STAGELAND

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 85, 16 May 1914, Page 3

STAGELAND

THEATRE ROYAL BOOKINGS. In' season—The Competitions. May 18 to 23 —Maud Allen Company. June 1 to 16— J. C. Williamson Company. June 19 and 20—Canterbury College Students' Association. Miss Ada Reeves is accompanied on her tour by Iter husband, Mr Wildred Cottin. Mr Cottin, who was formerly a barrister, in London, acts as business manager. Miss Mabelle Morgan (soprano), who was with the Musgrove Comic Opera Company, has been engaged by Messrs Harry Day and Edward Lauri (England) to play Miss Ethel Levy's part in their No. 1 ''Hello Ragtime" company. Miss Amy Castles secured the cancellation of her six years' contract with the Vienna Imperial Opera House, and is now reported to be studying in Italy.

The J. C. Williamson New Comic Opera Company will stage in Sydney in June "Gypsy Love," for the first time in Australia. The cast will inlcude some new people,, including Gertie Glynn, who will play Lady. Babby, the role she created in the original production in London, and Elsie Spain, who was Mascha in the original production of "The Chocolate Soldier." in London. The company will be practically reorganised. The opera will be produced by Wybert Stanford, and Andrew MacGunn will be musical director.

Very cheap Shakespeare is to be amongst th£ London novelties of the near future. Miss Ro*ina Filippi is to manage a month's season in the Royal Victoria. Hall, Waterloo Road, charging an admission fee of 2d. ,

The tour originally booked for the remainder of the New.Zealand season of Maud Allan and the Cherniavskys has been slightly altered. The fpllowing.is the corrected tour as published by the Auckland !' Sporting and .Dramatic ":■. —Wanganui, May 4 and 5; Palmersbon North, May 6; Daunevirke, May 7: Napier, May 8 and 9; Hastings, May i;J; Masterton, May 14; Christchiirdli, Miiy 18 to 2.",; Hawcra* May 25; New Plymouth, May 2G; Eltham, May 27; Auckland, .June. 1. to 6. The company then sail for Sydney en route to Melbourne, where they open their Australian tour.

The Little Theatre Company, Sydney, purposes visiting New Zealand with a repertoire of several pieces, including '" The Gay Lord Qiiex,' 'V and '' His House in Order."

Mr ■"■ Hugh M'Crac, well known through his work in the "Bulletin,'' is about to visit the United States, it is said ■with a view to taking-up "lightning sketch " work over there. 1 ' The late Fred Booty was so engaged at the time of his rather sudden '-death; and it had j>aid him so well that hot even the price of his funeral was available. The Willoughby Dramatic Company, which is to open in Wellington on Saturday night, after playing the inland "smalls" of the North Island, has on its list "For the Term of his Natural Life,'■'. "At Cripple Creek,'' the '' Bad Girl of the Family," and "lincle Tom's Cabin."

General expenses for the running of the Napier Municipal Theatre for the year ended March 31, amounted to £1 ."ils 6/7. The revenue- derived from the theatre amounted to £1379 13/10, made up of rent £1556 7/6, rent of house on theatre site £022 11/4, and sale of tickets 15/-. This leaves an excess of revenue over expenditure of £564 7/3.'

1 "Mr Wu," the sensational Chinese j phiy to lie produced by the Beaumont : Smith-Louis Meyer management in Sydney on July 11, has reached its 150 th performance in London at the Strand

Theatre. It is reported to be the outstanding success of the London season.

At latest advice Mr George Lauri was producing a new revue "Hullo, Everybody!" in Bristol, prior to its being shown in London. The company included Miss May Bcatty, Messrs Lempriere, Pringle, and G. H. Clntsam.

The principal members of "The Rosary" company, which is due to open its Australasian tour at Melbourne on May 9, under the George Willoughby banner, left San Francisco on April 8 for Australia. Amongst the members is Mr Harrington Reynolds, the creator of the role of Father Kelly in the original New York production of "The Rosary"; also Messrs Albert M'Govern, Walter Fenner, George Nolan Leary, William Hart, and Misses Grace Reading, Ethel Elder, and Jessie Arnold. All of these artists appeared in the original cast. The song."The Rosary" is sung in the last act.

