Theatrical Notes.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 14003, 11 September 1909, Page 3 (Supplement)

Theatrical Notes.

THEATRE BOOKINGS. Peruiauciit —Sherwood's Modern Pictures. September 11th.—Ward's Dramatic Company. September 13th.—Ikiiguugb, cartoonist. ._ September 16th. —West's pictures, » "DrinK." September. 21st, ±Jnd, and -3rd.— Pollard's. October 4th. —Taylor-Carringtoii. October l>ui auu 11th. —J. c. Williamson. October 25th, L'Uth, and "7th.—Operatic Society. The employment of children in theatres and miiiir halls came up for ir.illiim, and he and a friend put iu six Education Committee recently. A motion was brought forward to the effect that the Parliamentary Committee be asked to insert a clause in the new Children's• Bill prohibiting employment of children under 14 ill places of amusement. Hie motion was lost by 13 votes to 11. A great project for the foundation of opera in England is under consideration, its realisation being largely due to the promise which has lieen made by a munificent patron of the arts of a sum of £3OO.WH). . (The donor is said to be Mr Beecliam, of " pill " fame). Tlie scheme in all probability will :n----clndc the acquisition of a commanding site in London, and the erection thereon of, an Opera House fnlly worthy of the first city of the world, hnt 110 detailed plan 'has yet been drawn 110. Besides the pr-nlu'tie" of a number of new operas l>y English comiwsers, the promoters are considering the nossibilities of reviv""* some of tl>e nldT operatic works, both home made and otherwise. These, of course, will be given in English.

Mr Max Maxwell, juveii.ie lead ot tli«j Blana iitiu tvaiimii>, ».;u n succe&slul ;.uiatii.i, i.k.i uc wao m an omcv. He UuucrloOK la.iiiagcmeiibi> tue Old U[icu no«wC hi o<uhc.>, ijuc a tortniglit »»■>' Kui luv: —•*> Then lie wit.li Ausj iUnggie iloore ana mi* n. it. Kcbci is, suiwctjuently with. Jlr Henry liracey's comjianT at tue oydnty Lyceun.. The &o!d fever in Australia seized lum. ,and he anil a fnenu put ui six montlis on a claim —tliey put in a lot, but did not even get a uviiig out of it, for the arranged entertainments on tue field, and so kept the pot boiling. He joined Bland Holfc thirteen years ago, and "has been with this popular actormaxiager ever since. Miss Lillali McCarthy, who in private life is the -wife oi _Mr Granville Barker, is one of the quickest learners of a part at present on the cording to a London exchange. Ever since her childhood she jvas -noted for her remarkable memory. When she was ten years old, her'father offered lier a sovereign, if she could learn the second book of Milton's " Paradise Lost " by heart. This she did easily, and he next promved lier ten shillings when she knew the whole of " ilomeo and Juliet." This seemed a prodigious task bnt the fi'tnre actress mastered it with ease. After one or two more similar experiences her .father remarked: ' 'This u becoming n*tber too expensive. Next time you shall have sixpence! Mr Harry Rickards has secured Captain Winston's performing seals and sea-lions for exhibition in Australia. The seals are on the stage, and when not racing round it in the pursuit of their lood, appear in individual and collective feats. Tbev on little chairs, and work althe word of command. Their performances include balancing balls on thiir noses (the'balls being thrown and caught in turn), the playing of musical instruments, and balancing on tue nose-in-umbrella which is twirled round in the process.' 7 One of the seals walks along" a tiglit-rope, balancing a ball at the same time; and another performs the same £eiit when climbing a_ ladder. The seals'also-appear in a musical act, the instruments brought in requisition including the mandoline, , the violin, bells v llie musical bottle, the trumpet, and-musical tables and 'figures.

' Tho inaugural ■"perfurmanr-e of '.'The TJuchess of Dantzir " at Tier Maj.-sty s Theatre, Melbourne, on August 28, was a brilliant success. ■ A record house assembled to witness the ronsiral attraction ichicl) was new to Melbourne and throughout the evening the warmest enthusiasm was evinced and the individual Members "f tlie Royal Opera Company were greeted with loud demonstrations of pleasure. The piece itself is well suited to the popular organisation selected to interpret it and besides possessing in itself many attractive features-comprising a romantic and interesting story, delightful music, - elaborate monnting and «<stuming, it is certainly handled by a cast specially suited to th" task or presenting it t'> tbe best advantage. In the title rule Miss Florence >nnnri dimply surpasses herself and carries all before her. As Napoleon Mr Wybert Stamford is ouite in the picture, then there is Mr Victor Cm.riet who evokes roars of laughter in his humorous part of Papillon. the Court milliner. Other lvembers of the Company who amieared to conscicious advnntaee were Mr Andrew Hiffginson. Mr Rep. Roberts. ilr P. B. O'Connor. Miss Fanny Dnnw, Mi<s ! Georgie Mr«grove, Miss Nellie Wilson and Miss Connie Milne.

