ON WITH THE SHOW

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 28 June 1935, Page 6

ON WITH THE SHOW

Colourful and Eventful Life of “Gipsy Marrionette” ONE=TIME STAGE DANCER NEW GENERATION RISES

Veiled in mystery, tlie lives of show people usually remain a closed book to the public which they seek to entertain. A colourful person is Gipsy Marionette, who moves from fairground to fairground in- her capacity as a reader of character; In her Gipsy tent of gaily-striped canvas, and in her raiment of coloured silks, she surrounds herself with an atmosphere of one -who sees what others do not. Born to the theatre, Gipsy Marrionette is the daughter of Mike and Kate Sullivan, billed at London variety theatres and other houses of entertainment throughout Great Britain 50 years ago as the “Happy Irish Couple.” Long since dead, their songs only recently have been revived by the broadcasts of radio and their style is that of the Victorian and Edwardian period.

Gipsy Marrionette is one of a family of five sons and five daughters—she is 50 years of age, but the rigors of life “on the Toad” have left little mark on her flawless skin or dulled the lustre of her blue eyes. Every member of the Sullivan family was a dancer, cither together or in independent acts, They trained from the cradle and took the stage at four years of age. One of the Sullivan girls, at the age of 10, won a world’s championship and her father, also a world’s champion, died 1 threequarters of an hour after the contest. According to her horoscope, Gipsy Marrionette, born between “fire and water,” was destined and has led an eventful life—a life in which tragedy has stalked side by side with comedy. After travelling England by caravan and stage coach, Gipsy Marrionette came to New Zealand 25 years ago and performed as Bae Sullivan at the old Empress Theatre - in Auckland as a dancer. She toured New Zealand and travelled frequently to and from Australia. Fortune always seemed to smile -upon her in those days for quite a number of the vessels on which she travelled were overtaken by disaster on the very next voyage. Among these the Waratah, Fifeshire, Drayton Grange and Tarawera were but four. In 1911 Gipsy Marrionette was ballet mistress to the Gisborne Operatic Society in the production of “The Geisha/’ and she has since taken a part in amateur productions in various parts of the country.

In relating a few of the scattered incidents of her life to a “Hawera Star” reporter, Gipsy Marrionette referred to the tragic effect of the “talkies” on actors and actresses in Australia. In one “fell swoop” over 1000 performers were thrown out of employment, she said, and many had adopted precarious means of livelihood. The stage had: always had its “ups and downs” and it was coming into its own again, too late perhaps for many-who had given up the struggle to die of poverty, broken heart or by a quicker, more tragic, way out. There was a younger generation of performers rising and the old spirit of her profession was more dominant than ever. The stage was “in the blood” and whatever the trials that; beset their paths, the “show. had . to go on —on for ever.”