FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 18157, 23 December 1922, Page 9

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By Loitsbi*.] The big attraction at the Princess Theatre on Tuesday (Boxing Day), when full vaudeville will replace revue, will be the Staiga, two girls, scarce more than tappers, who perform a motor cycle loop-the-loop feat in a stage apparatus known as the "cage of life.” This is a real sensation. There will be two performances on Boxing Day— afternoon and evening, and a big array of headliners will support the “stars.” Mr Maurice Ralph, so long associated with the J. and) N. Tait and J. C. iiamson management, has been_ appointed touring manager of the Westminster dee Singers, now on a world’s tour. The company arrives by the Ruapehu, and open* in Wellington Town Hall on January 10. The itinerary of the company will embrace Australasia, Africa, Canada, India, e-ndl the East. , It is reported (savs New York v anety ) that Winifred Westover will rejoin her husband, William S. Hart, shortly. They have been separated several months. Hart is at present recovering from a recent illness.

News has com# to hand of James Hay, who sang tenor roles with the last Gilbert and Sullivan Company to pkv in Christchurch; According to ‘ Smith’s Weekly ’ (Australia), Hay was recently married to Mra Erlanger, widow of the Mr Erlanger who helped him in his profession several years before. It is said that the bride's income ifl £40,000. Lydia Came, who will be best remembered here for her excellent work in Fuller revues, has teamed up in a dancing act, Came and Kollaway. The pair have just played the Tivoli “ time,” and have left Australia to meet South African engagements. Uver 100,000 persons visited the grave of Marie Lloyd in October. The funeral services for England’s famous music hall star wore attended by over 10,000 persons. At last 500 floral pieces were sent. Eva Carrington, one of the original Gib*on Girls in the ‘Catch of the Season,’ has married George Tate, a son of the sugar king. This is her third matrimonial venture. Her first husband, whom she married in 1906, was Lord De Clifford, who was killed in a motor accident three vears later. Her second _ was Arthur fetock, whom she married in 1915. He died while on active service two years later.

Among the artists engaged by the Hugh 3. Ward-Puller firm to reopen the Princess' Theatre’ on Boxing Day with ‘ The O’Brien Girl’ is May Beatty, who delighted New Zealand playgoers years ago, first with Pollards, and later in ‘ A Chinese Honeymoon ’ and other well-known plays staged by George Stephenson’s Comic Company. As she has matured: Miss Beatty has left low comedy roles behind her, aadi now confines herself to grande dame parts. In ‘The O’Brien Girl’ she will appear as Mrs Diesel. Daring the forthcoming Dunedin season of the Allan Wilkie Shakespearean Company the delightful fairy comedy, ‘ A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ will be staged with a full company of artists. During a recent season in Perth, Western Australia, an “al fresco” performance of this play was given in the ground's of Government House in .the presence of the Governor (Sir Francis Newdegate) and Lady Newdogale and a huge audience. “All the world and hifl wife ” were present, and the undertaking—the first of its .kind, ever attempted Australia—was a tremendous success. The lighting effects were hung from the surrounding trees, and a truly fairy setting was given to the most beautiful fairy story ever written. The Governor and Lady Newdegate expressed themselves as charmed with the whole performance, and said it wast the finest they had ever witnessed in any part of the world. “New Zealand artists are already well to the fore in the forthcoming season’s music,” writes the Auckland ‘ Star’s’ London correspondent. “Miss Stella Murray, the Christchurch contralto, and Miss Vera Moore, of Dunedin, pianist, are giving a joint concert at the Wigmore Hall on November 24, while Miss Kathleen Garven, the dramatic contralto, is giving one on the 10th of that month in the same hall.’’ Kyrle Bellew, wife of Arthur Bourchier. is suffering from pernicious amemia. and will not ho'able to resume stage work for one year. The lady is the piece of the late Kyrle Bellew, the romantic actor, who played a season here some twenty-three vears ago in company with Mrs Brown totter.