There were some really wjtty lines in tlie dialogue of " Thaha's Tr;i ( nn, recent I v produced ft the" Court Theatre, London, which showed, at any rate, that our stasre should hear more from its author, Mr Norrcys Council, the clever young manager of the Aub»:v Theatre. Dublin, whose ™ Irish plavers so recently deligbtert us. The story tells of ii_youne girl, tresh from a convent school, whose mother bro! e a tea cup the week the daugnter was bom. and told a lie about a. Hence Thalia is supposed to have in ineradicable tenden-v to tell fibs and to take a positive delimit in d~ T it especially in her love affairs. This type of eirl is, of course, trie enough to life, and not bv any means new to the state. Mr Council lias evidently taken rains to make a genuine fully-stud-icharacter of her. et «hen it r„u,l. traffic Mr Connell has found do-with l>er I*»von'l ninkinp It r so her cap flagrantly at three i»cn' and induce tlie curate t«> shut lun.seir up in a box with his fiancee's trousseau —rather an tin worthy proceeding. As it happens,, nil the characters pp- rf the familiar farcial stock—the dotm_, irascible father, tlie handsaw; cousin in ihe Guards the ci.ratc the lawyer. a.»J so cn. i L, nll one never feels m sympathy »ltli Thalia She sc"*"* to need just, a good soankinr*. Still, the Kivcs promise of better work to coific. "The "Nforr- Widow." whu-li has been r-nnine at Daly's sin"- ; Tan»ary 10071 was at the end of July, plajcd for tb" lait time —r f be G7l>Mi " Mr next pT-ductiou.' •'aid Mr « F«*wardes in the course of :* roorespnt'tive «f t, 3 - : Chronicle " will be ' T'- Dollar Pnn--3 Hay vliich J »n<vl nt Man>hes*°r last Dc-mbe-. This is Fall- and wh»n I was recently 'h tVienna he , to "ome +o London to attend the r«hear'oJs. •story is 'dramatic and rather whim-

sical. A wealthy American called x miieas \i. Lunuir dcngius to engage i.iil>ociiiiious iiicmoeis ui the ,u .*>cocracy to act as Ins scr\ants. l'or iiuiiiiKc, the ivi.Kc tji sioiieui-ugc io I n.s bm.iv r, sir .vntoiiy rinpps jo his >alct, sir James .Hcv.re»ui' ms fooiltiaii, ami among ,Ins maius in attendance 011 Ins piuiccss' are .mgiista itrouusiairs, Lauy Doroniy Muiciici, ana tne turn. i'.ituu Uairyn.pU. conucr oiuv wants a suitable Housekeeper, and lie sends two nephews to Europe to find one. During the first act tiny return uitli a supposed Russian princess, who in reality is a lion qr.etn known as Ulga. Une <;t the visitors to Condor s house in New York is Freddy Fail-tax. wlio seeks einployincnt.' Alice interviews him, and, after an attractive scene, she engages him as her private secretary. fthe shows she is rather fond of "him. and before the end of the act l-rrddy declares his affection for Jicr. Tho lovers quarrel in the second act, owing to the supercilious behaviour of the heroine, who declares she can easily buy a husband with her money. Freddy leaves the house for California, where he makes a fortune, and in the third act the lovers arc reunited."

Mr Herbert Clayton, of The King of cadoma " Coitij/anv, began lite in aa architects ofhcc, Ins tauur having ariivied him in mat prolession. One day he informed his parents that he was "in the chorus at the Gaiety.' when he hail experienced six weeks of t'lis he went to Mr George Etlwardes and said, " Don't you think it s time I had a part:-" "1 do not," replied the manager bluntly, at the same tinio arranging a parting*instead. Mr Clayton, however, was not "fired,'' but got a tew lines in "The Circus Girl. ' He was an unspeakable Turk, and, clad in tights ami a "skin he was supposed to Tift heavy weights. It was liglit labour, as they were paper weights —or. rather papier niac'ie. From tins strenuous time onward he began to make progress, and Was lent by George Kdwardes to Charles for an American tour. Then the idea occurred to'him to organise a " medley companv, and for some time he enjoyed a" little boom with this cb>ss _>f entertainment, and was incidcntaHy the ntpins «f introducing Mr Jimmy Campbell and Miss Betty Ohlsj to this country. Next lie wrote "The Hon bin Phil " for Mr G. P. Huntley, which production proved a bigger success in New York than in London. Mr Claytnn is the author of a number of sketches. onp of which " Mounted Infantrv " rail two years in the halls, rnd wps Dlaved before the King at Stafford House. He believes that baritones arc coming into _t»i«ir own with the of musical plays which have d- well-defined plot.

From London files —Miss jluby Ail a 1:1s of Sydney recently saug before the musical critics in l'aris, who were most enthusiastic concerning her talents, and in consequence M. Bouhy, her teacher, is arranging for her debut at the' Pans Opera. House, Mr Cyril Keightlev, the Australian actor, who has been so successful in Shakespearean and other roles, becomes the villain in the new sensation drama which is being furnishpd bv Messrs Raleigh and Hamilton it Drury Lane. Hp will be associated with?Mr Basil Gill, who sustains the heroic part., Mitts Carrie Haasc has liien engajred by Air Fred Terry for his tour of "Henrv of Nava_rrc.' Mr John Prout, the Ballarat baritone, who had the distinction of bsing the first Australian to bcomc n Gentlainan of the Chapel Royal at Winder, has now transferred to St- PaH's Cathedral, where he has been appointed to one of the'rhoir stalls. Mr Prout has had a number of successful, appearances in oratorio in London and the provinces. Mr 'J. C. Williamson is now in England in search of uew fare for the patrons of his theatres. In company with Mr George Edwardes, the Australian manager spent a week on tlie Continent,. and lias seen several productions, which may or may not find their way to Australia later v<m— Mr James Watts, whose diverting work as a member of the " Grotesques," the new pierrot combination at t'ie small Queen's Hall, lias already lieen corinreritrri on. had as a member of his audience last week Miss Maud Allan, who was greatly taken with liis burlesoiie. as " Miss Maud All-nn." The celebratrd dancer naid Mr" Watts tl>c compliment of sending liim to join her. r>arty at tea, and genially congratulated him.