Greenroom Gossip.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XVII, Issue 997, 15 April 1909, Page 17

Greenroom Gossip.

“JACK AND JILL.” Mr. J. C. Williamson’s pantomime company had a very gratifying reception at His Majesty’s Theatre, Sydney, on Saturday, April 3, when “ Jack and Jill ” was presented for the first time in that city. The theatre was packed with an intensely enthusiastic audience, and the many delightful features of the gorgeous pantomime met with the warmest approval; indeed, from preliminary indications, the big attraction seems likely to out-rival the popularity of the two previous Williamson extravaganzas, as far as the Sydney playgoing public is concerned. * * * * A FRENCH CONVICT BAND. Concerning the Fred Elton Comedy Co., which returned to Sydney by the Maheno on her last trip across, the “ S.M. Herald ” states that, after a very successful tour of seven months in the Dominion, Mr. Fred Elton is leaving for Noumea to make arrangements with the French authorities for a world’s tour with the convict band there. An entertainment in aid of the Penguin Fund was given by the company on board, at which Professor David lectured, realising £9. * * ♦ ♦ PADEREWSKI AS A SPEAKER. A speech by Paderewski seems to have been the chief feature of the

farewell banquet given at New York in honor of Mme Sembrich, who (says an Excnange.) is leaving public life permanently. To those, however, who have had the privilege of enjoying M. Paderewski’s society in private circles, it does not come at all as a matter of surprise that his laudatory expressions rgarding Mme. Sembrich’s 25 years of operatic work were interspersed with ail amount of humour and pathos as refined and delightful as his playing. « « -5 * “CINDERELLA” BREAKS ALL RECORDS. “ Cinderella,” Meynell and Gunn’s pantomime at the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, has already broken all records for pantomime in Australia, and when it is withdrawn this week it will have run for seventeen weeks —the longest run achieved by any production in Australia. There have been few pantomimes or musical productions which have so maintained their popularity as has “ Cinderella.” The pantomime is beautifully staged and mounted; it is full of catching songs, pretty music; is genuinely humorous, and the com-

pany is one of the finest that has ever appeared in pantomime in Australia, the comedians especially being largely accountable for the success of the production. The seventeen weeks’ run closes on April 17, when the successful London musical comedy, “ The Girl Behind the Counter,” will be staged for the first time in Australia. The “ book ” is by Leedham Bantock, the music by Howard Talbot, and lyrics by Percy Greenbank. When staged at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, it ran for over nine months. # , # * * “THE HYPOCRITES.” A brilliant success has been achieved in Sydney by Meynell and Gunn’s new English dramatic company in Henry Arthur Jones’ masterpiece, “ The Hypocrites.” The “ Daily Telegraph,” referring to the production, says: “The Hypocrites” was received wiux tremendous enthusiasm. It was in every way a great performance, ine stagecraft is masterly. The sex problem is handled with reticence, and ihe production must be recognised as a serious contribution to the drama of the day. The success of the evening was made by Mr. Harcourt Beatty and the new ingenue, Miss Gladys Harvey. “ The Hypocrites,” which is described as “ a play that hits hard,” has received the most eulogistic notices in the press. » * » • “MONSIEUR BEAUCAIRE” REVIVAL. It is interesting to note that just after the announcement that “ Monsieur Beaucaire ” would form one of tne Julius Knight attractions for Adelaide and the West, news comes from England that this piece had a very successful revival in London last month. And it is still more interesting to learn that the London “ Observer,” commenting on the revival, remarked that Mr. Thomas Kingston, who had appeared in the cast of the original production, was amongst those most missed in the revival. * * * “MISS LANCASHIRE, LIMITED.” The tour of “ Miss Lancashire, Limited,” personally conducted by Miss Florence Baines, through the Dominion is drawing to a close. Her merry laughter has been heard all through New Zealand, and has everywhere proved most infectious and irresistible. We could wish that Miss Baines had found the time to revisit Auckland, for “ the laugh that doeth good like medicine” is not too often heard amongst'us. Miss Baines is at present playing to crowded houses in Christchurch. x 4: ■ X MADAME MELBA. Madame Melba arrived at the Bluff on Monday, and gave her first concert at the Municipal Theatre, Invercargill, on Tuesday evening. She is at Dunedin this evening, and sings there again on Saturday. She visits Oamaru on Monday, Timaru on Tuesday, and sings at Christchurch on the 22nd and 23rd insts. Madame Melba is in excellent health and voice, but has unfortunately sprained her foot, though not so seriously as to interfere with her engagements. The great Australian songstress recently told a press interviewer that it was her purpose to sing at every important and unimportant town in the Commonwealth, and that she intended remaining in Australia from six to nine months, when engagements would take her to England again. * * * * “ THE MERRY WIDOW.” “ The Merry Widow” has taken up her quarters with Mr. J- C. Williamson’s Royal Comic Opera Company at the Wellington Opera House, where her appearance was greeted on Saturday evening by an audience that was (according to “ The Dominion”) for size and enthusiasm a record. Described as “ racy musical comedy in its general atmosphere, its characters and action,” “ The Dominion” declares that “ the music would fit a work somewhere between comic and grand opera,” with a score that is enhanced by a brilliant and altogether unconventional orchestration of singular completeness and undeniable charm.” * * * ♦ THE EDWIN GEACH COMPANY. Mr. Edwin Geach’s Premier Dramatic Company opened its Wellington season on Saturday with “ The Woman Pays,” which is described as melodrama of a pronounced type,” in which “ sentiment, moving incidents, a comic relief, scheming wickedness temporarily successful and long-suffer-ing virtue finally triumphant,” each play their part. “ The Dominion” congratulates Mr. George Marlow, the manager, who is revisiting Wellington after several years’ absence, on an elaborate production and an opening night which may be regarded as a presage of a successful season.

