STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2914, 19 January 1910, Page 76

STAGE GOSSIP.

Mr Hugh Ward is talking about building another theatre in Sydney, | Me da nr Clara. Butt- contemplates a return | visit to Australia next year. I Miss Niore, Long., a Hew Zealander, has ; made a hit in the Opera House at Nice. 1 Miss Meredith Merodro, who played the i Prince in Messrs Meynoll and Gunn’s production of “Cinderella,” opens at the London halls in February. : , A£l ’ Alla .m Hamilton leaves Melbourne about the middle of the month, and ia down to pilot another of Harry Richards’s vaudeville companies through the Dominion. 'Hie lata Mr Lionel Brough was- assistant publisher of the London Daily Telegraph before he took to the stage,, and he was the first to organise a body of boys to sell paners in the streets. * Mi Harry Phydora, who was temporarily incapacitated through an accident, has taken up ms part of the widow in Mr Williamson’s *• h " “The Luck of Roaring Camp,” by Bret Harte, will be presented for the first- time in Anstraligr .at the Theatre Royah Ad«J , aid f.- A . Sydney season with the same production I'S to follow. 1 A collection af Beethoven documents- was to he sold at Sotheoy’s, Loudon, on December 17. Twenty-four letters/many rf which are unpublished, and cue tone memorial are to bo included 1 . S Miss Katherine Grey, the new actress from America, is to make her first Australian appearance as? phirley Rossmore- in “The Lion and the Mouse at the Theatre Rayah, Svdon Saturday, January 22 On January 39 Mr Rickards will send » company to New Zealand which ia So include Mi and Mrs Fitzsimmons. On Sour Mrs i’ itzsimmons will sing and' appear with her husband m the sketch, "A Man’s a Mon for a» That. * A woman who committed suicide in White Plains, U.S.A., the otk -*W. left » will providing th taher es Tto ci-eyc ced to the relief of destiuVHfe persons who, among other things, “do attend theatrical performance-’ Mir George Wilton vlih-v. Laadiaa

management, has sailed for Sydney by the ' Bremen. The company 'will arrive by the Orient liner Orontes, and' appear first in "The Night of the Party. ' Keen competition is being displayed! by theatrical managers th'France, for the rights of “The Dollar Princess," the musical piece which has enjoyed'silch a phenomenal success in London and New York, the Australian rights of' which have been secured bv J. G. Williamson. ‘While “Pete" iand “The Passing of .theThird Floor Back ” are being presented in .rydnay by Mr Matheson Lang and Miss .dutin Britton, Messrs Clarke and Meynell . will tour those two plays in the less important centres, with Mr H. R. Roberts in the chief roles. ' New Zealand will also be visited,, jike an echo from tbe far-away past comes ' o news of the demise. : at. Retford of the ice famous singer, Mure. Laura Baxter frs H. L. Bayliss). The old lady, who died ; the ripe age of 78, was well known in alian opera, and quite as great a popiilar ; avourita as her contemporaries Santley, | Tims Reeves, Mine. Weiss and Parepa-. j On account of the illness of her son, Madame Melba has abandoned the West .Australian concerts, with which she was to lose- her triumphant tour. Mr John Lem'one and Mr 11. N. Southwell had gone dead to Perth to make arrangements lor ,:e concerts, when the great singer announced . .'or decision to remain in Melbourne. A reappearance ,on the stage was made 'n Sydney the other night by Miss Lily "'itheradge, who was induced by the J. C. Williamson management to play the part cif ?Sfik in “Tbe Sacrament of Judas. ’ In rivate life Mass, . Titheradge is Mrs (Dr) nowles. One o? her early successes was a ; :0 v part in "The Two Little Vagabonds.” Miss Viola Tree, daughter of Sir Beer■;olnu Tree, who recently decided to make ■.be lyric stage her profession, since when rbe has been studying for grand opera, gave \ recital recently at the Bechstein Hall, ’ondon. She was announced to make her shut on the concert platform at the 1 ueen’s Hall on the afternoon of December

There was a strike of stage hands.the other

right at the Paria Varieties, aTid the actors •ad to set and strike the scenes. The fact hat they did so, and that the play was not topped may have had some effect upon the trik-Grs, for the trouble was quickly com■fomised; but would actors here in like

■ircumstanoes display a similar “versati i.tv?’ 1 ’ . ■•

John Galsworthy’s industrial play “Strife” has just been produced with as great success in America as it had in England. It is reckoned by leading critics as being one of tlie finest plays of its kind ever produced ; n America.' ■ Another piece already well known to Australians which has made a decided success in America is “The King of Cadonia.”

