A VARIED CAREER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16748, 1 June 1922, Page 5

A VARIED CAREER.

EXPERIENCES OF MR HOWETT-WORSTER.

SOLDIER AND ACTOR. Mr A. Howett-Worster, the leading man with the J. C. Williamson Comic Opera Company, now appearing in Christchurch, is still quite a young man, yet he has crowded into his years an immense amount of incident. Although his singing career started when he was only ten years of age, he has since then filled a large variety of roles that have had no connection whatever with music. Tr>‘ a “Star” interviewer, who chatted with Mr Howett-Worster la.st evening, he gave a most interesting account of his experiences. “I suppose you are going to commence with the usual stock questions. When did you start? What do‘ you think of our country?” said Mr Howett-Wors-ter, jocularly, when the interviewer made known his mission. “Well, Tm going to reverse the order and answer the second question first, because I consider it/s the most important.” he continued. “ New Zealand, in my opinion, is the most beautiful country in tha world outside England. Christclrurca is, of course, a replica of England, and, although it is our misfortune to strike Christchurch during a cold snap, I must say that everything about the place appeals to me. That disposes of one question, so I will now deal withthe other, ‘ When did I start?’ That can be answered easily, for T started singing in public when I was ten years of age. IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY CHOIR. “ My people were all Londoners, added' Mr Howett-Worster. “ and, as they thought my singing voice as a child was something out of the ordinary, and my mother had friends at Westminster, 1 was taken to Sir Frederick Bridge, the organist at Westminster Abbey, and was accepted for the Abbey choir :it once. I wore the Royal red cassock and white surplice, and sang at many big functions. At the funeral of the Right Hon W. E. Gladstone I sang a solo, and T also sang at Peggy Primrose’s wedding. We had to give our whole time to the choir, and in return the State provided us with a complete education at the Westminster Abbey Choir School. Before my voice broke, T sang at many big functions at tbe Koval Albert Hall with Sir Charles Santlev and other artists of note, and was the first boy soprano to sing alone in the centre transept of the great Crystal Palace. I sane: with Madame Alice Gomez, among others.” “ A COMMERCIAL CAREER ” Mr Howett-Worster said that when his voice broke his parents decided not to encourage his operatic bent, but r o train him for a commercial career. Accordingly he was sent to Josephites College in Louvain, Belgium, from which he graduated to. the Louvain University. At the university he studied languages and incidentally kept up his music. Arriving back in London at tbe age of seventeen, his father secured a post for him with the Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance Company ; “but,” added Mr Howett-Worster, “ l must confess that X spent most of my time doing little songs and dances in the basement.” Eventually he started to train his budding baritone voice under Sir Charles Cellier, who later gave him a letter of introduction to Mr George Edwardes, the manager of Daly’s Theatre, London. A MEMBER OF THE CHORUS. Mr Edwardes was impressed with my voice, and he gave me a start in the chorus of “ The Little Miscus Company, which toured the principal towns of England. My salary was the huge sum of £2 a week and nothing found. 1 was chosen to understudy the principal baritone part, and my luck was in, for the principal was taken ill, and T had to play the part of “Aristide.” I played this part in Portsmouth for a week and Brighton for a week, and as both places were handy to London, the manager of Daly’s Theatre came down and witnessed one of the performances. As a. result I was taken back for the chorus of Daly’s Theatre and understudied, Louis Bradfield, then the principal baritone of the theatre. Here again my luck was in good stead, for 13 lad field, who was considered a castiron artist, was taken ill, and I had the good fortune to appear in the principal baritone part with Miss Kdie Green, ihcn in the heyday of her career, in a play entitled “The Lady Dandies.” FIRST BIG CONTRACT. This brought Mr Howett-Worster his first big contract He was engaged by Air George Edwardes to tour South Africa, taking the principal baritone and light comedy parts. The tour was most successful. “I then felt that 1 would like to see a bit of the commercial side of life, so got a job at a gold mine at Ferreira Deep and worked 2400 feet underground, ganging. For a time my whereabouts was unknown, until one day a friend discovered me in the mine and got me a job on the surface, in the assay department. I had always determined to see all sides of life and to get all round the world, and curiously enough T have never at any time had to pay my own steamer fare. But to jeturn to the gold mining. T worked in the assaying department for eight, weeks, when T passed my examination and was given a position ns assistant assay er.” Becoming tired of work in the mines Mr Howett-Wo.ster next started n<s a theatrical producer in South Africa and produced ‘ Emerald Isle ” “ The Gondoliers ” and other plays. They were all amateur shows, but he made quite a lot of money with them. His next experience was a shooting trek from the Orange River Colony into the borders of the Transvaal and Zululand into Natal. From Durban he left for London, where Edwardes gave him a part in “ The Merry Widow” a.s Prince Danilo. A PICTURE PRODUCER. The picture business was then in its infancy in England, and Mr HowettWorster left Daly’s Theatre to start as a producer for Mr Cecil Hcpworth’s first all-British film company. That lias in 1911. In addition to producing, lie was Hie leading juvenile actor for the Hepworth Company. Miss Chrissie White and Miss Alma Taylor, who are still n embers of the company, were then flappers. Miss Gladys Sylvnni was the leading lady. Several of the films produced by Mr HowettWorster were shown in New Zealand, among them being “ The Cloister and the Hearth.” “George Barnwell, London Apprentice,” and “ Jimmy Lester, Convict and Gentleman.” It was not long before he decided to return to the operatic stage. He accepted an offer by Mr Maurice E. Bamlman to tour India- It was a wonderful trip. They toured Bombay, Calcutta. Penang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila and tbe Far East generally. At the end of that tour Mr'HowettWorster was offered and accepted a post with tlie Bengal Chamber of Coni-

