STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3168, 2 December 1914, Page 61

STAGE GOSSIP.

Alex (Jerome) Patrick, of this city, was at latest appearing in New York in a comedydrama, " What is Love?” Ysaye, the great Belgian violinist, whoso home was in Liege, is doing service for his country as a non-combatant. H© has three sons at the front. Erie Maxon mad© his last appearance in Australia in “ Within the Law ” at Melbourne Theatre Royal on Saturday night, 14th, and has left for America. Robert Henry, who died in Sydney recently. at on© time was lessee of the Standard Theatre, now th© Little Theatre, where he played sensational drama at million prices. Miss Frances Ross, well known in Bland Holt’s productions, has gone out at the head of a company producing “Nobody’s Daughter,” under Reynold Denniston’s Country Amusements (Ltd.). Miss Beatrice Holloway, Edward O’Neill, and Robert Greig have gone to South Africa to play there tho comedies Fred Niblo has put on in Australia. Wybert Stamford is to be the producer. “ Potash and Perlmutter,” which is to be produced by J. C. Williamson in the near future, lias passed its six hundredth performance in New York. Five companies are touring it throughout the States. Arthur Wontncr, the English actor, who appeared in Australia with a Julius Knight Company, and figured as an evil nobleman in a, stage version of Hall Caine’s “ Eternal City,” was at latest playing at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, in the new play, " Outcast,” Mr Alexander "Watson was a passenger by the Ventura recently for San Francisco, where h© is to begin a continental American tour under the direction of the J. B. Pond Lecture Bureau. It is not unlikely that Mr Watson will revisit Australia in about two years. Linden I). Magnnrd, a French composer, was killed while defending his home near Nanteuil on September 20. Magnard composed the one-act opera, “ Yolante,” which was first produced in Brussels in 1892. He was bora in 1805, and took the first harmonyprize in Paris in 1888. Miss Dorothy- Davies, an American actress, arrived on the Sonoma under engagement to the J. C. Williamson management. Miss Davies saw “ Seven Keys to Baldpate ” on Monday night. “ It is.” sh© says, “ as good all round as the New York production, while in spots it is better.” It turns out that Fritz Kreisler, one of the world's greatest violinists, who was said to have been shot in the arm whilst fighting with the Austrian army, escaped with a wound in the leg, which is said not to be serious. Luckily for the cause of music, it led to his being let off further eervice. Mr Bert. Eoyl© has been definitely informed that the opera company that is being sent to New Zealand at Christmas will be thijt playing the Gilbert-Sullivan .repertoire. The company will commence its tour of the Dominion at Auckland on Boxing Night—precisely a year since it commenced business at Johannesburg. Miss Elsie Spain and Miss Gertrud© Glynn, who have been the leading members of the “Gipsy Love” Company which was disbanded last week, are returning to England; Mr Jack Cannot, tho comedian, is joining the Rickards circuit, and Mr Phil Smith has accepted an engagement with the Brcnnan-Fuller management. Miss Elsie Nicholas, who was one of the most prominent amateurs in Gisborne, and who joined Stephenson and Linley’s “ Bopeep ” Pantomime Company as principal girl last year, has now joined the firm’s “Hnmpty Dumpty” Company, .and will make her first appearance in Christchurch as principal girl in the extravaganza “The Jam of Cathay.” Arthur Stigant, the English comedian who has arrived in Melbourne to appear as Dame in “ Cinderella ” at Her Majesty’s, was at one time a dancer. On© of his special feats was to drop ou to his knees and spring to an upright position again, repeating this performance five or six times. “ The result was that the bones in my knees began to wear,” said Mr Stigant, “ and six times my knees were put out. Nine operations followed, and I spent a good deal of my time in plaster of paris. I don’t dance any more.” Mr Harcourt Beatty is playing the part of Allan Quartermain in “Mamesna.” Mr Oscar Asche’s adaptation of Sir Eider Haggard’s novel, “ Child of Storm,” at the Globe Theatre, London. On© of the scenic features is a great semi-circular panorama extending to a height of 50ft, and the actual methods of warfare which were in Znluland with the wonderful