FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

Evening Star, Issue 20137, 30 March 1929, Page 17

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES

[By LOITERER.]

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‘ Rio Rita,’ with Gladys Moiurielf in the lead, has passed its JUUIh perlormiiuce in Melbourne.

Miss Polly M’Laren and Miss Nellie Kollo (well known to Fuller patrons) were at latest appearing i" ‘ Reality and the Least ’ at the Melbourne Bijou

American exchanges announce the engagement of Noel Coward to Glad vs Calthorp, who staged his revuu ’ This Year of Grace ’ in New York. Wallis Clark, who will be remembered in ‘ White Cargo,’ is playing at the Booth Theatre, Now York, in a farce of the Kronen variety, entitled ‘These Few Ashes.’

“ Kiore King gave a brilliant bit ol acting as a woman ol the Inture, says the ‘ Bulletin in the criticism of a sketch at the Sydney Tivoli. Miss King is a New Zealander. Ada Reeve, who is paying a return visit to Australia, claims that Charles Chaplin claims her as his “ first sweetheart.” She stated that she was soon returning to America to appear in llm ‘‘ talkies.”

When the last London mail 101 l B.yrl Walkley had just finished being principal boy in the. pantomime ‘ Old King Cole.’ * Thelma Harness was playing principal girl in Glasgow, and Josie Melville was principal girl at Leeds.

Phyllis Fuller, the Now Zealand-horn daughter of John Fuller, returned from London recently, after a three years’ absence from Sydney. .Miss Fuller proved herself extremely useful to her busy father -while in Fngland. by visiting almost every type of theatrical entertainment ami informing him of their respective merits.

Pat and Tony Kendall, dancers -who will appear in the. Fuel Coward revue, ‘ This Year of Grace,’ in Australia, are son and daughter of .Marie Kendall, comedie'iine, who was in Kew Zealand some years ago with "Williamson's Celebrity Vaudeville Company.

According to cables received from Sir George Tallis, the J. C. Williamson London productions of ‘ The Patsy ’ and ‘Mr Cinders’ aro proving most .successful, ami the general opinion is that rarely have two better presentations been made on the stage of the big .metropolis. The firm lias purchased the world's rights of ‘ Mr Cinders.' so that it will ho seen later on in Australia ami Few Zealand.

Pavlova’s Queensland tour embraced seasons in Townsville, Itoekbamptoii, .Maryborough, and Brisbane. .In the latter town she had the honour of opening J. (’. AVilliamson’s new ills Majesty's Theatre. The journey from Brisbane to Sydney was broken at Toowoomba, where a short season was played. According to present arrangements the famous dancer will make hot reappearance in Sydney at the Theatre jßoyal on Saturday, April ]•’.

Once again Dunedin audiences are to have the rare pleasure of listening to the match I.’ss Scottish humour and ballads of Sir Harry Lauder. The famous comedian is at present fishing the southern lakes and southern rivers and lie no longer feels the effects of the ill-health which made his visit to New Zealand a necessity. In a. letter to Mr Scott Colville, who will net in a managerial nipacty for Air K. J. Carroll during Sir Harry’s New Zealand tour, ho says he is tearing himself away from the salmon for a few hours dailv for rehearsals, and hopes to include some now numbers in his programmes.

Mr John Ralston is hock in Alelhounm from liis holiday vi-.it, to the United States, which I'oliowod a strenuous .season of Gilbert and Sullivan pieces. Air Ralston has taken up tho part, of General Rirahein in ‘Tim ])asert Song.’ Tlio part had hern played pi'evimi.Jy hy Air Peter Gnwthurne and Mr Pop Cory. AI r Ralston has sum: many parts in th» Savoy operas, and he was Schubert in ‘ Lilac Time.’

NTit Madison is fonnimr a company to appear at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, on April Id. to play the mystery drama. ‘No. 17.’ This is located inside and outside a eertain hon.se. and the scenes outside are played in a foe. 'l’lm .Masquerader’ started in this warn Bertha Piceardn is to he leading lady. * N r n. 17’ is by Jefferson Fargeon, a well-known English dramatie critic. The Yniliarnsnn firm is forming a special company to tour the Ansfral;an eonißry centres noth a selection oF musical pin vs which have heem'm proved successes The decision to organise a louring company of seventy, the largest \-et formed. Inis been prompted by the siicces-- of the second • Rose .Marie ' company, which has just completed a tour. The new company will stage ‘Th Desert, Sony.’ ‘ I hi* Fdident Prince,' and ‘The .Maid of the Mountains' n Hohai hist, a.ml tlmn tour in various provincial emit res. Another touring eonimmy will he orpanised in May. It will present 'The Girl F-im-id.’ Hit the Dock.’ and ‘Tell Me More ’ in eonntr- cmtirs, I,iliac Crisp, who was i■ i town playing small parts in the last Gdherl a"d S’dlivan company, will lead m ‘The Desert Sony’ compact.

