FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 20310, 19 October 1929, Page 21

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By LOITERER.]

It is stated in Australia that Mr Harry P. Muller, for several years representative for J. C. Williamson, Ltd., in the United States, will return to take charge of the firm’s New Zealand activities as successor to the late Mr Bert Hoyle. / Miss Mina Caldow has keen engaged to sing the contralto solos in ‘ Tho Messiah ’ at Wellington, on December 14.

Tho Jim Gerald Revue Company commenced last week at the St. James Theatre, Auckland. ‘ Follow Through,’ which J. C. Williamson is soon to produce in Australia, is the opening show for tho new Dominion Theatre, London. Leslie Henson and Ivy Tresmand are the stars.

The part of Tito Lombardi in ‘ Lornhardi, Ltd.,’ is one of tho longest ever written. Leo Carrillo declares it covers 175 “ sides ” —the, vernacular for pages on the stage. Miss'Janette Gilmore, the comedienne with the “ Ilio Rita ” Company, has renewed her contract with the Fullers for a further term, and will not return to America this month, as she had originally intended doing. After four years’ successful association, the Elsie Prince-Jimmy Goddon Musical Comedy Company is at last to ho disbanded. Miss Prince returns to an engagement in London, while it is possible that Mr Goddeu will sign on with Fullers for a term m revue productions. When handsome ' Sonya Kosova, tho charming member of J. C. Williamson’s ‘ Desert Song ’ Company (due here next Saturday), returns to tho North Island an important task is awaiting this most graceful dancer. Members of a well-known family in one of tho principal towns included in the ‘ Desert Song’ tour have for many years been assiduously practising the dances of tho East. Three of the six sisters have attained a remarkably high degree of proficiency for amateurs, and now they are thinking seriously of taking up dancing as a profession. But the maternal advice (after witnessing a performance of ‘ The Desert and being particularly struck with Sonya Kosova’s sinuous movements in her famous dance scena) was: “Leave it to Sonya Kosova, girls. Ask her to allow you to give an exhibition of your dancing before her, and act ccording to her advice.” This the dancing trio has agreed to do, and an appeal will be made to the famous dancer when she returns to the North Island. George Wallace demonstrated his ability as a cricketer when he took six wickets during a game between members of his Revue Company and the Buffaloes at , tho Ilutt Trotting

iottiags on the people of the Stage and Screen and on the latest recorded Music.

Grounds, Wellington, which tho “ Buffs ” won by some 20 odd funs. Quito a picnic was made of this event, lunch and afternoon tea being served on the grounds, and the company returned to Wellington in the early evening. The famous English musical comedy star, Mr Jack Buchanan, will appear in New York shortly in Mr C. B. Cochran’s presentation of ‘ Wake Up and Dream,’ which is one of the current successes in London. It is stated that Mr Buchanan will receive the remuneration of £I,OOO a week.Jean Forbcs-Robertson, the actress daughter of Sir Johnston and Lady Forbcs-Robertson, has married Mr James Hamilton, who was stroke of the Thames crew at Henley regatta this year. The wedding took place on August 31 at St. Giles-in-the-Fields, Holborn. Miss Ohio© and Miss Diana Porbes-Robcrtson, the younger sister? of the bride, were the bridesmaids. Sir Johnston Forbcs-Robertson said that his daughter would not give up heist age career. Owing to the unfortunate indisposition of Lance Fairfax (the talented New Zealander who plays the leading male role, that of the Red Shadow, in J. C. Williamson’s great musical success, ‘The Desert Song’), several social

functions at which he was to have been the honoured guest had to be abandoned. Now that he has fully recovered (reports from the south are that ho is singing and acting even better than before), it is hoped --.at. if time and opportunity permit, some of these gatherings will eventuate. Many of Lance’s "“Digger” friends arc particularly anxious to show their appreciation of him. not only as a soldier, but as a man. It is certain that before ho leaves Now Zealand’s shores a Diggers’ night will bo arranged, at which the popular J. C. illiamson artist will receive the congratulations of the many returned men who knew (and liked) him during the days ot the Great War.

Miss M. Nelson, of Woodville, has returned to Now Zealand after an absence of over a year in Australia, where she went in search o dancing experience. She iound it with Pavlova, and afterwards appeared in the Moon and Morris Revue Company, and also with the Fuller Revue Company headed by Mr ,T. Gerald, it is Miss Nelson’s intention to proceed to England early in the corning year in order to take a course. of training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic x\rt in London.

