GREENROOM GOSSIP

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1546, 11 December 1919, Page 34

GREENROOM GOSSIP

A batch of notable artists under engagement to J. C. Wililamson, Ltd., will shortly arrive from England and America. Jenny Hawtrey is coming out to appear in the big revue, “Bing Boys on Broadway,” in Sydney at Christmas. Marriott Edgar, the dame of the “Sleeping Beauty” pantomime in Melbourne, will arrive from England. Eva Lynn, the principal girl, will come from New York. From London will come the eccentric comedians, the Egbert Brothers, for the “Sleeping Beauty” pantomime. Winifred Roma, from Drury Lane Theatre, London, will be the principal boy of the pantomime. For the pantomime also is coming Peggy Doran, a notable English character actress. Altogether, an interesting lot of importations.

“Australia’s the land for me,” remarked Maude Fane, on her return to Melbourne from a holiday trip to England. “The valour of the Australian soldiers did a lot to advertise Australia in England, but theatrical people who have been out here do their share in singing the praises of Australia,” added Miss Fane. “They cannot say enough about this country and its delightful people, and most of them are longing to get back. The cost of-living and conditions generally, both in and out of the profession, have changed amazingly since the war. In fact, it’s almost incredible. I’m very glad to be back, though I enjoyed the trip immensely.” Miss Fane is appearing in “Theodore and Co.”

"There is one thing that the American stage lacks,” writes Mr. Percy Burton, who has been manager in the United States-for Sir Johnston-Forbes-Robertson and Sir Herbert Tree, “and that' is -the- inspiring -influence of the actor-manager, who has done so much for . the - English theatre —far more than the merely commercial manager can do. This is where England is ahead of the States, and where she will continue to’ be ahead so long as her theatre-going public support actor-managers like Robert Loraine, H. B. Irving, Martin Harvey, not to mention such famous men of the past as Irving, ForbesRobertson, Tree, Benson, and many others. Mr. Burton, whose article appears in the “Pall Mall Gazette,” adds: —“I think there is a great future, both in England and America, for the ‘star’ like Robert Loraine, who, under his own management, has the best interests of the drama at heart, and who wants to produce + he highest type of modern and classic .1 play.”

November 24 was souvenir night at Melbourne . Theatre Royal, marking the one hundredth performance at this theatre of “Lightnin’,” the comedy-drama which has set a new standard for productions of this kind in Australia. The J. C. Williamson management presented to patrons a handsome and costly souvenir comprising a portfolio of real photographs (autographed) of the principal members of the company. The occasion was also celebrated in the Melbourne streets a previous evening, when Mr. John D. O’Hara (Lightnin’ Bill) let loose from a motor car in various parts of the city over 500 balloons bearing tags with reference to “Lightnin’.” The first twenty people who presented one of these balloons were given two tickets of admission to the play.

One of the biggest and most important engagements ever made for Australia is that of the Egbert Brothers, the famous eccentric comedians, who are on their way to Melbourne to appear in the J. C. Williamson pantomime “The Sleeping Beauty.” These notable artists have for some years been featured in the Drury Lane and other leading pantomimes, and Australians who have seen them in England have spread their fame throughout the Commonwealth. They were to have come to Australia for the J. C. Williamson pantomime of 1914-15, but the outbreak of war prevented them leaving. The role they played instead was that of helping to keep vigil of the North Sea with the Grand Fleet.

The Christmas Number of the “Sporting and Dramatic Review” is now ready for sale. It stands unrivalled for pictorial gems, and the colour work is unusually fine.

In a recent interview Miss Marie Lohr, who is now in management in London, said: “What I want is a return to the old system of a stock company, so successfully practised in former days by Buckstone, John Clayton (they were both a little before my time), the Bancrofts, John Hare, and the Kendals. But authors —although I make them my best curtsey, for what should we poor players do without them? —are nowadays such exacting people, and so insist on choosing their own cases, that it is next to impossible to satisfy, them and keep one’s company intact. My firm belief is that theatregoers are growing more and more disposed to favour plays of a really dramatic character. Obviously there will always be a large public for farce, musical comedy, and the like. Nor would any reasonable being complain of the fact. But even the few months that have elapsed since the signing of the armistice serve to show that we are returning to the old order of things, and I for one am anxious to do what I can to forward the movement. Among the pieces I have selected for speedy production are, consequently, Sardou’s ‘Fedora’ and Mr. Robert Hichen’s ‘A Voice from the Minaret.’ Shakespeare shall most certainly be given a leading place when the time comes. Among my dearest desiresx is to ap-.. pear as Rosalind in ‘As You Like It,’ and as Beatrice in ‘Much Ado About Nothing.’ Also, there is Portia, in ‘The Merchant of Venice,’ which I hope to revive some day. Then, not improbably, when I am a little older,. I shall invite.you-all .fbecome and see me as Katherine in ‘The Taming of the Shrew.’ ”

Just ' on 5000 beautiful - girls answered the.. Australian Tivoli advertisement to become stage-stars.-The chosen six make their stage debut in “As.. Y’ou- Were-.-” - ■ , . •

Miss Ada Reeve, after an extended tour of South Africa, in which every town of note was visited, made her reappearance in London at the Victoria Palace towards the end of September. “Amid the hearty applause which marked the conclusion of her turn,” it is recorded, “could be heard the coo-ees of many Australian admirers.”

That John McCormack just can’t help making money, whether he sings or not, remarks the “New York Musical Courier.” His latest hobby is to establish a herd of Guernsey cows at his summer estate in Roton, Connecticut. He bought 400,000 dollars worth of them up at Oak Farm. Scituate, Mass., recently, including one thoroughbred named Eileen, who all by herself cost him 10,000 dollars. But only two hours after he bought her, she gave birth to a calf, valued at 3000 dollars as soon as it was born, making the net price 7000 dollars. John made his first appearance as an exhibitor at the Boston Fair, Readville, Mass., in September. Perhaps he is ambitious to - bring down the terribly high “trust” prices on milk that prevail in New York.

One of the most interesting debutantes in the production by Messrs. J. and N. Tait in Sydney of the Belasco comedy, “Daddies,” was Lorna Ambler, a granddaughter of Fred. Hiscocks. He was the first lessee of the Tivoli Theatre in Sydney, and managed the famous Federal Minstrels away back in the ’SO’s, which lie took to London —the first instance of an Australian company being transported to England. With such a professional inheritance it. is small wonder that little Lorna was given an early chance to display her ability in America, where one paper described her as being the cleverest child actress since Mary Miles Minter, now so well-known on the screen.

A pictorial budget that . would be difficult to surpass for variety of choice and excellence of reproduction is comprised in the Christmas Number of the “Sporting and Dramatic Review.” The proprietors have spar-, ed neither trouble nor expense in making it an issue de luxe and prospective buyers should leave their orders early.

Miss Amy Castles has another record in being the quickest operatic study within the Commonwealth borders. She once gave a' wonderful performance of Mimi in “La Boheme” after a day’s study and only two hours’ notice of the performance. In another direction her quick absorption of essentials is remarkable, since she is one of the few Australians who have sufficiently mastered the French, Italian and German languages so as to be able to sing in them on the operatic stages in those countries.

The J. and N. Tait, Bailey and Grant pantomime of “Mother Hubbard,” at the King’s Theatre, Melbourne, at Christmas, promises to eclipse in. every department last year’s successful production of “Jack and Jill.” The cast will include such old favourites as Barry Lupino, Jack Cannot, Moon and Morris, and others. The principal boy will be Miss Marjorie Carlisle, a pantomime celebrity from the Alhambra Theatre. London.