DEATH OF MISS FLORENCE YOUNG

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 41, 12 November 1920, Page 6

DEATH OF MISS FLORENCE YOUNG

A private cable message received in Wellington yesterday announced (lie death in Melbourne of Miss Florence Young:, one of Hie best-known operatic artists in Australasia. Some ttfree weeks ago Miss Young was rehearsing the. new musical comedy, "The Boy," in Melbourne, when she sulfered' a stroke of such a serious nature that she was deprived of .the use of her limbs. She was at once removed to a private hospital and though everything possible was done for her, recent letters slated that sho was making no progress towards recovery, and it was from the effects of this attack that she succumbed. Miss Young gave theatre-going people of Australia and New Zealand great entertainment for a period extending over a quarter of a century, iter buoyant disposition, vigorous aplomb, combined with a big, bright, healthy soprano voieei and a magnetic personalitv, niado her a performer well above the'ordinary She nindii her lir'st appearance iu Melbourne in the days of Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove, with the Uoyal Comb Opera Company, and first canio to New Zealand with the original "Gondoliers" Company (tho Koyal Comics), playing Casilda, in a cast which included Violet Vnrley. Flora Graapner, Charles Byley, William Elton, Henry Brncay, Howard Vernon, Elsie Cameron, and Sydney < Weaue—a brilliant assemblage that did , tho pretty opera full justice. Since those , days she has been a. player of many parts; She was at various times Kntisha in the "Mikado," liosette in "Ma Mio Hosetle" (in succession to Nellie Stewart), and leads in maiiy light operas and ] musical comedies, such as "Marjorie," "Pepila," "Tho King of Cadonia," "The , Count of Luxembourg," "The Merry Widow," and more recently in comenv s parts in,"The I'ink Lady," "Katiuka," ' "Maytitue," "Oh, Oh,' Dclphine," and < "Kissing Time." Perhaps her finest per. j fwmanpe was that of Madame Sans Gene iu Caryll's opera, "The Duchess "of Dant- ' ym," in which pari her exuberant, loin- ! perame.nl and ringing voice found full ' play. Tlvis opera was never played in ' New Zealand, but ran successfully in j Sydney and Melbourne for long seasons On one occasion Miss Young went into £ .management on l>r own account, and .J brought to New Zealad a dramatic mnslen I piny entitled "The Crisis." which J Vailed to attract. She also miule a trip j to England and America, but found that(hers was no place like home, and in Now Zealand there was now any doubt 1 as to tho warm regard in which shown* a held both on and off the stage. Miss £ Young's sister is Mrs. George Tallis, of j Melbourne (wife of the director of J. C. S Williamson, Ltd.), and her brothers are Messrs. Fred, and George Young, both in j 5 tha 'Williamson, employ. I