Under the Loading: of ‘ Plays You Should Sec,’ the Loudon ‘ Theatre World’ lists the following;—‘BitterSweet ’ (Xoel Coward’s successful operetta! ; ‘ The Middle Watch ’ (a farcical comedy by lan Hay); ‘ Journey’s End,’ ‘Love Lies,’ ‘Wake Up and Dream.’ ‘ The Show’s the Thing,’ ‘ The First Mrs Fraser ’ (a new comedy by St. John Ervinc, starring Marie Tempest and Henry Ainley), ‘ The Skin Game’ (Galsworthy revival), and ‘La Vie Parisienne ’ (Nigel Playfair’s light opera). Spectacular scenes, good music and singing, and a colourful story give ‘ The Desert Song,’ which is coming to Dunedili’ this month, a prominent place among musical comedies of recent rears. Romola Hansen, a Cleveland attractive Australian, heads the cast, and Lance Fairfax, the New Zealander, has the leading male role, having won his spurs in Gilbert and Sullivan Opera. The comedy, which is good, is in the hands of Herbert Mnndin, Renee Murphv, and Maud Zimhla. Sonya Rosova is the solo dancor. Tim choruses and ballets are all good. Two animals which take a prominent part in ‘ The Desert Song ’ (due hero this month) are the white Arab horse ridden so well by Lance Fairfax, the mysterious Red Shadow, and the donkey, which is the particular property of Mr Herbert Mnndin and Miss Renee Murphy, the two clever artists who are responsible for mast of the humour in this charming musical play. Both are remarkably welltrained animals, and play their parts as capably as the exacting stage manager, Mr H. Nightingale, could desire. In an interesting chat, Mr George Parker, producer for J. C. Williamson, Ltd., of the famous war play ‘Journey’s End,’_ said that nationality had made no difference to the success of this remarkable dramatic work, for it was played to crowded houses all over tin world, including London, New York Paris, Berlin, Norway, and Sweden Many companies were playing it in the big cities and provincial centres of England ami in the United States and Canada. There was no question of war bitterness about the play, said Mr Parker. ■ This was illustrated by the fact that in Berlin it was subjected to somewhat unusual treatment, in that it was played in the evenings as though the incidents took place in a German dug-out, while at the afternoon performances it was played in an English dug-out. “The applause of the audience at the perMr Parker, “was prolonged for several minutes when the curtain foil, t'ormance I attended in Berlin,” -dded r he effect created by the play was -’muly astounding.” Helen Patterson will return to 1 JT.S.A. when ‘The Five O’clock Girl’ "trikes her last top note, ns her contract lias not been renewed. She was to have played this musical comedy in New Zealand,

After a somewhat lengthy spoil New Zealand will short! hoar an artist of international fame in the person of Signorina Dusolina Giannini. This famous operatic soprano’s visit will certainly rank as one of tho big events in the musical life of the dominion. Giannini is a singer imbued with an earnest zeal for chaste musical expression, and sho never fails to communicate the composer’s mood to her audience. The immaculate vocalisation of the artist, combined with poetic fervour, has made her a foremost figure on the operatic and concert stage. The closing of the Tivoli, a theatre with which have been associated some of the most famous names in vaudeville, has awakened many memories, writes the Sydney correspondent of Christchurch ‘Sun.’ Its failure, after so many years of success, can be asscribed to the talkies. Even a programme of part canned and part human element failed to attract the crowds that once frequented the old theatre in tho days of Harry Rickards. Little Tich, Marie Lloyd, Lottie Collins, Alex. Hurley, Peggy Pryde, Ada Reeve, Chirgwin, Cinquevalli, Lee White and Clay Smith, Maggie Moore, Ella Shields, Malcolm Scott, Wee Georgio Wood, G. P. Huntley, and Gene Gerrard were but a few of many well-known people who appeared at the Tivoli. Among the old favourites who assembled for the final appearance under the managership of Jack Leete (Harry Rickards’s brother) wore Peggy Pryde, Jake Friedman, Bob Driscoll, Mannie Aarons, Maud Fanning, George Dean, Aggie Powers, Ida Berriclge.'Ray Jones, J. C. Bain, and Bobbie Watson. It was a real old-timers’ bill, the like of which will never again ho seen in Sydney. " ‘Rose Marie ’ will ho revived in Melbourne after tbe season of ‘ Show Boat,’ and Marie Bremner will be in the title role. Miss Bremner starred in ‘The Desert Song,’ but was withdrawn from the company before it toured New Zealand. In making this announcement, Frank S, Tait, a managing director of J. C. Williamson, Ltd., gave some particulars of the enormous cost involved in the presentation of spectacular musical plays, and said that if the proposed additional tax was imposed the firm would have to consider whether it was worth while producing them. In estimating the expense of putting on modern musical plays, rehearsals are an important consideration. Tn ‘Rose Mario’ the preliminary rehearsals conducted during a period of two months cost more than £2,000. Before the curtain went up on ‘ Show Boat ’ the rehearsals of merely the ballet and chorus involved an expenditure of £2,500. Another official statement is that tho production of ‘ Show Boat ’ cost about £5,000 more than that of ‘Tho Desert Song.’ : Show Boat.’ which required a double chorus and ballot (coloured and white), is tho most expensive musical play that has been staged by J. C. Williamson. Ltd.

