Theatrical Notes.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13892, 1 May 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

Theatrical Notes.

The members of tlio company at Wyndham's Theatre, London, where "An Englishman's Home" was first produced, were, according to latest advices, speaking their lines into a gramophone so as to multiply the records so that they could be sent all through the British Isles. Mr Chas. Frohman is also arranging for several companies to tour America. Mr Granvillo Bantock, brother to Mr C. Bantock, ot Williamson's Opera Company, has had a great success with "The Pierrot of the Minute," a fantastic poem for orchestra, which deals with a modernised version written by a young poet, Ernest Dowson, who died in 1900 at the age of thirty-three. The piece, which was played at the Queen's Hall Symphony Concert, under the composer's direction, received glowing criticisms. Miss Henriqu'etto Maude, the little New Zcalander, who is appearing at the London Pavilion with most gratifying success, was to recito the verses written on the subject of the jockey boy, who, meeting with an accident, was left dying on the Melbourne racecourse, while much concern was shown as to the condition of his mount. The incident occurred during Miss Maude's visit to the Australian city. Essie Perrin, the dainty dancer of "Cinderella" in Melbourne, never misses her daily practice. She is a keen enthusiast in the matter of exercise, and is an ardent devotee of walking, cycling, rowing, and swimming. Summer or winter she has her sea bath every morning, and her freshness and lissomeness are practical results of this healthsome practice. Miss Perrin is a Lancashire girl. The first dance she learned was a clog dance," for in Lancashire clogs are more often seen on feminine feet than shoes.

Speaking of Miss Amy Castles, the " Sheffield Daily Independent " says she promises very quickly to be in that fortunate inner circle of our singers who maintain their hold upon the sympathies of their hearers by reason of their high intelligence and the conscientious fashion in which they interpret whatever they attempt. Her mellifluous phrases and those that were of the typo which mark the prima donna's triumphs with the crowd were alike full of beauty, and bore evidence that another of our Australian song-birds has fully established what should be a lifelong fame." The ex-Pollard artist, " Eddie" Nable, who played Ichabod Bronson iii " The Belle of New York," has not altogether abandoned his intention of taking a musical comedy, company out to the Far East. It is not generally known that he' had all arrangements made for taking out a good show of twenty six people a few months ago, opening in Calcutta, but decided at the last moment to accept the present engagement under Mr J. C. "Williamson's engagement, says an exchange. Mr. Nable has done most things "worth while since he left the Pollard Opera Company some years ago. He has toured with his own shows in America, South Africa, and India, and has gained much experience. Miss Rosemary Rees, of Allan Hamilton's new company, is a New Zealander, her father being a barrister in Gisborne. About eight years ago Miss Rees went to London with recommendations from the Brouglis, and she made her start under Miss Fanny Brougli's management in "The Prude's Progress" and "Peg Woffington." Shortly after, this Miss Rees played the role of the old woman owing to the sickness; of the original. Miss Rees since then has played in all varieties of pieces, among her characters being Mrs Erroll ("Dearest"), in "Little Lord Fau'ntleroy," Florianne in " Zaza," toured with Mrs Lewis Waller, appeared as Duchesse de Venders in ."The Broken Melody" with August Van Biene, and as Lucy.Middleton in "The Education of Elizabeth." She latterly played, with Mrs Brown Potter, at the big English centres in Somerset, Maughan's comedy, "Lady Frederic." Sir Charles Wyndham has also accepted a one-act play of Miss Rees', "Her Dearest Friend."

A pantomime " property plot" is the most incongruous m j x ture ever put into type. Some of the items of the list for " Jaelc and Jill" bear evidence of this. A few of them are: "Twelve rakes (for a harvesting scene), 1 fairy wand, 12 Teddy hears, 1 revolving belt, 2 apples for Jack, 1 ratchet noise for scarecrow, 1 notebook for Baron, legal documents for widow." Another entry is "flypaper on table, sticky side up." There is a Noah's ark scene in tvliich the eliief property is " One large Noah's ark with animals, including a pelican, a hippopotamus, a girafte. while to show how time was passed in the ark during the flood, there is included in the list "one fiddle Jot pig and one concertina for lion. 1 here is also a scene that requires noises (plenty) —indicating a very noisy scene lhen there are "coins, handkerchiefs, and two buns for the Baron, and eight giants on stilts." These things will convey a slight idea of the amount of detail there is to be attended to in a pantomimes^ —m