THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 52

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

• By i J ASOI'IK. MONDAY, February 8. To-night Mr Walter George will produce another of his brilliant musical comedies which have won him. so much popularity. His second production is entitled ' 'The King of Dunnowhereski," ..and..is entitled to be ranked as one of his. best shows. The music and dressing, \ as usual, are features of the entertainment, while there is plenty of good clean comedy also. A newcomer in the vaudeville section is Theodore, a comedy juggler, whose act is presented under the title of "Fun in a Studio." The Donaghs present a medley of music and comedy which is said to be very acceptable. A welcome return visit will be paid by the ever-popular Falvey sisters, in their clever harmonising. Pollard and Jackson, operatic vocalists, and George Hall, entertainer, complete the bill. After piloting the . J. C. Williamson Musical Comedy Company to an issue that has proved the most successful of any of the big firm's New Zealand enterprises for many years, Mr. Charles M: Berkeley,, the doyen of advance managers, proceeds to Auckland -to take . up the running with "Lightnin,' " a highly-successful play that 'has broken all . records in that class of entertainment in. Australia. , . , ~ Something of an '■ "embarass denches theatrical is offered by, the J. C. Williamson management in the. season"- of their musical comedy company, which opens at His Majesty's to-morrowr m'ght. To follow the famous "Yes, Uncle'' and "Going Up'' is announced no less than a brilliant revival of "High Jinks." This volatile and entirely charming musical play has invariably proved a sure draw whenever and wherever it has been revided. By the authors of the melodious "Katinka," it has also_ a wealthy of beautiful cadences and dainty . musical numbers. In "High Jinks" the delectable "Exquisite. Eight" are.seen to special advantage. The scenery is elaborate and the costuming entirely novel. AH the principals are splendidly provided for by the authors and composer's, and the; ballets and specialty dano3S are said to be exceptionally alluring. A further important and highly interesting revival "is announced for the last night of the season in "The Girl in the Taxi." Mr Harry Cohen is here_ on- a. short visit to his parents, accompanied by his wife (Doris Diiane, a well-known English and American actress). Mr Cohen will be remembered by many of the overseas men by reason of his entertaining them while manager at Drury Lane and Empire Theatres, London. ', Mr Vol Newman, who, with Miss Lottie Newman, was well known on the Fuller circuit,, writes me from Calcutta under date January 24. Mr Newman (who was connected with the Dunedin Drainage Board from 1901 to 1906) states that his last visit to Dunedln was in 1918, when he was playing the Fuller circuit., Since then he Ims been touring with his company—" The Tonics" —in Java,, Malay States, Sumatra, BuTmab, and India. At time of writing ho was reorganising the show, owing to two or three of his artists returning to England, with a view to a further tour of Egypt, also China, and Japan. Mr Newman continues: —"I met another Dunedin boy a few weeks app, Joe Brennan, andhe was doing very nicely, also his wife,, with Jack Waller's Co., 'Look Who's Here.' I might mention that my company was playing right on the Afghanistan frontier for some weeks entertaining the troops until it got too hot for us, due to many tribal raids, and the season had to be cut short. With very best wishes to you and all Dunedln friends." The company is made up as follows:—Val Newman, Lottie Newman, Dalle Brooke, Percy Hayden, Albert Morrow, Gladys Gayford, aittf Fred Fox. Matinees commence.

at 6 p.m. and the ordinary performance at 9.50.

Miss Ada Reeve is to .take the name-part in tha musical play "Medorah" at the London Alhambra. Mr W. S. Percy will be in the cast.

"The Fatal Wedding," which is being revived in Sydney by Messrs Ben and John Fuller, has made fortunes for more than one management. Originally produced m Australia "by Messrs Meynell and Gunn., it had Maisie Posner as its earliest "little mother." Mi?s Posner won success later in vaudeville. Another "little mother" was Ina Williams, who is now a Schubert star in America..

"I have a lovely time in Australia," remarked Miss Connie Ediss (recently in. Australia under the J. C. Williamson management) on ber return to London, "and would have beon perfectly happy if I had been a quarter less home-sick. The Australians are .a nice race of people,- broadminded and good-hearted. They speak out what they think, and don't car© tuppence if it snows. Whereas we—well, we are a little more guarded." "South African Pictorial"-(Johannesburg) praises a young Australian in its review of "The Babes in the Wood" —Miss Nellie Fallon, as Maid Marion, is the best principal girl His Majesty's has had in five pantomimes, extending over seven Christmases, and her daintiness and charm ane decidedly one of the successes of the production.