The repertoire of the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company, to be presented in Australia by the J. C. Williamson management, will be a varied and comprehensive one. It. will, include: "The Mikado," "The Gondoliers," "The Pirates of Penzance, 7 ' "Pinafore," "Patience," "tola nthe," and "The Yeomen of the Guard." .The. opening opera will be "The Mikado."

The Wellington Amateur 'Dramatic. Club* has decided to. produce '"'Charley .'s Aunt" at the 'Grand Opera House on June 1 and 2. The east of characters has been allotted', as. follows:—Mr!.'Stephen Spettigue, Dr Norman Bales; Lord Fancourt-Babberley, Mr Norman Aitken; Colonel Sir Francis Chesuey, Mr Phipps Williams; Jack Chesney, Mr C. Beutley Russell; 'Charley Wyckham, Mr ."lack Phillips; Bras?ett, Mr Kenneth Aitkcn; .'Donna- Lucia D'Alvadorez, Mrs Percy Woods; Amy Spettigue, Miss Addie Evany; Kitty Verdutn, ' Miss Ruby Scott; Ella Oelaliay, Miss. E. Gurney.

''Talking" pictures, which' were tried some time ago, have been revived at one or two of the Sydney houses.

The tour of the "Smart Set," now under Branscombe's management, will open inlnvercargill in dune.

Mr Dun can Ncvcn lias severed hia connection with George Willoughby, Ltd., and is starting ou his own account as manager of His Majesty's Tlicatrc, Perth.

Mis-s Ethel Walker (soprano), Linda Bradford (contralto), IVaqjiu M'Quoin (comedienne), David Lyle (tenor), Andrew Pace (tenor comedian), Harry Webster (baritone comedian), George Taylor (light comedian), Roland Henry (monologist and comediau), Herbert Brahms (pianist), and Arthur Kerghley, (producer) comprise the Orange Dandies, who opened a long season at the Town Hall, Wellington, on Saturday last. This new company makes a specialty of concerted work, * grave ,artd humorous, and sketches. They come with a great reputation as entertainers.

According to the "Bulletin:"—• Harry Lauder got a free ami unpremeditated advertisement from the recent appearance of one Charles Coope, $ at the South Melbourne bobby-court. Coope had* come to town from Koowcerup (Vic.) with five other spud-diggers "to see Harry Lauder," he pleaded. ~ After the. show they went around sampling drinks to the tune of a " Wee deoch and doris," testing how far they could go before they got stuck at the articulation of "It's a bravv, bricht moonlicht nicht." Their tongues held out .till the. police stopped the concert, and ran Coope into the lockup. He was fined £l, with a seven-days' alternative. The case was reported, Whereupon Lauder, who has not earned a reputation for throwing away'his bawbees, paid the spud-digger's penalty, gave him an- • other ticket for the show, and/made :' him otherwise happy.

Herf Carl Sauer, who judged &t the '..«, Christchurch Competitions last year, .'-.' has been appointed- to judge at Fahia'p : % tua in August. - . > •. " '>i.;';:

Recent purchases by the Williamson' management include "The Seven Keys to Baldpate," by George N. Cohan •;<;■« '' The Land of .promise,'', by Somerset» Maughan; and "The Yellow Ticket,":' an American drama.

Judging by reports from Sydney and Melbourne, Mr .John .Parrell will be ahead of something very good when he returns to make smooth the way through' New Zealand for "The FortyThieves." -

The portrait of Lady Macbeth which Ellen Terry (at managerial brought with her' to -Australia, fe-Sar-V gent's original sketch V hi" b'laclc^aird' whife of .the work he had in view. Subsequently he changed his' idea ami painted the picture'- .which an ardent Terryitc bought for presentation to the Tate Gallery, inLondo'n. Lllen Terry V art treasures include a . valuable lot of pictures, it goes without, saying. The finest of them is. G. P. WattsV portrait of her, painted when she was a young gi'ri, and he the staid man< who meant to marry her. Long years.';' after,she bad ceased to be Mrs Watts .' the old man gave her that love : inspire<l ~ work of art. She has willed it to the.> British public, and presumably it will; be hung in the National Gallery when ;' she goes where Watts has goue.

Mi' Allen Doone, the Irish-American actor-manager, is. still doing .huge fcusi•ness in Sydney with his series of "Irish" plays. Last week lie revived "Molly Bawn" with the usual success.

At the Adelphi Theatre, Sydney, '' The Tenderfoot" ' has been replaced by '' The Mayor of Tokio,'' another musical comedy.