GREENROOM GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1247, 12 March 1914, Page 40

GREENROOM GOSSIP.

/X New York Sensation.

There has been quite a craze for white s'ave p’avs in New York recent ly, and, despite the fact that several of such plavs have been banned Miss Cecily Spooner, a well-known New York actress, decided to produce “The House of Bondage” (an adaptation of “The Daughters of Ishmael” at a suburban theatre. There was a full ho n se for the first performance, but before the curtain went up the police raided the theatre and arrested M ; ss Suooner, her manager and other members of the company. They were not even given time to change their stage costumes, but were conveved to the police s+ation in a patrol waggon. They were charged with producing an immoral play, and after formal proceedings in one of the night courts were released on bail. Pouoh on Malcolm Tearle! Ma’coim who plays Joseph in “Josenh and His Brethren” at the Roval. Melbourne, has the idea that the Australian is a keen humorist, even if he is unconsciousl v such. Hansing on the wall in Mr. Tearie’s room is a portrait of his father, who was a Pbanesnearean actor. One of th e dressers at the theatre, enterinc the room was struck bv the nicture. for the face of Tearle, sen., was not onh T handsome but un n suallv inteßectual Fokin er. and would attract attention anywhere. “Misht The so bold-’ psfrpd the dresser, “as *o inquire who that is’” “That” renlie- 1 ■jvrr. mes He. “is mv father.” “Verv pipirer IcoVin'E!’.” sa.i'i the dresS Q r. ‘lndeed ves.” replied Mr. T°arle, with nr 5 d Q , “be was a sr Q at actor. I neve - ” bone to be like him.” The p-Thbpd his chip t.hnngUffuPv. and stared at the portrait. “Yes. sir it is stranee that there is never rnnrp than one clever actor in a fa™Tv.” was his unvarnished comment. Ppnnpr in Fooling. “sphere is more danger in ‘fooling’ in a traro’R turn than if we were to p-prp q roni. ptraio-ht-nnt n P rfo”mance nTI +i-p har” said M’. Crooner, of the mi'T-pp "Pnh°s now qr>n''ariner ’n ‘ The ■pn-rt-o- ” at Melbourne Her I\T'’-'n=’t-r’s. “Von S po. in a. turn of the real sort n'° n an taire care, and perform difficult feats J”St as we have t.ra’ned on selves to do them. Tn our hnrl o sowe. knock-about trapeze act we have to broaden everything m order to get the laughs. For evamnle. when we fall we must fall clumsilv and ra pplP S a]v, conveving the idea that it is all unintentional Sometimes we po over the mark Just a little too far. and we get hurt. You know, one of us fads from the bar Just as ano+h pr one pulls the mat awav vvd“i-nea+h, and he falls on the bare boards The other night mv mate dronnpd a little bit too soon and fell on the man with the mat. The latter snent the nert dav in bed and had a narrow escape from serious injury.” « • * * I for Tacks! The casual stranger who wandered on to tho stave at Melbourne Theatre Poval prior to the rs’nv of the curtain on the nageant nlay. “Joseph and Hi« Brethren ” wmi’d he rather intere <stpd and puzzled at the demeanour of some of the principals, who, with bead down and eves on the hoards, pace m and down the stage, appar en+lv wramed deep in thought. It might be hazarded that they are t bi n iHno- them narts over but the copiectu T ’e would be wrong. As a Main matter of fact, they are looking for tacks! Tn the first act of the niece, several of the nlavers, including Mr. Tearle, who appears as Joseph, are bare-footed, and it sometimes hannens that the vigilant eyes of the stage-hands fail to reveal a bug’ne e s l ike little point that lies in wait for an unwarv, unshod foot. Then there is trouble. One night during t.he week, Mr. Tearle niacidlv lea din 0- his sheen across the stage Just as the curtain rose, put his foot on a tack, and omit+ed a yell, and be feJt the rain f n r two or three davs. The principals who go barefooted now (vouches our Melbourne correspondent) make doubly sure bv scanning the stage carefully for the unobtrusive but dangerous tack before the curtain rises, on the play.

A Hungry Actor.

.“Don’t overfeed the camel,” was the instruction given by the keeper of the camel in “Joseph and His Brethren” to a man who was in change of the animal at Melbo rne Theatre Royal. He added the caution, “If he is too well fed he wil’ get proud and play up.” However, the camel was not to be denied. He managed to get at the bag of chaT stored in the property room for drawing upon at his regular meal Vines and devoured nearly the who’e of it. This merely served to sharpen his appetite, for he got hold of the canopy of the palanquin in which M‘ss Ethel Warwick, as Zuleika. is borne on to the stage and practically disposed of that. Shortlv before the curtain rose on the performance, the camel’s depredations were unfolded and the property staff had to set to work to make practically a new palanquin cover, which they accomplished just as Miss Warwick had to make her entrance on the scene. S * * * Working Off Old Gags. Berry Lupino, the comedian of “The Forty Thieves” at Melbourne Her Majesty’s, says that he very seldom has been at a loss for new gags since

he has been in Australia. If he goes to a cricket match or other gathering he hears so many quaint and humorous sayings and comments that he has no difficulty in culling enough to keep up his supply. “For real humour,” said the comedian, “I think the Australian crowd takes the cake. Your ‘man in the street,’ with his humorous and sometimes caustic comments on things in general, is far ahead of ours in London. Again, there are numbers of people who send me humorous ideas, though, as a rule, they are not adapted to stage use. I have been told that the Australian likes old favourites, and that he prefers a well-handled chestnut to the freshest joke ever invented. One of these nights I will try this —I will work off all the oldest gags and wheezes I can rake up, and will see how they go. But I shall be prepared with a big sheet of armour plating in case the audience want to throw things at me!” t