“Maxim’s,” made famous by “The Merry Widow,” was the scene on one occasion of a remarkable exhibition in favour of Mdlle. Be Dio, the Parisian dancer. Soon after she had been seated scores of bouquets were thrown to her from all parts of the cafe, and n a short space of time the table was covered. with flowers —so many, indeed, that aha had to engage anothei carriage to take them to her hotel.

Two attractions which are soon to see the isht of publicity under the J. C. William'■■'■■ll management will this month celebrate be.r first birthdays. The one is of '’avaree,” which was produced at the New 'Tieatre by Fred Terry and Julia Nielsen; •>nd the other, "Our Miss Gibbs,” which has h-en playing to fine business at the London Gaiety Theatre since its first production t’ sre on January 23 last. During the early morning of November 22 f-o four-inch fire main burst beneath the pit of the Ilford Hippodrome, and the force of water was so great, that a portion of the floor was blown up and the water rushed over the pit and handsomely-carpeted stalls nto the stage basement. It took four hours o oump the place dry, and much strenuous -vork was necessary ’to make the theatre fit :<m the evening performance. Mr Langford Kirby, an English actor, arrived on the P. and O. liner Mooltan under '■•iragement to the J. C. Williamson management. He will make his first appearance in Sydney shortly. The newcomer is one of ho famous Boucicault family. Just before ■•v\virg London he was the subject of a --ketch in the Evening News, whose critic retired to him as “ one of the most promising and versatile juveniles on the London

Before leaving New York to fulfil her en~r. •■•ement with J. C. 'Williamson, Miss KatheGrey offered an engagement to .near at the New Theatre, New York, which ‘ins been erected by the millionaires that big American centre, and is a evidence of what wealth can achieve in the form r.' modern architecture. The piece in which M;gs Grey "would have appeared is "Tne Yegor,” written by Edward Sheldon, the author, bv the way, of “Salvation Nell.” _ . ■p. Sarah Bernhardt is appearing in ; as Joan of Arc in a play by M. Emile Moreau, who collaborated with Sardou in “Madame Sans Gene.” The play puts Joan of Arc before the public in a new and more human light than has ever been represented before. She is represented as a sort of female T :T c 'irlet who strives to put the world right, and who fails. In M. Moreau’s play Bishop Cauchon whitewashed, and. the Queen of England, .-■-o was a princess of France, is made to intervene for Joan. When Milton ..Bode arrives in Melbourne M confer with;' Rupert Clarke and Clyde Meynell, the interacting probability -will occur the amalg.ajh.ats.pn of the richest theatripp] managier int England with the millionaire theatrical manager in Australia. Milton Bed© *■ Melbourne Punch) is interested in 30 rtras in England with a company at ,-vb. in addition' to which he has a number o' touring com-pahies. Last Christmas 15 •■automimes Were’ produced under his nian--roment. He 3<r''known as the “Rothschild o ! 'he theatrical tbusiness.” Herr B enho““'.Belter ek recently left Mel-’-'-urno for South Airica, there to make • —pngements for the continuation of the —cr’d tour of•.‘M'Sdame Teresa Carreaio. the tn.nious pianist, whose last visit to Australia -"vo such unalloVed pleasure to music-lovers. Madame Carr-eno’S tour this time is planned o embrace all the .continents of the southern ■■> emisphere—- Australia (where she commences •-o r visit' in May next), South Africa, and v-nth America. At present she is in the States in process of fulfilling an .-•-ip .extending to 63 concerts, which occupy her until. April next. Mr Harold Ashton, of the J .C. Williamc ->n executive staff, arrived from a four of \merioa,” he added, “and in no case /!i----he witnessed the performance of “The Ch•iiax” at Her Majesty’s. “Australia does know what an artiste wc have in Miss Florr~>ce Young,” was bis- comment. “I saw ‘' ,l ho Climax’' by four different companies in Hmerioa,” he added, "and in no case did t gee an Adelina as' good as Miss _ Young. Jf New York could but hear her sing .and gee her act’ ’ in that . part she would bo acclaimed beyond recall to Australia. ‘The Climax’ has made a million dollars for the management that exploited it in America.” The New Theatre. New York—built by 30 slutocrats, withlip wee cash, and there-

