STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 3251, 5 July 1916, Page 64

STAGE GOSSIP.

Madame Sarah Bernhardt has been giving more performances at different points of the Iron! before aucheucea of soldiers, who have cam; to the entertainments between the lighting. ■' Tire We;!hi of Jericho,” probably the most successful of A ll red fantro s plays, has been filmed by Fox. Edmund Brvese, Kcl-v.-ard Jose, and Claire Whitney' are included in the cast. Mrs Jim Osborne (Maud Jeffries) has had her favourite brother, Norman Jeffries, visiting her country home in New South Wales, lie was a member of the Knight-Jeffrics Company that played “Monsieur Beaucaire ” here. Plans are being prepared for a moving picture theatre on Broadway, New York, capable cf seating 500 J patrons. William A. Brady, who has big interests in both stage and screen .activities, is interested in tiro project. An innovation is to be introduced at Sydney Tivoli. Mr 11. B. MTntosh, governing director of lire Tivoli Theatres ’(Ltd.;, has decided to have a ladies’ orchestra playing in Iho dress circle for an hour before the ■entertainment begins, and during the whole of the interval. Miss Lily Fitzgerald, the soprano of the Pink Bandies, was one of the Scarlet Troubadours, ■of happy recollection. Miss Fitzgerald and Ford Waltham (lire bnsso of the company), have been with Edward Branscombe for a longer period than any' other artists. They are, in tact, '.he “ senior Bandies. 1 ' Harris Ireland, the popular actress, who played the adventuress role with Bland Holt, and who has been practically bod-ridden for two years, was recently able to get about a little and _ meet old friends. She is still, however, incapable of any great activity, and will piobably have to remain under treatment for some time. On Saturday last at Sydney Adel phi Mr Ben J. Fuller presented the London artist, Miss Wish Wynne, in her remarkable studies of English Lome life. M;ss Wynne’s record in both vaudeville and the legitimate is an enviable one, and in her act she is said to possess the talent of switching her audience from laughter to tears just as she wills. Half of the programme was taken up by' Fred Coyne’s London Revue Company' in *' Something Doing.”

A novelty to Australian audiences has been introduced with the Grain: Opera season now on at the Melbourne Princess Theatre. It is the use of paper scenery, which the

company brought with them, and it has bee? in rse throughout their tour. Before it wa allowed to be set up on the Princess stag'

it had to be painted with a compound of potassium and chloride of ammonia, which, has the effect of ranking it fireproof. This has boon done to tha satisfaction of the Board of Health and Fire Brigade authorities.

The popularity of moving pictures is reported to be on tho wane in America, where largo film houses are reducing their staffs and limiting the output. Several years ago the big spectacular film played havoc with the legitimate drama to the extent that big theatres on Broadway were converted into

"movie palaces." and the one-timo flourishing provider of dramas and romantic plays was relegated to little theatres in the side, streels. History is being repeated the other way round, and the spoken drama is rapidly coming into its own again.

The- problem of providing suitable scats for either adults or children at picture shows lias besri solved, it is said, by an ingenious device of a Chicago manufacturing company. The adjustable chair breaks in the centre, so that when it is folded back and hooked it fo'-ms a small seat halfway up the back of the chair when in normal position. At the r;nma. time it throws cut a footrest for the child's feet. The youngster's eyes arc thus brought on a level with those of adults, and the chief cause of restlessness, inability to view the pictures comfortably, is removed.

