STAGE GOSSIP
T h» preliminary booking in Auckland for the Aellie Stewart season broke all records amounting as it' did to £ICOO. . ' The Japanese actress, Fuji-Ko, the Lady of ths Wistaria, has been playing -in Amarica.
Miss ilsrud Allan has been engaged for a series of performances in America at a fee of £25,030. " A'ick Lauder is" touring in America, the reputation of his famous brother standing ham in gcod stead. The extraordinary run of "The Merry Widow" at Daly's Theatre, London, has come to an end aiter two years' continuous performance there.
Miss Amy Murphy has been singing with Mr Phil Newbury at one of the series of Saturday concerts in Sydney which the celebrated tenor Las inaugurated. Mir Julius Knight opened recently at His Majesty's Theatre, Brisbane, in "The Scarlet PimjperEel." After Queensland Mt Knignt will proceed to New Zealand.
At the end of his short season in Sydney Mr WaMer Bentley was presented with a purse of 65 sovereigns and a diamond pin, expressive of his friends' appreciation. Walter Monk will sever his connectior with the Allan Hamilton Company aft ear <theChristchurch season, and will pilot. Hugih Ward and Grace Palctta through New Zealand.
Margaert Anglin returns to the American stag* in September after an absence of two years. She will appear in Boston in a n'?v titled "The Awakening of Helena Ritchie."
Mi iVilliam Anderson has been trying to arrange a tour of Australia and' New Zealand with Miss Ada Reeve, and has secured the rights of a drama, entitled "The Prince and the Beggai Maid."
Dates for concerts in leading centres throughout the Comonwealth and Xew Zealand have besn fixed for the tour of Miss Amy Castles, which commences in Melbourne on the 21st August. Mrs J. A. Stirling, v.ho figured in the famous and notorious Stirling-Atherlon-Norlhland divorce case has returned to the stage, • quietly taking her place as a show girl at the London Gaiety. Miss Ola Humphrey, who ended her Austrihan engagement with the close of "The Silver King"' season in Adelaide, was presented with a diamond brooch from admirers in that city. Miss Humphrey has left for England.
Cdw&rd Br&nscoina, who introduced to us the Westminster Glee Party and the Cherniavskis, leaves Melbourne for England shortly fc-r artists and novelties. He is likely to make Australia his headquarters for come time.
Miss Dorothy Grimsfon. who ras come out to Sydney for "The Flag Lieutenant," started her stage career under the tutelage of the famous French actress, Madame Rejane. Then she passed on to Arthur Bvarchier and Mrs Patrick Campbell.
Mr Edwin Geach has sold to Mr George jvlarlow all his interests in the "Lured to London" Dramatic Company, now appearir.fr in New Zealand. It is understood that Mr MJarloiv wil! start bus tour in Adelaide at an early date.
W? (Sydney XewsJetterl regret to note the death cf Ivy Galiardj (Mrs Grace Jackson), a e'ever young performer, who wps first known to us &s one of the smart ar.d shapely Gallardi Sisters, and who performed alone af'ipr the m-arriage of her sister.
"The Arcadians," which has revived the fallen fortunes of the London Shaftesbury Theatre, has achieved phenomenal success. It is to be staged in Australia by Clarke, Meynell, and Gunn's ne-<v comic opera company, at present being formed in London. if Franz Lehar — the composer of "The Merry Widow" — has r. riiten three new pieces, and the first to be produced will be his collaboration wi<th Dr Wiiner. called "The Count of Luxembourg," which will be staged at the Ander Wien Theatre-, Vienna^ in October.
Mr Charles FroUman. the greatest theatrical employer .n the world, states that next year is to bo one ef the best on record for the "legitimate" actor and a<tre.=s. He is a great believer in plays of "heart interest," and thi'iks there is a larger audience for them always than for any other class of drama' ir c'ttcrtahnnsnt.
Over ICO n post-cards of Oscar AfcTic and Lily Braylon Lave be?n fold m Melbourne during -Ihe past foitn.glit. Mi=s Brayton. who i<s ii" ted a« one of *hp mos* beautiful ar.d irost photographed of actresses, ha= been takpn over 310 *inies. London photo-grß->her= pay her lareo fees f-r sitting, and for the i-ieht \<\ Fell h&r p-clures.
