MIMES AND MUMMERS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9917, 4 August 1910, Page 2

MIMES AND MUMMERS.

(By THE LIMELIGHT MAN.)

Carreno at tho Choral Hall on August 13. * *

J. Youli.il Birch is being sent to England bv Clarko and Meynell to search for attractions. f: * * lu addition to being good comedy, " The Brass Bottle '' is said to giro opportunity for some clever stage effects and some good scenery. V*'

It is now J. 0. Williamson, Limited. The firm Ims been registered as a limit-ed-liability company, and the "Limited " sign will appear on all the bills. «•..

The American style of mixing vaudeville and pictures has increased tho business at the Opera House, and tho Fullers can congratulate themselves'on the move.

Mis.? Eileen Angiin, sister of Miss Margaret Angiin, ia ,'fco bo married shortly to an American naval officer she niet in Sydney during the visit of the Groat Blanc Fleet.

News has been received that .Will Bovis and Miss Flo Barley have been very successful in musical comedy in Seattle. Will Bovis was with tho Stephenson "Rose, of the Riviera" Company.

Walter Kirby, the Australian to nor, will support Madame Mary Conly in her Australian tour. Tho pair will do oratorio, including "The Messiah." "Elijah," "Hiawatha" and "The Golden Legend." V

W. J. Montgomery, who is with the Clarke and Meynell Company playing "Pete" and "The Hypocrites," was with Herbert Flomming's company, and played a splendid Pasquale in "The Morals of Marcus," that delightful palythiug by W. J. Locke. V

There aro stories in Melbourne- about a ghost at the Princess Theatre—the ghost is five years old now—and members of the profession have seriously suggested various personages it might be. Tho spectre, stands by a pillar in the auditorium and gazes pensively at the stage, at 2 a.m. *.*

Spencer's, Tait's and West's Pictures obtained films of tho • recent railway disaster at Richmond, Melbourne. Spencer's man is said to have .been on tho train, and commenced taking pictures as soon as practicable. Tait's arrived shortly afterwards. The films should be gruesomo. * *

G. P. Huntley, who has been known for years as an interpreter of Dude comedy roles, gave tho Americans something new recently, when ho- played Eccles in an "all-star" revival of "Caste." His portrayals-satisfied the critics, and one or two-_ claimed him as the best Eccles of all time.

J. C. Williamson, Limited, has secured the rights of Sir A. Con an Doyle's "The Speckled* Band," melodrama founded on the story of that name. Sherlock Holmes appears in the piece, of course. Doyle seoms to bo wading through his past deeds, and trying to obtain a second crop from them.

At the recent farewell performance of the Asches in Melbourne the people waited from 8.30 a.m. to obtain seats. Miss Lily Brayton (Sirs Asche) sent up to ths gcus thousands of photographs of herself. When Miss Nellie Stewart had a similar waiting she sent cups of coffee. Wonder which was the moro appreciated.

Henry Hayward has abandoned his skating rink project finally, jshl has made arrangements with tlio Ulympia people to manage their rink on a percentage basis. Alf Linloy, of Linley and Donovan, is also studying rinks. He is over in Sydney, and is safel to bo seriously contemplating rinks iu the four centres.

Williamson. Tallis and Ilaisiaciotti, trading as J. O. Williamson, Limited, have placet! before tho Registrar of the Commonwealth Arbitration Court a long array of reasons why tho Australian Theatrical Choristers' Association should not be registered by thp Court. One of the principal reasons of tho opposition is based on the belief that the Association will " prejudice tho best interests of choristers." V .

The action of the City Council in granting permission to the Musicians' Benevolent Society to play on _ Sunday is to be commended. The Society hay before it an excellent and charitable object, and surely if permission can be obtained for a performance to relieve some individual caso of distress, a Society whose object is to prepare to meet distress in certain walks of life is every bit. as deserving. Perhaps, too, it might bo suggested that, as the Council has hinted forcefully that it will not grant permission for monthly concerts, the picture shows in the city might reserve one. night —not an '* oft" night—for tho -Society's benefit and give to it the whole proceeds, iess the actual out-of-pocket expenses. The will of the late Constant Coquolin has been proved. He loft 40,000 dol to the Home for Actors founded by him; 20.000d0l to be divided equally between his nieces, Marie Magnard and Jeanne Trefouel; IO.OOOdoI to his brother. Gustavo Coipielin: 2000dol to August'Chaberb, and 21>,000d0l in trust to Gillet, " the most honest and devoted. of servants," to provide him with an annuity. He left the bust of Gambetta, by 'Caraes, to his friend. Eugene Etienne* 'and tho Oringoir. by Madeleine Lemaire, to August Chabert. The will states: "Apart from these tew legacies, my son is therefore, of course, the universal .legatee of what I have had so much trouble in earning. I beg of him to be sparing of it, and if lie does not marry, to leave whatever remains thereof to the Association of Dramatic Artists, upon the committee of which I would like him xo> sit, if he share my ideas, and to succeed mo some day in the presidency of that Association."

Revivals breed comparisons unci cogitations of the past. To try to dodge, comparisons is foolish, and a revival must bo tested by the pnst before it win be a survival. Henry Arthur J one?, in " The Hypocrites.'"' presents a play •that betrays in three acts the hand of a master. To anyone that burns or yearns to write plays, " The Hypocrites " is a superb lesson. The way in which Jones brings his characters cu the stage and gets them off, is faultlessly natural and unstrained: none of the cogs is exposed, and no pari of the piece is unnecessary up to the third act, hut after that* chapter the youthful playwright has placed before him an excellent example for a don't, -he fourth act is entirely unnecessary, and decidedly wrong. It would seem as if Jones was a neat- man and. after tying up the main threads of the story in the third act, decided to gather in a few loose ends to make the knot housewifely and natty. _ As Linne!, Harry Roberts gave a different reading from that given by Harconrt Beatty some time ago. but it was not within miles of its excellence. .Roberts seemed rather effeminate after the strong, dogged, indomitable. Linnei given by the English actor. Oho little touch by Beatty sticred hoavily over Roberts. hi ib'o second act Beatty wore as a smokingjacket an old 'Varsity cone with a badge, but Roberts used a modish, double-breasted gac, which scorned incongruous. In the third act Knborts never carried the scene with any intensity—Beatty never lost his grip of it, and never let it weaken. Miss Beatrice Day, 'as Mrs Wilmore, played cleverly with a thorough reading of the part": with its powerful showing of a mother's intrepid lore for her son.