OPERA HOUSE PROFITS. The Wellington Opera House Company paid dividends for the year ending 31st March last at the rate of 12 y z per cent, with the usual bonus of 100 guineas to the directors, reduced the Cuba Street extension mortgage by £296 15s 2d and carried forward a balance of £1199 4s Id. The receipts from rents for the year amounted to £3005. * * * CALIFORNIA BOYS ON TOUR. Major Sidney S. Piexotto, writing from the Cook Islands, sends me some interesting facts concerning the Californian Boys of the Columbia Park Club, San Francisco, who are to tour the Commonwealth and New Zealand shortly. The Major, who is a born sport and figures as President of the Pacific Athletic Association, the Western Branch of the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States; President of the Public Schools Athletic League of San Francisco, an organisation which provides all forms of athletics for the thousands of school boys of that city; and vice-president of the Federated Boys Club of America, etc., is also the founder and director of the Club, and is in personal charge of the boys who are visiting us. For his services in creating the famous Boys’ Battalion, of which he was the commander, he was commissioned by the Governor as Major in the National guard of California. * * * * A CLEAN MOVEMENT. Major Peixotto started his club, in a room in one of the back streets of San Francisco fifteen years ago. Today the Columbia Park Boys’ Club numbers 400 members and has set a standard of clean living, clean thinking, and clean athletics for every boy in San Francisco, whether he is in the club or not. The club is now recognised as the foremost Boys’ organisation on the Pacific Slope. The boys are recognised as the crack athletes of the city of San Francisco, and hold the championship honors among the boys of San Francisco as baseball and basket ball players. They have a fine band, are reported to be capital singers, natural and truly entertaining actors and give a rattling good entertainment. For five years the boys walked 500 miles every summer through the State of California giving clever shows to crowded audiences. * * * A CLEVER COMBINATION. Major Peixotto says they have a band of 40 pieces, and give a clever performance that will prove a rare treat. Thousands of California people flock every summer to the play houses to see the really quaint and original

theatrical performances these 'boys, give. When you have seen them, you may think that they are professionally trained and you will be quite wrong. It is just a natural, charming expression of boy life. The lads of any town could do as well if they had the right leader. The Band is in evidence throughout the evening. The musical accompaniments are all furnished by the boy orchestra. The Pyramid Team of sixteen members open the programme with delightful aerial poses. Then there is the Trio, as wonderful a midget set of singers as you could wish to hear, followed by a wild and whirling Zulu act, played by a clever diminutive comedian; other acts follow, done by just boys. There are three farces; all original and all highly hilarious; boy life in all its phases, the playlets being well worth seeing. They are remarkable for the reason that the plot, the stage business and the dialogue have all been invented in the Club, and elaborated and finished by the boys’ directors. They have been handed down by word of mouth for the last twelve years, and now, polished by use, form as amusing little farces as it is possible to see. The Little Laplander ballet, with its pretty change of costume, is a most Quaint piece of dancing. * * * * WHERE TREE SCORED. Beerbohm Tree, is noted for his repartee, and the following instance is worth recording. One day, as the famous actor was leaving his club, he was met by an utter stranger, who stopped him, and put the impertinent question: “ Pray, sir, are you someone of importance?” Mr. Tree looked the speaker up and down for a moment, and then quietly replied: ‘“No; I don’t think I can be, or I shouldn’t be seen talking to you.” Then the stranger departed hurriedlySts * * * THE FIRST DOWNWARD STEP. A photographer was urging Charles Frohman, the well-known theatrical manager, to sit for his photograph for a popular weekly; but this, as usual, Mr. Frohman refused to do. The photographer, a fluent, persuasive chap, advanced reason after reason why the other should break his rule and sit. “Those reasons sound well,” Mr. Frohman said, “ but behind them, I seem to see an ulterior and selfish motive lurking- It is like the harrowing story that the lawyer came home and told his wife. ‘Sad case in court to-day,’ he began. ‘ What was it?’ the lady asked. ‘Case of shop-lifting. Beautiful, refined woman, educated and wealthy, caught stealing things in shops like a common thief. The