Tl*e long run of ‘ Ihe Deserl Sony ’ at Flis Majesty’? Thcadc. Melbourne, lias ended The '.’(Kith nerfnrnnince was celebrated recent B- whe i cpiaini mascot dolls garb' hi ]>iciure.sutie raiment to resemble 1 The Red Shadow.’ were distributed. ‘The Desert Sony’ will lie InUowed tonight (.March AO) hy ‘The Vagabond King.’ which has been extremely successful in Sydney. ‘This Year of Grace ! will he pmdimed for the hrs f tim in Australia rn the same night Miss Vera Moore, who recenily returned from her New Zealand tour, made her first London reappearance at Leighton House, Kensington, where she gave a recital of works hy Ihieh, Beethoven. and Brahms. One of the, leading London musical critics remarked:— ‘'There was a gentleness in the handling nt Beethoven's Sonata, Op. L’7. No 1, and of two IJaeh Glmrale-Prelnde ; which I'd ted the music well, and a well-trained sense* ol rhythm gave c clear outline to the Sarabande and th Chorale of Haeh. "When th- textnr became more complex tile pace .seemed less deliberate and inclined to hnn.\, but on the whole, her performances pointed to a disciplined mind and a woll-cared-l or technifpie ’’ One of the most popular and talented of young Australian actresses who appears in the highly amusing comedy, ‘ The Patsy,’ is Eileen Sparks, leading lady for Moscovitcli in the Australian production of Edgar Wallace’s mystery play ‘ The Ringer.’ There are few young women on the stage to-day who can display the same astonishing versatility as Miss Sparks. In comedy, iis in dramatic roles, she is one, of the most impressive actresses ever seen oil the Australian and Now Zealand stage. Eileen Sparks lias appeared in an infinite variety of roles, and in each her characterisation has been most convincing. There are many who predict fiir her even greater .successes than tltos* she has ajready achieved.'

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

An exceptionally bright season is being forecasted for the League of Notions Revue Company, which opens at the Princess Theatre to-night. The re murkablo popularity attained by this company on its last very short visit to this town was followed up by a. record season in Wellington, where this band of entertainers lias just concluded eighteen weeks. There is no need to ‘dross further the talent with which this company is endowed. for local theatre-goers are fully aware of the abilities of every member of the, happy troupe. In fact, their _ return season has been anxiously aw rated ever since the company’s depar ere. Dainty Audrey Lewi; >s ihe- latest, acquisition to the League of Notions Revue Company, which opens its sea-,-,nn at the Princess 'iheatre to-night. She is a little performer, and is sure in find a front place in the productions to be presented. She has a sweet voice which is as pleasing to the ear as she herself is to the eye. Lily Langtry was followed b.v five mourners to the grave. In her day she was the Gncon of Rpanty, the toast ol fashion, the Jersey Lily, adored of the multitude with that adoration which is given so easily to beauty. Now she slips away to her long rest unknown. unsung as Byron’s swimmer in the depths of ocean. Many greater

than the .Jersey Lily have gone before few friends In unknown grates. Mozart, buried in the pauper section of a ecmel.erv in dm; city which ho. had enriched hy his art. was no less famous than she was in his own day. A child who evoked wonder and admiration hy his ex inoadi iin i.v gilts and charming personality among the nionarchs ol Europe in whose courts he plaved. he died at thirty-seven in the full tide d his geniii-. and two year- later Ins widow could not. (ind hi- grave. Tel he left the hc-l of himself to posterity-—a beauty which shines as brightly now as ever. The Jersey Lily’s beauty perished as phy.-ie"! beauty most. When we think of llm people of the Jersey Lily’s day, brilliant people e( whom die world heard, they are hut names to ns. Sum even (he mimes will die. Auckland ‘ Sr:n.’

It is not generally known how Svd Beck, the Leagm e» NT t inns’ imnle-to-ordcr comedian, came to cheo-e the Stagy .m .. career. There '-'as no '• folhr.vin.o’-in-lal'her’s-100l stops ” influence i.i h's life noi did he take to the hoard; a- a i hild, hat it all came abort ihrcitgh ; Onm cl'anciug to visit a picture theatre in Sydney. When it came to Ilia 1 l.opmal News/ he was electrified in sec a pc time of himself flicker on llm screen. Some enterprising eann i i man had \ tstlci! Manly baths, ot which S\d Reek was a wellknown habit in* and ’Orrie found the capers lie had indulged in to amuse ins friends transferred to tlx* silver sheet to dm hysterical ddight of the audienci . A.s flu* first step he joined a beach show at .Maid, 1 ., and in that up-and-down school it langhter hy Irnrncd much, ’limn lollowcd experience V. iih M, veni' ( oneeins, iielore he was seemed on a long contract hy dm p*, 1 1 Ice management ard put into th'* League of Nod- n whero he i- \-yi \ much at homo m his diaradcrisai ion of ’Orrie

