THE STAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16714, 21 April 1922, Page 4

THE STAGE.

NEWS AND NOTES. (By the “LIMELIGHT MAX”) The Sis tine Choir, composed of sixt voices and several soloists, will com i mence a four weeks' season in Net j Zealand at Wellington, probably oi June 12. The whole of tbo pwgr*xnm will he rendered without the aid of an; instrumental accompaniment. and wil include a wonderful variety of musi ranging from joyous madrigals o ancient and modern limes to impressir requiems tod te deirms. An unsuall; interesting feature of the tour will b< the inclusion on the programme of tb« celebrated “ Gloria of th© Codex ” o Palestrina, which was announced loe at the Historical Musical Congress ir Rome in 1902. Fabulous sums were of fered for the recovery* of this precioit manuscript, which it was thought hat been smuggled out of Italy by inter national thieves. It was lately discov ered among a lot of other ancient bul less valuable papers in one of the sraal lev libraries of the King's Palace Messrs E. ,T. and Dan Carroll an© to di rect the New Zealand tour. Miss Ada Reeve snvg that following her season in Australia, she will visit New Zealand. South Africa. Canada and Great Britain in the order named The tour will last four years. She wil thtm bid farewell to the stage, and in i-ouds to ‘ettle down to country lifepro hai.fy in Australia. Now on his way to Australia under engagement to the H. G. Musgrove circuit, is Alalcolm Scott, a. humourist with a big reputation in West End vaudeville. Mr Scott wears skirts, but. not th© skirts of the orthodox pantomime dame. On the contrary, b© specialises in humourous characterisations or caricatures of famous women or history, such as Oueen Elizabeth and the admittedly defunct-Queen Anne. H B Warner disapproves of reviv. in* ©ld plays. “They don’t seem to do now. h© said, “ and I don’t se© much use in trying to make them do. as ta-r as I can make out the situation, there was a. before-the-war tempo tor plays and there is a n after-the-war i.TIY 1 kDO ” r th* war itself actually Brought, this about, but th * re ara • • Miss XelJi* Stewart told an mterriewer that she has been busy for the last three months in writing her memoirs, dealing with interesting people and events of her long stage experience. Speaking as an experienced onlooker -Biss Setwart says that the finds no lark °t artistic work on the stage to-day. though it is not perhaps encouraged by producers to the same, extent as it was formerly. Alias Stewart ventures the prophecy that the artistic side i a coming back, and very quickly too. Talbot O’Farrell, shortly to open an Australian season at t.he Tivoli in Mel- " to tb* vaudeville stage what • ohn AT Cormack is to the concert platform. Both possess the some liquid voices with the clear high notes. Both have the gift, of going straight to the tie.art with their singing. O'FarrelJ is a hig man in the prime of life (savs an Australian paper). He is coming to ns at the very width of liis career His i winning personality described by manv who have listened to him on th© other side is sure t-o make for him here a host of friends, both before and behind the curtain. The threatened appearance in Australia of the Irish Players will give great joy to those who are interested in the Irish Literary Theatre (says an Australian paper). The company's leading lady is Moire O’Neil, sister of -Sara Allgood ; and “The White-headed B-oy ■’ is to b© the first offering. Other possibles are “ Riders to th©» Sea ” and The Playboy of the Western World.” When first staged in the Fnited. States the latter caused a riot among IriahAmericans. but opposition to it did! when it was found to be not a foolish lampoon but a sincere study of the national character. As presents Afr Allan Wilkie has rel reived several relic© of G- Y. Brooke. | the Shakespearean tragedian. One of j these, a belt, was recently given to Air j W ilki© by a lady in whos© family it had j been for years. An earlier possessor : played in the same company as Brooke. I The dagger which Mr AYilkie uses in his production of ‘ Richard ITT ’’ alao I>elonged to Brooke. Another prized possession is a ring which was worn by Sir Henry Irving. Regarded by Sir Henry ns something of a talisman, it is a cameo on which is carved the head of an Egyptian princess- Irving used it in his portrayal of Shy lock- Another | curio is the skull used in “ Hamlet-’’ } This is stated to have been used bv G. i V. Brooke. Barry Sullivan and H. B. j trying- | Our manager was a great stickler for ! acting at rehearsal (writes a Sydnev ; ‘Bulletin " correspondent). The fluffy. > 4 all-right -at night " pros. got no change out of him. One of his fads was to sit in the back row of the stalls and siDg out from there. ** Now. you folk on the stage, act up! I'm one of the audience. I’ve paid my money and I want my money’s worth!" A certain newly imported mummer found some difficulty in accommodating himself to this somewhat, novel method of stago direction The oft-repeated interjection from the front, “ T've paid my money " got on his nerves, and finallv h«-» dried up dead. Annoyed, he strode down to ihe footlights and shouted to the boss. ■' Fod God s sake go and get a our money back.'' A young Australian contralto. Mis* Clarice Coles, is elated at the prophe cies of her musical future made by Dame Clara Butt and Air Kennorley i Runiford. before whom che recently j sang at Sydney. “It is a wonderful [ voice -a world's voice. said Air Ken | nerley Rum ford. “ Her voice is one of ' the best contraltos T hat© beard out j here: it- really exceptionally beauti- | ful.” “ Miss Coles has a great future before her," declared Dame Clara Butt ATis Coles only twenty-one. Her voice has » range of three octaves—from high A to pedal B-flat. A com mittee has been formed to raise funds to enable, her to continue her studies abroad, and Dame ’Clara Butt has headed the subscription list with a cheque. %“ It- is stated that- Allan tour of New Zealand with Shakespearean repertory yielded a profit of £ tOOO Owing to the continuous strain of plaving heavy and exacting rolep Miss Hun-ter-Watts (Mrs Allan Wilkie) -baa been ordered bv her medi<*al adviser t© j«k» an immediate and prolonged teat gb© was to leave Melbourne last month bv the Orvieto. Afiss Hunter-Watts will combine r>usine«s with her health trip ** during her stay in Italy she will en deavour to buy medieval dress and ar mour, and on arrival in England- will engage a number of now artists for the Allan Wilkie Company. While AL=* Hunter-Watts is abroad her place in the Allan AYilkie Company will bo filled by ATiss Hilda Dorrington. a young aotross who recently arrived in Australia from America.