Will Collineon, who opened at the Tivoli, Sydney, recently, owns a book of theatrical Press clippings that he intends to bequeath to the British Museum! Included are day bills of the childhood appearances of Ada Reeve and some showing the names of Harry Rickards and Charles Godfrey, There is also the report of a cricket match in which Dan Leno claimed to have scored 750 runs.—Sydney ‘Sun.’ The Fuller comedians, Stiffy and Mo (Nat Phillipps and Roy Bene) are writing tt book, to be called their ‘Book of Fun..’ It will be illustrated by Brodie Mack, who combines cartooning with theatrical business managing. Joseph Coyne, lately with J. 0. Williamson, was the star of a musical comedy, ‘Bede,’ produced in London in October. Decima and Eddie M'Lean. the Australian dancers,, are back again in their homeland, and! were given a warm reception at the Tivoli, .Melbourne, recently. Since they were in Australia last this clever pair have won their way to the first flight of the theatrical world of London, and have starred _in musical comedy, revue, aud vaudeville. 'I hey have also toured the world from China to Peru. One of their successes in London was in • Mary,’ the musical comedy which depends largely on dancing for, its success. Their turn at the Tivoli combines ballroom dancing with the whirlwind effects and acrobatic “stunts” which fitret won them fame as “The little Dartos.” Nows comes from. London (says Melbourne ‘Table Talk’) that Vera Pearce is to play principal boy in ‘Sinbad’ pantomime at Glasgow. It is said to bo the most critical town,, in Great Britain, and {f she can please the Glasgians she can go anywhere. After the Glasgow engagement Misa Pearce goes to South Africa for a •ii mantis’ engagement to play leads in musical comedy, and to do film work for the same firm, if she chooses. So Miss Vara Pearce has made good overseas, and (jas confirmed Australia’s verdict as to her undoubted talent.

The kte Marie Lloydi left a house at Oakdenm Finchley road, containing furnijlmsei sum} et £6,000, a residence at

Woodstock road, Holder's Green, with furniture worth about £5,000, and l a motor car. The residuary proceeds are to be invested on behalf of Miss Courtney (her daughter by a former marriage), and when 'she dies the money passes to Hoxton cliarities. At each residence Mario Lloyd) delighted to surround herself with pictures and art treasures. All these, as well as costly furniture, are still intact. Miss Maud Fane’s.first appearance witli the J. C. Williamson management was made in Melbourne, as principal girl of pantomime, in which production Miss Gladys Moncrieff was fairy queen. Miss Fane is back in New Zealand in ‘A Night Out,’ the latest big musical comedy hit of J. C. Williamson, Limited. Francis X. Bushman and Beverly Bayne are preparing a new turn that is a combination of picture and spoken drama. It is ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ for which the film is already made The picture is to be _ cut about midway, the act then going into full stage, with the players enacting the balcony scene and the picture then resuming. act has already been offered bookings in the big picture houses (says New York ‘Variety- ), but is also designed for vaudeville. The footage on the film is I,oooft, and the speaking portion about, fifteen minutes, giving a total running time about thirty minutes. Bushman and Bayne starred for Metro in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ about six years ago, and It is likely that picture will be used for the special act. Color harmony, gorgeous costumes, magnificent scenery, Odiva’s Seals, Harry Thurston, Dorothy Lena, Verna Bain, a group of child acrobats, quaint comedians, dainty dancers, haunting music, and a bevy of beautiful girls as chorus and ballet—so Melbourne ‘Table Talk’ summarises the main ingredients of the Fuller production of ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat.’

” Another ‘ Merry Widow 1 or ‘ Maid of the Mountains,’ ” is how Sir George Tallis described ‘The Lady of the Rose,’ which is to be staged in 'Melbourne shortly by the J. C. Williamson Royal Comic Opera Company. He saw both the London and the Now* York productions, the latter being staged under the title of ‘The Lady in Ermine.’ “It is a great success,” he wrote. “Though strongly operatic, the comedy is fine, and the story holds the interest. It is just the play for Australia.” George Highland will produce ‘The Lady of the Rose’ for the firm.

The average American chorus girls turn up their nose at hard work, and tell you they can get from 50dol to 75d0l weekly for just showing their figure in a Broadway musical production, said Cissy Hayden, of the Shubert unit show, ‘Hello New York,’ in which ’{at Baltimore, in October) Miss .Hayden, had her English dancing girl act, Hayden’s ‘Dancing Dolls.’ Miss Hayden commented upon the letter published in ‘Variety’ from an .American chorister asking why English girls were given preference. “If American girls would work as hard as the English girls do,” continued Miss Hayden, “ they would not liar© to complain about being out of an engagement. But that is not true of all American chorus girls,” she added. “ Some of them will work hard and willingly. I have seven such girls in my company, but they are outnumbered by those who will not.” Miss Hayden claims (pursues (lie writer) that English and other foreign dancing girls coming to the United States attend strictly to their stage work, while the Americans are inclined toward listlessnees through acquaintances. While the English girls are willing and anxious to secure all possible engagements, the American girls are indifferent, according to Miss Hayden, and) she attributes that indifference at tunes to their acquaintances.

