THE-LONDON HALLS

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 76, 23 December 1907, Page 11

THE-LONDON HALLS

. Mr.; Jpha Fuller; jun., of the; wellTknown fcheatncal' firm, h'a& just returned to New Zealand : after an'extended tour of tho'World. Mr: Fuller yisited.;the,'principal; theatres and ofiltaiyj Switzerland/;G«rinany, ', Belgium^-France;'• Great Britain,' America, Japan,.and.'/China,:,, ■' I, return,''.- t said /Mr. •Fuller itoraSDoMmipN reporter, " with, the v: great satisfaction that'tho theatrical'eritcr- .' prise ,of,New Zealand.and Australia Will 'compare imost; favourably with' theatricals' in any, , . other, part;,; of; the worlcl.■■• In London ' I was ! well received.By .the various : managors "oftho . vaudeville theatres, .who.evinced great.'iinterest regarding-. New .Zealand.: Vaudeville' in England ;and America'has made.great 1 .strides' as' a, form of entertainment, and it is no thing :for Queen Alexandra i' to .take/a box at: the London Palace Theatre, where, vaudeville is pr'dseiit4d' ; 'u'hder the very . visitor 'to'-" London V should'-'£misV v seerag i '4h6 'Hippwlfomd, • a species of semi-circus vaudeville ; theatre. ■"•. While produced ; a"/.remarkable /spectacle .depicting •Australian bush life, ../which- crowded ..the Hippodrome twicd daily,' and-was a' splendid advertisement for tho-Commonwealth. Mr. Tnissel; asked me to look out for a novelty in which New-Zealand would; figure'prominently. This to do,'for'''l'.ct>nsider Now Zealand cannot be too well advertised in-the ' Old Country; and I believe'that," when a faster service -is established we in New Zealand will get a large percentago of the- English and American tourist traffic, whioh .would mean thousands of pounds being spent : in. thiscountry, annually. " rwas.very.'ploased to note.that our standard'of theatricals would compare favourably with any other part of the world, while the . staging,of our productions, is a few points .ahead. /'•-.For ! instance, I saw ' Brewster's Millions.'-,invLondon,'and, afterwards in Sydney; in the 'latter placo it appeared to be played more brightly, whilst in London they . played ;it with that .after-dinner feeling. I may bo wrong in my impression; it might havo been' caused' by tho dispirited fooling of tho performers. before a rather poor house. However.-'after seeing • all the ; big theatrical productions of the London season 1907, I am inclined to think that colonials put too much value on London'stago and postcard celebrities, and not eriougn on the colonial-born artist.'..".': . -. '.'■ '.. '."' . '..'. 'i-. Mr..Fuller does not give any credit to the rumour, that "an; American Vaudevilld Syndicate is about to start, operations in Now Zealand and: Australia, as,' inl the first placo, they would have all thoy could do'to make bath, ; e'nds v ihcot, ;as tho prohibition of Sunday performances/would practically tloprivo them of 'a holiday audience weekly. "■I did'not engage any talent in England," said Mr.; Fuller, "-as a vaudevillb war was about vto take ploco in America, and the ..---- «f. r"-' .'s«-nv'- t"rn3 was something : fabulous, whilst tho porformers .of tho rank-. a....-uiii iwere very lituic, jf any, better than tho average turn presented at local vaudeville.' theatres'." ' •.' '. ■" : ; ■.••.■