Press Clippings for the week ending
Saturday, 31 August 2002

A random selection of cuttings
from newspapers and magazines

* * * * * * * * Turns at the Palace Theatre, London, July 1906 ‘The Palace Theatre. ‘With its fine capacity and excellent arrangement of electric fans and other modern mechanical means of renewing and cooling the air, the Palace is a pleasant place to spend an evening. ‘The clever Spanish dancer, Rosario Guerrero, is appearing in a one-act pantomime, La Gitana - a story of jealousy and revenge, which incidentally introduces a dance with castanets given in Mlle. Guerrero’s attractive fashion. ‘In addition, there are fascinating comediennes who dance and sing, also the always popular Victor Germinal; the Colberg Family with the smallest conductor in the world, and a very amusing Welshman from Llanfairfechan, Evan Evans. ‘Mlle. Bordeverry, assisted by her company, gives a remarkable exhibition of marksmanship, her greatest feat being to undress a lady with a repeating rifle. This she does in a sensational manner. ‘Miss Clarice Mayne is very successful with her imitations of various theatrical celebrities, and displays a striking gift of mimicry. ‘The American Story-teller, Mr. Fred Niblo, keeps up a continual stream of patter and funny stories, somewhat after the manner of R.G. Knowles, though with quite a unique style of his own, to the great amusement of the audience; and excellent acrobatic turns are provided by the Alaskas and Selbo, who is certainly the neatest operator with Indian clubs we have seen. Selbo also does something quite new with earthenware plates. ‘Not the least interesting of the pictures on the Bioscope, though a very small person performs, is that of the charming little five-year-old Vera Le Fleming as she danced at the theatrical garden party at the Royal Botanic Gardens.’ (The Crown, London, Thursday, 19 July 1906, p.477c) * * * * * * * * Grace Harold, ‘The Leading Male Impersonator and Gifted Voice Wonder,’ mid 1880s

(photo: W. McLiesh, Darlington and Durham, circa 1888)

An example of Grace Harold’s ‘card’,
The Entr’acte, London, Saturday, 26 January 1884, p.16c,

* * * * * * * * Mdlle. Azella the aerial danseuse at the Oxford music hall, London, 1888 The Oxford music hall, London ‘Mdlle. Azella, whose name appears in the Oxford bill just now, is not the lady of the same name who some few years ago figures here as a gymnast; the present demonstrator claiming that appellation being a danseuse who, by the aid of a mechanical device, makes aerial excursions of some magnitude. This lady is assisted by Mons. Eugene, who, as a dancer, is perhaps the superior creature.’ (The Entr’acte, London, Saturday, 14 April 1888, p.5b) * * * * * * * * Judith Espinosa dances at the Alhambra, London, 1900 ‘The Handy Man, produced on Monday night [24 September 1900] at the Alhambra Theatre, makes the union of two classes of ballet and probably settles the vexed question of style in ballet for some time to come. While one section of an audience will be found in favour of modern entertainment with topical song and dancing that recalls the cellar flap, another section looks for silence on the stage and the transference of emotions to the orchestra. Mr. Dundas Slater, realising the just claims of the two classes, has presented a ballet that must please both. There are three tableaux, of which the second may be disregarded, as it is no more than a well-considered excuse to enable the stage to be set for the third. For them the deck of a first-class cruiser, with hornpipes, cutlass drills, and a song that threatens to become patriotic - all work that could be done better, and is accompanied by bright, appropriate music. Then comes ballet proper, a scene that take us from Portsmouth to the edge of a city whose minarets, palm trees, and turbaned or caftaned men proclaim the East. Forgive the anomaly of a market chorus that would serve a modern comic opera, and as you pass at once to orthodox ballet and to a wonderful dance by Mdlle. [Judith] Epinosa, a measure that recalls the Spanish gitana and her sisters of the Cairene and Indian bazaars. The change is startling and complete; it extends to the colouring, grouping, and movement of the figures on the stage and to the orchestra, where Mr. [George W.] Byng takes his chance with a good grace. A story, slight but coherent, disturbs the progress of the dance, but only for a moment, and the curtain falls on a scene that has not witnessed the Union Jack and Stars and Stripes in combination, and has not heard the National Anthem. ‘The artist who creates the strongest impression is the première danseuse, Mdlle. Espinosa. Her art is something brought by the gipsies from the west of Asia and modified by the customs of many countries. It is a fascinating work, powerful without being extravagant or grotesque. The colour scheme on the stage is harmonious if daring.’ (S.L. Bensusan, The Sphere, London, Saturday, 29 September 1900, p.403c) * * * * * * * * Mdlle. Degaby’s living statues, Palace Theatre, London, 1896 ‘Mr. Charles Morton, of the Palace Theatre, has increased his already attractive programme by the exclusive engagement of Mdlle. Degaby for her representations of mythological and romantic statuary. The poses are eminently realistic and highly artistic, and the fact that they have been alluded to by some journals as bordering on the naughty ought to be a nice advertisement for this popular place of entertainment. Had Mdlle.Degaby’s statues preceded the living pictures instead of following them the success of this exhibition would have been even more pronounced.’ (The Court Circular, London, Saturday, 21 March 1896, p.291a)

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© John Culme, 2002