FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 18021, 15 July 1922, Page 8

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Loiterer.]

On behalf of the Fuller-Ward combine, Hugh J. Ward has purchased the Australasian rights of ‘Tangerine. , Lady Forbes-Robertson (Miss Gertrude Elliott), who will bring a company to Australia', was there some years‘ ago with the Nat Goodwin company, which gave In Mizzonra/ ‘A Gilded fool,’ and other comedies. Her sister, Miss Maxine Elliott, was also a member of tbe company. After the Dunedin season of ' The Maid of tie Mountains’ the J. C. Williamson Royal Comic Opera Company goes to Invercargill, where the ‘Maid’ will be presented for two nights. On the return of this highly popular organisation _to Dunedin from Invercargill two nights of ‘-Katinka’ are promised, with Sheila Gale as Katinka and W. 6. Percy as the immortal Hopper. . Phil Smith, the chief comedy hit in ‘The Maid of the Mountains,’ is said to be making his last tour under the J.C.w. management. His engagement has extended over ten years. It is how announced that W. S. Percy has assumed the role of Mr Smith in the ‘Maid. Allen Boons is on his way to South Africa* The revue season finishes at the Princess Theatre on Saturday, July 29. and on the 31st the house will ■ re-establish vaudeville with a notable bill, including the Flying Winskills. who are claimed to be the most remarkable aerial thriller and fun packet tbe Fullers have ever handled. An Australian newspaper dubbed the act "the limit of human possibility/ and. according to all reports, it abounds in fuu and thrills. But this is by no means the sole headliner, for the firm announces as an extra special attraction Maxwell Carew, the English “dame” comedian, recently imported, whose remarkable impersonations of women have been a topic of, Sydney. Ho is known as “ the fashionable dame,” and is one of the most expen-sively-staged and highest-salaried performers appearing in Australia. Milo Belinda, a daring trapezist, will be among other attractions.

The inclusion of so popular an artist as Mr W. S. Percy in the already generous cast of ‘The Maid of the Mountains’ is of supreme importance to Dunedinites. It is .probable that at no time has Dunedin known so widely appreciated a comedian as “Billy” Percy. Mr Percy recently returned from London. He entered that city of theatrical hopes and despairs practically unknown, and left it, at the call of “home, sweet home” (Australia), fully recognised as a clever actor who had made good definitely. In bis, ten years’ stay he had many, first-class engagements, in several creating roles in musical comedies that have since become famous, notably that of Meebles in ‘ The Boy/ Monsieur Pinglot in ‘A Night Out/ and more recently Tonio in ( Tho Maid of the Mountains.’ It is as Tonio he will be seen here on Wednesday next. Later on it is likely that Dunedin will have an opportunity of seeing the dapper little comedian as the immortal Theophilus B. Hopper in the specially-tunetul opera ‘ Katinka/ Jack Cannot has just signed up a three years’ contract with the Williamson-Tait firm as one of their principal comedians. Miss Margaret Cooper, the song-at-the-piano artist, has been engaged by Mr Harry Mnsgrove for an Australian tour. Miss Cooper was here a few yearn ago ‘TheNaughty Princess’ is a new musical play to bo presented by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., in {Melbourne shortly. A Sydney paper states that Robert Quinlan, concert impresario, proposes to bring an Italiaa opera company to Australia next year. A marriage of considerable interest to theatrical and moving picture circles was solemnised at St. James’s Church, Phillip street, Sydney, on June 28, the contracting parties being Mr Harry G. Musgrovc, of the Tivoli Theatre, and Miss Mabel Aitkcn. The ceremony was a quiet one, and guests were restricted to members of the families.

According to the Sydney ‘Sun’ of June 29, Mrs Marlow, tho wife of Mr George Marlow, the well-known theatrical entrepreneur, who recently purchased the Grand Opera-house, Sydney, is seriously ill with pneumonia and pleurisy in a private hospital at Waverley. Mrs Marlow’s illness supervened upon childbirth. She had been married nearly twenty years, and this was tho first issue of the marriage. The child, a boy, lived only a few hours. Some years ago, it will be recalled, Mrs Marlow was well known on the Australian stage as Miss Ethel Buckley. Miss Sheila Gale, who plays the turbulent and passionate Teresa in the J. 0. Williamson big musical spectacle. ‘The Maid of the_ Mountains/ is Scotch, having been bom in Dumfries twenty-five years ago. For one so youthful the light opera prima donna has had an extraordinary experience, which embraces practically engagements with all the present topnotch English and American managements. Miss Gale is a soprano of rare quality and culture, assets that ore necessary for the role of Teresa, at times much akin to grand opera. _ She has played this role in England with marked success, taking the place 0! London’s comic opera idol, Josis Collins, when that clever artist left the stage to be married some twelve months ago. Physically,. vocally, and histrionically Miss Gale is said to be admirably equipped for Teresa, which is an admixture of the romanticism of Juliet, the sensnonsness of Cleopatra, and tho vengeful passion of Carmen. Later in the season it is probable tho brilliant soprano will be seen as Katinka. The new revue for exposition by Fullers’ American Revue Company at tho Princess Theatre on Monday is entitled ‘ Hermio’a Night Out/ and is full of hearty comedy. George Ward (Hermie Schultz) appears in the role of a man who runs away from his wife and gets gay in the glitter of a gorgeous Broadway cabaret. Mr F. Hobbs, the baritone with J. C. Williamson’s Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company touring New Zealand last year, has arrived back in London to fulfil engagements. ‘The Cat and the Canary/ a mystery play, has been secured by J. C. Williamson, Ltd, Drury Lace’s (London) takings with the first week of ‘ Decameron Nights ’ reached £6,882. Kenneth Brampton, of the now disbanded Marie Tempest-Graham Browno company, has joined the cast of ‘ The Bat ’ in Melbourne.

