Mail (Adelaide, SA : 1912 - 1954), Saturday 20 September 1913, page 1


BEAUMONT SMITH BACK.

. TRAVELS OF TINY TOWN. : 'THE MIRACLE' IX, AUSTRALIA. Mr. Beaumont Smith was among' the passengers by ? the Melbburne e^iress, which arrived this morning. He has returned from America,, and was accompanied by t Sirs. Beaumont Smith. 'It is jurt 12 months since I left Australia,' he said, 'and I certainly have got over a bit of country in that time. In -fact. 'Tve taken Tiny Town right round the globe, and played every town of any eize as we went along. We sailed trom Western Australia to Capetown, and as Africa didn't have halls and theatres big enough for -us we had tents built, and toured under canvas. ' IXc played about 50 towns there, and travelled by rail nearly 4,000 nines' to do it. From Africa we went to Europe, and after a tittle time there sailed for Canada. We started at Montreal, 'and worked right across the continent. 1 caught- the Tahiti at San Francisco, but the company sailed ' from Vancouver on September 4 by the Niagara. It doeen't eeem. a very long trip, but we dida't do it like tourists, just touching '.coast- towns and- big centres. We saw the -tsouijtries We- 'visited — went into their interiors. ' I; estimate we 'have .travelled nearly 40,000 nnles since we .left Bydney-^that means we have averaged over 100 ? miles iper day. .' 'Yes, ?Tiny -Town is coming back-)just for. a ehort.tonr. JTbe little people like A-nstralia— and somehow they ' seem to think Australia -likes, them, fm sure Australia used to, and don't gee wliv it shobldn't still. Tiny iTown has been'Ai-larsed eince it was last here; We've.irot

Di«drichLlpt8,.taliefaniO3iB little man irith a normal-sized 'wife and' twoTMe children, with ns' now. . After .'the other little people ' told' him . about , Australia and how they loved it he couldn't resist the offers I 'had. teen making him lnthe^paEt^fonr years. THe'e a inarrellous miniature' man — *iBA6Tax,.;.aV5n5ter, ,and critic; andean authority on ^Qerknan -politics^ - . Ineidentr iOy, he is a pciformer par excellence. I-hep snefhave ^wo more amazing little Spmimm. _;They arc illusionists, eon-. juxpirs, ar»tl 'myitery Tvorkiers- TTheee are -the!!Fhiheos,' ^nd'eonie frbni big £ngUsh. lengagementE. .Tlicy, too, could, not resist i^jQ^lmlia After Miss Uan^ ^ai&S:'4|onka^ ' and i;he others started to talk about it. ?ifeinBen, :Nickola, -'.de ' fiiere 'havektepufe-^ tiona as magiciaiis,- but tlie Francos -do anything these' fiimou^ inen -Aft. land do it' better veiy^iftcn. 'jhe Tiyr ^Town tour .ofmoSaBaf|er!l™^Ti. *'A '?IT^-TJv^'^ ?Tt* gaajereda : few^SJer :'*iStfeefflB6K enterprises. :9Ghe 'first Australia .will see'; .is that remarkable wordless religious mystery drama, 'The' Miracle,' wuich arouefed the- whole of England viien prodncedby ErofeEsor ' Max rKemhardt. at Olympia. «ith\a company of 3,-J00 people, and was afterwards, owing to its immensity making It impossible to tour it, filmed. I have ?purchased the exclusive Australian and Sew Zealand rights. It is tbe snfeatrstproduction ever known — therefore it is the greatest film. Tt was such' a. complete and artistic .wort that. It. was ' presented at the Royal V Covent Garden Opora House. Ijondon^the 'only picture that lias ever; been 'screened there. It is 5,000 teet in length. Not only is it an exquisite j picture,, but it is an in\Tsible grand opera- | the 'music liaving been spccHiUy composed by Professor Hnmperdinck (composer of \ ^Hansel and Sretel' and other famous operas), and an invisible chorus of 40 voices. Also, I intend to 'give it its full 1 worth in this country, and ..have a leading organist, and a grand opera orchestra to play the. music. As yon can imagine, this work of -art is not presented as an ordinary picture. In addition to the vocal and instrmnen^sl music the whole front of the proscenium which frames the picture :willi^J^eS4!lk^ She front of a great catliedral-- -Ikiore the picture commences .ther.greaOJffik\'doors of the cath- , edral swing open,' and the -story of tlie picture appears to be enacted therein. It will take some little time for the thoniset:. ? &c., to be trained, but immediately I find The Miracle' 'can be presented as at i Covent Garden Opera House, then it will J be done — not before. It is ktoo great a , snbject and too artistic a production ' to ; be rushed. I can assure you I am glad to have been .able io secure the greatest picture the. world has yet known. 'Among other attractions for the forthcoming year, one of the chief is a fine j comedv company from Ijondon, playing ?The Glad Eye/ The President' -*riie; Chaperon/ and- other successful English. French, and ' American comedies and i farces. In this enterprise I have as my j partner Mr. Louis Meyer, one of ihe K-ad- 1 mg London West-End -managers. ' 'Tlie ! Glad Eye,' of course, will be -the opening production.- It ran two years in London, and no' i-lay was more - talked of while it was to' the front, it being played at 1 three theatres in London. The company is now being formed, and it will include J several well-known Australians who have 1 etruck fame in London. Tliis tour i\ ill j start early in the Xew Year. J 'I have many tinies l-een to England and Kuropcj )-nt this is the first time I t have had an opportunity of visiting and j studying the Empire. Hut Australia has j not suffered through my study ol' I Canada. United States. .Africa.' &i-. '? I've seen many things in ttuf-e ? and other countries Austialia d.ws not possess. and perbap- can never hope to possess — things that would

improve it wonderfully. .But, -tbj^%|ife/ mwnl-er mo manv benefits ttat WatiMsS^''India's excluMvely— »-enefite theieTffloS2 -tries can ne\'er attain. -And - tSJM-iSl&i--. tyinly tui-n the stale in Austrau»y'£avSn¥^ : Australia is good taMHigh to live in for any man. and it'* good enough to die in. X. thank God it's white, and hope. we can, keep our immigrants either Engliph, Irish,, or Scotcli. -and that no encouragement -be) giv--n to Southern. European eetOers. Letjv have people- :who 'can -'think British, 'anffl consequently think Australian. . We baye\ talked Australia wherever- we bare beep, and ive found ready listeners. Also^we* found many people who knew of iinmigrants who ; left Australia disgusted* after they had only' been There a. short lime, but we found more p-H-ple who told 4s the same thing about Canada. Why, the d»%1 -w^as leaving Van«Mrrer.T caBedjn aii. sUipiiing -igon--'y, 'and lieara- an indtEnant old man' with* htB Wife 6ay '. to' tbe.'iook- , ing clerk. 'Vonng bwib. I Tnmt to tnou--the quickest and 'the cheapest fray to gel out of Canada/ ? 'Tlie greatest' pleasure in travelling in the getting iiack home— especially if home , is Australia.'