mere©, and while there joined the local volunteers. IN THE INDIAN ARMY. When war broke out he applied for a commission ?n the Indian Army, and was gazetted to the 45th Regiment. Colonel Rattray’s Sikhs- With this regiment he had many very interesting experiences, particularly while in coni rnand of the Dora Ishinal Khan Tort, on the River Indus, on the frontier between India and Afghanistan. Here ht> had plenty of fighting with the idabsuds. “ it was a case of fignting every other day, "with sometimes a matinee performance on Sundays, * Mr Howett-Worster. He a iso took part in the abortive effort to relieve General Townshend at Kut-el-Amara. At the end of 1916 he was invalided from Mesopotamia to India, and was boarded as medically unfit for lurther service. However, the autnorities decided to make use of his capabilities as a linguist, and ne was given an appointment on the staff at Bombay, and later transferred to Central India, in charge of a Turkish prisoners of war camp. “ There were 4000 Turkish rank and file and 400 Turkish and Arab officers in the camp, end a nice lot of scally-wags they were,” remarked Mr Howett-Worster. BACK TO ENGLAND. Towards the end of 1918 Mr HowettWorster, who had then been six years in the East, and was reduced to 9st in weight, was granted six months’ leave to England. He got to London just before the armistice, and on reporting to the India Office was discharged with a life pension of £BO a year, and on top of that a disablement pension of £9O a year, the latter having been since withdrawn. His doctors advised him to take a trip to Australia, and he came out to Melbourne, where he was appointed a. teacher at the Melba Conservatorium of Music, under Mr Fritz Hart, another Abbey boy. While at the Conservatorium he produced the opera, “The Marriage of Figaro,” and played the leading part himself. “ Mr George Tallis and Air John Tate, two of the managing directors for the J. C. Williamson Company, witnessed one of the performances, and offered me a contract, and that’s why I’m here.” added Mr Howett-Worster. “ I am under contract- with J- C. Williamson. Ltd., for a further nine months, so ip. is quite possible that T will have another tour through New Zealand. T would very much like to be in Christchurch during tbe snriner and see all the English trees hud-rUn