It is stated that revue-producer Walter Johnson, who has finished his contract with the Fullers, may go to England. The headlined vaudeville act at the Princess on Monday will be Verna Bain, a brilliant young dancer. Davey and Eitchio (a tip-top juggling specialty) and De Oar will also be added to tho hill. The Molinaris enter upon the last few nights of their season in a full new routine.

The next big Fuller star to visit New Zealand will be Harry Thurston, the original Ole ill in ‘The Better ’Ole’ in England, and a character actor of rare capacity. As an artist in make-up Thurston. is said to be a wonder. It is as a Labor agitator of the most extreme order that he makes one of hie biggest laughing hits. “I am a working man,” he_ explains. “I am a tailor—a ladies’ tailor. What I don’t know about a placket is not worth knowing, but now I am out of a job. All the ladies wear nowadays is 0 hat and a pair of stockings. ‘Chuck the beer in tho sea/ they say. What good would that do? It would only encourage swimming. I believe,” he says, “that every man should get £2O a week, with Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as holidays, and go to work on Thursday to see if he can get Friday and Saturday off. I believe that every man should get £2O a week and marry the boss’s daughter—if the boas has not got enough daughters to go round, he is a blackleg—don’t work for him/’

United States 'Customs officials ore bolding a 501 b box of chocolates containing brandy consigned to Billie Burke Ziegfeld, which they contemplate confiscating,. providing an order is not received from the actress to have the candy returned to the manufacturer in Palis. Efforts have been made to secure the shipment by Flo Ziegfeld, with the Customs authorities refusing to release the liquor-containing sweets.— ‘ Variety/

The anniversary of Charles Frohmon’s death in the Lusitania (May 3) was commemorated at the Savoy (London) by the laying of a wreath on the table at which he always took his meals in the hotel restaurant. The table itself is permanently marked by a brass plate let into it. J. C. Williamson, Ltd., has completed arrangements with Mr Oscar Ascho (says an exchange) for an Australian tour. The Smmo will include a complete pro--11 of ‘ Cairo,’ also .Shakespearean pieces. The company will be leaving in July. Mr Oscar Asche will bring out his entire company of principals for the complete production ot * Cairo,’ which, under the name of ‘ Mecca,’was banned by the Lord Chamberlain, on the ground that the name might offend the susceptibilities of Mohammedan subjects. _ Mr Asche will also produce for the first time in Australia Pinero’s ‘lris,’ in which he will give his famous impersonation of Maldonado, the Spanish Jew. The play was staged by Mr Ascho in _ New York, and raised a storin of criticism. This is all correct except that ‘ Iris ’ was produced in Sydney by the Broughs twenty years ago, with the late Robert Brough as Maldonado. According to ‘ Variety,’ Evelyn Nesbit (one of the protagonists in the Thaw case), appearing in a cabaret in Atlantic Citv, contemplates marrying . Sender De'Wiadt, a Hungarian Baron, as soon as she secures her divorce from Jade Clifford. Tho baron is at present employed {is assistant manager of a billiard room of an Atlantic City hotel.

