STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3205, 18 August 1915, Page 63

STAGE GOSSIP.

Mr Barry Lupino and Miss Minnie Love, here recently with the i J autoininie Company, have been retained to appear in- a series oi revivals of musical comeay under the J. C. Williamson management. Mr James tiazlitt, who has been manager of the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, for J. C. Williamson, Ltd., for some time past, is in Wellington as manager of "The Man Who Stayed at Home” Company. Gallery “gods” are so called hecatise the old ceiling of Drury Lane Theatre, which extended over the gallery, was painted to represent a blue sky with clouds, among which were Cupids floating about. Two new leading artists to appear under the J. C. Williamson management are lan Maclaren, an English actor of wide experience, and Charlotte Ives, an American leading lady. Both make their first appearance in. Australia in the war pitty, "Inside the Lines,” at the Criterion, Sydney. Mr Henry Bracy, who is well-known in the Dominion in connection with Gilbert and Sullivan and other musical productions by J. C. Williamson, is repotted as being seriouslj' ill in Sydney. Mr Bracy was the original Prince Hilanon in “Princess Ida, and was the original Marco in “The Gondoliers” in Australia and New Zealand. It is more than probable that Mr Frank Hawthorne will be heading a strong corned}' company that is booked to tour the JJomimon, starling in September. Including Mr Hawthorne, the company will contain some of the members of Mr George Edwaxdes s Opera Company, who are at present touring Africa. Of these the principal will be Mr Arthur Henderson. Amongst the other names on the roster are those of Ivy Davies, Amy Berrill, Courtney Ford, and Carr-Gray. The company has a repertoire of well-known musical comedies. The New York Dramatic Mirror, a resume of the past theatrical_ season in New York, mentions that only five plays have exceeded a run of over 500 nights —namely, “Twin Beds,” “On Trial,” "It pays Advertise,” “Potash and Perlrautter,” and “The Law of the Land.” The Australasian rights of the whole of these plays belong to J. C. Williamson, Ltd. “Potash and Perlnvutter has scored an immense success at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, and “The Law of the Land” has just been staged by Muriel Starr at Her Majesty’s. Gallant efforts are being made to save the situation in regard to the Russian Opel a season in the Kingsway Theatre, Londo; , which was recently compelled to suspend operations in consequence of inadequate support. About £IOOO has, it seems, already been subscribed by various well-known people (Mrnc. Clara Butt was one, Lord Rothschild 'another, and so on), and if only another £SOO can be raised this will suffice to enable the season to be resumed, to the advantage not only of tlie musical public, but, what is more important, of some hundreds of artists and employees who have been thrown out of work by its collapse. At the beginning of his career, Paul Burns, who plays Abe Potash in “Potash and Pcrlniutter” at Melbourne Theatre Royal, earned his living as a stage doorkeeper at a New York theatre, at a salary of 12s 6d pelweek. The time came, however, when he was put into small parts,, and one day he went home and informed his father that he was now raised to the salary of £4 per week. “Twenty dollars a week for saying a few words in the play!” exclaimed Burns, sen. “That’s wonderful.” “Why, replied the young actor, “that’s nothing. “Kubelik gels a thousand dollars a night for playing a few tunes on his violin.” The old man looked at his son reproachfully, and murmured, “Paul, how many times have I to go and take lessons on the fiddle?”