The Bert Bailey Company.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1146, 28 March 1912, Page 18

The Bert Bailey Company.

The Bert Bailey Dramatic Company opens its season at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, on March 30, the piece -being “The Squatter’s Daughter.” The new English artists imported to play lead for this new organisation, viz.: Miss Mary Marlowe and Mr Guy Hastings, have arrived in Sydney.. The lady is the daughter of a squatter in Victoria, and will be the first imported artiste to take the character of Violet Ender by, a part which was. created by Miss Eugenie Duggan, of Mr William Anderson’s Company.

A Good Story.

They tell a good story at Melbourne Theatre Royal regarding the keenness for detail that characterises the work of the producer of “The- House of Temperley” —Charles A. Wenman. The play is of the period of the Regency (1812), and the illumination is secured by candles in old-fashioned, sockets. On the opening, as these burned, streams of melted tallow fell upon the people of the stage underneath, during the scene in Tom Cribb’s parlour. This was pointed, out to Mr Wenman, while he was busy superintending the setting of the next scene. He looked up absent-mindedly at the streaming candles, and then at the whitened floor, and remarked quietly, “Yes, that’s alright. It’s just, what happened in those days. Now then, boys, up with that border!”

Preparing for “Kismet.”

The busy note of preparation for the opening of the Asche-Brayton season at Melbourne Theatre Royal isnow to be heard (writes our Melbournecorrespondent). Already .. Mr Fritz. Russell and Mr Mat.'Cdvefdale, who came out ahead on the Otranto are hard at work preparing for rhe production of “Kismet” on Saturday, April 6. “Kismet” is an extraordinarily intricate and difficult piece tostage, comprising as it does an enormous amount of important detail which must be- brought out in the production in order to obtain the necessary atmosphere and “local colour.” The settings are exceedingly heavy,, and a great deal of “built up” stuff is included. As in the productions previously staged by Mr Asche-, nothing will be neglected that might add tothe effect.