Greenroom Gossip.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XX, Issue 1123, 19 October 1911, Page 17

Greenroom Gossip.

Auckland Competitions Society.

Entries in connection with the Auckland Competitions’ Society’s Festival close on Saturday, October 28. cash prizes to the value of £5OO will be given, in addition to special prizes, medals, etc. The piano recital is evoking keen interest, the first prize for this competition being a £l4O piano. Entries are coming in rapidly, and Mr Scott Colville, the managing secretary, is bt?vy answering enquiries from all parts of the Dominion. The festival will be held from November 27 to December 9.

“The Woman in The Case” on Tour. “The Woman in the Case” company are due in Hamilton on Monday next, thence proceeding to Gisborne playing from the 25th to the 28th. Napier follows (30-31), while a one nights performance will be given at Dannevirke (November 1), and Masterton (November 2). * . * *

“ The Gay Gordons.” It is said that once New Zealanders have seen “The Gay Gordons” they will not be at a loss to understand why it has been such a gold mine to the Clarke-Meynell firm. It is said to be absolutely the finest spectacular musical play ever staged by this management. It is a fine type of modern comic opera with a capital book, the dialogue sparkles and bristles with witticisms of unusual excellence; sweet, seductive, even sensuous melodies, and orchestration of the finest quality. Everything harmonises so beautifully, the plot is coherent and attractive, the several scenes are full of rich comedy, and the Scotch atmosphere pervading the whole . is unique in Comic Opera. The onlooker, . while entranced by the beautiful ensemble, is amused and delighted by the smart action of the play and the always diverting dialogue. ❖ * *

How the Story Goes. Brightness : and light-heartedness, enchanting scenes, and sparkling melody, gay costumes and feminine comeliness, charming situations, and irresponsible frivolity, yea, all the concomitants that one delights in finding in theatrical entertainment •are to be found harmoniously blended in “The Gay Gordons.” The practical part of the story may be summed up in a few words. A charming little creature, Peggy Quainton by name, is the daughter of an American millionaire- Her chief concerns are girlish dreams of love and fears of deceit. She dreads. the thought of marriage without love, and is naturally suspicious of the approaches of men whose affection seems to be generated by her wealth- Fixing upon a scheme of testing the genuinenes of her suitors, she changes place with the daughter of a Punch and

Judy professor, and assumes the role of a penniless maiden. She progresses famously. Angus Graeme, who believes himself to be really out of suits with fortune immediately falls in love with the pretty little deceiver. The customary honeyed nothings are whispered into each other’s ears, and the inevitable promise of marriage is the result. The young lady swears that she will never marry a nobleman, little dreaming of the complications she is creating. Happy and contented, she flies off to her home, just as the announcement is made to the startled Angus that it has been discovered that he is the Earl of Meltrose, wth an income of £150,000 a year. Promptly the generous Scot settles £lO,OOO a year on his foster mother, a few thousands on each of the charitable institutions, and good-naturedly donates 514 to the “wowsers.” There his contentment ends, for Peggy’s affection will cease when she realises that he is no longer a penniless Tommy. So he, too, resolves to play the game of deception, and when Peggy reveals her identity he declares that he is merely the servant of the Earl of Meltrose. The bluff is successful for the time, but when Miss Quainton masquerades as her brother, Angus is trapped into a confession. However, the tangled skein is straightened and the curtain falls with all misunderstandings swept away and the young couple happily united.

Madame Clara Butt. Madame Clara Butt and Mr Kennerley Rumford are attracting enormous houses in Capetown, where, under the J. and N. Tait management, they began their concert tour a few weeks ago. Cable messages received in Sydney show that for the first two concerts the houses were completely sold out, and as they represented over £lOOO each, it will be seen that the tour has been inaugurated under the most favourable conditions. The artists will be in Africa for twelve or thirteen weeks; they will then return to England, remaining there till the end of the season in June next year. Then they will set out upon a tour of the United States and Canada, which will occupy till August, 1913, and from Canada they will come to Australia.

Sweet Neil and the “Smalls.”

“Of course, we played in all kinds of places during the tour,” said Miss Nellie Stewart to a Sydney pressman at the conclusion of her flight months’ tour with “Sweet Nell of Old Drury,” “in halls, and even barns, as well as in theatres; still, we managed to find quite a number of nice little theatres, especially in New Zealand, where the municipal theatre is quite an institution. I wonder why the municipalities don’t build theatres in Australia? I’m sure it would pay them. We found excellent municipal theatres at Invercargill, Oamaru, Palmerston, Wanganui, and Cambridge.

A Unique Honour.

Miss Marie Narelle has attained a unique honour in America. The authorities who control the Robert Emmet Hall in New York have commissioned an American sculptor to model a statute of Robert Emmet, and another of the Australian singer in the pose of O’Donnel Abou, to adorn the new building. Miss Narelle was the chief singer at the recent concert given to celebrate the opening of this hall.

“Bridget M'Sweeney” Dramatised.

Those who have laughed over the humorous and surprising adventures of "Bridget M’Sweeney,” will be interested to learn that this fun-pro-voking character is to be produced on the stage. “Bridget M'Sweeney” will make her first public appearance at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, on Saturday. A stage adaptation was written by Mr Spencer and Mr Toso Taylor, and will be interpreted by Miss Maggie Moore and a specially-selected cast.