent, and he 40 per cent, of the takings. Tho first house in tho Palace Theatre realised £256. but on the succeeding two nights the takings dropped 10 per cent. Then Miss Allan suffered an injury to her knee. The. line taken hv plaintiff’s counsel was that had Miss Allan desired she could have continued the season. She., on the other hand, alleged that the stage was defective, and the evidence of Dr Sir Alex. MacConnick was that when he yaw the dancer he thought she was suffering from the effects of a displacement of the semilunar cartilage of the knee, and he advised rest for eight weeks, ihe jury found lor Miss Allan. In the course of a, northern interview, Mr Graham Moffat, who begins a short season here on Monday evening, said that he had found New Zealand audiences very intelligent and cosmopolitan—morn intelligent than English provincial audiences. Until four years ago Mr Moffat was a platform entertainer, and it was his own little comedy, ’ The Concealed Bod,’ that got him a hearing in London. Then came his ‘ Bunty Pulls ihe Strings,’ tho first real vScotch play, which made a tremendous success d'estime at the Ilaymarket. and which has made Mr Moffat known the world over.

“A remarkable feature of Muriel Starr’s acting," said a member of the ‘ Within tho Law’ Company at Melbourne Theatre Roval, "is that it never varies. _ Night after night there is not a detail in her part that is different. If she has to light a, cigarette she will do it exactly the same way night after night. If she places her hand on your shoulder she will_ do it just as she has always done it." This is certainly remarkable in any English or American actress, though it is a commonplace in tho French school, where gesture and movement are made with deliberate intent. French artists are trained in a rigid school, whereas English artists get their training coram populi—in the theatre.