The chief Christmas attraction for New Zealand, as far as could be determined (said Mr J.’ H. Tait, in an interview), was the musical comedy company beaded by Alfred Frith, playing 1 The 5 O’clock Girl,’ which was a very bright, amusing comedy. The comp'"'- was now in Sydney, and was to stage ‘ Hold Everything ’ for the first time in Australia. 1 Hold Everything ’ was a, new musical comedy from America with a boxing interest. Probably the company would appear at Auckland and the-’ work through the islands. The next comic opera, for it was more than a mere musical comedy, would be ‘New Moon,’ which would bo presented by ‘ The Desert Song ’ Company on its return to Australia. So far the piece was not in rehearsal, but they were 'already preparing the lay-

out on the other side. 1)' it proved to be as successful as ‘The Desert Song ’ they would be more than satisfied. Then the firm had ‘Mr Cinders coming along at the end of the year. That musical comedy had been a pronounced success in London (where it was produced by the Williamson management), so much so that it suffered nothing on being transferred from the Adelphi Theatre (London) to the Hippodrome, where it was still running. There wore also two companies out in the provinces playing ‘Mr Cinders.' There was a great part in this play for Mr Gus Bluett, who continued in favour in Australia. Clarice Hardwicke, an Australian who lias done very well in London in the last four years, is back in her original Drury Lane role, Lady Jane. After early experience in minor work in Williamson productions, Miss Hardwicke had some Australian opportunities in musical and dramatic pieces staged by Beaumont Smith and in Tivoli revues. Then she played neatly the soubrette parts in Williamson musical plays, the last of which was ‘Sybil. 1 Since Miss Hardwicke was first Lady Jane in London sho has been 'allotted good parts in’several comedies, and she is one of the players whose work always seerr. l -' to he in demand. Noel Coward, one of the most successful writers for the stage, is not inclined to accept the talkies. His view, as summarised by a London writer, is that all mechanised forms of art are abominable. Mr Coward detests Hie sound of people speaking apparentlv with cleft palates, and the sight - of huge face's thrusting themselves at him from the screen. He

abhors tiic voices which seem to speak without any sense of “perspective” in sound, and cannot regard these things as entertainment.

Ernest Lotinga, the London comedian, will stage the ffillowing revues in Australia shortly:— ‘.Lock. Stock, and Barrel,’ ‘August, 1914,’ ‘The Police Force,’ ‘Khaki,’ ‘.Sailors Don’t Care,' ‘The Mouse Trap,’ and ‘House Full.’

Roy Russell, hero in ‘Tip Toes, has been chosen to play the Derek Oldham part in the London revival of ‘ Rose Marie.’ Ho has been taken from tin- chorus of ‘ Bitter Sweet,’ the Coward operetta. Maisio Gay lias returned to London frankly critical of Australian stage methods. She says she went to Australia fgv This Year of Grace.’ the Noel Coward revue, bub was sent to play in a “cheap vaudeville revue,” and became involved in all sorts of arguments. “ Never before in my twenty-seven years on the stage have i experienced' such treatment,” she says. “Despite the appreciation of Australian audiences, 1 would not dream of going to Australia professionally again. I have known of artists ready to wipe the slate clean, so long as they got their fares back to England. 1 received definite instruction to go to New Zealand. J. gave up my Hat in Sydney, but within twenty-four hours the management had changed its plans seven times. Australians arc charming people, but I had to go 13,000 miles to meet experiences which have been unique in my stage life.”' Maisio Gay is one of London’s most famous comediennes. The revue in which she appeared in Australia was booked for New Zealand, but after several contradictory announcements the tour was cancelled. Below will be found the details of the New Zealand itinerary of ‘Journey’s End,’ J. C. Williamson’s great

war play, which will be presented in the dominion, commencing at Auckland at the end of the present month. This outstanding dramatic success will ho presented in the dominion, by a spoeiallychoson company, including several noted English actors who have never before appeared in this part of the world. As stated, the season will open at Auckland on October 30, and continue to November 9, the other dates being as under:—Hamilton, November 1.1; Welligtnu, November 13 to November 21; Christchurch, November 23 to November 30; Timaru, December 2; Dunedin, December 3to December 7; Master ton, December 10; Danncvirke. December 11; Hastings, December 12; Napier, December 13; Palmerston North, December 14; Wanganui, December 16; Now Plymouth, December 13. There will ho no return season in any district, ns the company is due back in Australia immediately after the last-men-tioned date.