EDISON’S POPULAR PICTURES.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XV, Issue 886, 28 February 1907, Page 17

EDISON’S POPULAR PICTURES.

BESSIE SUTTON. At His Majesty’s Theatre on Monday, March 11, Edison’s Popular Pic ures will open with an entirely new series of “America at Work,” and “America at Play.” In speaking of this entertainment the Otago “Times” says: The excellent bioscopic entertainment running at His Majesty’s Theatre drew, another good house last night. .'. To all lovers of brightness and the picturesque, the unusual ,<and the instructive, the animated, and the droll, this charming show.. is. again with confidence commended. .The films are admirable in quality as in variety and .novelty. The accompaniment of sound, . while never exaggerated, is strikingly effective. The pictures are steady and brilliant, focussed to a nicety. Some of the most characteristic American films now showing are wonderfully humorous and droll. The Coney Island series is especially to be commended.' Coney Island is "he popular watering-place of New York —popular in the broadest sense. Thither on holidays

go Chimmy Fadden and the girl, extraordinary creatures who must be seen to be believed. The fine flower of American civilisation blooms with excessive quaintness in Chimmy Fadden. He is the nearest prototype of the London coster class. His ideas of enjoyment are crude, but of infinite development in their order. He loves intensely (in his fashion) as any epicurean could desire. He dresses wonderfully. He knows what he wants, and he does not always want what he gets. He talks his own speech,' and hates the limitations of the merely fashionable. At Coney Island you see him at his best. He is wonderfully well worth seeing. There are other marvellously beautiful coloured films. There is a tremendously dramatic series, and in addition to these splendid pictures an excellent entertainment is given-by Miss Bessie Sutton, who has reached the age of eight years. Notwithstanding the weight of so many summers, little Bessie sings like a dainty music hall artist, and dances like a fairy. Her voice is a surprisingly powerful one for so small an individual, and she is well versed in all the coquetries and fetching tricks of the experienced lady before the footlights. Her second act, in which she appeared as a juvenile man of the world, accoutred in evening dress and top hat, was too good for words, and her concluding step dance was worthy of Lauri himself. Bessie had to respond to treble encores on each appearance, and the audience was even then inclined to have more. One way and another, this show—the statement is honestly made—is the best picture show Dunedin has so far seen.

On February 16. “Mother Goose” entered upoii the nin'h week of its .extra-

ordinarily popular run at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne ,with a record behind it of eight weeks of business that has never even been approached before (writes Mr George Tallis). With the close of this week it will have registered over 70 successive performances,. at none of which has the attendance fallen below the level of crowded houses, and there is so far no evidence at all to indicate that the production has lost a hairsbreadth of its hold on the public. Recently moreover the introduction of several new features seems on the other hand to have increased its attractiveness—if indeed, that were possible. Miss Florence Young now sings a spirited song, “Cupid is the Captain of the Army;” Miss Celia Ghiloni has a fine ballad, “If You Only Knew,” and Miss Pressy Preston has changed “Gretchen von Wetchen” for another, “Little Dutch Colleen.” Mr Victor Loydall warbles a ditty about “Parting on the Shore.” Little Sadie has a song about the band, and Lennon, Hyman and Lennon put in some work alternately, clever and comical with Indian clubs for the benefit of the inhabitants of Gooseland. *♦< ♦ '

It is not often nowadays that serious drama in Australia can achieve an uninterrupted run of eight weeks, and the fact that “Parsifal,” which was withdrawn last Friday from Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, was able to do so speaks volumes for the drawing power of this artistic and admirably done play. This week Miss Tittell Brune is appearing in a reviva’. of “Leah Kleschna,” a role she has always maintained to exceptional advantage, and she is being supported by

a cast almost entirely new to Sydney, among hem Mr Thomas Kingston in particular, earning unanimous praise for his finished performance of Kleschna. The rest of Miss Brune’s Sydney season will be devoted to short revivals of old favourites.

Owing, of course, to the success of the pantomime in Melbourne, to Ballarat fell the duty of welcoming Mr Julius Knight back to Aus rafia, and very worthily they fulfilled their responsibilities, when “Robin Hood” was produced before an absolutely packed house, which followed th? course of the stirring and romantic drama from first to last with the closest attention and the warmest appreciation, giving Mr Knight himself and to every member of his new company the most enthusiastic recognition, of their respective efforts. The piece indeed, justified entirely the high expectation formed of it, and there is no possible doubt but that it will be popular throughout Australasia. The occasion was of a doubly important character, as it marked also the re-open- ; ng of His - Majesty’s ■ Theatre after- a complete overhaul, which has made it one of the best provincial theatres in the Commonwealth, equal indeed, to the metropolitan ‘houses in - the adequacy of its stage arrangements, .which allow the biggest spectacles being produced there, and in its electric lighting modelled on that of Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne.

