STAGE GOSSIP

Otago Witness, Issue 2856, 9 December 1908, Page 69

STAGE GOSSIP

The Royal Comic Opera Company -will visit New Zealand at Easter. The Lynch Family of Bellringers are touring the Gippsland district. The Musical All Black 3 are at present touring the Victorian provinces. In the fairies' boudoir scene in "Cinderella"' the dresses alone will copt over £1500. The pantomime, "Dick Whittington." is being produced at Drury Lane this Christmas. Wirth's Circus and Menagerie is due to open * tour of New Zealand early in January. Kyrle Be"ew, it is reported, has been offered a good salary to star in vaudeville in America. " M*rried to the Wrong Man " is the title of a drama at present being played in -the English provinces. A strong dramatic company will be brought to Australia to support Mr Oscar Asche and 'Miss Lily Brayton. Miss Beatrice Day made her first appearance with J. C. Williamson's Juliu3 Knight Company on Saturday last. Reported recently that -the well-known Australian character actoT J. B. Atholwood was 3D receipt of £14 per week. Mr H. W. Varna, the well-known stage manager recently with tbe Herbert Flcmn:i:ig: Company, has left for England Mies Margaret Anglin will 'cave Auffralia on the 19th prox., proceeding to Egypt for • thort holiday before returning to America. A big carnival ballet, for which a special corps of dancers has been engaged, is promised as an important feature of "The Duchess of Danfzic." Stated that Madame Melba has engaged for her Australasian tour Mr Frederick Earalon, who, according to Melb?, is a fine baritone. Upwards of £90 has been subscribed towards a memorial to the menxorv of the late Adam Cowan, the well-known theatrical manager, who died in Sydney recently. Pollard's Opera Company now t«uring West Australia under William Anderson's direction, has concluded a successful Pertli season. A visit -to the Goldfields follo-.va. Mr Eerdly Turner, who W23 with Julius Knight on his last Australian tour, and scored in such parts as Beau Xash in " Monsieur Beaucaire." has rejoined the company. Miss Nellie Mortyne, who retnrrn»'l from London some time ago. and joined the late Herbert Flemming's compary. is now a member of Meynell and <4unn's Be?tty-Jl'li;toeli Comnany at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. William Anderson's "Squatter's Daughter" Company is doing splendid business in Christchurch. After Christciiurch and the West ( Coast, a return trip is to be made through | both islands ' Miss Carrie Moore will make her first pantominv© appearance in London this winter. She is to play principal boy in '"Cinderella " which Mr Robert Courtncidge will produce at the Adelphi. It i? understood that Harry Phydora who appeared in J. C Williamson's " Mother Goose " as the Dame, is coming out to Messrs Meynell and Gunn to play -a similar part I in that firm's pantomime. Mr Goodman, of the Sydney Royal, who is in New Zealand on a health trip, will, it is said, be given a testimonial on his return to Sydney, where he has managed for Mr J. C. Williamson since 1880. Miss Guilford Quin, whose charming impersonation of Carlotto in "The Morals of Marcus," brought her prominently into public notice, has been engaged by Mr J. C. Williamson to join the Julius Knight Company. ; Miss Tittell Brune, who is supported by Mr Thomas Kingston and Mr J. C William- ! son's Dramatic Company, opened a season »t Auckland on Monday night in David Belasco'3 play, 'The Girl of the Golden West." Under the direction of Edwin Geach and George Marlow, John F. Sheridan will play the Christmas season in Victoria. Theatre. Newcastle, and follow on with a Queensland tour. "The liady Slavey" -will be the openinc production. Miss Margaret Anglm has started her farewell season in Sydney with "The Taming of the Shrew." The illness of Mr George Titheradge was, happily, not so serious as at first imagined, and he is now "picking up nicely" in Melbourne. For the performance of "Faust" at Sydney Criterion Theatre Madame Slapoffski 'ha 3 been engaged a3 Marguerite, and Herr Emil Greder as Mcphistophles. IJerr Greder was a prominent member of Mr George Musgrove'a Opere. Company, and has appeared in this character 250 times. "The Duchess of Dantzio" is to be staged a^h© Williamson Company for the Sydney mtmas season. It will be performed by Royal Comic Oper* Company. MiBB

Florence Young is to play Madame SansGene, and Mr Wybert Stamford, who is producing the work, is to be the Napoleon.

Mr William Anderson's " Squatter's Daughter " Company includes amongst others Robert Inman, Stirling White, Harry Douglas, Frank Keis, Frank Cross" ey. Hilda Frazer, Lilhe Bryei. Crosbie Ward, Herbert Linden, Florence Ricther, and Maude Appleton.

William Cosgrove, one of the well-kr^pwn Cosgrove family, is ■about to re-enter the managerial prea. On Boxing Night he will open the Melbourne Bijou with a strong company in "The "Unwritten Law." .being a true, unvarnished account of the great Thaw case, in which morals are the prevailing topic.

Frank Thornton commenced a farewell season at M-elbourne on November 21. He revived "The Private Secretary." Three of the original cast of his first production of tbe piece in Australia are dead — Miss Ada Lee. Mr H. R. Harwood, «nd Mr Frank Cates.

Amongst the audience at the Theatre Koyal, Melbourne, on Saturday night to witness "Jim the Penman" was Miss Florence Seymour, who appeared as Mrs Ralston in the first performance of "Jim the Penman" in Australia, which took place at the Bijcu Theatre many years ago

Mr Harry Lauder had a magnificent reception at the Lincoln Square Theatre, New York, where, before a crowded and enthusiastic audience, last month the Scots comedian occupied the stage for 65 minutes. Am:d applause a horseshoe, made by Bob Fitzsimmons, the prize-fighter, was presented to Lauder.

