FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 18173, 13 January 1923, Page 15

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[By CiOinxn.]

Mr W. F. Russell and the Nellie Bromley Company open a long season at Adelaide soon. \Y. S. Percy haa three fine rotes in the musical pieces now on tour in New Zealand under the J.C.W. pennant—namely, Ringlet in ‘A Night Out,’ Gaston M Brecon in ‘ Mary,' and l Spike Huggins in ‘ Oh ! Lady, Lady !’ Fullers have installed yet another revue company at the Bijou Theatre, Melbourne. Tim combination, known as (ho Merry Maido’ Itevuc, includes Con Moreni, Rose Brennan, Alex. M'AlJster, Jack 'Collins, Will Hay nor, Ruby Franklin, and tho Musical Six. I.’reparationr are being made to present ‘Oh! Lady. Lady!’ for the first time in London next month, the leading artists bring Alfred Frith and Dorothy Bninton. Tin: revival of ‘East Lynne’ by F-ultera’ Dramatic Players at tho Now Gaiety Theatre. Melbourne, has been foltewod with unabated interest (says ‘ Table Talk'). 3/cslcy Adrienne, in the dual rales of Lady Isold and Madame Vine, gave the characters full value from tho emotional standpoint, and bold the sympathy of her audience throughout. Roland: Conway mads the most of the stereotyped. Archibald Carlyle, and 1 Rutland 1 Beckett _gavo a roPtraincd and intelligent portrait of Francis Levcson: while IJSHi Gresham gave the necessary " touch of comedy in Cornelia Carlyle, Pip Powell, who was Damo in tho J. C. Williamson pantomime of ‘ Sinbad the bailor ’ years ago, declared that his greatest ambition was to be able to advertise himself as “the man that made Dunedin laugh.'' His ambition, however, was never realised, but it seems strange (says ‘Table Talk T that Dunedin should have produced n comedian who has made good not only in Australia, but also abroad, including the Last. 'This is Joe Brennan, who is the Dame of ‘The Forty Thieves’ at the King's Theatre. Daisy Yates, who appeared at the Princess Theatre hero with the Johnson revue fchowr, is in the cast of the Tait pantomime, ‘The Forty,Thieves,' at Melbourne. Aim- Rochelle uses a stick in the Fuller pantomime, ‘Mother Goose/ with an interesting history. It was made for her out of the steel propeller of a scrapped Australian submarine, and constructed fa three pieces, Which screw together in invisible joints. It took tho maker eleven months to complete. Naves Sate Rivers, the Australian boy soprano, whose voice and artistry have treated muiSi comment, has 'been offered a lour abroad by Mr %nsdupret (says Melbourne ‘Table Talk’). Several invitations have been received from distinguished persons of high position, and these will be accepted it he goes abroad. An opportunity (we understand) has also been given him of. joining tho Sistino Choir at Rome. The Ifew York ‘Herald/ in a recent notice' of the tour of Benno Moiseiwitsch, said that “unfortunately the visit of tho fatm/Us Russian will bo comparatively brie/, as ho is due to leave for tho great Au/tralian Commonwealth early in 1923. Mriseiwitsch had a unique success when ill, in that country. On one occasion, in Ifw Melbourne Town Hall, he played withJut lights, as the illumination for the hall M-.xn not forthcoming; and in tho darkness /the concert went on until later candles I were placed upon tho Steinway, and ho / hold his audience in his thrall just as j strongly as ever. Moiseiwitoch says it was / one of the strangest events of his career, 1 mid had au indescribably weird effect upon him.'

