Greenroom Gossip.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIX, Issue 1065, 4 August 1910, Page 17

Greenroom Gossip.

THE PANTOMIME DATES. The following are the “ Aladdin” pantomime dates for this month: — Auckland, August 8 to 20; New Plymouth, August 22; Wanganui, 23 and 24; Palmerston North, 25 and 26; Hastings, 27; Napier, 29 and 30; Masterton, 31; Wellington, September 1. PANTOMIME ARTISTES. Miss Marie Eaton has risen very quickly in her profession. Last year she was the Fairy Queen in “ Jack and Jill,” and now she is taking the character of Aladdin in J- C. Williamson’s most successful pantomime. Miss Eva Moore, who plays the character of the Princess in “ Aladdin,” is said to much resemble her sister Carrie. It was only the offer of a very high salary which induced Harry Phydora to again leave London for Australia. Mr. Phydora last toured New Zealand with the “Mother Goose” Company. Mr. J- M. Campbell first toured New Zealand with the “Merrymakers,” of which organisation he was the principal member. Last year he successfully appeared as the dame in “ Jack and Jill,” and in the coming ” Aladdin” production he will appear as the Emperor of Japan. «•* . « * “THE GIRL FROM RECTOR'S.” I confess I cannot see why sundry newspapers and clergymen have made such a fuss over “ The Girl from Rector’s” It has given Mr. Hugh Ward’s company a splendid advertisement, and made everyone keen to see the play that is supposed to be, but is not, so improper. The Rev. Dr- Gibb and the Rev- J. J. North unbottled the vials of their spiritual wrath upon “ The Girl” on Sunday. The metropolitan papers reported their utterances, and the result was. as might have been anticipated, an unprecedented rush to the Opera House for “ The Girl’s” opening night on Monday. I have not yet heard whether Mr- Ward sent the reverend gentlemen concerned complimentary box tickets. They deserved them, and it is quite possible that, did they see the play itself, the opinions formed by them through reading the book on which the play is founded, would be very considerably modified. • ♦ * ♦ DENOUNCED AS “SATANIC!” The Rev- Dr- Gibb denounced the play as “ Satanic,” and declared that it was “ a beastly—glittering but none the less beastly—appeal to the passions. It holds marriage and love up to mockery. It is pornography rendered tenfold more deadly by the fascination of the wit and beauty and dress with which the play is said to be invested,” and so on. The Rev. J- J North considered that the play touched “ the nadir of theatrical shame.” I should very much like to know upon what these very good people base their opinions. Do they speak from their own knowledge of the play, or from the perverted views of certain evil-minded newspaper scribes, who read into the play far more than its author ever put into it ?

MR. HUGH WARD IN DEFENCE. The scene at the Wellington Opera House on Monday night was one of tremendous interest- An enormous audience gathered to see the play. The pavement was blocked, and at 7.30 p m- the police had to take a,hand in moving' the people on. Many him- , dreds were refused admission. The huge audience: laughed heartily at the , farce, and at the end of the second act . broke into loud cheering- The curtain had to be raised again and again, and at the close of the fourth act there were loud calls for Mr. Hugh Ward. Eventually he came to the front of the stage, and in a happy •• little speech, assured his patrons there was not the least intention to wound the susceptibilities of anyone. He and his company were respectable ladies and gentlemen, and he thought the audience would go away satisfied that there was nothing in the play to which exception could be taken. Mr. Ward (with the whole company standing on the stage behind him) was loudly cheered. * * « SEATS AND BOOKING. A notable fact in connection with some of the best plays that have visited Auckland during the past twelve months is that there have been a good many seats in both stalls and family circle (that is, the cheaper seats) at first-night performances, while the dress circle and orchestral stalls have been crowded out. This is doubtless the result of the booking being overboomed. A record number of seats were booked for the Nellie Stewart season, yet there were plenty of vacant seats on the first and second nights, and then, when playgoers decided that the rush was over, they attended the theatre in such numbers that during the remainder of the season crowds were nightly turned away. This was also the case during the recent grand opera season at the opening performances, of which there were plenty of vacant seats. « * w » A VETERAN PANTOMIME MECHANIST. Mr- “ Jimmy” Turner arrived by the s.s. Maheno on Sunday last to supervise the mechanical arrangements for the “ Aladdin” production. Mr- Turner has staged no less than 27 Christmas productions in Sydney and Melbourne for Mr. J. C. Williamson. « sr. * > THEATRE PARTIES ORGANISED. A feature of the recent Adelaide and Perth seasons of the “ Aladdin” pantomime was the number of occasions on which the gallery was purchased outright by societies, clubs, etc., the following, clubs holding theatre parties in this way:—The Soccers’ Football Association, the Perth Yacht Club, the Young Australian League and the Perth Football Club. * * * * MR. GEORGE MARLOW’S COMPANY. Mr. George Marlow’s dramatic company is still moving around, and has been doing excellent business in “ the smalls-” A personal note from Mr. Duncan Neven, the business manager, informs me that the company is returning to Auckland to-morrow (Friday), and that its members leave on Saturday for a tour through the Waikato, opening at Cambridge that evening. They will be at Hamilton on the Bth, at Rotorua on the 9th and 10th, Thames on the 11th and 12th, at Te Arolia on the 13th, Paeroa on the 15th, Waihi on thel6th and 17th, and at Huntly on the 18th. They then return to Auckland and leave for Sydney on the 22nd- “ Married to the Wrong Man” is being staged in the one-night stands; “As Midnight Chimes,” a play new to Aucklanders, being presented when the company remains for a second night. * * * * THE CALEDONIAN ENTERTAINERS. Mr. Jack Willis, writing from Te Kuiti on the 2nd inst., says that his company of “ Caledonian Entertainers” is doing good business- He sends me a number of photographs of the members of his company, some of which I hope to reproduce in these columns later on. The company were at Te Kuiti last evening; they will be at Taumarunui to-night, at Ohakune on Friday, at Utiku on Saturday, at Taihape on Monday, Mangaweka on Tuesday, Marton on Wednesday, and Bulls this day week. They visit Waverley, Manaia, Hawera, Wanganui, Dannevirke, Pahiatua, • Eketahuna, Masterton, Greytown, Carterton, Martinborough and Upper Hutt in succession, arriving at the latter place on the 30th-