“MARY LATIMER, NUN.”

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1383, 26 October 1916, Page 32

“MARY LATIMER, NUN.”

On Saturday, opening at a matinee performance, “Mary Latimer, Nun,” will be staged. The piece proved a great success in London. It has a stirring plot, and is replete with enthralling incidents.

Whangarei amusement lovers looking for a genuinely merry entertainment should on no account miss seeing Professor Norwood, and what comes to pass through his hypnotic powers of suggestion.

Outside of pantomime, few musical plays staged by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., have involved such a vast amount of preparation and expense as “The

Cinema Star.” The latter particularly applies to the dressing, and the amount of money spent in this department will be indicated by the fact that the dresses worn in the three acts total two hundred and thirty. They represent, too, the very latest in fashionable modes.

Miss Kathleen Arnold, who in private life is Mrs. A. Brandon-Cremer, is charmingly cast for light leads, which she takes in the dramatic stock company now in residence at King’s Theatre. Experience in varied roles and with varied Australian companies have specially fitted her for gracing principal parts in a lengthy repertoire, and a winning personality and ready adaptability do the rest. Mr. and Mrs. Cremer are the parents of that clever little girl, Gertie Cremer, who made such a name for herself in Australia and New Zealand as Tyltyl in “The Blue Bird.” She is at school in Australia, and will go on with her studies during their stay in Auckland.

Mr. W. G. Sutton, who has been manager of the Grafton Theatre for some months past, has retired from that position, and will represent the picture interests of Mr. H. Hayward in Christchurch. Prior to his departure the house staff made Mr. Sutton a suitable presentation as a token of esteem. Mr. J. Wylie Gray has now taken up the management of the Grafton Theatre.

The Steele-Paynes (an attractive feature at the Auckland Opera House) now know Lorenzo Marques (Portugese East Africa) as well as they know Auckland, but on their first, visit there they weren’t so conversant, with the geography. Mrs. Steele and a friend entered rickshaws to go to the theatre, but the wrong destination was reached, for the boys had taken them in the opposite direction, and the ladies found it impossible to make the boys understand where they wanted to go, and no one could be found who spoke English. After a while the ladies had a happy inspiration. They alighted, and by gay and festive movements of the dance and w.th lusty song, indicated that they were theatrical folk. But the boys just sat and enjoyed the fun and applauded, but made it evident that they did not understand. It was not till three songs had been sung that a native who spoke English approached. He was informed of the ladies’ predicament, and translated to the rickshaw toys, who calmly stated that they understood alter the first song, but. pretended not to, so that they would hear more.

Writing to Miss Sara Allgood, the captivating little heroine in J. and N. Tait’s success, “Peg o’ My Heart,” an Irsh lady gives some interesting information concerning Bernard Shaw’s much suppressed play, “O’Flaherty, V.C.” Snaw wrote this one act play through a possibly conscientious endeavour to contrast the clean and holy heroism of the soldier with the lip patriotism of civ.lians, who, through age or other reasons, are left behind. A play on such a theme would not. naturally be popular to a London audience, and, as a matter of fact, no London manager could be got to produce it. The Abbey Theatre, Dublin, for wnich the piece had originally been written, also declined the honor of encouraging Shaw’s levity at the expense of elderly patrons. Although “O’Flaherty, V.C.” has been printed for private circulation, it has not yet been given before the footlights Under present circumstances it seems doomed to remain in oblivion.

Tom Dawson, comedian, has died doing his duty at the front. He was a great favourite on the Rickards Tivoli circuit, and will be long remembered both in Australia and New Zealand for his cheerful spirit and quaint humour. “I’d rather have a hardboiled egg,” was one of Tom Dawson’s most popular old ditties. He sang it for years, and in his latter stage days, whenever a Sydney or a Melbourne audience clamoured for encores, “I’d

rather have a hard-boiled egg” was always screamed for by the gallery, and Tom would trot out the ancient piece of conviviality. It never failed. His native humour stuck to him to the end. Dying from the effects of a bullet wound in the body, an officer asked him how it was with him. With the cheery smile and the quaint expression on his face so familiar to theatregoers, Tom replied, “I’d rather have a hard-boiled egg.”