THE STAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16319, 7 January 1921, Page 6

THE STAGE.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By “ THE LIMELIGHT MAN.”) Alias Alarie Tempest, probably the most important star ever engaged by the J. (J. Williamson, Ltd., firm, is announced to play a farewell season of eleven nights and two matinees at the Theatre Royal, beginning on Tuesday, January 11. The shipping strike prevented the “ Irene ” Company from leaving Sydney for New Zealand, so that the appearance of the company in Me!bourne in this record-breaking musical play is stall further postponed, tor Easter was to have seen the production after the torn of the Dominion, with a run of sixteen weeks to its credit in Sydney. “ Irene ” is expected to breax this record easily when it goes to Aidbourne.

New Zealand will shortlv have an opportunity of seeing Air Allan W ilkie s new Shakespearean Company m a series of the best of Shakespearean plays, including “Hamlet,” Othello, “Macbeth,” “The Ale r chant of Venice.” Julius Caesar,” “ Twelfth Night, “As You Like It,” “The Comedy of Errors,’’ and “ The Alerry "Wives of

"Windsor.” The company since its organisation some months ago has been successful in Australia, Shakespeare presented well has proved in great demand, and Mr Wilkie intends to product nothing but Shakespeare in future. Americans are promised plenty of publicity about New Zealand ihrougn the medium of R. H. Sarsfield, soldier and entertainer, who leaves for San Francisco on January 8. Billed as

“New Zealand’s Singing Soldier.” lie is equipped with about 100 scenic slides supplied by the New Zealand Government Tourist Department, and it is his intention to plav the leading circuits in America, showing the slides, giving explanatory lectures, and singing special numbers that have been written for him. Mr Sarsfield opened the first provincial picture palace at Newry, Dublin. in 1910, and has travelled much in England and America as a vaudeville entertainer, prior to doing his part in the Great W ar.

Henri Verbrugghen. the great violinist and musical conductor, who is to conduct the Verbrugghen musical festival in New Zealand, is an example of The tenacity that carries a man to the highest position in his chosen profession. In his youth in Britain he was a struggling musician, who first started his now famous Quartet performances in an old barn with three other enthusiasts. and practised together until they considered themselves fit for public displays- At first their concerts were given in the little town in which they lived, but eventually their fame spread, and they were engaged to play in other cities. By this means they became a British institution, and it is interesting to note that the original brilliant four will be heard again in the forthcoming season in New Zealand. One of the hSts of the ee Sinhad the Sailor ” pantomime at Alelbourne King’s 19 the dancing turn of Edgeley and. Da we. the dancers, comedians and pantomimists. This is a burlesque on the jazz, and is characterised bv not only a burlesque of the original but also some remarkable acrobats. It never fails to “bring down the house. ’ One of the pair, by the wav. is said to be the thinnest -professional who has ever appeared on the stage in Australia.

Probate has been granted in Svdney of the will of Florence Aland Barrat Rivingto.i (professionally known as Florence Young), actress and singer, who died at Alelbourne on November 11. The value of the estate was sworn for probate purposes at £10,689. Two bequests, amounting to £6OO, were made to friends. All the remainder of the estate the executor was directed to convert into money and to divide the proceeds equally between Aliss Young’s three brothers and sister.

A genius for figures who is worthy of a place on the staff of the Government Statistician has estimated that the J. C. Williamson panto., Htimpty Dmnpty,” has used up two and a half miles of wood and canvas, half a ton cf nails, two tons of glue, two and & haif tons of paint, a mile and a half of dress material. Fourteen hundred different artiples of wearing apparel ar© worn in the two acts of twenty-on© scenes, the lighting of which is achieved by the use of 6000 electric lamps. The latter are exclusive of the 20,000 tiny red bulbs illuminating the wonderful cherry orchard in tho final© to the last act.

M. a Sg5« Dickinson flying through th.j air is one of the fascinating sights in the J. O. Williamson pantomime, “ Humptv Dumpty,” at Her Majesty's, Alelbourne. This is on© of the features of the Butterfly Ballet, an altogether wonderful blend of colour and movement. Suspended by a wire, the graceful dancer soars over the heads of the ballet, and appears to flutter from flower to flower. The flying apparatus is operated by an expert stage mechanist behind the scenes, and lias to be carried, out very carefull r. The silver wire is tested with great exactness before each performance, th-3 strictest precautions being taken so that no kink should get into the wire. Should this occur, the wire would snap like a thread of cotton. Nat Farnum. who arrived in Sydney from America to produce revues for Ben and John Fuller, is regarded as one of the best Hebrew comedians in musical comedy in the States, and he has also been associated in England with sonic of the biggest headlines in the musical comedy and vaudeville field. AVifch his partner, Jackie Farnum, he will do a brief season in vaudeville liefore getting to work on revues. In America Farnum and Farnum were among the first to offer their services to entertain and cheer up the woqnded soldiers, and during a. j>criod of foui*teen months they claim to have given more shows than any other artists to Yankee, French, British and colonial sold iers.

Someone asked William 'A. Ilassan, whose impersonation of Gin by, the cat, is a delightful feature of “ Sinhad the Sailor ” at the King’s Theatre, Alelbourne, whether he took Turkish baths to keep liis weight down while presenting liis animal impersonations in pantomime. Ginty, the cat, by the way, is a very small cat, and his skin is of real cat’s fur- Mr Hassan pointed out that he never found it necessary to reduce his weight. “ My work does that itself.” he explained. “ Just imagine wearing a fur coat during Christmas weather Well, inside the cat’s skin it is ten times worse. Tiro tight-fitting skin allows of very little ventilation, the only breathing places being the small openings in the throat. In addition, I have to"" operate the intricate mechanism of the eyes, ears, tail, etc. It is therefore not surprising that a pantomime season reduces my normal weight by about two stone/ No, T never have to indulge in Turkish baths V 9

Dame Clara Butt and Kennerly Rumford are preparing for another world tour, which is to include a visit to Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand tour •Will probably take place this 3fe>ar.

Younger performers at the Paris State Theatre, the Comedie Franchise, evidently agree with Samuel Johnson’s dictum, “ Superfluous lags the veteran on the stage.” They have issued a mandate to the management demanding that the age of compulsory retirement for actors should be fixed at 70 and that for aotroifi** at 65.

It does not often happen, but) sometimes things do go wrong with the mechanism 1 At the fall of the curtaiin after the first performance of “ Tlio Garden of Allah ” in London, Aliss Mary Anderson, in a little speech, made a laughing apology for “ the bad behaviour of the sandstorm,” which overran the desert into the first rows of the* stalls!

An enterprising American theatre has provided a nursery, so that mothers Wishing to see the play can leave their babies in charge of a nurse. The babies are given a number, like objects left, at a cloak room. The f re is an electric sign board at the side of the stage, and if any particular baby becomes too unhappy, the number is flashed on the signboard. “ Baby No. IS ” would mean that its mother had to leave the auditorium and pay a visit to the nursery!