THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL

Otago Witness, Issue 4063, 26 January 1932, Page 62

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL

By

Pasquin.

Florence Austral, the Australian soprano. and her husband, John Aniadio, flautist, were to appear at Carnegie Hall, New York, last month, and were to be followed a few nights later in the same hall by Efrem Zimbalist, the violinist, whose tour of New Zealand was such a musical and artistic success a few years ago. Fred Carpenter, the talented Australian dancer whose athletic leaps in the course of. his work have astounded audiences, is prominent in the London Hippodrome production, “ The Young King.” He dances in pantomime to spoken words. He is a Alordkin disciple, and has won success in New York, London, and Paris, where his bronze make-up has added to his attractive dancing. Ethel Morrison, better known to New Zealanders as Ettie Alaginnity, of Wellington, is making her farewell appearances in Australia, ae she is returning to the States in March. Syd Beck, the former Fuller revue favourite, and Nat Phillips, another Fuller star, were the chief fun-makers in the Adelaide pantomime, “ Cinderella.”

The Moscow Art Theatre Company has opened at London Kingsway for a season. Their performances are given in Russian, and in Gogol’s “ Revisor ” (The Government Inspector) much of the fun of the dialogue was missed by the English audiences. However, the century-old satire on the corruption of small municipal officials was easy to follow. In the company are P. Pavloff and B. Alekine.

Sir John' and Lady Martin-Harvey sailed from London for Canada on December 26 for their seventh tour of the Dominion. Their opening production is the costume drama, “ The King’s Messenger.” “ Waltzes from Vienna,”, in which Marie Burke has a prominent part, is one of the hits of the London season. It has reached its 250th performance. In the revival of “ Florodora ”, in Sydney, Dorothy Brunton as Lady Holyrood hae good support from Cecil Kelleway, Leo Franklyn, Sidney .Burchall, Romola Hansen. Herbert Browne, Nellie Barnes, and Sidney Wheeler. “ Personally. I am sorry that the beautiful Madge- Elliott is not again in the gay company,” says a London writer in referring to the revival of the musical comedy “ The Millionaire Kid.” Miss Elliott has returned to Australia to play leads in Williamson productions. “It was noticeable that in the plays that were running in America these days the English artists usually were preferred to Americans,” said Miss Phyllis Elgar, an Australian girl who has been appearing in films in America, on arrival at Wellington by the Alakura this week. “ To a leoser extent the same applied to Englishmen on the screen.” There is a rumour floating around -.that Noel Coward is to receive a mark of royal favour, and the “ A1.V.0.” has been, mentioned.. The queen is said to have, been in tears during the command performance of “ Cavalcade ” at Drury Lane. “ Cavalcade,” Noel Coward’s patriotic and spectacular play at Drury Lane, London, is a sensational success. Lately it has been taking £6600 a week. It deals with the outstanding events in English history during the past 30 years, and has been staged at a moot opportune time, when “ Buy British ” is the slogan heard on all sides. New Zealanders who have pleasant recollections of the visits to the Dominion of the Westminster Glee Singers will- be sorry to hear of the pending disbandment of that excellent concert combination. After the death in South Africa of Mr Edward Branscombe, who directed the tours, the boys went to Egypt and, according to Mr D. D. O’Connor,. their former concert manager, they are to disband on their return to England. Mrs Branscombe. will remain with the party until it reaches London. Mr O’Connor told a New Zealand Herald reporter that he has every hope that the company will re-form in the near future, and he expects to leave for England shortly with the intention of making the necessary arrangements to bring that end about.

BRITISH FILM INDUSTRY. John Batten, a young Aucklander who, after appearing in Williamson musical comedy, left for Hollywood seven years ago, and has since made his name ae a film actor in British and German productions, has arrived at Auckland by the Aorangi on a short visit to his home. He is on a health-recruiting tour. He contracted pneumonia as the result of work he did in connection with a film dealing with the adventures of the crew of a submarine. Mr Batten played at Hollywood in The Battle of the Sexes,” directed by Mr D. W. Griffith, and, proceeding later to Germany, he appeared in “ The Love ■ Waltz.” He then played the juvenile lead in the British films, “Under the Greenwood Tree ” and “ The Great Game,” and his latest important engagement has been in “Men Like These,” a story of a submarine disaster. “ There is tremendous activity in British jfilm production,” said Mr Batten, “and it will not be long before Britain holds the leading position in the world. There are 30 sound studios in England, and there is the prospect of more being established.” The studio to which he is attached isbound to a definite schedule of a picture a week. _ It was because of this pressure of activity that he expected to stay in New Zealand for only six weeks. By the end of next year British producing firms would probably be able to meet Hollywood on equal ground. There was not the .(slightest doubt that the British film assisted by excellent talent, was (increasing in power at a remarkable rate. 'All the indications pointed to considerable achievements, and throughout the British

Empire a growing tendency toward British pictures had been discerned.

