WELL EQUIPPED.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 968, 24 September 1908, Page 17

WELL EQUIPPED.

Just before she embarked in the Orontes for Australia, Madame Ada Crossley was interviewed by a London “ Daily Chronicle ” interviewer on the subject of her tour to Australia arid the result was a collection of very interesting facts. She and her party have come out prepared for a long stay, for they bring with them sufficient musical material for twelve concert programmes without repeating a single item. “These programmes,” enthused Madame Crossley with pardonable pride, “consist entirely of good music that will be appreciated by Australians who are keen critics. They will represent all schools, ancient as well as modern.” And this is not all, for she is bringing with her no less than sixty new frocks, some of them gems, and half as many hats, among which are one or two of “The Merry Widow” type.

Little Queenie Williams, who once led the famous Tin Can Band, is now a little star, with the Meynell' and Gunn organisation. Her performance of Meg, the Little Bread-Winner has fascinated and delighted Press and public alike. It had been understood that the P.oytil .ucmic Cpc.u‘Ceiiipaay, would, at the conclusion of their Sydney season, tour New Zealand in ‘‘The Merry Widow.” It is now said to be possible that the company may instead return to Melbourne for Christmas, when the. “Duchess of Dantzic” and the “Lady Dandies” would be produced. The successful season of ‘ ‘ Mrs Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch ” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, has only a week more to go, after which the company visits Brisbane and other northern towns before going to New Zealand. * • ♦ » Mr. Charlie Taylor, of the wellknown Taylor-Carrington theatrical combination, who recently disbanded his dramatic company to take on a picture show, is shortly to abandon his new project and return to drama. A wealthy syndicate is said to have purchased Mr Taylor’s plant, which is a particularly good one. * * * * Miss Beatrice Holloway, one of a family of traditional theatrical greatness, is spoken of as improving each year, and to-day she is probably one of the very sweetest and most sympathetic of our Australian born actresses. Essie Jennyns of this ilk once towered to greatness—Beatrice is following closely in her footsteps. * * • • “The Merry Widow” has brought already more money into the pockets of the composer and the librettists than any similar work in the history of the musical world. In America only according to a statement made by. Mr Henry W. Savage, he has paid in royalties to the composer and librettists for performances in the States from 23rd September to 10th June the enormous sum of £22,000. If one considers that “The Merry Widow” is played all over the world, the fees must amount to something phenomenal- * . * # # A new version of “The Manxman” for stage purposes has been arranged by Hall Caine in conjunction with Louis N. Parker. The Wilson Barrett play they agree to set aside and start afresh. They take the book as a basis, and raise an entirely new super-structure. The leading characters —Pete and the rest of them —remain the same- Six new people enter the play; six make an exit. * * * ** A feature of the coming Meynell and Gunn season will be the excellent cast engaged—the majority of the artists, including such names as . George Casey, C. R. Stanford, E. G. Coughlin, Beatrice Holloway, Mabel Russell, Alice Deorwyn, Marion Norman and others, are all tried and true servants of the public, and in the opening piece “ The Little BreadWinner,” their excellent work has called forth the highest praise from the entire Press of Australasia. M * * * Mr. Myles Clifton, who is to play Grumio in the Margaret Anglin production of “The Taming of the Shrew” was a Shakesperian actor before he joined the Musical Comedy stage and Grumio was one of hiis star parts. With the Herman Veyzin Company, that excellent school of acting of ten and fifteen years ago, he played all the Shakesperian comedy roles including Launcelot Gobbo in “The Merchant of Venice” and Grumio. 4s * * ♦ A novel entertainment was resorted to by the Meynell and Gunn management when they produced the new drama “ The Old Folks at Home,” last week in Wellington. A farmer’s market cart was hired and filled with all sorts of produce, vegetables, crates of ducks, geese, etc., driven by the old farmer and his good lady (an excellent make up) with a rough sign on the vehicle “ The Old Folks at Home, address Opera Houke.” The advent of this little advertising scheme caused quite a stir in the southern capital. Many adventures were encountered on the daily round, and the number of pedestrians run down is still unknown. * * * • Mr Ernest Leicester, the big, handsome dramatic actor, who was here last year with “ Human Hearts,” is with the new Meynell and Gunn Company. Mr Leicester’s first appearance will be as Harold Wilson in “ The Fatal Wedding,” the second production of the season.