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A Royal Matinee, London, 1914
THE KING AND QUEEN
AT THE PALLADIUM.
A MERRY PROGRAMME.
‘The King and Queen [George V and Queen Mary] were present at the matinée yesterday afternoon, at the Palladium Music Hall, in aid of the funds of the Chelsea Hospital for Women. They were received on their arrival by the Countess of Ilchester, president of the Ladies’ Committee, and by Lord Castlereagh, M.P., president of the hospital. Mr. T. Dyer Edwardes, M.P., Sir F.W.R. Fryer, Mr. S. Hoffnung-Goldsmid, Mr. Herbert H. Jennings, officials of the hospital; and Mr. Charles Gulliver and Mr. C. Foster Marner, managers of the Palladium, were presented by Lord Castlereagh. The Queen accepted a bouquet of crimson roses from the Hon. Margaret Stewart, Lord Londonderry’s granddaughter.
‘Hardly were the royal party conformably settled in their box, after listening to a verse of the National Anthem and bowling in response to hearty cheering, when another of those unpleasant incidents occurred which of late seem inevitable at royal visits to places of amusement. A wild woman, evidently one of the following of Mrs. Pankhurst, stood up in the dress circle and shouted something about "torture in prison." A storm of hisses and shouts of protest from the huge audience of some 3000 people soon made her utterances inaudible, and approving cheers greeted the policeman who grasped the woman and disappeared with her. It was subsequently ascertained that the woman was allowed to go free.
‘During the minute or so of disturbance the Queen played with the flowers in front of her and the King turned over the leaves of the beautifully printed programme, and seemed to call the attention of his cousin, Princess Dagmar, who was of the party, to the excellent photographs of himself and Queen Mary. It was also noticed that the Queen’s gown was of crushed strawberry colour, matching her hat, which had a high crimson plume, and that dark furs were thrown back from her shoulders. Princess Mary had on a bright red coat, and the Danish Princess was apparently in black, with sombre furs. There were great bundles of flowers wherever it was possible to put them in the royal box, which was also hung with light silken draperies, and the front of the stage had a wide bank of many hued blossoms.
‘THE QUEEN’S MIRTH.
‘The programme began with the Poluskis [Will and Sam Poluski, cross-talk comedians], and continued with Coram, the ventriloquist, and Jackson’s sixteen English dancers. The King began to laugh at the Bogannys [knockabout comedians, the ‘Lunatic Bakers’], and Clarice Mayne and "That" [James W. Tate] intervened between Fun in a Bakehouse and George Robey. And then the Queen began to enjoy herself. Robey was made up as "The Pro’s Landlady" [a theatrical landlady], and seemed to have an extra long session. The Queen laughed with full appreciation all the time. She rocked herself at times just as she is in the habit of doing when bowing in her carriage, and more than once evidently appealed to the King to share in her mirth, which he did almost as heartily. In particular was a reference to a haddock which remained three years in the back of a piano - the nefarious act of a lodger - a source of supreme merriment in the royal box.
‘Max Beerbohm’s comedy in one act, A Social Success, admirably sustained by Sir George Alexander and a company which included Miss Muriel Barnby (daughter of the late Sir Joseph Barnby [organist, 1838-1896), Miss Elizabeth Chesney, Mr. C.M. Lowne, and Mr. Vivian Reynolds, was received with somewhat cold approval. The audience did not seem to appreciate that there were worse social sins than cheating at cards. Then came Phyllis Bedells, the English dancer from the Empire, sweet and young and comely, looking in her bunch of white skirts like a rose of York wooed by Zephyrs. The queen smiled approval and nodded towards the King - the first time she has seemed to be conscious at any of her recent music-hall visits to the presence of a dancer.
‘A VICTORIAN EPISODE.
‘Fred Emney followed in a very brief scene, but long enough to make the King laugh and turn to the Queen to laugh a second time. Fred Emney only imitated a dear old lady with a red petticoat and white stockings of the mid-Victorian period attempting to get over a stile. The house roared with delight, and the old lady - what a dear old lady she looked! - finally got over. Some Egyptian conjuring was the final turn in the programme - very wonderful and watched with profound interest by Princess Mary - and then the National Anthem from the orchestra, and the King and Queen bowed farewell greeting to their loyal lieges.
‘During Sir George Alexander’s play there was a slight interruption caused by a shower of suffragette leaflets, and somebody else was put out without any particular fuss being made. The King and Queen, with Princess Dagmar and Princess Mary, travelled in two closed landaus with splendid bay horses and plain liveries. A great crowd were waiting to cheer the King and Queen as they drove from the theatre.’
(The Standard, London, Wednesday, 18 March 1914)
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The St. John’s Wood Arts Ball, London, 1914
HAUNTED DANCERS.
CHASING IDEAS AT FANCY DRESS BALL.
‘Futurism of the future will be the theme of the S. John’s Wood Arts Ball, which is to take place on April 1 at Covent Garden.
‘The new philosophy of revelry will be symbolised by twelve of London’s leading actresses, all in super-futurist garb.
‘These are the "Ideas" of the evening, and they will make their entrance into the arena dancing the "ta-tao," the fifteenth-century Chinese dance, which is actually taking Paris by storm. Precisely at midnight there will be an irruption of the "Haunted Hundred," men and women in black and white costumes, and they will pursue and in turn be pursued by the elusive "Ideas."
‘"Special lighting devices from the gallery will help to intensify the effect of the weird chase," said Mrs. Leyel, the organising secretary, to an Express representative last night, "but it will end up happily with a tavern supper of sausages and mashed [potatoes], after which ordinary dancing will be resumed.
‘The music for the "Ideas" and the "Haunted Hundred" has been specially composed by Mr. Frederick Norton, and the costumes have been designed by Mr. Lewis Baumer.
‘The following is a list of the artists who are taking part as "Ideas":-
‘Miss Gladys Cooper wearing gold.
‘Miss Ethel Levey wearing black.
‘Miss Phyllis Dare wearing sapphire blue.
‘Miss Phyllis Monkman wearing black and white.
‘Miss Laura Cowie wearing black and white.
‘Miss Alice Crawford wearing white.
‘Mrs. Sam Sothern wearing black and white.
‘Miss Phyllis Bedells wearing red.
‘Miss Ruby Miller wearing orange and black.
‘Miss Jean Alwyn wearing black and white.
‘Miss Enid Bell wearing silver.
‘Miss Julia James wearing black and Oriental.’
(Daily Express, London, Friday, 27 March 1914)
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