Theatrical Notes.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13846, 6 March 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

Theatrical Notes.

Latest bookings at the Theatre Hoyal, Timaru, are as follows: — Marc 1 ! Bth—J. C. "Williamson's Comedy

Go. March 9th —Burns-Johnson Pictures. March 10th and litli —vJooper's liiograph Company. March 13th and 15th —J. and N. Tait. March 16th —The Cherniavskis. March". 17th and 18tu—J. C. Williamson. -

March 23rd and 24th—Timaru Boxing, March 25th —Taylor-Carrington Co. March 31st to April stli : —West's. April 7th and 8th —Florence Bains. April 9th—-Taylor-Carringtoh. Co. April'2oth—Madame Melba.

The Hugh Ward Comedy Conipany has cpnclucied a successful Indian season and sailed for China to play seasons at Hong Kong- and Shanghai. The company then visits Australia by way of-Singapore and Colombo. Perth will inaugurate the Commonwealth tour on May 29, with -the goldfields to follow. Melbourne will be -reached on July 16, after -which New Zealand will be toured. Sydney will not see the company until Boxing night. "The Bachelor's Honeymoon," a new piece, according to Mr Ward has been a success. An Indian paper says the play is vivacious, clever, and intensely amusing.

Miss Minnie Hooper, ballet mistress of the J. C. Williamson" Companies, when about to begin a new dance takes the. score home and studies it thorDancing," she says, "is a manifestation of joy of some kind, and you have to determine its character from its rinusic, having due regard all the time to what the dance represents. You want to make everything appear as spontaneous as possible." She* works out the steps in an exercise book, and every now and then she jumps uplandtries them—but always in a private room. "There.has got to be a step for every ;note of music I am supplied with," she adds. ' "The steps go to finish off a song with are sent along to me to create. Even the principals have their dances arranged for them. But dancing is a- question of • a good ear.'. In' arranging a big ballet' all ,the colours worn by the dancers have to -be borne in mind, or there would be an inartistic jumble."

The Australasian stage now boasts many New Zealanders. Miss Rosemary - Rees, one of the members of Mr Allan Hamilton's new dramatic company, is another New Zealand actress who went a short .time - ago to England, and achieved .prominence. Her latest engagements were with Mr Lewis Waller's Company in "The Education of Elizabeth;" and with Miss Marie Temp--1 est in " Mrs Dot." Other notable successes i were in " Zaza," " A Judicial Separation," " A Desperate Marriage," "Miss Jack," ;ani "The Admiral's Lady." The newcomer brings flattering letters from her London managers, - including-Sir Charles Wyndham, Mr Lewis Waller, Mr Cyril Maude, and • j\liSs Fanny Brough. Miss Rees, who is the daughter of Mr W. L. Rees, of Gisborne', for manv years a leading member -, of the New Zealand Parliament, . has contributed to newspapers and magazines. She has also Written a number-of plays, amongst the most successful of which have been "Her Dearest Friend," " Vilma" (toured / successfully by Mrs Lewis Waller), and " A Desperate Marriage" (produced by .Mr Fred. Mouillor). . ' "

Cinquevalli, the- famous juggler, at present in Sydney, in the course of..an interview,-said that he had juggled before Royalty in every "country he lias appeared .in,. and 'in Australia- before Vice-Royalty, ; .When he' first appeared in England on Christmas Day, 1885, the then: "Prince of Wales, now King, came to his-performance .with all his family on the Saturday- following his opening, and on the succeeding Saturday he was summoned ! to Marlborough House. He lias • appeared eleven times before the• King, and Queen Victoria saw him. . Some of the tricks he does came: to him by > suggestion, others by accident,. The more difficult the trick the more fascinating it became. But there is no necessity for him to do new tricksin' fact, his managers have asked him not to change because the public come to see a special trick,. " arid," he adds, "if I do something else they ,are "disappointed." This is especially the case with the billiard balls. He is a great believer in exercise, and those ;who see his performance will agree. Australia has a great admirer in Cinquevelli. "I like Australia. But who would not? Who could not like a . country like this—not only the place and the climate —but look at the audiences, how do they treat me."

According to'Mr Fred Graham, the .English actors and actresses are stick- ■ ing to old ideas, and have not the goahead spirit of Americans or. Germans. He attributes this to the death of Irving, who used to set a standard for the profession.' The drama and musical comedy in England did not appear to be going well when he was in England last August, but vaudeville houses we're'doing .remarkable business and attracting the stars of the musical comedy stage. In New York the Americans" liked, the type of "The Girl of ly, in opposition to England. Americans liked the type of "The GiGrl of the Golden West," which did big business. In fact, they generally liked ~ deep thinking plays. Americans who had visited Australia had evinced to him a strong -desire to return. 'Mr Graham speaks highly of a beautiful play called "Love Watches," in which Cyril Keightley was appearing in New York. "The Travelling Salesman" was another phenomenal success he saw. A feature of American theatrical life is the absence of incidental music. The orchestra plays until the curtain goes up, and then vanishes. In Belascoe's theatres there is no music at all. "Paid in Full" waS a powerful drama, and "The Round Up," in which a battlescene betiveen soldiers and the Indians is introduced, is an immense success, and one which should do well in Australia if secured.

Miss Maisie Rowlands' recently arrived from England to visit her brother, and immediately secured, an engagement at Sydney. Miss Rowlands went on the English, stage when quite young. She is still the right side of twenty, and has appeared in drama and pantomime. Serio'work first interested her. She was always fond of imitations, and four years ago took it up seriously, and has been very successful. She is appearing at a disadvantage, she says, for her best imitations are principally of English stars,, whom Australians have not seen, and consequently she does not do these. But her success with her audience is assured, for she gives a bright, clever, refined entertainment. Miss Rowlands in England has appeared as one of the boys in "The Two Little Vagabonds." She has played

"Cinderella" in the pantomime in Birmingham, and was for three years in pantomime at the Princess Theatre, Glasgow, playing second girl and understudying the principal' in the same period. She finds theatrical matters in Australia rather different to England, and she is inclined to be disappointed. "Yon have not got the music halls there are in Englandin fact, they are magnificent theatres there. In

England the great advantage is you can do one turn for a 42-weeks tour, with a week at each place, and when vou have finished you can have another turn readv, and do the route again. But in Australia the limited population precludes this arrangement, and much more in the way of changes of repertoire is required. English artists not knowing these conditions are at a disadvantage here, but they can soon ineiid it, I suppose.'