military system of the notorious King Tehaka are said to be accurately reproduced on the stage. The cast of “ Mamoena ” includes Oscnr Asche. Herbert Grimwood. Hubert Carter, Fred Lewis. Caleb Porter, Miss. Lily Brayton, and Miss Dora Barton. An interesting personality in the Gilbert and Sullivan Company is Mr Richard Went hersby, the producer. For over 20 years Mr "Weather-shy was associated with the production of Gilbert, and Sullivan opera at tho Savoy, London, and was on terms of intimate acquaintanceship with both the composer and the librettist. His knowledge of the operas is described as marvellous. H© knows every line of the whole of the operas, as well as tho music. He never consults a script of the play, and every detail of business is exactly carried out from memory, as it was done at the Savoy, London, by the D’Ovly Carte companies. “What do yo i consider the most important quality in an actress?” someone asked Miss Muriel Starr. “ Patience,” replied 'Miss Starr. “ There is no profession in which it is needed to such an extent. The beginning of a stage career is beset with difficulties and disappointments. Tho more ambitious a young artist is the more disappointments she. will find before her, and there is nothing that, hurts so much as disappointed ambition. If a girl is unable to put up with the disappointments, and lacks the courage to press forward and fight her way, she should not be an actress. The only way to get through is, to use an Australianism, to bullock your way through.” WELLINGTON WI»G WHISPERS. By Petek Pan. November 27. Dear “Pus-quin.”—Mr .Frank Wright, a young amateur, who has much ability as a monologue entertainer, gave his first entertainment here on Wednesday evening, and scored a success. He works on the lines ot Mel. B. Spm-r, and his facial work and mimicry are quite good. Mr Wright will probably tour the Dominion. He was assisted by Miss Mina Caldow and Mr Sydney Allwright. Graham Moffat’s Company arrived from tho south on Tuesday, and that evening staged “Bunty Pulls the Strings” at King George Theatre, Lower Hutt. After touring the smalls for a short while tho company returns to Wellington, and will appear at the Grand Opera House on December 10, 11,

and 12. They will be welcome. On the 14th the company leaves for Hobart, en route to Adelaide, where it opens on Boxing Night. It is quite on the cards that Mr Moffat will remain m Australia for some time, and that ho will produce “A Scrape of the Pen”; if so, he will probably make another tour of New Zealand. Let us hope so. The “Humpty-Dumpty” Pantomime Company closed its successful season last night, and was given a cordial farewell, the principals receiving tokens from the audience. The company leaves for Christchurch this evening, and opens there to-morrow evening. On Wednesday afternoon the whole company, most of the members in costume, paraded the streets and collected just short of £IOO for the Belgian Fund. Several young men paid 10s for the privilege of kissing the principal “boy”—Miss Olivo Robinson. Mr Peter Dawson, the celebrated basso, is to tour the Dominion under J. and N. Tail’s management, with Mr E. J. Gravestock as manager. The onening concerts will be given in Wellington on the 26th, 28th, and 29th December. Mr Dawson has also been engaged to sing in “The Messiah” with the Royal Wellington Choral Society on the 18th. The other principals to bo associated with him will b:; Miss Annette George (soprano). Miss Mina Caldow (soprano), and Mr Martin Duff (tenor) Next week “The Magpies” are to appear at His Majesty’s. This is a costume comedy company, and the members are Misses Iris Edgar, Cissy O’Keefe, Pearl Livingstone, and William Maloney, Kennedy Black, Lou Vernon, and Clifford O’Keefe. Business has been quite satisfactory during the week. Spencer Thomas, the brilliant tenor, who played “Lohengrin,” “Hoffman,” and other roles with the Quinlan Opera Company in Australia, together with Montague Al.ison, the chorusmastor, and other members of tho company, have joined the colours and are in the firing line. Robert Parker, the baritone, who was also with tlie Quinlan Company, and who had contracts with opera houses in Germany, has accepted a contract to visit South Africa, whore he is a great favourite. LECTURE RECITAL. BY MR HENRY ST. GEORGE. Mr Henry St. George, examiner for the Trinity College of Music, who is at present in this city in connection with tho