IN PERSONAL TOUCH.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1298, 11 March 1915, Page 34

IN PERSONAL TOUCH.

Mr. C. B. Westmacott has been in Auckland the last few days bruiting the charms of “The Glad Eye’ company, which Beaumont Smith is presenting on Monday next. “The Glad Eye,” he leads us to believe, has a powerful cast. t A forerunner from Mr. Frederic Shipman, the Canadian entrepreneur, is to hand in the form of a postcard announcing the picturisation of Annette Kellerman in “Neptune’s Daughter,” presented by the Universal Moving Pictures. Elwyn Harvey (one critic has it) is the beauty and Alice Hamilton the beauty frocker of “The Glad Eye” company. Confirmation may be seen at His Majesty’s on Monday. Mrs. Robert Brough at latest advices is taking a part in “The Man Who Stayed at Home,” a strikingly topical plaj r produced at the Royalty, London. The “Babes in the Wood” had a record season in Newcastle. George Willoughby’s pantomime opens its New Zealand season at Timaru on March 26. Daisy Jerome, from all reports is proving a big drawing card. “The Glad Eye” company are proud of their tennis players. In Tom Shelford, Henry J. Ford, Reg Kenneth and W. Hoskins they contain a quartette hard to beat. Two of Edward Branscombe’s “Dandies” companies are coming across shortly. The “Violets” open in Auckland on May 10 and the “Reds” in Wellington on May 8. Frank Bradley, one of the character actors in “The Glad Eye,” played Napoleon in George Edwards’ production of “The Duchess of Dantzic.” In “The Glad Eye” he is said to be a scream as Gallipaux, a spiritualist. The short season of Gilbert and Su’liyan company at Her Majesty’s, Melbourne, will be characterised by a quick run through of the whole of the repertoire, two or three nights only being devoted to each of the operas,. A critic in the “Green Book” recently summed up Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion” as two hours boredom and one hour of mental exhilaration and delight. The “Moulin Rouge.” or Red Mill, has been destroyed by fire. Thus passes one of the most notorious music halls in Paris. A correspondent to the “New Zealand Times” describes it as the lodestone which drew frivolous English, American and colonial young men and married men from afar, and led them from the paths of righteousness and virtue. “Bought and Paid For” has proved one of the strongest attractions the J. C. Williamson management has yet handled. “Hello! Broadway,” by George M. Cohan, is being played in New York by the author and William Collier. A burlesque of plays of. the season, it is said to be extremely funny to those thoroughly familiar with New York theatres and theatrical talk. Vaude and Verne (now at the Auckland Opera House) are nothing if not resourceful. At the Tivoli, Sydney they were put on to close the bill after Miss Ada Reeve. Well, the aud'ence had always gone out after Miss Reeve’s act. Vaude and Verne resolved they should stay and see them. The first night Vaude —before going on —dipped h's umbrella i n the water, and shook some water over his hat. The moment he appeared before the audience he stood up his umbrella showing the w*ater dripping from It, and at the same time knocked the water from his hat. To the audience he said, “Don’t go out, for Heaven’s sake! It’s raining like the dickens.” Not one stirred a»d for four weeks Vaude and Verne’s was the turn that followed Miss Reeve I?n the closing of the bill.