Ada Reeve is enjoying a phenomenal season of prosperity at the Palace Theatre, Melbourne. It was originally intended that she would appear at Fullers’ Now Theatre, Sydnev, at the end of June. Her Melbourne triumphs, however, and the demand for seats is so great rtliG Sydney season has been indefinitely postponed. Melbourne baa once again- taken Miss Reeve to its heart, and absolutely refuses to allow her to terminate her run at the Palace. ‘Spangles/ the revue in which she is appearing, is said to be an admirable vehicle for her artistry. Extensive alterations to Fullers’ Princess Theatre (Melbourne) are to bo undertaken with a view to appropriately housing Mr' Hugh J. Ward’s forthcoming productions. Mr Henry White, the New Zealand architect who designed His Majesty’s Theatre, Wellington, for Sir Benjamin and Mr John Fuller, spent some time overhauling the theatre, and plana for the new work are expected shortly, after which at will be carried out with all possible speed. It is intended to construct a new foyer, remodel the dress circle and family circle, and redecorate the whole of the interior. Mr Ward is now procuring electrical equipment, furnishings, and so forth abroad, and it is expected that when the new Princess is ready for the first production it will be one of the most luxurious and up-to-date theatres in Australia. The alterations will, it is estimated, involve an expenditure of £40.000. The Palace Theatre, which will also be controlled by Hugh J. Ward, Ltd., is to be further embellished by a now front, which will include a foyer in keeping with the requirements of a modern theatre. Albert Do CourvAlle has been sued by a Bond street money lender (according to New York ‘ Variety ’). Plaintiff’s original claim was for £6,500 on a promissory note dated July 28, 1921. The money had been lent to De Courville for the purpose of enabling him to produce a revue. Judgment was given for plaintiff for the sum of £7,880 and_ costs. During the hearing counsel described revue production as being a particularly risky business, and pointed to tbe records of the bankruptcy courts as proof of his statement. Hugh J. Ward, now in New York, is so well known as a prominent manager in Australia that few persons remember him as one of the most_ talented character comedians on the American stage nearly a quarter of a century ago. One of his great parts (says the New York ‘Theatre Magazine ’) was the Baron Ohevrial, in ‘ A Parisian Romance,’ the short tragi-comedy Which the late Richard Mansfield made famous. Mr Ward played the rickety old roue according to his own conception of the character, and with many original touches that made it a complete, individual rendition. Australia acquired a shrewd, discerning producer when Hugh Ward went there. At tho same time, the American stage lost an actor of unusually fine parte. The report that one. of the Dolly sisters was engaged to an English nobleman appears to have been correct (says New York ‘Variety’), excepting that her fiance was not a titled man. However, the chap was of good family and independent means. Not much has been heard of the engagement on the other side, since the other sister is said to have declared to her promised brother-in-law that the mamage with her sister would break up the act. Accordingly, said astute sister, brother-in law-to-be, if to be, should settle an allowance on unmarried sis. that would provide for her future, and leave the proposed groom full peace of mind. Up tto then the young man with wealth, but no crown, had intended going through _the marriage despite ins family’s opposition. After that, it is said, he commenced to give an imitation of an iceberg. A new waltz is coming to Dunedin. The ‘ Merry Widow ' waltz, which secured such a firm hold, will, it is said, be eclipsed when the alluring ‘Maid of the Mountains’ is staged at His Majesty’s Theatre on Wednesday night next by the J. C. Williamson management. With four years’ ran to its credit in London, this musical play, which was produced at Daly’s Theatre by Oscar Aeche, will doubtless make a new record for musical comedy; and, if the Australian business can be taken as a criterion, the wonderful business done by ‘ Chu Chin Chow 1 will easily be eclipsed. Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese film star, was enthusiastically greeted on bis return from tin? United States on July 1 (says the Tokio correspondent of the Sydney ‘Sun’). There was no hostile demonstration. The strong police guard at the wharf possibly prevented the carrying out of the threats of those who declared that he had damaged Japan’s reputation by playing many “ villain ” parte. Hayakawa did not depend wholly upon the police. _He was escorted from Yokohama to Tokio by a personal bodyguard of nine strong-arm men, whose appearance discouraged any undue approach. Miss Beverly Sitgreavcs, who created the role of Madame Savateini in tho New York and London productions of ‘ The Groat Lover/ arrived in Sydney on July 2 to play the part in Ixrais Betmison’a production. She is sure to be popular in 'Sydney (says the ‘Sun’), although she admits that the part which she is about to play will - not show her off to advantage. “I am only a sort of punchbag in this part for the great lover—that is, Mr Bennison,” she says. Miss Sitgreavee played the part of Madame Savateini in New York in 1915-17, and in London in 1919-20. She created the part and played it just after ‘The Great Lover’ was written. “It is a thankless job,” she said, “and I don't want .Sydney to judge me on It. People get an impression of a woman from the characters she plays, but I bope to remain hero long enough to prove that I am quite an agreeable person.” Only three actors nave played ‘The Great Lover/ Leo Ditridhstein, in New York; Maurioa Moscovitch, the Yiddish actor, who was “discovered” in the East End, when (ho played Shylock in Hebrew to a Whitechapel audience; and Louis Bennison in Sydney. Stopping on the stage at the old London' Tivoli one evening, Mr Malcolm Sootil (the dame comedian now appearing in Sydney) burlesqued the methods of the late Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree. “Alack!” he cried, “Alas, and double alack! To think that I should descend to the low music halls for my bread and my buttah. I — a great actah! I—a great knight 1 And now—now I shall be twice a night.” Not long ago Edgley and Dawe, the eccentric comedians at Fuller’s New Theatre, were appearing at the Alhambra Theatre, London, with Lee White in tho revue ‘Now’s the Time.’ They were black page boys, and did an eccentric dancing turn. Later they branched out as a dancing duo, and it was not until the late George Formby came along and wrote some .patter for them, which met with much success, thalt they altered the style of' their turn to burlesque comedy. From vaudeville they went to pantomime, and, appearing in ‘ Babes in the Woixl ’ at Edinburgh, Bert Bailey saw them, and suggested an Australian tom to then?,

From the ‘ Bulletin ’: —The ten star vocalists of the Sietino Choir are being retained in Australia by Quinlan and Carroll, and will form a concert organisation known as the Sistine -Choir Soloists. The Roman authorities have intimated that they have no objection, and Emilio Casolari, Monsngnor Eella’e deputy, will be the new conductor.