When the auctioneer closed his offers at £124,000 for the old Sydney Girls' High School site, Elizabeth and Castlereagh streets, Sydney, recently, the hopes of Messrs J. and N. Tait of securing it for a theatre were shattered. They were prepared to go up to £123,000. The firm, liowever, does not despair of being able to obtain a property, in the city which will h? suitable for the development scheme it has in view. Since this sale have come many proposals, and it is probable that before long a convenient site will be available. The building plans already prepared show that the mangement has full confidence in the future of Sydney as the leading theatrical centre of Australasia.

Mr John Lawson —the famous Jewish actor—who will arrive in Australia about Easter under the management of Messrs Ben, and John Fuller, will play three oneaqt plays in one evening. Each has a birr reputation. In Mr Lawson's repertoire will be "Only a Jew," "Humanity," "The Monkey's Paw," and another elaboratelystaged thrill, in which the star will appear as: Disraeli. The fearsome "The Monkey's Paw," written in directly opposite strain to Mr W. W. Jacobs's usual light touch, has already been played in Melbourne as: a curtain raiser to "Three Faces East." , According to the London Era to 'hand by the last mail Miss Daisy Jerome was to make her'reappearance at the Metropolitan Theatre, London, at the beginning of this year. - Claude Kyall, her business manager, stated that Miss Jerome's husband, Commander La Touche, returned home from India to spend Christmas with his wife. The Era. also says that Mr Albert Whelan — Ichabod Bronson of "The Belle of New York"—has had a very tempting offer to to the United States for moving pictures. • .■■"'■'

The hero of a piece who wears is something of a novelty in musical comedy. Leslie Holland fills the role in "Kissing Time" at Melbourne Theatre Royal. Touquet, the part played by Mr Holland, is a French soldier returned from the war with, a fierce bunch of whiskers on his face, which do not, however, deter his young and pretty godmother from kissing him. Certainly he ultimately shaves them off when he gets into fashionable raiment, and discards his muddy uniform of the trenches, but even to go through one act with whiskers as part of his make-up is enough of a novelty to arouse comment. The announcement that Mrs Brough has been engaged by J. O. Williamson, Ltd., to appear in " Tilly of Bloomsbury" has brought many congratulatory letters to the firm. Six years have passed since the popular actress went to England, where she added to her prestige an)d successes. Her engagements included 18 .Thonths with Vedrenne.and Eadie's company in the "The Man Who Stayed at Home." She also appeared in "The Land of Promise," "Trelawney of the Wells," ''Caesar's Wife," and other -plays. |; r.v >:'•.-' Despite - its wonderful .success at Melbourne Her Majesty's, the' l J. C. Williamson pantomime, "The Sleeping':.: Beauty;" has entered upon the last weeks of its season, as- arrangements made long ahead for the seasons in Adelaide and; Sydney have to be adhered to. ; - ■'

Interviewed in Wellington the other day, Kennedy, in v Yeferring to the flowing looks, the big bow tie, the low collar, and the velveteen jacket adopted by the, musicians of the old school, said:—"l remember that even my husband wore his hair long and affected the costume of devotees of the arts. Now he is a perfect slave to fashion. He is close-cropped, wears the latest styles in his clothing, and doesn't look a bit like what we used to call a musician, Other times, other manners, I suppose." ; Mr Jack O'Saillivan. the well-known advance agent, and brother of Mr Tom Pollard (last here_ with the Allan Wilkie Company), is leaving for the East, where he will join Mr Edgar Warwick, who is touring India and China with his own company, "The Vanity Fairs." WellincJon Free Lance _ reports that Mr Claude Whaite. at one time manager for the late P. P.. Dix, has just received news that he has inherited a fortune of £14.000. Miss Grace Palotta. once a favourite with N.Z. playgoers, has been for some time past a sales-lady in a fashionable Melbourne emporium.. The erstwhile "Girl from Rector's" is to leave this month to assume, a similar position in Colombo.