Misses Celia Ghiloni. Grace Palotta, Rose Musgrove. Mr Hugh Ward, and other members of the Hugh Ward Comedy Company had to undergo vaccination at- Colombo, where the season was highly successful. A lour through India, China, and Japan follows, the company returning to Australia in June next.

At the Princess Theatre, Melbourne the Musical Comedy Company is concluding a successful season with a week's revivaf of "The Bel'e of New York." The company leave for New Zealand via Sydney on Saturday (December 12), and their season in the JJominion will start at Auckland on Boxing? ■Night. 5

"The Merry Widow" is now in the seventies at Her Majesty's Theatre. Sydney— not. be it said, as regards her a^e, which remains, of course, perennially youthful, but. as regards the run of her performances. The last 12 nights are announced, as on December 19 •'ihe Duchess of Dantzic" will be given its premiere in Australia.

I Arthur Dacre. who shot himself in Sydney appeared in the title Tole in the first Londo"n i production of "Jim the Penman" in 1886. The part of Mrs Ralston was taken by Lady j Monckton, mother of Lionel Monckton. the ; composer, who is husband of Gertie Millar, the musical comedy favourite. Messrs Robert Cunningham, the well-known operatic tenor, and Mr Bridgeman. of Dunedin, have completed arrangements with I Ascherberg and Co., the well-known music | publishers London, for the' early production jof Mr Alfred Hill's; comic opera, "The | Moorish Maid," which has been produced -with success in New Zealand and Australia.

The recent short farewell season of some four concerts given in Melbourne by the Royal Welsh Male Choir had something of a feeling of novelty about it, a 9 the performances were given in a building hitherto never used before for concerts. The G-lacia-rium Building proved particularly suitable for concerts of this sort, and the attendances, numbering some 20,000. proved how popular it was

No less than three J. C. Williamson attractions, running during the present month either in Melbourne or Sydney, are set in the last decsdo of the eighteenth century. "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and "The Duchess of Dantzic" are both dated 1792, and "The Lsdy of Lyons"' period is 1795 only three years later. "Tl'e Prisoner of Zenda" is 1733 — that is, so far as its prologue is concerned.

On the condition of the season of the Harcourt Beatty-Madge M'lntosh Company at the Theatre Royal Melbourne, the company will leave for Wec + Australia opening at Perth on Boxing NiVht. with a season in Kalgoorhe to follow The rcoertoire wi'l include "Her Love Against the World." "The Midnight Wedding. "'Fedora," "Jim the Penman." and piobably "The Sorrows of Satan "

The New Zealand tour of Miss TitteM ±Jrune openeJ at Auckland last Monday, and all the preUrninsry indications, such as the booking, etc., went to show that the popular young actress is to experience more popularity than evei in the Dominion The company reirain there till the 16th. and on Boxing Night open in Christchurch. One cf the novel features of Meynell and Gunn's Christmas pantomime of "Cinderella" will be a xylophone ballet. In this the girls will combine dancing with music, timing their steps to (he melodies coaxed forth from tie tuneful xylophones with which each will be equipped. This will be the first time such a feature has been introduced into any production, in this part of the world at any rate.

During the space of some three months the number of performances given by the world's finest choir, the Royal Welsh Male Choir, has been somefhing "over 100. They have travelled many hundreds of miles, as these performances have been given in South Queensland. New South Wales. Victoria, and South Australia The management hope to keep the choir in Australasia until March or April next year — that is, if they can put off an engagement to tour America. Bebe the Continental clown, who will tour New Zealand i\ ,th Wiiths' circus, has Leen in tbe mid^t of ppangles and sawdust for 43 years He i°- a native of Spezio. Italy. He has ■only be^n associated with his partner Pj'-tore for c ome 12 months. They " doubled up " «t Madrid, ai7d have been creating considerable merriment ever since. Mr Philip Wirth saw them at Her.gler's Circus. London, and engaged them for a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Mips Ida Rentoul's designs, which were so happily used for the dressing of "HumptyDumpfcy," will again be to the forp in "Jack and Jill." That pantomime will be particularly strong in children's scenes. Hickory Wood has combined the story of rhe old woman who lived in a shoe with that of "Jack and Jill." and, as everybody knows, children and their dresses are Miss Rentoul's strongest point. She has also been entrusted with the costume designs for a most artisti-cally-conceived ballet — and with complete success.

Mr Rutland Beckett, appearing in "Jim the Penman" at the Theatre Royal. Melbourne, w»s married to Miss Florence Robins, who has also been a member of the company, on Saturday last. After the performance of "Jim the Penman" on Saturday night the company assembled in the greenroom, where Mr G-aston Mervale, on their behalf, presented Mr Beckett with a pair of silverbacked brushes, and Mrs Beckett with a gold cable bangle, the health of the couple being tubsoquently drunk with enthusiasm. Miss Henriquette Maude, the little New Zealand girl, who made lier first appearance at a Canterbury anniversary a year and a-half .ago, has been achieving a series of triumphs on tour in the English provinces. Miss Maude has appeared in more theatres and

hall-s than most young aTtisfs of her age, and though she came quite unknown to these shores .it looks as if her future contracts, which are many and important, will keep her in this tight little island for some considerable time, says the Stage. She is producing as a scena the poem "Lasca, ' by Frank Uesprez.