GREENROOM GOSSIP.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1430, 20 September 1917, Page 32

GREENROOM GOSSIP.

J. C. Williamson, Ltd., have engaged La Sheila, the favourite London dancer, who has appeared at the leading theatres, including Covent Garden opera. La Sheila will make her first appearance in Australia in the new J. C. Williamson musical production “You’re in Love.”

Messrs. .1. and N. Tait are making arrangements to keep up the’r flow of new attractions for Australia. Mr. E. J. Tait recently left for America to see what the approaching New York season had to offer. He has been given carte blanche to secure the likeliest successes for Australian production, and will probably be absent some months. Incidentally, he is accompanied by Mr. A. L. Pearce, lately stage manager for the “Peg o’ My Heart” company. Mr. Pearce’s mission is to study the latest methods of production in New York, Chicago, and other cities, and he will eventually return to apply his knowledge as producer for J. and N. Tait in the Commonwealth.

No common or ordinary concert programmes are contemplated by Messrs. Ben and John Fuller in engaging Signori Capelli and Scamuzzi for an Australian tour. Of course, the main objective is to secure the best in tenors and baritones for next year’s grand opera venture. In the meantime, it is proposed to plav Signori Capelli and Scamuzzi with an Italian company now organising, n the best liked scenes from the best operas, all of which will be sung in correct costumes and amidst appropriate scenic settings. Opportunities will thus be offered of hearing the

Italian favour-tes In gems from various operas on the one night. Signorina Russ will be among the supporting singers.

Under the heading of “Patriotic Actress Buys Bonds from Australia,” the “New York Herald” publishes the following item: “An interesting specimen of long-distance patriotism is to be found in an act of Kathlene MacDonell, the young Canadian actress who has spent some of her life in the United States. Miss MacDonell is now in Australia, where she has scored an immense success in ‘Daddy Long Legs.’ Through her American bank, M.ss MacDonell yesterday ordered the purchase of 500 dollars’ worth of bonds. She writes that one of the happiest moments or her life came when she read President Wilson’s proclamation and war message.”

Miss Bellday, the “Lady of the Falls,” who is amazing Auckland Opera House audiences with her dexterity, attributes her knack in falling to an accident in her early career. She was touring America with one of Al Wood’s shows, and one of the big sensations in the piece was similar to our more familiar “span of

life,” but instead of having trained acrobats for this work, the idea was to utilise three girls, who formed a life-line, over which the heroine and the screaming child fled. To carry this out successfully, wires were fixed on the life-line of three girls, of which Miss Bellday was the central figure. It broke, throwing the girls to the ground, and Miss Bellday alone of the three escaped injury. She explained that she felt no sensation when falling, but just seemed “kind of falling with her feet in the right position,” and she has done so ever since.

There are some quaint phases of musical comedy in “Mr. Manhattan,” which is being staged at presnt in Melbourne by J. C. Williamson. Facetious people might include amongst these the possession of a plot, fox’ “Mr. Manhattan” has a cleverly-conceived story which has all the subtlety and entanglements of a French farce. The dialogue, too, is exceptionally smart, and a new effect is achieved by putting some of it into ragtime!

It had originally been intended by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., to produce “So Long, Letty,’ in London, with Miss Connie Ediss and Miss Dorothy Brunton in the roles they created with so much success in Australia. The war, however, has had the effect of preventing this production. Miss Ediss will ,therefore, remain in Australia, and Miss Brunton will proceed to America to take up an important engagement arranged for her by Mr. Hugh J. Ward, who is now in that country, with Mr. Oliver Morocco’s Principal Musical Comedy Company in New York.

“G” String.)