The furthcoming visit of the celebrated sister instrumentalists, MiConstance and Margaret I Hard, is crealiji*r uiut.-li lului-01. f l lu'-Sr yiMinji have just emn]deted a second lour ol Canada, and alter their slay in .'vev Zealand will go on lo Australia, thence to die, J)uleh Ea-t Indies, Much has been said by writers in England, Bel"inm. anti Canada about the eharni ol platform manner and unaffected style ot playing that makes them endeared to their '"audiences at once. Sound musicians, they have made arrangements el famous works to enable them to he performed as duets tor violin and ’cello alone. The-e duels have been most warndv received, such papers as the London'‘Tiines ’ asking why more have not been given, with these line artists will he Mr Frnesi lOmpron, tlie distinguished pianist Irom Christchurch. , It was not generally rei 02,11 ised (says the Arens '), eve - in its days ot high popularity that 1 Ihe Holla ot New York •’ was a revue V. hen the piece was written to; American production all the types were invented with an eye on eminent folk of on ■ kind or anolhor, thomdi. ot course they were made wildly unlike them. Violet Grey’s anrrclie work in the slums was surested by that ot -Miss Evangeline. Booth ; and the Rockefellers, lather and sun, were in the mind ot the librettist for the unreality known as lehahod Bronson and for'his son. Cora the Queen of Comic Opera, was a free sketch from Lillian Bussell ; ami the little wedding-cake girl who sang ‘La Bello Pari.sieune ’ was suggested by Anna Hold. In the play there was a dancer called Kissio Fitzgarter, and on the stage at I lie time there was a dancct named Cissio Fitzgerald. Blinky Bill M'Guirk was a sketch remotely alter the American pugilist Kid M'C'oy j and othe.' characters were simi-

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larly influenced by men and women yJ tiic* moment. ’I he piece had its chief early snceof. - in London under Mr George Mnsgrovo’s management—not in America—and English playgoers did not bother about'any possible- travesties of originals; they wore content to regard H,o’ characters as quaintly American, ami to fall in love with Edna May as the fair Salvation I,ass. In Australia, too, the piece gained its long popularity merely as musical comedy. An eighteen-year-old English schoolboy, Mi” Lewis" Shaw, plays the name part in the thrco-act play ‘ Young Woodley.’ by John Van Drulcn, which opened'at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney, on Saturday evening, March Ki. Me is said to be the youngest juvenile lead who has ever appeared in Australia. Ho depicts a dreamy but passionate youth, a student of Swinburne, whose poetic nature earned for him the nickname “ .Passion Flower ” among his schoolmates. The action of the playtakes place in two scenes, the prefects’ room in a school in Mallowlmrst, England, and in the drawing room of Mrs Simmons, the young wife of the elderly house master of the school. ’I his lady, gracefully impersonated by Miss Naia he Moya, finds in young Woodley’s infatuation for her the romance she has missed in her marriage, and, following the ordinary course of true Jove, the

little idyll has a stormy passage. The playwright introduces some ilramaliu sit na t ions, and person:;litio.s are revealed with artistic skill, hut everyone except. \ inning, a prematurely cynical house prdecl (skilfully played hy Ah' .'■Verge Preston) takes life very seriously, A climax is reached when the house tmi-der (a role ably filled hy Air Frank Rnyde) finds his wife being passionately ki'-'scd hy young Woodley, who. rising to (lie occasion. boldly declares. “ I am-in love with your wile.’ and taunts thy elderly husband with having “ mineral water in h's veins instead of reel blood.” This scene brings things to a crisis, die wife declares her affection for the hey. and the enraged husband, having listened to sonic very unpalatable truths from Ins wile as ,to hi- shortcomings, agrees at hist that if young Woodley leaves the school at once the matte/' will lie dropped. The hoy’s lather is sen) for. and removes him. and the curtain tails.—‘ Australasian.’

bilious film spectacle to <latc > ‘/U Divine Lady/ is soon to bo released in New Zealand. Tolling the inunortal love story of Lord Nelson and the beautiful' Ladv Hamilton, it is one of the most costly and magnificent pictures over produced, containing reproductions of old English scenes and reenactments of the battles ol the le and Trafalgar. The sequences .showing the death of Nelson Mere copied Horn world-famous paintings.