STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3250, 28 June 1916, Page 56

STAGE GOSSIP.

Mr Albert Chevalier, who proved himself to be an accomplished actor on the- screen, has forsaken the music hall for comedy in a bier way, and is playing: Ecclcs in ''Caste" in the English provinces. Paul Dufanlt's lour of Australia will last up to the end of November, and he hopes to be in New York at Christmas, ready to commence a. tour of the United Stales and Canada early ir. January. Anion? the passengers who arrived at Wellington from, San Francisco by the Moana wore a team of artists for the Fuller Vaudeville circuit, comprising Maculin and Hoy, comedy conjurers, and a troupe of five Chinese acrobats. Madame Boeufve and Miss Beatrice Day (the well-known actress), two of the loaders of the Anti-German League, left Wellington last Thuisday night by the Sydney steamer bound for the Old Country. Madamo Boeufve intends to go to France. Mr Ford Walthani, the man with the big bass voice, who originally toured the Dominion as a. member of Mr Edward Branscombe's "Scarlet, Troubadours," is now associated with tho "Pink Dandies," who will open a short season in Dunodin next month. A song written in the trenches during a bombardment by Lance-corporal Calder, of tho London Scottish, who was wounded at Loos, has won tho prize in the open comae tition of tho Stratford Musical Festival.

The prize con--i.os.tion is a sotting of "O! How sleep the bravo" Dainty Decimo M'Lean, of the Whirlwind M'Leans, who are dancing their way through the- Fuller circuit, is nearly 21, and regarding this onre-m-a-life-timo event recalls that, when she first appeared in New Zealand, she was only seven; her second appearance was at 14, and her third at 21. There is cons tern at ion in Nottingham's picture- theatres. By the Watch Oommit.tee'a new ruling; no children are to he admitted after 5 o'clock, except under adult escort. Many more attendants arc to be engaged, and permanent guard 'is to bo mounted on all stairways during performances. ; Mr Marc M'Dermott, who was seven years with the late Mr George Lliguold, and later with Mrs Patrick Campbell as leading man, has loft the Edison Company to join the Vitagraph Players. Porn in London, he came to Australia at a very early age, and stayed there- for many years. During tho last seven years he has figured prominently in most of the Edison Company's successes. There are approximately 4500 picture theatres now open in the United Kingdom. Reckoning the average daily attendance at each house at 800, and the- average admission price as Od per head., then the amusement tax should bring in a total daily r^--'->n-\ of £.70,0.0. Excluding Sundry shew-, which ars not general, the tola.' for a week would amount to £540,000, which for a whole yeai would be increased to £23,000,000 or so. There has arrived in Melbourne a new producer under "the management of J. C. Williamson (Ltd ). This is Mr George Hyland, well known in London and New York, where ho has staged many important musical productions. The first niece to be handled by Mr Hyland will be "To-night'a the Niedit," which will shortly be sriven its first Australian presentation at Melbourne Her Majesty's. It comes from the Gaiety, London.

Mcllle. Adeline Genee has created n new sensation, and added another triumph to tho lone; talo of her successes in the new fantastic modern ballet" in cno tableau, composed and arranged by Mr C. Wilhelm, and now phowinsr at the Coliseum, London. In this ballet Mdlle. Ooree illustrates all tvpos of dancing, and ths "Pretty 'Prentice" is regarded as one ef Hie best" things she has given. It affords her great scope for the exercise of the art by which she has witched the world.

When Mr Harold Ashton, associate director of J. C. Williamson (Ltd.), recently arrived in America the first official duty he performed was to clinch the negotiations that had been carried on by the firm for the purchase of Edward Sheldon's remarkable play "Romance." There were numerous offers for the Australian rishts, but T.r Ashton's outbid them all, "Romance," which has achieved as big a success in London as in New York, has been described as "the most beautiful play ever written " A new revue' company, headed by Miss Wish Wynne, one of the finest comediennes of the Ada Reeve type yet seen in Australia, opened at Sydney Adelphi Theatre en June 24. Miss Wynne, who has just completed a very successful tour in South Africa, has already made a remarkable success in Melbourne, particularly in a country girl song. She is said to be a. sprightly and vivacious performer, who gauges the audiences to a nicety at each appearance. In the same company is Miss Daisv Jerome. The Actors' Association of Australasia has. sent the following letter to the Governorgeneral:—"The couiscil of the Actors' Association of Australasia, of which you are chief patron, desire to convey, through your Excellency, their humble duty to his Majesty the King, and as the recognised official body, representing the actors and actresses of Australasia,, desire, through you, to express to his Majesty the sincere regret of the entire theatrical profession of Australasia at the untimelv djath of Britain's greatest soldier. Lord Kitchener, and at the same time to express their intense satisfaction at the success of his Majesty's fleet in the recent naval battle. Julius Knight, president; Walter Bentley, general secretary."