Mr William Anderson h^s severed hi" connee ti">v> with the theatre m We=t Australia. Mr Mirhae l Jo=eph. who has beon acting as his maiiager in the Wept, hopes to bo in X;w Zf>ahaiKi next September. m which month it is Jlr Andci<=on's intention to serd aorf«s a qti-n<? dramatic company, headed by Mr Walter B<<ker and ili«s Frances Ro3S.
M. Edward Branscombe has formed a new company on the line of "lb" M>uvmr.kor«." This is- enti'Vi'j "The Jcters." and comprises, amonest others, Messrs Percy Coward (the male alto singer here with the Westminster Concert Peny). Percy Denton (who has relinqiiishcd for thp tiire the c'elnrlits of oomic opera), and. Walter Whyte t,the Auckland tenor;. Early in June Mi==s Maude Ad-ams. the most popular nctre=.« in the United Slates. appeared as Joan of Arc, m the Schiller play of that !iam«. with a wonderful support The single performance was given at the Harvard Collegr- Stadium, and the actress was supported by 1300 people. In one scene over a thousand people appeared The night's takings reached £4200 Twenty-eight performances by the imperial Hussian ballet at the Chatelet
Theatre, Paris, brought in the enormous sum. of £20,700, or an average of more than £1000 a performance. Nothing more exquisite, more absolutely refined and e.rtistic, though curiously un-Russian, has been seen than the dancing of the corps de ballet. It is the very perfection of graceful movement.
Wirth Bros., circus proprietors, have been sued by one Bos-anna Teresa Lehmann for £2000 for damages sustained through the circus tent being blown down during a performance at Orange, New South Wales. The plaintiff is alleged to have been seriously injured about the head, causing partial paralysis, and negligence on the part of the firm's employees is affirmed. The case stands adjourned.
Pollard's Juvenile Companies have been called the nursery of -the Australian stage, and it is interesting to recall some of the people who have passed through Tom Pollard's hands. Violet Varley, May Pollard Maud Beatty, May Beatty, Marion Mitchell. Nellie Wilson, W. S. Percy, Alfred Stephens., David B. O'Connor, Edward Nable G. Young, Charles Carter, Alice Pollard! Charles Albert, Nina Osborne, Lily Everett, Jack Ealsiton, and Harry Quealey. Mr J. C. Williamson, the leading Australian manager (says the Lonson Daily Express), has reached England far the purpose of securing material for his theatres "down under." He -will make, with Mr Frohman* a special production of "Whatf Every Woman Knows," and Mr Frohman proposes to send Mr Williamson next Easter a full English company— wholly "recruited in London— to play all the dramas that Mr Frohman will produce in- England and America during the earning season. The Theatres and Public Halls Act came into force in Sydney recently. It is provided "that owners or lessees of places of entertainment cannot admit more people than there is seating accommodation provided for, "but standing room! will be permitted in -those parts of the House behind the line of seats most remote from the stage, and that only provided the total number allowed by the Minister for that particular area is not exceeded." For breaches of the law penalties up to £10 may be inflicted.
An opera company composed of children is appearing in London. The company is composed of children specially selected from amongst the most musical and intelligent in the south of Italy. On the first night of the season "'Lucia di Laaamermoor" was given* in which a fotirteen-year-old L-enor, Vitfcorio Gamba, made his d«but._ He is tbe son of a peasant, »iid used to sing at fairs in the neighbourhood of Rome. The prjma donna is Signorina Dora Theor, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a well-to-do Roman citizen.
It is striking and conclusive proof of the success of Mr Bland Holt as a manager when one reflects on the length of service the principals of hip company have been with him. Of the gentlemen, Mr Christie Simcnsen, manager, has seen 30 years' service under the Bland Holt banner ; Mr Charles Wheeler, stage manager, Mr Percy Kehoe, musical director, and Mr Herbert Kemp, each 17 years ; Mr C. Brown, 16 years ; Mr A. Harford, 15 years ; Mr Max Maxwell (juvenile lead), 13 years ; and Mr A. Styan (heavy lead}, 1C years. Miss Harrie (leading lady) boasts of 15 years with Mr Holt, and several other ladies have been with, the actor-manager for several years.
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Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 69
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1,436STAGE GOSSIP Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 18 August 1909, Page 69
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