fore called the Millionaires’ Theatre, is a gorgeous building of the European type. It has a foyer, grand staircases, retiring and smoking rooms, a restaurant and buffet, a library, a green room, a. founders’ room, and elaborate offices —also plunge and shower baths for the players. The auditorium is a half oval. It has two balconies. and 23 boxes, each of which has a withdrawing room and a private hall opening on a private staircase. The theatre, magnificently decorated, was opened 1 with “Anthony and Cleopatra”—strongly cast and badly played. At the age of seven Miss Lottie Sargent, of “The King of Cadbnia” Company, began her stage career. At this period Miss Sargent child’s parts with the late Sir Henry Irving at the juyeeum Theatre, London. * Light, opera, burlesque, farce comedy, are the vehicles she chose when she grew out of infant roles. Among the various experiences of Miss Sargent was a tour of America. “What struck me most —that is, in a purely, personal way,” she observes, “was the different receptions we had socially in cities. In New York we were mud© .a great fuss of, in Washington were cold shouldered.” It is Miss Sargent that gives the sensational dance in the “King of Cadonia," ‘‘The Dance des Apaches.” With Mr Bert; Gilbert she shares the honour of appearing in one of the mos tastonishing terpsichorean efforts ever seer south of th line, i

In a recent letter received by a Melbourne friend from Mr Henry Kolker, who will be remembered as the popular leading man in Margaret Anglin’s company, are some interesting items of news. In commenting on the productions for the season in New York, Mr Kolker mentions “ Ar&ene Lupin ” and " The Third Degree ” as having been received with special favour hy playgoers in New York, while “Salvation Nell'' and “The Lion and the Mouse ’ arc playing to fine business on tour. It is worthy of notice that the successful quartette of dramatic works have all been secured for Australia by J. C. Williamson. Owing to the postponement of Eugene Walter’s play, in which Mr Kolker was to have taken the leading masculine role, he has joined Madame Maximova, the Russian emotional actress who has made such a success in New York during the last three years, and- they are now playing to capacity business in a piece called “The Passion Flower.”

It is the exception for a woman to hold the position of what is termed “The Matinee Idol,” but now and then an actress comes along who is endowed with the power to charm her. own sex —Miss Nance O’Neil was one of this particular class, and Miss Tittell Brune was another. But they were both dramatic artists. It is still more unusual for a pantomime boy to hold pride of place in the hearts if the girls who throng to see “him,” and yet Miss Lily Iris holds this unique position. She is certainly well off for admirers among the sterner sex, but if anything the number of devotees on the feminine side is greater, and the letters which she receives daily from girls who have fallen victims to her charming personality are as numerous as they are enthusiastic. In fact, though she must ho rather alarmed at the extent of her correspondence. Miss Iris would not be human if she did not feel highly gratified at the very favourable impression she has made cut here.

Mr Gerard Coventry, the well-known producer for J. O. Williamson, has in his time trained scores and scores of men and women eager to scale the ladder of theatrical success. But gratitude is not always a strong characteristic in human nature, and it is only now and again that the bread cast upon the water in this way comes back in the form of an .acknowledgment of benefits conferred. However, exceptions prove the rule, and in a letter received lately from Mr Robert Needham, late of the Royal Comic Opera Company, Mr Coventry’s heart was gladdened by hearing that his old pnpil is likely to come- to • the fore in his chosen profession. Mr Needham, when he wrote, was nMying in “The Dollar Princess ” on tour, and he remarks that “ Mir J. A. E. Malone came down to see our show the other day, and yon can imagine my feelings when he told me lie liked my performance very much, and that I was very, very much better than he ever thought I could be. Coming from Malone this seemed to me a very good beginning, and all through you and your kindness. I cannot but express my gratitude to you for your great help to me in the past.” That Miss Dorothv Court, the prima donna in (he “King of Cadonia” Company, is one of fortune’s favourites, her stage career has amply proved. This delightful singer and charming actress went right to the front in one bound, finding an opening in the Gilbert and Sullivan revivals at the Savoy Theatre, London. “The Pirates of Penzance” was only staged when Mr D’Ovlev Carte discovered in Miss Court a Mabel who could sing the 'high and florid musk Sir Arthur Sullivan scored for that pari. Miss Court 'studied at the Royal College of Music. London, for the concer tplatform,. but this she abandoned for .a stage career, and thus missed the long waiting for an opportunity that breaks the spirit of so many young and promising artists. Australian critics speak in unbounded) terms of admiration of' he rplaying of the Princess Marie in the “King of Cadonia.” To an interviewer Miss Court said: “That which had struck her most forcibly since her arrival in Australia was the magnificent chorus provided for- the opera. All young girls with wonderful fresh voices who are capable musicians, able to read any music at sight, and most wonderful of all. the majority of whonr are -able to dance. Such a combination is- unknown in England or America - , even in the very best organisations.”