THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 50

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By

PASQUIN.

MONDAY, May 21. The Walter George Sunshine Players "’hi open a return season at the Princess Theatre to-night. 'the revue they will

stage is entitled “Don’t Be Vulgar, Charlie.” ihe prime favourites remain — Waiter George, George Storey. Yorke Gray, Miss Dulcie Mi.ner, and Miss Georgie Martin —and there is a new leading lady. Miss Hazel Fuller. The purely vaudeville side of the programme will, be provided by the new-comers : '.l he Two Meurs (balancers), Miss Dora Lindsay, Wong loy Sun, Signor Palmetto, Bilt.on and Max, and Frank Andrews are the stop-overs from the frevious week. “The Peep Show,” J. C. Williamson’s latest theatrical importation from London, won instant success with a crowded audience on its opening here at His Majesty’s Theatre on Saturday evening. Much had been heard of its attractiveness, but those who witnessed its production were clearly of opinion that it had not been a whit overpraised. It is planned on somewhat unusual lines, and combines the features of a musical revue with those of a pantomime. There are in all 17 ‘‘peeps” in the show, and as not a few of these were of a considerable length the entertainment offered is on a generous arid comprehensive scale. There is indeed only one interval in the three ‘hours’ feast of colour and music, mirth, and swift bewitching motion. The mechanical difficulties of compressing such a wealth and variety of scenes into so limited a time urnst be many, but they were triumphantly overcome, and the whole fascinating conception swept forward without a hitch to its appointed end. On Friday night the company will play “The Forty Thieves.” The Allen Doone Company finished up a successful season on Wednesday last, and left on Thursday on route to Palmerston N orth. The manager of the company is Mr George D. Portus. It is some years now since the genial and genuine George has been in Dunedin, and it was quite a pleasure to renew acquaintanceship' with him. Miss Phyllis Porter, the actress with the “Peep Show” Company who met her de&tfi at Wellington under such tragic circumstances, was only 19 years of age. She had been on the stage, since she was seven jears old. Those who witnessed the production of the “Peep Show” in the north remember her for her singing of “Her Golden Hair Was All Ad.own Her Back,” and for her dainty representation of Agnes in the “Dickens Scene.” Miss Hilda. Bonington, who was leading lady with Allan Wilkie on his last tour, passed through Wellington the ol,!~r day on her way to Sydney from America, by the Maunganui. Miss Dorrington was married in Boston to Mr Eldridge Watson, and has eiven up her theatrical career. It is reported that Miss Vera Pearce was so- conspicuously succssfid in her first pantomime in Great Britain that she has been signed on by the big English producers Wylie and Tate for two years, to follow on a season in South Africa shortly. Miss Pearce was to leave for South Africa on April 6. The Christchurch Amateur Operatic Society is at present endeavouring to fix dates for the presentation of the opera “The Toreador,” which Mr T. E. Foster will produce. Additional engagements, as follows, have been made for Dame Nellie Melba’s Company for an Australian opera season :—Bcarvizzi, lyric soprano; Concato, dramatic soprano; Lahowska, mezzo-soprano; Piecaluga, lyric tenor; Marques, dramatic tenor; Granforte and Basiola. baritones ; and Azzolini. comic bass ; and also Henry Russell, artistic director. The above artists have been recruited from the Paris, Milan, and Madrid opera houses. Miss Muriel Martin Harvey, who is appearing in the Sydney production of “If Winter Comas,” is a daughter of the celebrated actor Sir John Martin Harvey. Sydney Carton in “The Only Way,” founded on Dickens’s “Tale of Two Cities,” was one of the many “Martin Harvey” parts. Mark Sabre, in “if Winter Comes,” is played by Mr Garrv Marsh, who was chosen for this part by the author, Mr A. S. M. Hutchinson . “Mr and Mrs Graham Browne present the Marriage of Kitty.’” This i s the form in which the second production of Miss Marie Tempest’s London season has been announced. English theatregoers regard the, comedy as a much happier choice than “Good Gracious, Annabelle,” and most Australians will agree with them. Kitty was one of Miss Tempest’s early eomedy successes after she had left the musical stage, and the part is particularly suited to her style. The piece was played in Dunedin by Miss Tempest, and was a pronounced success. After a very fine season against strong competition, “A Southern Maid” is being withdrawn, and for the following fortnight tiie attraction at Melbourne Her Majesty’s will be a revival of “The Arcadians,” first produced at the Theatre Royal many years ago under the Meynell-Gutm management. “The Arcadians” and “Miss Hook of Holland” were their two chief successes, and on subsequent revivals “The Arcadians” was always popular. The leading part, Bom bra, will be taken by Miss Kathjyn