judge was greatly moved. He said: ‘Madam, how did you begin this sort of thing?’ ‘ Alas, sir,’ she answered, weeping, ‘ I began picking my husband’s pockets at night after he was in bed asleep. That was the first step, and after it my fall was easy.’ ” * * * * A NEW BERNSTEIN DRAMA. The English Press speaks in high terms of the new play “ Samson,” which has been produced in London under the direction of Mr. Arthur Bourchier. It is the work of that remarkable Jewish genius Bernstein, who has already made such a success as author of “ The Thief,” and vividly presents conditions of to-day. A man enormously rich discovers that the wife to whom he is devoted cares nothing for him. He is a person of humble origin, a dockman whose ability and energy have brought him millions, together with the adulation of the world. His money and endless kindness have not, on the other hand, succeeded in securing him the affection of his wife. He thinks of little but heaping up riches, he is obsessed by the desire to add to his ever-in-creasing store of wealth. Then suddenly comes the discovery that his wife has given her love to another man, and his passion for money yields to an insensate desire for revenge. He sweeps away the other man’s fortune, although in so doing he has deliberately to beggar himself. Hence the title of the play, recalling the blind rage of the Biblical giant who pulled the temple down upon himself and his enemies. The moral of Bernstein’s drama is that a man who regards money as the pivot upon which everything revolves has hardly penetrated beneath the surface of things. Get below that surface, and you will find the ruling force in life to be those fundamental emotions that governed our red-haired ancestors, dwellers in caves 30,000 years ago. * * * * WHY HE COULDN’T SEE. A showman was making a great fuss in the front of his exhibition about the wonders he had inside. A man standing in the crowd with a little boy beside him cried out: “ I’ll bet you five shillings you can't let me see a lion.”

“ Done,” said the showman eagerly. The man placed five shillings in the hand of a bystander and the showman did the same. “ Now walk this way,” said the showman, “and I’ll soon convince you. There you are,” said he, triumphantly, “ look in the corner at that beautiful Nubian lion.” “ I don’t see any,” responded the other. “ What’s the matter with you?” asked the showman. “ I’m blind,” was the grinning reply; and the blind man pocketed the money ■and went away. * * * $ FORTUNES OF PLAYWRIGHTS. Varied are the fortunes of playwrights and dramatists. Sir Francis Burnand who for 25 years edited London Punch, and is the author of “ over a hundred and twenty successful plays ” found it necessary to accept a Civil List pension of £2OO per annum two years ago. On the other hand a German paper says that the struggle for the rights of production of Richard Strauss’s new opera “ Electra,” has already begun. The representative of the Hammerstein Opera Company of New York has secured the American rights, for which he has paid a deposit of £l,OOO, £3,600 in guaranteed royalties, and £1,200 for use of the scores. A German publisher has paid £5,500 for the German publishing rights. * * * * - THE WILLIAMSON COMPANIES. As indicating the extent of business now controlled in Australasia by Mr. J. C’. Williamson it is worthy of notice that, on Easter Saturday, no fewer than five of the J. C. Williamson organisations were playing “ first nights.” “ Sweet Kitty Bellairs” by the Nellie Stewart Company at the Melbourne Princess Theatre and “ An Englishman’s Home ” at the Sydney Theatre Royal were, of course, perfectly new to Australia and seldom have two productions been looked forward to with more eagerness by playgoers—the one on account of the furore it has caused throughout the length and breadth of Great Britain and the other because it is the medium in which a favourite actress appears before her own countrymen and women after a protracted absence. In Adelaide Julius Knight opened in “ The Duke’s Motto,” in Perth the Musical . Comedy Company produced “ The Prince of Pilsen ” while in Wellington, New Zealand, the Royal Comic Opera Company appeared in “ The Merry Widow.”