W. B. Spong Dies at Nice

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 660, 11 May 1929, Page 26

W. B. Spong Dies at Nice

Famous Scene Painter BROUGH-BOUCICAULT DAYS J The brilliant years of Brough and j j Boucicault in Australia are recalled i by the death at Nice of Walter Brookes Spong, who was their chief scenic artist. He was engaged by the partuers in London, and remained in Australia for 11 years. Spong was in his SOth year. He began as an articled pupil to Charles Stanfield James, London | scenic artist of note in the 'sixties, 1 and at a later time studied under William Beverly, of Drury Lane j celebrity. In youth Spong was j second painter under George Gordon at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. It is j a fact worth recalling that after other experience both had leading positions in Australia —Gordon as chief Williamson artist in the days when others were Brunton and Goatcher, and Spong as leader for the Broughs. Much fine work was done by all the men of that time, and it was not unusual for a particularly j striking scene to he hpnoured with j applause quite apart from that be- i stowed on the players. Before coming to Australia Spong painted for I productions of the Bancrofts, D’Oyly i Carte, the Batemans, Mary Anderson, j Augustus Harris (“Druriolanus”), and ] John Hollingshead, of the Gaiety bur- j lesques. W. B. Spong and His Daughter Spong had shown paintings at leading English exhibitions, and in Aus- ’ tralia he continued to paint pictures, j After the Brough and Boucicault en- ! gagemert was ended he entered into , partnership with Walter Howe, an | actor who had appeared in many of 1 the productions of Bland Holt and j others, and was afterwards in America. j Their theatrical company toured in j New Zealand, and there was a Mel- j bourne season. The leading woman was Spong’s daughter Hilda, a charm- \ ing young actress, who also appeared with the Broughs and with Bland Holt. In the years since then she has made mattiy appearances in New York and others in London. There was a return to Australia, too, in the leading role of “Everywoman.” Among much scenic work done by Mr. Spong after his return 'to London was that for his Australian friend George Musgrove, who was introducing to London “The Belle of New York,” with Edna May in the leading part. j Nellie Stewart is to play “Trilby” j after the run of “Sweet Nell of Old I | Drury.” Though the talkies ere said I ; to have drawn people from stage pro- j

riuctions, “Sweet Nell” has been play- j ing to very large audiences at the | Comedy Theatre. Melbourne. Many j were actually turned away from a j matinee. Isabel Wilford Playing Lead “SEE A FINE LADY” WELLINGTON GIRL IN LONDON I Isabel Wilford plays the lead in “See a Pine Lady,” produced recently j at the “Q” Theatre, London. This theatre is one of the trying- j out grounds preliminary to the production of a play in the West End. The principal character is Judy Moss (Isabel Wilford), who has a soul above her Hammersmith tenement. I She runs away from home and becomes a very successful actress, Judith Mosely (generally understood to be cousin of the Northhamptonshire Mosely); she falls in love with Lord Milford, and lives with him on the understanding that he will marry her when his divorce comes through. But when the time came Lord Milford seemed not so eager; so Judy, deciding to have one glorious bust-up, invited Lord Milford and all her other fine friends to supper and confronted them with her most unpresentable parents. The friends failed to survive the ordeal, but Lord Milford did, and the curtain fell with one more King Cophetua clasping his beggar-maid. John Prosper, the author, aschews life and writes only in terms of the theatre. His situations do not arise naturally, but are arbitrarily thrust upon the characters. Judy is a snob, hurling her factory-girl origin in everybody’s face —as if it would matter to anybody, except to command respect; as if anybody expects successful actresses to come only of county families! Judy is acted with spirit by Miss Wilford. Helen Haye and Allan Jeaves lead the aristocrats. The “Daily Mail” says: “The author of this play of East and West is John Prosper. None of his characters approaches reality. Allen Jeayes acted with ease and polish as a blase ‘man-about-town’; Helen Haye showed her usual deft touch of character: Isobel Wilford put immense enthusiasm into the part of the factory girl, and even contrived to suggest that she believed in the part. Several others of the cast struggled gallantly with the Cockney accent."

Melodramatic events in “No. 17” begin first with the discovery of a corpse, and then the return to life and disappearance of the corpse from ; the room in which it is hidden. In ; the leading roles, Ellis Irving and Nat ! Madison suggest the straight-man and the comedy-man in a vaudeville double, the one being the feeder for the laughs scored by the other. A line ! with a depth of meaning in it, uttered j by Mr. Irving respecting Mr. Madison: j “There’s no pluck like the pluck of a | man who hasn’t got any.” Ann Suter was recently booed off j the stage at the Victoria Palace, Lon- j don, due to some yahoo starting the j disturbance, and others joining in for i what is declared to be the fun of the i thing. I

Madame Pavlova buys at least 40 pairs of shoes a year for her personal wear off the stage. “One day I buy a pair and I say, ‘Oh, I have found the perfect shoe! Now lam comfortable!’ The next day I cannot wear it. It is because my feet are so sensitive. Then I do not like that pair of shoes any more, and I give them away to one of my girls. I never wear the high heel. For the party it must be a little high, of course. For walking, always low and steady—what you call ‘sensible.’ My ballet shoes are all made in Italy. Italy is the home of the balet shoe. All our stage shoes come from there. Blit for myself ... no matter if l have it made, or buy it straight out of the shop . . . to-day it is adorable, ; to-morrow unendurable! No; Tdo not blame the shoe. I biame my sensitive toes.”