AN INNOCENT ABROAD.

NZ Truth, 4 January 1908, Page 5

AN INNOCENT ABROAD.

JOHN FULLER, JUNR., ON HIS TOUR. The Wortd Caii't Give Points to the " Earth." What He Saw and What He Learned.

Mr John Fuller, junr., as briefly remarked by "Truth" last week, is back on the "earth" after an eleven months' tour of the rest /of the world. John, junr., went away to learn things theatrically. He comes back a wiser and a sadder young man. His wisdom consists m this : The rest of the world cannot oXer New Zealand any points m the way of amusements, excepting, of course, that salaries are larger, which is due to the fact primarily that there are large populations to work on, and artists have to sweat and strut the stage sometimes three and four times a day— and night. John, junr., it might' also be mentioned, comes back deeply impressed with the future possibilty of the warlike. Jap. John junr., wants young i New Zealand to wake up and learn to drill and shoulder arms and shoot straight. What John junr. : proposes doing 'when >&rar is declared/ against us is not said. Judging/ however, from his martial bearing he wall lead the forces m person. Anyhow, Mr Fuller arrived back from his travels the other day and gave "Truth" some of the " benefits of his experiences", and an insight of things theatrical, the world over. The first European city 'he wandered into was Naples. Now, the advioe tendered to travellers is to "SEE NAPLES AND DIE." John, junr., is alive to tell the tale. The music halls there were Ins dart. The theatres, from ah architectural point of view, and to the artistic eye, are beautiful. The orchestras, naturally, v are wonders, but the performers are wretched. The so-called serio-comics are divine creatures, per-' haps, to gaze on; their flashing eyes and graceful, limbs would^send Johnnydom barmy m.: England and Australasia,, but their voices were cruel. There was nothing bright or sparkling m their turns and without the aid of an interpreter the traveller, detected one -of them m the act of murdering "Bill Bailey" m Italian. The operas were, of course, quite another matter. There are now no Carusos m Italy, , and that is simply due to the fact that the Italian operatic singer knows that m other parts Of Europe and m, America they{ can ■ praotically. dictate their own ' terms to managements, That they cannot do- in Naples at least, and to a man of the Caruso cast there are no monkey-hoUses m the, 2*oo where women can be grossly insulted with impunity. . Operatic singers m Italy are poorly paid, thpugha comic opera singer and ■■< actor might get as much as a tenner a week. .■',-■ ■ • After a flying Visit to the chief Italian towns Mir- Fuller is next found at Zurich, . m Switzerland where the music halls are oTa much better class. There is a State subsidised theatre m Zurich, and the prices of admission range from 6d to Bs. The performances are- go^od, and the houses v big. But is .doesn't pay. Everything is extravagant, but as the Municipality subsidises the show, and the Swiss, citizens have to < foot the bill nobody seems to, trouble anything about it. The 1 loss will keep on getting bigeer and bigger till something bursts. Up tn* Rhine, which John, junr., .declares to> AS PRETTY AS THE WANGANUI, he next struck Cologne, where* he learnt to drink lager beer. Next he went to Brussels, and shortly afterwards he is found m Gay Paree. Paris t \ The mention of it made our wanderer returned smile and smack his lips. Gay and wicked Paree ; but then John junr. was accompanied by his wife, and he. turned his attention to they theatres./ Their vaudeville performances are second to burlesques.. Sentiment pervades every show. It is John Bull and La Belje France. Johnny here, commenced to entertain those broad Imperial views, of which to-day nq one m New 'Zealand is more earnest an exponent. Still m Paris the beautiful, with its flash women, who make no secret of what they are, and 'prom•flnade theatres and dress like duchesses, and whose tastes are pretty expensive and would require a millionaire to k.«>.p them going, Mij Fuller learned little, or next to nothing m the way of improving the New •Zealand vaudeville circuit: . From a, casual tourist's view-point he could hardly help seeing that the fallen,, sisterhood of Paris were just ; the. •same old dirty, drunken drabs that face the Beak every morning m New 'Zealand. , , It was iii London, of all places m the old and wide world that he hoped something be learned. Everywhere he went he was well received.' Pansy Montague (La Milo) and Ojruickshahk. the (artist, had made a big hit. Success lias attended the Modern Milo. everywhere she has posed and the people : . WENT MAD OVER HER. When Mr Fuller left Fogland she was at the London Alhambra and drawing like a mustard ' plaster. "The performances given at the London music halls compare very favorably with those given m New Zraland and Australia." said the young manager, without the semblance of a blush. Each show has a star turn. The star's salary is enormous, but it is the rank and file who suffer. The star that does not slime is sweater! and starved, to pay for the big gun. The Palace. Alh/unhra and the Emnire -are colossal thon-trns. and m the future the Messrs Fuller intend, m tho rebuilding of their theatres to mn.Vc many modern improvements. F.n.flifjh. artists. tni^n : through ami throuerh, are no letter and no worsn 'than Australians.Such turn 1 ! as that given by. Armstrrmtr ! anrl Verne ore cer.ta.inlv common, but thtw all seem to originality. They. have.on»; good tn^n and •*•'-•> rest is rotton. The onirion has all nlong provsn'led with TCnclish artists that outside Melbourne find Svrfnpv there were no music liMis. Certainly they knew that Now '.Zealand • WAS ON THE MAPNow, however, they have been en- 1

lightened and the possbilty, m the near future, is that both English and American artists will try their, luck m New Zealand, more particur larly with Americans as they reckon it a small jump from 'Frisco to Auckland. Australian artists just now .going big m London are the Leslie Bros, and Henry Gray. Australians are welcome if they can introduce anything new. If they rely on stale gags and the usual comedy business they had better ' keep away from London, where the managerial motto, is Originality every time. The music halls of Australasia compare very well with the Provincial, and even some of the London, theatres. Still m London iMr Fuller did not learn anything, and his next scamper was for the land of -the wooden nutmeg, otherwise America, where he remained, for three weeks. In New York he found vaudeville carried on on a huge scale, but he learned to appreciate the great difference .between English and American humor. In' New York, with an immense population, the cost of living is very high and the prices for' admission to theatres are exhorbitant. Klaw and ErJanger, m New York, have intro-. duced what is known as "advanced vaudeville." The salaries of every artist is anything between £100 and £500 per week. Of course, there are less costly productions. Keith and Proctors run a 3s, 2s, and Is show to good bnsiness,- though at the time Mr Fuller was m N*w York everybody there was feeling the financial pinch. Everybody there are keen on the dollars. It is the chase of their life. They have no time for sport,, and their only relaxation, is .the theatre, and, accordingly, business ,m that line is ,brisk. - In. Chicago John, 'junr., discovered , A SYSTEM OF GRAFT that was, going on amongst the ushers, who, for a present of 50 cents, would condtict strangers to a 10 dollar seat. It was strong, and the wonder is that the management did not tumble to the game. They will, no doubt, when the ushers retire on a competence. In ' 'Frisco vaudeville is just "the same. Just as present the city of the Pacific Slope is very much torn up. There, however, the artists work hard, giving as, many as three performances m twelve hours. From 'Frisco the traveller journeyed to Honolulu, Which is an American possession and run by nearly 50,000 Japs. Honolulu has no attraction for John Fuller, Junr., who departed for Japan. If anybody wants to know what John thinks of Japan, let them ask him and he'll tell them. "Truth" won't. (It's going to save up for a trip to Japan and see if it's true or otherwise. '