The Broken Lily

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 620, 23 March 1929, Page 24

The Broken Lily

Five Mourners Attend Lily Langtry’s Funeral Lily Langtry was followed by five mourners to the grave. Thus passes the glory of this world! In her day she was the Queen of Beauty, the toast of 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 to unknown graves. Mozart, buried In the pauper section of a cemetery in that city which he had enriched by his art, was no less famous than she was in his own day. A child who evoked wonder and admiration by his extraordinary gifts and charming personality among the monarchs of Europe in whose courts he played, he died at 37 in the full tide of his genius, and two years later his widow could not find his grave. Yet he left the best of himself to posterity—a beauty which shines as brightly now as ever. The Jersey Lily’s beauty perished as physical beauty must. When we think of the people of the Jersey Lily’s day, brilliant people of whom the world heard, they are but names to us. Soon even the names will die.

Acting honours in “Lido Lady” in Sydney are shared by Billy Leonard and Elsie Prince. The former has - the rare comedy art of appearing to do with the utmost sincerity the simplest, silliest things. The result is a consistently retained characterisation.—-to the delight of the audience throughout the performance. The gifted Mias Prince has chances—particularly in. the burlesque aspect of the Queen oC Sheba pageant. “The Wrecker,” Arnold Ridley’s companion play to “The Ghost Train,” which is coming to New Zealand shortly, is produced by J. C. Williamson, Ltd., in conjunction with E. J. Carroll. In this gripping drama the author has again made use of the railway atmosphere, which he so cleverly introduced into "The Ghost Train,” and which was one of the principal factors in its success. Mr. Ridley did not just happen on this atmosphere. He knows the world of the theatre Inside and out, having worked for two years at the famous Birmingham Repertory Theatre with Sir Barry Jackson and John Drinkwater.