FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 20061, 29 December 1928, Page 15

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By LOITERER.]

Joseph Hislop was recently singing in opera in Sweden. Tho Russian pianist, Alexandra Brailowsky, is to tour Australia under E. J. and Dan Carroll, opening in Sydney on May 18. Brailowsky is one of the greatest pianists of the day. The projected tour of the Betty Ross Clarke Company had been abandoned, possibly just temporarily, owing to unforeseen developments over in Australia. Miss Wyn Richmond, the original “Sunny” in Australia, is in the new musical comedy ‘ Lucky Girl ! in London. Gene Gerrard is principal comedian. Stilly and Mo intend to lead their own companies presently. Mo will stay in Sydney, and Stiff}' will go to Melbourne. John Valentine, the juvenile lead in • Rio Rita/ is reported to have finished with this company, and returned to America. No successor has yet been named to till his place. With George Wallace on Ins return to New Zealand came .Marshall Crosby, a line baritone, Ada Stridden, a’dainty performer; Jack White and his darning partner, and other talented artists. Miss Nellie Kollo is the principal boy in the Fullers’ Christmas pantomime at Melbourne Palace. This will be tho eighth year in which she has played the “boy" in a Fuller pantomime. Mr E. J. Glivestock has a practical proof oi the generous nature ol Shura Cherkassky, tho Russian boy pianist. On a recent evening he received a gold wristlet watch bearing inscription above the boy’s name, “To my dear friend, E. J. Gravestock, in remembrance of my’first visit to Australia." The new Majestic Theatre at Botorua has been opened. The theatre is equipped with every device to give the best results in screening, and in providing comfort for the patrons. It will seat°Boo. A controlled system of ventilation has been installed, also a patent heating system. Over £650 has been spent on lighting effects. Ample provision is made for tho oichestra/ and large dressing rooms are provided beneath the stage. Tho total cost ol site, building, furniture, _ and equipment is approximately £15,000. Sir Harry Lauder, the illustrious Scot, repaired to His Majesty’s Theatre on his first night in Wellington, and there no doubt was amused by the antics ol the irresponsible S}d Beck, the comedian with the “ League of No*tions,” especially when that worthy appeared clad in kilts, the like of uluch have never been seen out of an Italian’s presentation of the opera or Scotland, ‘ Lucia di Lamiiiermoor.’ The well-known and popular fuller comedian, Mr George Wallace, with a new revue company, opened a season at the St. James Theatre, Auckland, on Saturday evening. He is confident that be has some bright new material ior revuo entertainment. His own work needs no introduction to New Zealand audiences, and he should experience a successful season. During his stay at the St. James Mr Wallace hopes to produce the musical farce ‘ W'hen Knights Were Bold.’ Mrs Patrick Campbell recently appeared in ‘ John Gabriel Borkman ' at the “ Q ” Theatre, London. Maurice Chevalier, considered the niost popular star in the European theatre, has deserted Paris for Hollywood, where he will go into the “ talkie ” films. Maud Allan is coming out of her long retirement to dance again in January at a Sunday afternoon concert at the Albert Hall*, London, She will dance to illustrate .the music of Tschaikowsicy’s ‘ Sixth, Symphony,’ which takes relatively fiftyrfivc minutes to play. Afterwards she will revive some of her old dances that stirred London twenty years ago. Then she was accused ol wearinsTcostumes remarkable for their invisibility, but nowadays the famous Maud Allan draperies would be considered positively stuffy. Ibc dancer appeared here many years ago. co-star-ring with the Chcrniavskys. Her tour de'"'force (not danced here) was the Salome dance.

Jottings on the people of the Stage and Screen and on the latest recorded Music.

London stars are (locking to New York. Constanee Collier is playing a return season, Fay Compton is playing in ‘ Olympia,’ and Beatrice Lillie, Noel Coward, and a host ol others are in revue. Irene Vanbrugh is jotting down notes for a book of reminiscences which will be compiled when she returns to England. For five and a-half years the American actor, Guy Bates Post, has been touring the world and playing in its greatest cities. “ The world is pleasure mad, restless, greedy, shallow, in the cond’tion Rome was belore it fell—everything is rush, hurry, and madness.” he told the Los Angeles ‘limes’ on liis return to the Even California, lie said, was.not the finest place on God’s earth. To find that one had to come to New Zealand, and to Christchurch. “ is the most charming city on earth,” said Mr Post, ‘ Its inhabitants are gracious, kindly, leisured. They make going to the theatre a real occasion —dress lor it. And 100,000 of them ride bicycles. There is a lovely winding streeam running through the heart of the city, with weeping willows adorning its banks—and no tomato tins and old newspapers chucked in the river bed. 'f he business men don’t consider the willows a detriment to business. They have time lor beauty and sweetness, Men are courteous. In America,” he ended, bitterly, “there is no courtesy between men, and men are courteous to women only when they demand it.” Guy Bates Post toured New Zealand ttnee years ago, and played ‘ The Gieen Goddess,’ ‘ The Masquerader,’ .•ml ‘The Bail Man.’ Experts predict a great future for Nancy Weir, a thirteen-year-old pianist-composer, of Melbourne. ignaz Friedman, the famous Polish pianist, and Shura Cherkassky, the Russian, himself _an infant prodigy (says a writer in an Australian paper), listened to this Australian example play a Liszt rhapsody and a Chopin prelude, and declared that they knew of no other girl of the same age in the world who could do it so well. _ Nancy conies from a country town in New South Wales, and learnt her counterpoint ip the Presentation Convent, Windsor (Victoria). She has had less than three years acquaintance with the pianolorto. ‘ The Patsy ’ is still popular, and the gallery are still complaining that they cannot hear Irene Homer (writes the Sydney correspondent of the Auckland ‘Star’). She issued a sort of friendly challenge to give free seats to all those who could not hear her, and so far she has been taken at her word by twelve people. It is part of her conception of the part to speak in an undertone, but there is no doubt the gallery does like to hear what leading actresses are saying, and the whispering sisterhood gets little quarter from them. So “ Speak up!” is a frequent gallery call at matinees. But Irene is obdurate. She won’t; and that’s that! ‘ Funny Face.’ the musical play by the Astaires, which is down for production in Australia and New Zealand by the Fuller company headed by Miss Elsie Prince and Mr Jimmie Godden, has commenced its London season with many approving blasts on the trumpets of the critics. Mr Leslie Henson appears in the chief comedy role, an.d from all accounts is extraordinarily funny. It should be a role well suited to Mr Godden’s comic talents. It is stated that the official statisticc of the recent J. C. Williamson grand opera season in Australia show that £51,000 was handed out to the principals, £31,000 to orchestra, £II,OOO to chorus, £1.600 to the ballet, and to the theatre staffs about £12,000, while £15,000 went to the tax gatherer. The estimated expenditure of £3,000 per week, it is stated, was well exceeded. It is hard to see (remarks a Sydney writer) where the firm could have made much profit. Which tends to show that opera in the grand style is getting more and more financially precarious, and that if it is to be continued some ol the stars will have to suffer a drastic cut in their fancy salaries.