examination of candidates for musical honours, gave an extremely interesting address and a most enjoyable lecture-recital on the 27th ult. in the Dresden concert hall, which was quite filled by an audience composed mainly of teachers and advanced candidates. Mr St. George, who was received with warm applause, delivered a brief address containing much good advice, not only for the student of music, but for the teacher. He had, ho said, not quite finished his examination labours on this, his fifth visit, to Dunedin, but he hoped to be through on the following day. He would just say that he had been very pleased with what he had heard so far. The standard of work was better than he usually experienced in Dunedin. In the study of the question of examinations certain things had struck him. One thing had been brought to his attention in Dunedin. He found tho idea prevalent in some quarters that examination was education. He wished to impress upon them, however, the fact that examination was only tho test of education. It was a great mistake to put candidates through examination work only. Ho knew, of course, that many of the younger teachers were entirely in the hands of the parents of their pupils—(laughter),—but ho urged that it was part of their duty to educate the parents as well as tho pupils. —(Renewed laughter.) Where tho candidates were confined to examination work entirely, it was inevitable that a large portion of their edu-, cation was neglected. Another evil arose out of the desire of the teacher to exploit the talented pupil. He knew of teachers — not in New Zealand —(laughter)—who prided themselves because their pupils never got anything under 85 or 90 marks. For himself, he was as proud of the duffers he had succeeded in getting to do something as he was of his clever pupils. He very often had a vast amount of respect for some candidates’ work, although ho gave it low marks. He was not always examining what was done at the moment, but rather all that had gone before. Ho expressed tho opinion that it was just as foolish to enter candidates for examinations that were below as above their standard. Tho former course was often pursued by the teacher to tho detriment of the pupil, merely for the purpose of securing medals. The examinations conducted by tho_ Trinity College merely had this end in view—that, when the candidate had arrived at a certain standard, ho or she could be submitted for exminat:on to see whether a certain standard had been reached, whether the candidate was a little above it, or not quite up to it. Mr (St. George then proceeded to give his illustrated locturotte on tho vio'a da ga.mba, the viola d’amour, and tho violin. Very soon he demonstrated the fact that he was an executant as well as an exponent of three instruments of no ordinary ability. FULLERS’ PICTURES. Interest in the war throbs through the new series of pictures screened at the King’s Theatre on November 30, and forms the animating influence of the whole programme. “Antwerp Under Shot and Shell” is a vivid and realistic representation of tho precision and decisiveness with which military movements are carried out under the stress of active service, and with an enemy approaching nearer every hour. Views are shown of the arrival at tho unfortunate town of the man who is “handy ashore and handy afloat,” and the spectator is struck by his unquenchable cheerfulness and good humour. Armoured cars traverse the streets, flying in all snipers take up secret positions, and the marines are launched into a dangerous position in the fighting line, which they maintain with tho greatest bravery. “The Fires of Ambition” is a Domino drama in two parts, and the action moves from Indian territory to the ranks of society in Washington. Jim Patton and Joe Brady are partners in mining, and the, latter becoming inflamed with tho desire for advancement, plays his confrere false and reaches a high place in the beau mendo of the city. In latter years a dramatic encounter takes place between tho two men, and the law of compensation receives another vindication. A new Keystone comedy, entitled “Recreation,” shows that popular favourite, Charles Chaplin, in some further antics, and is responsible for the creation if irrepressible mirth. The Pathe Gazette also contains some interesting war items,

while the series is completed by several other comic, scenic, and dramatic films of a hgh order of merit.