Gibraltar, Mar. 15.
The death has occurred here of Mr. Maurice Bandman, who is lessee of a local theatre and is well known in the Far East.—Reuter.
Thirty years in the theatrical world of the Far East sees maze changes even than in the "profession" at Home. Stars have appeared amongst us, twinkled a little and then flickered cut. Producers have come and gone in the same way, but it has only been after 30 years' service in the cause of the drama out here that in any respects the greatest of then all east of Suez has passed away.
For Mr. Bandmann, whose death will be regretted by many friends locally, was an actor manager, who with the late Henry Dallas, in the nineties, worked unceasingly towards the establishment of a regular Far Eastern circuit.
Making his headquarters at Cal-gutta, where he eventually bought the Empire Theatre, this joint management were the pioneers of professional theatrical enterprise in the Straits Settlements and China. For long the coming of his companies was a regular event. It is only during the past 18 months that he has dropped out of the meagre theatrical life of Shanghai.
Carty Propuctions.
Mr. Bandmann, who had already appeared with distinction as an actor {at Home, first visited the port in the late eighties with the Wallace-Bandmann Ca. They gave "Never too Late to Mend" and Harbour Lights." There followed later a season of Gilbert and Sullivan which, like everything else in those halcyon pre-war days appears to have had gratifying financial results. The seldom heard, but extremely beautiful "Ruddigore" was included in the bill. In those far distant days, too, drama-lovers evidently preferred fe
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.