Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume XVI, Issue 839, 28 July 1916, Page 12

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

The Tivoli Follies. ONE of the brightest shows that visited here last year was the Tivoli Follies, under the direction of Mr. Hugh P. Mcintosh. They are to return to the Grand Opera on Wednesday next for a season of ten nights and two matinees, but as a much bigger flin show than previously. There will be no repeat items in their performance. even by request, as the Follies now number over 60 performers. The new queen is Miss Vera Pearce, who is now billed as the Boomerang Girl. A new .star to visit the Dominion is Miss Thelma Ilaye, who has had long and varied experience in musical comedy in England, America, and Australia. ♦ . *■ . * Jack Cannot returns with new songs, new jokes, and new specialities, .while he is ably aided and abetted by Walter Weems (the black-faced humourist), George Welch- (England's "drunk" comedian), and Billy Rego (the quaint pantomimist). Frank Greene (baritone) is also returning, while the clever child dancer, Jean Keith, will be seen in various national . dances. The supporting acts will -include the first appearance in New Zealand of the Brussells Orchestra, featuring a fine ■'Belgian tenor, Jacques 801. Ella Caspers, Australia's "girl with the voice of gold," will also appear, while Short and Idttie will be seen in. new stunts. The box plan is to open at the Bristol this Friday morning, July 28th. * * * » Tha Belgian Orchestra, which Mr. Hugh D. Mcintosh will feature, as a "star" turn when the Tivoli ' Follies open, came out originally with J. and -N. . Tait's Belgian Band. It is com- ' posed of mien who have done their share of fighting for their country .or a<re medically unfit for the hard life of a soldier. ■ * * * • His Majesty's Theatre. The Victor Prince Revue Company wind up a long and successful season at His Majesty's Theatre to-morrow (Saturday) evening. As a rib-tickler the largesized and well-seasoned Victor Prince , still stands out head and shoulders above many of the alleged comedians who try to brighten our all too drab life. The title of this week's revue is "Chow Chow, Come Along," which is just an excuse for the introduction of all sorts of laughable burlesque. 4 « * « The rest of this week's , programme is composed of various vaudeville items, and' is as entertaining as usual. One of the most finished acts on the whole bill is the sketch played by Virginia Thornton, Charles King, and Rupert Drum. These players are above the average

seen on our vaudeville stages. The sketch relates how an erring husband, with the aid of a lying accomplice, brings his good wife to her knees begging forgiveness for having doubted him. Nelson and Nelson, clever acrobats, who perform their feats on stilts, make a welcome re-appearance. Other performers are: Freddy James, Brown and Cumby, Clark and Wallace, and Harry Cash. * * * * Wellington Hatmonic Society The concert to be given to-morrow (Saturday) evening by the Harmonic Society, under the distinguished patronage of Their Excellencies Lord and Lady Liverpool, .promises to excel any previous effort of the Society. The work of the Society is already well known, and I simply draw attention to the fact that a number of charming part-songs, ranging from 16tli century madrigals to compositions which will receive their first New Zealand performance at this concert will be sung. Also, Fletcher's rousing chorus, "For Empire and for King," will be sung to .the accompaniment of piano, organ, and drums. Variety will be lenv to the programme by several choice songs by Mr. Hamilton Hodges, and two trios for violins and piano by Miss Frieda Walter and Messrs. Erio Meier and Temple White. The boot plan is at the Bristol Piano Co.'s and in view of the big demand for tickets, patrons are recommended to reserve their seats. * * * The Wellington Amateur Operatic Society is busily rehearsing its coming performance of "San Toy," to be given in the Wellington Grand Opera House, August-19th to 26th. It is many years now since this charming opera, or rather musica-l comedy, was previously produced. Long-memoried theatre-goers will recall that it was played by a J. C. Williamson Company, which also performed "The Runaway Girl." Amongst the principals* in that company were: Miss Rose Musgrove, Miss Elsie Moorer and Mr. Freddy Graham. * * * -a In the coming amateur performance, Miss Helen Gardner, of Dunedin, will be the San Toy; Miss Isobel Wilford will play the part of Dudley, the ladies' maid; Miss A. Sullivan, Poppy; Mr. Alec. Newton, Li; Mr. Norman Aitken, Sir Bingo Preston; Mr. W. W. Crawford, Yen How, and Mr. A. E. Shaw, the Emperor of China. Mr. Tom Pollard is staging the performance, and Mr. Bernard Page will-conduct. * * * » The following (from the Sydney "Theatre Magazine") concerning a talented little Wellington girl will be particularly interesting to local readers of the Free Lance. The feature of the Lawrence Campbell recital, given at St. James' Hall (Sydney) on June 8, was the appearance of Cecil Haines, who studied with Mr. Campbell before she appeared in the "Seven Little Aus-. tralians" Company, and has again been with him since the disbandment of that combination. Cecil entertained the gathering, single-handed, - f<pr fully thirty minutes. Her first item, "Yes, Papa," showed her in a series of character studes —French, Irish, _ Scottish, Cockney, American, and Spanish. Cecil has already been described by many as a child genius, and the manner in which she simulated those nationalities, without make-up, . was certainly confirmatory of the opinion thus formed of her. Two contributions in the way of encores had to be given. Such was the appreciation of these that she was still

further brought back-—the gifted child returning and bowing, and then hand-in-hand with Mr. Campbell, who had great reason to be proud of her sensational success, more especially as she had been coached by him in the three items that constituted her programme.