Ada Reeve has ‘Pins and Needles’ np her sleeve when ‘Spangles’ shows signs of tarnishing (says the Sydney ‘Sun’). This is one of the most successful of recent London revues. Two other revues she has, besides, to see her through her world’s tour, including one especially written for her to farewell in London hafore finally settling down in Sydney, as is her present intention. “It must be in a hot country where I finally retire. _ I It sometimes happens that a play, being endowed with exceptional virility, will reach its thousandth performance; out the ‘ Beggar’s Opera ’ beat all operatic records whan it notched its tenth century at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith (writes our London correspondent, November 9). Thus twice has this jolly little work made history, for when it was produced in 1728 it ran for sixty-tlmee nights—in those far-off days, as Pope remarked) in one of his essays, “unprecedented and almost incredible.” John Gay, the author, started life as a mercer's assistant in the Strand ; and Lavinia Fenton, the original Polly Peachum, lived to become the Duchess of Bolton. Gay was a wit, and l , encouraged by his friends, Pope and Dryden, wrote the ‘ Beggar’s Oocra ’ as a skit on the fashionable so-called Italian opera at the time; and its success was so phenomenal that a contemporary jester penned the punning lines, “It ‘made Rich gay and Gay rich,” John Rich being tho manager of the Theatre Royal, Lincolns Inn. Fields. Curiously enough, when it was reproduced more than two years ago, its promoters hoped it might last six weeks; now there seems no reason why it should not run for six years, for some people actually make a habit of going to it once a week, only really live in the heal,” she explains. “In the matter of Sydney house management, tire ‘old brigade’ are well to the fore (writes Charles Berkeley, the Williamson manager). Jim Hazlett Wears the white shirt ot a blameless career at His Majesty’s, while ‘Dick’ Stewart does ditto at the Criterion. At the Royal, Harald Bowden gallantly keeps the sacred lamp of comic opera brightly burning. In Sydney this year there will be pantomimes galore. Tho Firm has one (‘Cinderella ’) at the Criterion, with Fred Bluett as the ‘dame.’ The Fuller people also announce two. In Melbourne J.C.W. produce ' The Forty Thieves,’ and Hugh Ward ‘Dick Whittington.’ Certainly three of these will see New Zealand later on.”

Pullers’ Christmas pantomimes in Australia are ‘Mother Goose,’ at the Hippodrome, Sydney; ‘Puss in Boots,’ at the Newtown Majestic, Sydney* ‘Dick Whittington,’ at the Palace, Melbourne.

“ First, last, and best of all is June Roberts, the dancer who is such a star that the show should have been called ‘Listen Lester and June Roberts.' That is how a New York critic, reviewing ‘Listen Lester,’ described June Roberts, the brilliant dancer engaged 1 by Hugh J. Ward for his company of comedians, opening at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, on Boxing Day. “ She is young and beautiful and a wonderful dancer, the critic continued!! She does toe-dancing, ballroom steps, classical stuff, ballet dancing, a little jazz, and a lot of dainty acrobatic stunts. It is unusual to find a dancer of

such ability in musical comedy, but she plays, glides, and romps through her musical comedy, lines with the aabndon of a child. It is seldom that such an original artist is seen upon the stage. Mr Hugh J. Ward considers himself extremely fortunate in engaging this beautiful young star, for she is in great demand in America, and had to be released from the Ziogfield Follies to make the trip to Australia. _ . „ The opening production for the bow Princess Theatre, Melbourne (designed for Boxing Day) will be ‘The oßrien Gul, a successful musical comedy by Otto Harhach and Frank Man-del, with the music by Lou Herscb. It is to be staged by arrangement with George M. Cohan, who ■presented the piece in America. It had its premiere in Boston, where it ran tor a year, and followed this season up with a twelve months’ run in Chicago, and it is now being played by dozens of touring companies throughout the United states. ‘The O’Brien Girl’ will be staged _ m Melbourne by a complete new organisation, to be known as the Hugh J. uard Company of Comedians, including Mamin Watson, from the Gaiety Theatre, London; May Beatty, an Australian girl who haa been appearing at the Gaie y Theatre,'London, for tho past two years; and Mark Daley, a comedian from the Alhambra Theatre. The dancers are the Misses Juno and Dorothy Roberts, two American girls, who have been stoning with Ziogfield Follies.