Mr G-. H. Barnes, for some time connected with theatrical enterprises in Australia, in a, managerial capacity, is .associated as codirector with Mr W. J. Lincoln in the forthcoming Melbourne picture production based on the life of Adam Lindsay Gordon. MiBarnes recently returned from an extensive American tour, in the course of which he devoted much attention to matters connected with the making of feature films. He visited most of the big studios in the neighbourhood of Los Angeles, and had interesting' talks with leading film men. " The moving picture studios and surrounding appointments are a never-failing attraction to tourists," said Mr Barnes. ".At Universal City a, charge of 25 cents (Is OJd) is made for admission. Visitors, however, do not get actually in tench with the players. An ornamental bridge structure, modelled on the lines of these used- to span Venetian canals, serves as a viewpoint, and an official of the company points out the various objects of interest. WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS. Br Peter Pax. June 30. Bear "Pasquin"—Tho" "Mother Goose" matinee last Saturday must have established a record l for the Grand Opera House. The big - house was one mass of children, boxes and passage-ways being invaded by tho horde; and they enjoyed themselves immensely. To-nipht the Japanese Admiral and his officers will attend) tho performance, when the house will be specially decorated in their honour. On Mond.iv tho company leaves for Hawera, with New Plymouth, Palmerston, Hastings, Napier, and Gisborno next in the itinerary. Next Tuesday the Choral Union will sing "Faust." under the direction of our veteran conductor. Mr Robert Parker. The soloists, a capable band, are as follow :—Soprano, Miss Flsy- Troweck (Melbourne); tenor. Mr Frank Graham (Dunedin) ; bass (Mephisto.). Mr Hamilton Hodcres; baritone, Mr Frank Charlton; bass, Mr Chas. Moore: mezzo-soprano. Miss Eileen Driscoll; contralto. M ; ss Bene Goyder. The Dandies close a successful season tomorrow night, and then move away '-ouih. Our next attraction is Allen Doonn and iiis company of players. They are due to open on the Bth in "O'Leary, V. 0." Frank Levy is again ahead of the show, and he arrived from Melbourne this week to put matters in train.

Following Allen Doone. the Tivoli Follies will make their bow. A number of new artists have been added to this combination, which first opens in Auckland on tho 10th.

Tho "Mother Goose" Pantomime Company has a knitting club, and most of the young ladies of the company put in their spare time knitting socks for soldiers from wool purchased by the whole company. Before Iho Now Zealand tour is concluded they hope to have quite a pile of socks ready for disnatcb to the fiont.

By the 'Frisco steamer last week the Five Manchurfans, expert acrobats, arrived

for a tour of the Fuller circuit. There was some difficulty whin they landed, through the fart that tic re arc no Manchurians domiciled hero. The best that could bo done in the way of an interpreter was a Cantonese. He tried his lingo on tour of mo live, but could not even rase a smile from tin m. He gave the fifth a trial, and alter a desperate struggle managed lo convey what was wanted of them—-the compliance- with the Aliens Act. After the Cantonese had worked up a great perspiration Walter Fuller had got enough information imparted to allow ot him signing the bond. The Manehus then went on to Auckland, but are dim here on Monday evening These acrobats are said to eclipse the famous Jfcmzais. Yesterday Air John Fuller, junr., left for Sydney, where ho will look' after the interests «f the Xew Zealand PictureSupplies. On Wednesday evening about 15L) employees of the Supplies met tit the King's Theatre, and through Air E. J. Wright-on, managing director, presented him with a gold sovereign case. Mr Fuller's health was drunk with musical honours. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. One of the main features of the new programme presented at His Majesty's Theatre on the 3rd was the tumbling and acrobatic feats performed by several members of the company. First there were the Four Kings. a quartette of little girls who sang and danced, and wound up with a clever display of tumbling, which was certainly the best portion of the performance they gave. Many neat fears were presented for the delectation of the spectators, though naturally they were not of the astounding or daring order. The same class of entertainment, in a much advanced stage was later given by Kiich and Cliftie, the actions of the one being reminiscent of a rubber ball. He exhibited extraordinary agility and suppleness, and his feats in the direction of somersaults were a special feature. The other provided the humour of the turn, but had evidently some qualifications as an acrobat also. The turn was decidedly a good one. Juggling is a near relation to tumbling, and Walker and Campbell proved to be experts in the art. They handle the racquet most dexterously, the spinning of the one being exceptionally smart. The climax was reached when he ascended an unsupported ladder, and on the top rung spun racquets with facility; bells being substituted for these before the close of the act. The other performer parades most of the humorous atmosphere of the act, but can manipulate a racquet with considerable skill. and specialises with tennis balls. Bert introduces a canine comedy company of four who do many clever things. The features are rolling the sphere, and seesawing. The cleverest feat is, however, where one of the dogs mount a ladder reaching to a height of 18ft or 20ft and takes a jump into a net. The fifth new turn was provided by Starr and Starr, comedy artists of the usual type. Nearly all their sayings and doings are acceptable, and provoke a great deal of amusement. Their turn is composed of singing and patter. The services of some of the members of last week's company have been retained ,and in some instances these present matter that is quite equal to that introduced for the first time.