THE VIVYFYING Of VAUDEVILLE.

NZ Truth, Issue 443, 13 December 1913, Page 8

THE VIVYFYING Of VAUDEVILLE.

Melba and Her Vagaries. ]

Geraldine Morton at His Majesty's.

It is surprising to not?. ?n London and American theatrical news during the last year or two, the wonderful changes that have taken place m vaudeville programmes. Artists who, a decade ago, would havo scorned to have their names associated with anything common, now tako their places In the ranks «>C the ordinary variety entertainers. This certainly muanH tho uplifting of the people's stage— a levelling up, not a levelling down. Tho Bremuin- Fuller Proprietary has evidently recugnlsed the modern trend, fcince Us recent programmes have shown an appreciation of to-day's taste. A fortnight ago this par*r had the pleasure of dealing specially with Clement May and his expositions of tho Immortal characters that Dickens has handed down to the generations. It now has to deal with an Australian product — Geraldlne Morton'-—Bris-bane'* queen of song. For the past three weeks Mho has been pleading Wellington audiences with her" sympathetic rendering of favorite songs. It is not so much the fact that Miss Morion's voice pleases, buf that her artistic pose on the stage and her faculty of getting every ounce jf power out of her voice render her ylslt memorable m the history «»f locat vaudeville. Off tho boards Miss Morton is even more pleasing than she Is on them. She l» a charming racontouse. To •Truth's" rep. «h«s laughingly told of her first professional experience In New Zealand. "It was at Auckland," she said, "and you must understand that I stnnd sft P.ln m height and weigh 13% stone. Just previous to my first appearance I happened to pick up Ihe playbill, and found mya»Jf announced as •THE DAINTY GERALDINE MOIITONV I saw tho printer noxt day and told him that his Idea, of dnln'.lnww aod mine differed very considerably*" Sh« Is a graduate from ihe Conservatorlum ol Marshall Hall, whom Melbourne University* conventional School of Music could not hold. She nlso hud the ndvnnUjqrs of three months' tuition under Madame Melbu. Madame wok anxlnus that her pupil fthould ko to Lotpxlg ml finish her training In the old wurM. Tn U»J* nhe was backed up by Mnrmhnll Hall. However, Mt«« Morton's parents proved tho stumbling block, and. In spit? of numerous entreaties, persistently refused their consent. Madnmo nt la«t lost nil patience, Oimt angrily exclaimed, "Damn you! Oo back \ts Queensland and sing 10 the BLACK-FELLOWS AND THE CHOCGDIIifSS!" During one at her tnrlter vinkn to her native land, after she bnd attained world -wide fame, Melba gave n concert at n«r original horn«, Lllydft)<«. not far from Melbourne, The hull wua.

imrnll. but the auctleneu was Im**. People had travelled for miles round to hear Australia only NrtHo. Cvnscqucntly there wo* not room for hulf the people, and order* were given to have all the door» and windows thrown open, so that those outside could hear. If not see- The nret naif of *»«• P ro * gramme wtur devoted to nelcctlon* thru showed the eapabllltlea of the dlva'fl grata voice. In tho second part she came down to "her audience with some familiar ballads, and. a* a flnalo, start* *<J out to warble "Mom*. Hweet Home." But, It wav never finished. .Before the end of the nrat v«m«. h«>r htrar-era' rac<?» wcro twthed tn t*an«: nt th« «nd of the Mcond. Mftdnmc hemolC prcttmdcdly broke «lo\vn, anH. wblkt iwopplnK her oyes with Her dainty lat:o handkerchief, whMpored. In. tin a«Jd« to her accompaoUt, "Wow i» thai Ur comedy?" So, Girnitdlnu Morton gtH'S South to ChrlHtchtnch and Donedln. Muy «hu como back!