Having finished, with Auckland the Royal Comic Opera Company are now filling in the last month of '.their New Zealand tour with a round: of the South Island centres; For their -Adelaide sea-

son, which commences on Easter Saturday, the chief attraction will be “The Spring Chicken, ” . and this most modern of musical comedies .will be followed by “The Belle of New York,” “La Mascotte,’’and -others of the revivals in which the company has of late so distinguished itself. -Mr Reginald Roberts his friends will be glad to hear, will rejoin the company for the season. In addition to the severe operation of a few months ago he has recently had to undergo another slight one, but he is ensured' by his doctors that he will be perfectly well again in a few days.

Another result of the popularity of the pantomime is the further extension of its touring arrangements by Mr J. C. Williamson, who has decided to take in New Zealand as well as Brisbane, Adelaide, and West Australia—a move which will keep the company employed till the end of the year.

As everybody knows, superstition is a marked characteristic of nine out of ten members of the theatrical profession, a fact vividly. instanced in a recent experience of Miss Florence Young. She received a solemn circular intimating that unless she copied out daily and sent to a friend one of the nine prayers attached thereto, something awful would befall her. Impressed with the intimation and with her feelings worked upon by her fellow players who took the most serious view of the situation, she proceeded to faithfully carry out the instructions, her task being zealojusly watched by every member of the Mother Goose Company, Apapuaj Jaq puiuiaj oj patjiuio joaou oqA\ of her duty from day to day, and otherwise took as many precautions as she did to avert the impending doom. When it was averted and the ninth day passed without incident, there was much rejoicing. It is not. on record what the recipients of the daily prayers thought of it. ♦•♦ - * »

“There are many reasons,” says Mrs ,T‘ O’Connor in an article in the Daily Mail,” why English companies in English plays can no longer look to America for a rich harvest of dollars. America is rapidly finding herself; she has. discovered her own value, her own individuality, and her own independence, even in the subject of plays. The fashionable and the cultivated set, who wish to be au courant with every movement abroad, no doubt still go to see English plays, and profess to admire and to understand them, but deep down in their heart of hearts they prefer an American atmosphere, which, in spite of the same language, is quite different from England; they are as widely asunder as the two poles. One of the most prominent managers in America, who has successfully fought the theatrical combines, said to me: ‘lt isn’t necessary for us to have one English play in this country. When you realise that if an American play is successful it takes five years to exploit it, with companies—travelling- from . Maine to Florida, and from California to the East, you can fancy that an American success is worth working for.’ There are plays in America that have had a twenty years’ run. .‘The Old Homestead’ has run in America for twenty-five years, and ‘Shore Acres’ has had a success of similar duration.”

.Mr Andrew Mack has left San Franciscq with the new company he has organised for the reconquest of Australasia. They begin that campaign in Wellington at Easter, and. will remain in the Colony until July, when they are due in Melbourne.

Messrs J. and N. Tait announce Madame' Clara Butt and Mr Kennerley Rumford : will commence their Australian tour in Sydney early, in September next. It is expected that the visit of these famous singers will be very successful. Both Mr and Mrs Rumford have appeared at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, and are, in fact, great favourites of Royalty as well as being exceedingly popular throughout the United Kingdom. Mdme. is the greatest contralto of modern times, and Mr Kennerley Rumford is a magnificent baritone.

Rex, the human conundrum, having completed .a five months’ tour of NewZealand. returns to Sydney on Monday. It is only >lB months since Rex, on the suggestion of the medical fraternity, I made his first appearance on the stage. 1 He never goes through : any preparation or training, and all his acts are simply exhibitions of double-jointedness.

William Anderson, of “bellowdrama” fame, is simply coining money with his “Wonderland” show a" Bondi, Sydney. One-of his latest attractions was the performing of a marriage. ceremony on an elephant’s back. The happy cotiple were dressed in Oriental costume, and the novel • ceremony drew thousands. As a wedding gift 1 the management presented the pair wi"h a furnished house and a honeymoon > trip to the Blue Mountains.