AN INDUSTRY IN EMBRYO. In the Efftee studio, which is growing, so to speak, out of the ashes of Melbourne’s greatest legitimate theatre, we have the genesis of a great industry which may bring fame and wealth to Australia (says the Melbourne Age). The famous studios of Hollywood began no more pretentiously than this local enterprise, and from them have emerged those moving picture cities the products of which are known throughout the world. Though the Efftee enterprise is still in its swaddling clothes, already a fortune of £50,000 has been expended on it. During the present year it is estimated that at least another £60,000 will be spent, though fortunately revenue is now commencing to flow in. The founder of Efftee Film Productions, Mr F. W. Thring, started off with the right policy. In Mr Arthur Higgins, the photographic director, and Mr Allan Mill, the sound director, he found two Australians who have spent the'best years of their lives in the film industry. Both were sent to Hollywood, in company with the general manager, Mr Tom Holt, to study the latest technique of the talkies, and both have returned well equipped to ensure for Efftee productions technical perfection second to none in the world.

On the literary side, an organisation is gradually being built up which will ensure continuity of suitable scenarios, while plenty of suitable talkie-acting talent has provel to be available.

ACTOR AGED 103. An actor appearing in “Bill the Conqueror,” which Norman Walker is directing for. 8.1. P. at Elstree, celebrated his 103rd birthday! He is Alfred Arnold, and his long lifetime is crammed with incident. Arnold., who does not look half his age, is a disciple of Yogaism—a cult of regeneration and rejuvenation of the body through the mind. This he practises every day. and through it he claims to be as fit as any man of 50. Arnold was born in London in 1829. He remembers, being taken as a child to see Queen Victoria’s coronation. He also saw the opening of the Royal Exchange and visited the Great Exhibition of 1851. He has twice been a prisoner of war. While acting as -war correspondent for a London newspaper in the RussoJapanese war he was taken prisoner, and escaped by disguising himself as a Turk. He was also made a prisoner in Germany when acting as correspondent during the Great War.

In “ Bill the Conqueror ” Arnold appears as one of the rustics who look on with horror during a fight in a village inn. between Henry Kendall and Sam Livesey. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THEM? Where are the girls of yesteryear? And. the elegant young men? What has become 'of the cast of ’ “ Florodora ” as first played? These are questions asked and answered by Sydney Sun in referring to the successful revival of “ Florodora” in Sydney. Tweedlepunch (George Latiri), Captain Abercoed (Wallace Brownlow), and Arthur Donegal (Charles Kenningham) are dead. Lady Holyrood (Grace Palotta) was last heard of in Vienna after abandoning her frock shop in Colombo in the Galleface Hotel. , ..' Dolores (Carrie Moore) is in London on holiday. Cyrus Gilfain (Hugh Ward) is large as life in Sydney, and any day you may run into him behind- a fat, pungent cigar. . Angela (Maudie Chetwynde) is married. The Little Dartos, who were on in “ The Prapses ” turn, are now better known as Decima and Eddie Maclean, and are living in retirement.

THE LATE MRS BROUGH. The news of the death of Mrs Robert Brough has stirred the memories of old playgoers, who recall her share in the triumphs of the Brough-Boueieault Company. This partnership lasted for nine years, from 1887 to 1896, and the enterprise was then carried on independently by Mr Brough and his wife till 1902. when they left for a tour of the East before disbanding the company in England. It was a great tribute that Robert Brough paid to bis wife in the course of his speech on August 29, 1902, at tbe Sydney Theatre Royal, when the curtain fell upon the performance of “ The Liars,” and the principals and their audience believed that this was their last meeting in Australia. “I have,” Mr Brough remarked, “nothing more to say, save to take this public opportunity of acknowledging the assistance given me by my dear. wife. Cheerfully and unselfishly at all times she has devoted herself to her art and to my interests. Without her I should never bave achieved anything. No man ever had a more loyal helpmate.” The prolonged cheers that greeted this utterance showed how responsive a chord it had struck in the hearts of the audience, for Mrs Brough was held in the highest esteem by the public, not only for her gifts as an actress, but for her gracious and kindlfy charm in private life. After leaving Australia the company undertook its tour of the East which terminated at Shanghai. A holiday for the Broughs followed in England, and there Mr Brough found himself a welcome visitor at all the theatres, for his sister, Fanny Brough, his uncle, Lionel Brough, and his cousins, Mary Brough and Sydney Brough, were playing in London casts. He organised in due couse a company for South Africa, which included himself and his wife, Miss Emma Temple, Miss Brenda Gibson, and Mr and Mrs Reginald Dartrey. and after extensive travels in that country he was. on his return to England, induced to consider another voyage to Australia

by the offer of the partnership with Mr Herbert Flemming, a proposal which lie accepted as against another offer to go to America. It was not in “ lolanthe,” as is generally supposed, that Mrs Brough made her first appearance in Sydney. Before “ lolanthe ” was produced there, La Petite Mademoiselle” was staged, and Mr Brough appeared in this light opera, but as there was no part hi it for Mrs Brough (Miss Florence Trevelyan) she accepted a brief engagement with Mr Frank Thornton in “The Private Secretary ” at the Gaiety Theatre, playing the role of Edith Marsland. This season began on July 18, 1885, and it was not until August 1 that “ lolanthe ” was staged in Sydney. .