Hilly arc!, while Mr .Leslie Holland takes * out \\ all s old part of Peter Doody, the jockey who, in his own peculiar way, was always merry and bright.” Mr Dan Agar will be Bimpkcilas. hii u s Rene Maxwell is to give a farewell concert at Sydney ] own Hall on Saturday, June 2, prior to her departure for America, where sue will accompany the Peruvian contralto, Madame d Alvarez, on a world tour. the world’s most beautiful acting sisters is a term constantly used to describe Miss Gertrude Elliott (Lady ForbesRoberlson, whom we hope to see in New Zealand), arid Miss Maxine Elliott. Both began their careers in America, and for so no years w ere jointly responsible for staging a number of important, productions. Lady Forbes-Robertson still laughs over many amusing incidents which befell them in those early days, although Maxine is many years the senior of the two. ... ” enn 9 Moisei wit sell, the Russian pianist, L aluvt 'd “» Sydney to commence his second Australian tour under the J and N tat management. Ilis wife. Miss Daisy Kennedy (the violinist.) is at present in ■Eijgvln’MX Madame Sarah Bernhardt’s sta-e costumes. clods, furniture, objects chart and 1 , autographed works of Dumas, Burdon, !i i , ‘- and > and other authors, will be 'aim l by "i'> ctlo e ■ )uno ’ U '■* stated that -u. dame Bernhardt died practically penniNX'i V lo . saia of the greater part of her 1 13 t^leir seizure l>y judgment heath iel ' CreUit ° rs immediately after her /■ h ,f F'jurke street (Melbourne) block, V. K includes the Bijou and Gaiety Theatres, and a residential hotel, will lie trunsioimed m accordance with the Ward J- Uher policy oE building or radically alterthottr<f;. Progress is also being made v-i h rebuilding m Sydney, and there are v ens ' vp plans for other Australian or -'ew Zealand cities. th^ e "L has J e n n roceivtfd from Australia that Miss Nelhe Colvin, a well-known Austrahau actress, was found dead in her h ’y. r a .'’ lilg succumbed, presumably, to ‘■7 rt fadtire. Miss Colvin, who wa s the Ji” l ; le , ex-Dunedinite, Mr Roland 1 J and someth me manager "N competent actress, who has appeared h 4o y wbh e V M w' r Zealand. She was M.r ‘ 4 ~4 e 1 lunmer-Hall company in V m a! .', d V s - Vear was a member of the i e ue .u-amley company, Miss Colvin was st il with tjie latter company in Melbourne v*noii she died. r -“ re ® -Cabinet Ministers, Sir Eric jeclcles car Ha mar Greenwood, and Mr --award fehortt, besides many ce'ebrities, were, present at the wedding at dsn t ‘°f U Nr a ' S x ( ' hurch > Poat street, London, of Miss Nancie Lovat, the musical comedy actress, and Mr Cecil Langlands Uio Epson, racehorse trainer. The bride «as recently playing a leading part in J he IsJand King” at. the Adelphi Theatre. olr F r:c Fecldns and Sir Hamar Greenwood v.ero amongst those who signed the register winie later, at a reception in Hans Crescent’ Vi-u rie ,p r °liosed the bride’s health. • '' _ n Oswald Stoll, woke the mornmg aner the opening performance of his jazzaganza, “You’d Be Surprised.” at Covent Garden, Jandon, it was not to find In insert extolled for having succeeded in appeasing the public’s theatrical appeiile. -•no after another the reviews sang their nymn of hate, swelling into such a chorus of disproral as has not been heard for many a long day. And after engaging George Robey at x.oG‘o a week, too. Every thing in his show was splashed with gold, yet, for all the good the critics could find in it- it might as well have been trimmed with tinsel. WELLINGTON WIINC WHISPERS. [By Peter Pan.l May 18. Dear “Pasquin,”—Sir Harry Lauder arrived on Tuesday from Sydney, and was accorded the honour of a reception by the Mayor and the heads of the local musicbodies. On Wednesday he was leader at the first community sing of the season in the Town Hall, and v. as accorded a great reception. In the evening he opened his season at the Grand Opera House to a tremendous house, and his turn was a triumph of artistry. He sang and sang, made speeches, and yet the audience would not let him go off, until the great comedian closed the performance by singing Ihe National Anthem. It was a great nieht, ye ken. The supporting company is an excellent one, every turn being new here. Altogether it was a fine bill. Mr Waiter Fuller, who went to Auckland to attend his father’s funeral, returned to Wellington this week. “The Forty Thieves” Pantomime Company closed its season on Monday and left for Christchurch the following day. Jack Cannot, the comedian, was unfortunate in meeting with an accident at the matinee on. Saturday. A batten fell from the “flies” and struck him on the head, inflicting a wound which necessitated several stitches. He was able to appear at the evening performance. The Westminster Glee Singers left for Australia by the Marama to-day. Hu He and Evans Revue Company finished a lengthy season at Fullers’s H : s Majesty’s last night. To-night we are to have an allvaudeville bill, the artists being Marie La A arre. Le* Kbch. Wendy and Alphonse, t«e Stagpoles, Ernest Krake and company, tee 1 umbling I omboys, George Octon, •Tonic Pastor, and Elsa Lewis. Kmeliiy Pol ini opens here on June 2 in “The Lie.” Frank Ilarvey will be the leading man.