The habitual late arrival at theatres is finpoloi-s. In London ‘ Tho Nino o’Olock Revue’ has been staged for the benefit of dale diners, but some members of the audience Jo not arrive till 10 o’clock. Miss Irene Browne, whoso roles in Australasia were dramatic, is in the cast of the revue. A strong addition to the Princess Theatre bill on Monday will bo the Reece Sisters, a delightful and youthful pair of harmonists after the style of the Falvoys. The New Princess is now the r.ame of the Spring street theatre, Melbourne, and it is not only new, hut exceedingly attractive. ‘The O’Brien Girl,’ with the WardFuller Company, allows no time to wondcr what’s coming next. Something remarkable in dancing or in general Brightness arrives while the last impression is still vital. And just around the corner, at the Palace in Bourko street, ‘Dick Whittington ’ (a Fuller pantomime) finds perfect happiness, mingled with song, dance, and jest; and Oliva, and her seals show how to keep cool in December,— •Argus.’ Pot the first few performances of ‘Cairo’ in Melbourne there were 5,000 scats booked 1 . Marie Tempest is back in England. Her New York season was short. Nell a Webb, the Canadian discus© showing with the Fullers in Sydney, has for accompanist Florence M'Kenzie, a Sydney girl, previously seen in vaudeville with violinist Maggie Foster. Sir Benjamin and 1 Lady Fuller are leaving Sydney in February on a visit to the East. Clarice Bachman, a sister of Rostna Buckman, and also a soprano, on Christmas NSght sang ‘Waiata Poi’ and ‘Love's a Merchant’ at the Kaymarkot Theatre, In Sydney. On the same programme were A. Kowett-Worstcr and Rene Maxwell. The engagement is announced of Hugh Ward, jun., and' Muriel Holdsworth. The bride-to-be (says the Sydney ‘Theatre Magazine’) is,a daughter of J. E. Holdsworth, of the Sydhey firm of Holdsworth, ■Maori hors on, and Co. Hugh is the elder of the two Ward boys. Good news comes from Esther Mitchell, who left Australia to try her luck in the United States two years ago. The bright little soubrette is playing in Shaw’s ‘Pygmalion’ with tire'Washington Players in New York; and Agnes Morgan, an American playwright, is writing a comedy with Esther in mind) for tho soubretto paid. Fred. Maguire, for a long time in Australia with J. 0. Williamson, Ltd., is now playing juvenile lead with tho South African Theatres Trust, Ltd. At latest ho was at Ba Majesty’s, Johannesburg, in the musical comedy ‘lrene.’ Mr Hugh, J. Ward (says a Melbourne pa-perj apparently believes that tho spirit «f youth is best left to youth to interpret, m the company ho has assembled to play in ‘Tho O’Brien Girl’ at the New Princess Theatre on Boxing Night is, with but ono or two exceptions, composed of performers in their early twenties. That fine soprano, Margaret Jewel, who sang hero under the Fuller penant, sang at the Queen’© Hall, London, in October at one of Sir Henry Wood’s concerts. Tie Ruapehu arrived at Wellington from London cm the 10th inat., and on board of her were the Westminster Glee Singers, the musical organisation to tour the dominion under the management of Edward Brsnscwnbo. The tour was to open in tho Town Hall to-night. The company consists of six hoy sopranos, two basses, two tenors, and ono male alto, selected from some of England’s most celebrated cathedral choirs. Their programme will include glees, madrigals, part-songs, anthems, and chorals, nearly the whole of the concerted music being rendered without accompaniment. The boy sopranos will ba interesting alike to the cultured musician and 1 the amateur, they having been selected with the particular view of cocaring the proper blending, intonation, and sympathetic expression so essential to successful partsinging. The famous revue stars, Lee White and Clay Smith, commence a season at tho Grand Opera-house, Wellington, to-night in the revue ‘ Bran Pie,’ supported by Lance Lister (who played the title role iu ‘The Boy’ here), Eknest Soft on, Lucine Beck, Rupert Julian, Zoo Wenke, Muriel Catliearb, and the dancers Mae Baird and Archie Thompson. Mr Robert Greig Inis come to Wellington as producer, having been concerned in that capacity with the original production' of this sparkling revue in Australia -during the visit of Lee White and- Clay Smith. Miss White is said to bo the moat expensive and stylish frooker known to the world’s vaudeville stage. Rosin* Buckman will not take away a very good Impression of Sydney taste in (says a writer in the 1 Theatre

Magazine A- She sang consistently to empty scats. The general publio showed an apathy to her visit here that was remarkable when ono considers that site is a really fine artist—far finer than D’Alvarez, who to my thinking, is an actress rather than a singer. The latter hoodwinked the publio critics alike with her appearance. It is rumored that Melbourne was not so easily taken in with her histrionic wiles, and! that she was very annoyed with that city in consequence 1 Here she had full houses and myriads of admirers at'her feet. If Miss Beckman ever comes to (Sydney again she must train her eyebrows to climb up her forehead in a thrilling fashion, practise a La Gioconda smile, slink about the platform with a sinuous grace, and wear drosses that make feminine enthusiasts wonder bow she gets in and out. It might help at tho same time if she altered her name to sometliing more foreign, A beautiful voice, used: with heart as well as brain, is evidently not enough to make Sydney cupEort a singer who has tho misfortune to dong to Australasia by birth. George Stafford, tho father of _the Syd*-ncy-born girls Eileen and Marjorie, described bv tho London ‘ 'Encore ’ an having “ one of the most enjoyable tumbling and acrobatic acts of the day,” write® from London to the Sydney ‘Theatre’ that for the week beginning October 9 tho girls wore appearing at the Granville Theatre -of Varieties Wallmm Green (London). In the same bill was Talbot O’Farrell. “ The show business,” remarks Mr “ has been anyhow. What Sir Harry Lauder said in your August issue fa correct. But more sol The big tours are only booking from week to week. Lists of tho acts vacant are sent in each Saturday to the managers, and they then select what are wanted for tho Monday. This is very unsatisfactory to acts. Tho girls are at. York this week. Wish Wynne tope the bill. Others appearing there are Bert Maddison, who will shortly be seen In Australia—a great act and fine people; and tho Australian juggling act, Martyn and Florence.”

Italian papers describe tho extraordinary success of the young singer, Miss Margate Burke Sheridan, in tho two most famous theatres—the Scala, at Milan, _and the San Carlo, at Naples. One writer confesses that on tho whole her performance in ‘ Butterfly ’ is by far tho most completely successful achievement of any soprano board in Naples for a number of years. Miss Sheridan has already received a contract offering for the next season at San Carlo Opera-house, Naples.