THE STAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19847, 16 January 1920, Page 4

THE STAGE.

NOTF.S AND GU?ifEVSENTS,

'By THE LIME EIGHT MAN.) I he salary list of the .1. C. M illiamson pantomime, The Sleeping beatify, js the biggest of any pantomime the firm has produced i'or some years. .Directly and indirectly, four hundred and ninety people are concerned in the production. An incident in the -1. C- "Williamson ■production ot *' Theodore and Co." at Melbourne Theatre Koval that never bills to arouse applause is the feat perlormed_ by Theodore Leonard in putting Eiorenee Young over his shoulder am! carrying her off the stage. As Mr Leonard is ol small slature ami -Miss Young is not 100 light a burden, the achievement is eonsdrrrd a notable one. by an appreciative audience. -Mr Leonard's part in “ Theodore and Co."' is om- ol Die longest ever written for a comedian-

Even in the days when George Ausnu was ihi’ king of (omedi.ius in Australia G' l t'ilis a '' llulletiti correspondent j fairy tales weie in circulation alum; the bibulous silanes paid to actors and act re.—cs. Hit' favourite sum ti-ed to he .fit) a week. "I'lio tael was that y, noil I,rough and boucteault wore placing at the Gritcrion, G. S. Titheradgr tyas, paid .222 His a week, and Hubert lo'ongh and Dion bmteirault also drew its;i, amount Iro.iu the treasury every -Monday, .v- the eo, became more pro-, perou- silanes were increased among the top-sawyers. Hut an extremely sound and wi-11-known utility matt of Die day received the magnificent sum el !C2 a week I Cecil "Wardc eatno to Australia for .Cl2 a week, and that, was nearlv .1(10 per cent more than he was receiving in the English provinces helore lie linked the appearance at the Suri'oy theatre on which U. and j].’.-, agent engaged him.

' *';npni"!-mis are not necessarily odifins. ,-».s captain .lioniff. l Stevens, the Melbourne baritone, lias discovered as tile result ol his M] jin I :;rnntc in “ Kli.pib'’ nt ilio liirmingliam Festival ( lidral Society's performance (writes tiif Loudon correspondent. of the ?tjell>onrnc " Herald"). English oratorio lovers, ol whom rhere arc still numbers notwithstanding tile creation of new I'athions in music, re-card Sir diaries Saullcy as tiio traditional singer of the Prophet s role, and to be mentioned in t!ie same breath with him as an exponent has always been the ambition of Ids smeessors. 'With Ids very first expermnee in oratorio in this country ( aptain Slovens has had Ids name coupled with Huntley's hy no less an authority than the musical critic of the “ Pirmingliam Daily I'ost," who shares with the " Manchester Guardian critic, the reputation «t being more exnctinjc in these respects than any other imiMcai winters in the provinces. A Loudon correspondent supplies the (- JinlJctiu ” with the following iatorestinc; releronce to an actress who ;s not known to the present generation of playgoers in idle Dominion, hut who will never lie forgotten hy those who attended the peiformanee of " Fnrgcl-me-.\nt ” Doner ievc Ward, who'played ‘‘ .I'orget-me-.Voi ’ 1 in Australia forty years ago and added a wing to the Alelbonrno Waxen’s Hospital before she Iclt. is still halo and hearty. She regularly docs iirsfc nights at London theatres, and, being ((iiieklv recognised hy old playgoers. L accorded a complimentary round ol cheers. On the first' night of tli-' Tolstoy drama “ Itcpnrntion.*’ ai .Si .Janies 1 .'., she was given an ovation and acKiunv lodged it in eharmiii l ' lashum. Then, standing and surveying the crowded house in search of old InmuL. she ''potted another grand old siaco-woman, Madge Hobertsou. Madg“ spotted her simultaneously, and they i'i.ised hands, {.enevievo carries her eighty-1 wo years for a ihr'cc-milc walk regularly every dav.

On,) night when C'luis. liyloy was at ‘ho Princess's in frivolous; opera (writes a Sydney Bulletin ” correspondent) a nutu. iviis hiiiidrd him by o ne 0 f ushers, which road; " Laiiy, number il r* i*, , i; V 1 ''* 1 rmv » " l,nkl '»o do■galed it Air liyley would meet her for a ini minute.', eimv-rsaiiuu idler the pertormaiieo to-uglu.” A reiuie/vons "as mentioned m the gardens fence, elo-.e to ihe fit usury Buildings, m no pea, distance from ihe theatre. Itvlev ooked Irom a peephole, and found'the lady third Irom the cud in row d to be young and charmingly dressed, and of uncommon beauty; but, as rt miforlunatciv happened, lie bad an tmavouiaai.) engagement lor tJie lime speijCH.. _ Uoweycr, there was a voimg bbm in Ills dressing-room who took at a running jump the chance of an adventure. lie persuaded Kylev to let lie dale stano, “ |’|| go and aimlomA" ov you and see tvhal's doing,”' tae buck. I'yley. who bad no erm,, compunction in such ease;:, agreed' and the I vien I kept appoiiument. ’ The next by ley beard of the tender adventure was Ihe sad store of bow his ynnno; jnoiul attended at the place specified, and was set upon by a couple ol loughs and robbed of evvrvrhiim- of value ho ea-ried. The ladv 111' the eimo tvas suhsimuontly identified as the wife of a .Melbourne do-lor, who knew mulling ol lan Ir.et that sho was utilised ;h a love by a braeo of humorous criminals

/■I hough the Americans hire foreign fingers and players and boast about tnc lee- they are paid, music as wc kuo'l- - does not exist, (writes an Australian musician from America.} Bands imj or deist nn. they have hy the thousand