Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953), Sunday 27 March 1949, page 3


Young Actors In "Blue Bird"

Two young stars who will be seen in "The Blue Bird" next month do not-want to go on the stage when they grow up. One wants to be a violinist, the

other a dress designer.

HUNDREDS of people who

were unable to see Maur-ice Maeterlinck's "The

Blue Bird" at the Theatre Royal

last year because there was

suth a rush for seats will have another chance on April 1st, 5th, 7th and 8th Miss Heather Gell is producing the show again for

various charities

The Austialian radio, stage and film artists, Nicky Yardley, of "Bush Christmas" fame, and Suzanne Parrctt, well known as 'Peggy" in the ABC Music Appreciation sessions, will again play the leading roles of Tyllyl anti Mjtyl

Nicky who is nine, is learning the violin, and prefers walking about in bare feet to wearing shoes He goes to Roseville Pri-mary School and is the son of Edgii Yjrdlcy, the radio actor, H ho vu/l play the part of the fiifte; in 'Blue Bird "

Nicky is to be tested next week for a part in Ralph Smart's new Australian film, "Bitter Springs," but he hopes to be a violinist when he grows up, not a film star

OUZANNE, aged IO, was dis

^ covered by Heather Gell and

made her hist stage appearance in ' I he Blue Bird ' last year Since then she has become well

known to radio listeners as Peggy, -the girl in ' Let's Listen to Music,"

ovei the A B C

Suzanne goes to Bellevue Hill Primai y School, her favoutite oc-cupation is not acting or dancing as you might expect, but drawing She likes studying fashion books and designing frocks

Although there are only 19 characters in the cast, 100 boys and girls and about 50 adults take part m the various move-ment groups Heather Gell has adapted the play and turned it

into a soil of Music and Move-ment I estival with the aid of Maeterlinck, Jaques Dalcroze, Schumann, Brahms, Chopin, Gustav Hoist and Cynl Scott.

'rrHE Blue Bird" was written

?*. m 1910 and probably rivals Sir James Barne's "Peter Pan" for popularity among people from undet 10 to over 60 It has been played all over the world, and translated into almost every lang-

uage

It is the story of a boy and a

Nicky Yar<lle> as Tjltyl and Su/anne Parrett as Myryl in a

scene trom "The Blue Bird."

girl who decide to leave home and go searching for the Blue Bird ol' Happiness. They meet with all kinds of queer, funny, exciting and beautiful adventures,

and eventually return to find the ' Blue Bird singing in their own backyard.

The author, Maurice Maeter-linck, was born in Belgium in

1862.

Another Music and Movement show, an Australian fantasy, will be produced later this year as the 1949 offering from the Heather Gell studios. This will be an all

Australian production. " i