STAGELAND

Southland Times, Issue 19102, 21 November 1923, Page 10

STAGELAND

Of Plays and Players

(By

“The Limelight Man.”)

Tano Fama’s ‘Dick Whittington’’ opened to a great house on Saturday night in Dunedin. many people being turned away. The panto, has done good business in the north, and evidently has caught the public taste. The Invercargill season is scheduled for November 27. “The Beggar's Opera” will open its tour at Wellington on December 1. Lin Smith’s wonderful jazz band—Lin Smith pianist, Sammy Cope drummer, Paul Jeacle saxophone, Dave Meredith trombone, and Arthur Kernick violinist—is in New Zealand, opening at Auckland on Monday, November 12. It is said to put all other musical jazz combinations right in the shadow, and in Sydney it created quite a furore. ‘1 have heard jazz before,” writes Mr Walter Fuller to Mr William Burton (manager of His Majesty’s, Wellington), “but I have never heard jazz music such as Lin Smith and his merry men play it. As Jenny Hartley used to •ing: ‘You’ll be surprised.’ ” Hugh F. Ward, elder son of Mr and Mrs Hugh Ward, will be married to Miss Muriel Holdsworth, of Darling Point, do November 21. The marriage is to be celebrated at St. Canice’s Church, Darlinghurst, Sydney. The reception will be held at the home of Mr and Mrs Hugh Ward. Joe Vaili (comedian) and Stan Lawson (woman impersonator), recently of the Diggers, have arrived in San Francisco. Walter George and l?is Sunshine Players are to appear at the Olympia Theatre, Perth, during the whole of the summer season. Miss Lena Ashwell, the well-known actress, was the victim of a shooting accident in England recently. While motoring to Canterbury from Birchinton, she was hit on the face by a shot fired by a member of a shooting party between Sturry and Upstreet. She was attended by Dr Ince, of Sturry, who found that the wound was not a serious one, but Miss Ashwell had a narrow escape, as she was struck within an inch of her left eye. Miss Ashwell is married to Dr Henry Simson, a well-known doctor. The Musical Blanchards, in association with Mr George Dean, well-known entertainers for many years, have arrived from Sydney on a tour of the Dominion. They opened at the Thames in conjunction with the pictures, and went on to the Waikato. Mr Dean is an experienced artist, with a nice gift for singing and acting, and the two Blanchards specialise in musical instruments, bells, xylophones, etc. A new English management is foreshadowed for early in the new year. This will be Dennis Neilson-Terry and Mary Glynne, but, like Fred Terry and Julia Neilson, they will confine their activities to the provinces, with occasional visits to London. London means huge rents and shocking overhead expenses. The provinces mean big theatres, capacity audiences when a star is acknowledged to be such, and an affection between player and audience which is genuine. Dennis Neil-son-Terry’s parents are the best loved couple in theatrical Britain. Mr Walter Monk, who has been ahead of UiHi am son’s “If Winter Comes” Company, has gone on to Auckland to pave the way for Lady Forbes-Robertson’s tour of the Dominion. Mr Alec. Wilson replaces Mr Monk with the “Winter Comes” Company. Mayne Lynton, who was in New Zealand in “The Bat,” made his appearance in the Divorce Court in Sydney recently, when his wife obtained a decree nisi. Mrs Lynton professionally known as Annie Hughes, is appearing with Oscar Asche in “Iris,” and Mayne Lynton is playing the lead in “Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife.” Miss Nancy Stewart, daughter of Nellie Stewart, was tited as co-respondent. Mr Dennis Noble, who is playing in “Head Over Heels” at the Adelphi Theatre, London, is also assistant lay vicar at Westminster Abbey. He is the only musical comedy actor who ever held the Abbey appointment, and appears in “Head Over Heels” by special permission of the Dean and Chapter of the Abbey. He was a chorister at Bristol Cathedral before the war, left the trenches to join the Fifth Army Concert Party, and twelve months ago, after some stage experience, joined the choir at Westminster Abbey. :: :: The first London performance was given at the Gaiety Theatre on September 24 of a musical play, “Catherine,” based upon the life of the peasant girl of Marienberg who became Czarina of Russia. A novel and attractive feature of the production is the music, which is wholly derived from the works of Tchaikovsky, his “1812 Overture” bringing down the final 'urtain. The production was a success and looked like running for many months when the mails left. Jose Collins as Catherine made a hit in one of the finest performinces she has ever given. The poetic drama of Eastern life, “Hassan,” by James Elroy Flecker, who died eight years ago at the age of 31, has been produced at His Majesty’s Theatre, London, and when the mails left had settled down to what promised to be a long run. No effort was spared to give the play a perfect production and every opportunity was seized for staging gorgeous spectacles. Delius wrote the music and Fokine arranged the ballets. London critics are gen erally enthusiastic about it and praise not only the magnificence of the production and the charm of the music, but declare it also possesses true atmosphere. “Chu Chin Chow,” they declare, “by its setting gave true Oriental feeling, but Hassan’ is a play itself.” The only serious criticism has been of the torture scene which is called “unnecessarily harrowing.” Ada Reeve has concluded her season at the Tivoli, and is forsaking vaudeville to produce the J. C. Williamson’s, Ltd., Melbourne pantomime, in which she will be principal boy. Anon a Wilkins has been chosen for principal girl. * May Beatty intends that her little daughter, Hinemoa, shall go on the stage as soon as Hugh Ward can find a child’s part for her. To keep the family name green, she will be called Beatty Lauri, after both mother and father. Little Hinemoa made her first appearance m London at a monster matinee for the Red Cross, at the age of four. In a pageant of the nations, she represented the Pearl of Western Australia, and at a given signal, her little baby form rose from a large oyster shell, and she presented a rope of pearls to Lily Brayton, who was Britannia,

A systematic search in the schools of Southern Ireland for musical talent will be undertaken next year, according to Mr John Mac Cormack, the tenor, who left England recently for America. Mr Mac Cormack said he would return to Ireland next spring to superintend this search for musically gifted children. It is part, he explained, of an effort to bring out the musical spirit of the Irish race.