Claude Debussy, the famed French .musical composer, was almost given up by the medicoe& when a recent mail left tlie country of our gallant Ally. fi He was lying very seriously ill, cancer being thp> malady. ■* * * * An open-air performance of "Aida," before an audience of 20,000, was given last month ,in Philadelphia, the city where hundreds of !New Zealand's "gumdiggers*' have qualified. It is said to .have been a. great success—with one exception. This was due to the. close proximity of the Pennsylvania railway. JSot until the first note of the grand overture was sounded did it strike anyone that the presence of the railway would be a source of grave annoyance. But it soon became all too apparent with the rumbling, screetching, whistling, hissing, etc., etc., of trains. Consequently the overture was drowned in .a continuous . chu-chu-chu-chu-chu-chu who-o-o who-o-o Eiss-s ciss-s, cis-s cias-& rumble-rumble BLAM. Then followed during the playing of the first .act-such variations from the railway as <Chug-a Chug-a Chug-a Chug-a. Boom— —BifffE Squee-e Ding Dong Ding Dong Zowie Who-o Who-o Who who-o. The moral to this is very obvious. It seems a shame that there should have been such rivalry on the part of the railway, for the performance was on an unusual scale of lavishness. The chorus .and ballet, for instance, numbered over one thousand strong, while the orchestra was composed of one hundred and sixty-five pieces. Altogether. £6000 was spent on the work. - * * •< A Berlin court has found time to settle the oft-discussed question of just what constitutes an orchestra. Said the judge: "It is an orchestra whenever at least four musicians play together under the direction of one person, even if that person plays one of the instruments —provided always he has a conductor's part." * » » * Miss Vera Pearce, who is said to be the prettiest girl in Australia. —from the -theatrical standpoint anyhow—recently celebrated her twentyfirst birthday in Sydney. There are some actresses who are said to celebrate their twenty-first birthday every year, but Miss Pearce is not once of these. She commenced her stage career as quite a youngster, and though she has several years' experience in the business to her credit, she has only just reached her majority. The event was celebrated by a dinner in Syd-

ney, at which the Lord Mayor of Sydney offered the young star his homage, and Walter Weems actually cracked a new joke. » * * » Interesting news conies across the Tasman divide of Miss Wyonne Hay-, bittle ,a clever young Wellingtonian. Wellington remembers her as a graceful girl dancer who used to trip the light fantastic at local dance recitals. A couple of years ago she went to Sydney and continued her dancing lessons under Miss Minnie Hooper. Now she has blossomed out as a professional young dancer. She made her debut in the J. C. Williamson firm's production of the musical comedy, "To-Night's the Night at Her Majesty's a week or so ago. Reports speak flatteringly of her performance. For instance, the Sydney "Bulletin" refers to her dancing along with two or three others as one of "the conspicuous features of the show." It also singles Wyonne out for special mention as "an interesting novice in toedancing, possessing the .limbs and confidence of a mature coryphee." The promising young danseuse is a daughter of Mrs. Haybittle, of Wellington. There is a probability that the Williamson Company will visit New Zealand later in the year, and then Wellington witfl be able to see for herself what progress sho has made in her art. * * •» * Miss Beatrice Day, who left Wellington a few weeks back, is being accorded a benefit performance in Melbourne. The benefit is timed to take pllace tomorrow (Saturday) in the new Playhouse, the production being "The Superior Race, described as. a humorous problem-play by E. H. Oliphant. * * * » Victor Prince, the heavy-weight comedian, who has been tickling His Majesty's audiences these last few weeks, has earned quite' a reputation for up-to-date and topical This week he scores quite a hit on the six o'clock closing topic. "Are yon in favour of six o'clock closing? he asked of his nagging wife. "Yes," was the prompt reply of his better-half. "We'll." shut up!" he ordered peremptorily.

A propos of the engagement of Prince George of Battenberg and the Countess Nad a Torby, it is stated that the nuptial knot will be tied before the end of the present season. Already London society is on the tip-toe of expectation about the wedding, for the bride is sure to receive some wedding presents of the most expensive order. Her father is a wealthy Russian Grand Duke, and her relations mostly all have more than their fair share of this world's goods.