PICTURES? OR VAUDEVILLE?

Northern Advocate, 13 January 1912, Page 3

PICTURES? OR VAUDEVILLE?

INTERESTING VISITOR.

Among the passengers from England by the Somerset, which arrived here on Monday, was Mr Alexander Galley, who, .''or many years, has been associated with vaudeville management in Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester. For over seven years Mr Galley was on the staff of Sir Edward Moss's great vaudeville concern, Moss' Empire, Ltd., a company with a capital of £2,000,000 and over fo:.ty halls scattered in various provincial towns. The Palace Theatre, Manchester, and the Leeds Empire claimed Mr Galley's attention at different times, but, recently, he decided on coming to the Dominion to inquire here, his present destination being Auckland.

According io Mr Galley, the musichalls are now beginning to recover from the effects of the picture boom, and vaudeville promises to be more popular than ever in the Old Country. Immediately that the boom of pictures came on in England the effect was to close up some of the music-halls, and picture entertainments flourished everywhere. Now the picture-halls were beginning to feel the slump, and! many of the establishments that were established only a matter of twelve months or so could now be bought for much less than they cost originally. A similar remark applied to the skating rinks.

It has been a staggerer to the theatrical world during the past few years (says Mr Galley) to witness the number of "top-liners" that have come over to vaudeville. It is the profitable business, for by playing a sketch of twenty minutes at the music-halls these artists can earn more money than for an all-night performance at the theatres. The mention of such names as Madge Temple, Laurence Irving, Curtis Pounds, and Bransby Williams will demonstrate the tone and class of performances at the Coliseum could always draw the cream of the West End audiences. The good clean comedian is the man j that draws the business, whether he represents low comedy or select comedy. The immense possibilities in ■ the business for clever artists were instanced in the case** of Hatry Lhuder and Geo. Formby, both of whom were not so very many years ago drawing moderate twe -figure salaries, but who were now booked years ahead! at enormous weekly salaries. Novel turns were always being looked for, and colonial and Continental turns were always placed on top ol '' the bill, such, for instance, as the Australian Wood-choppers. In addition to artists already mentioned, other? that had drawn big business in recent times were Vesta Tilley, Vesta Victoria, Alice Lloyd, Eugene Strattan, Harry Fragson, Geo. Robey, Harry Tate, Wilkie Bard, and R. G. Knowles. The majority of these have appeared in America also with great success.