THE GHOST WALK.

"The Orchid" has given place to a revival of "Florodora" in Melbourne.

"The White Cat" is the subject of this year's Drury Lane pantomime. Miss Marie Corelli has promised to write a play for an American manager. Miss Maud Beatty has returned to Sydney after her recent illness in Hobaxt.

Sanford's A'oericaa Players, after the present season in Tasmania, will tour Queensland.

Bland Holt is producing his Australianfiavoured drama "A Desperate Game" at Sydney Eoyal.

The American Travesty Stars, together with Mjss Maud Atnber, have returned to America fiom Sydney.

Miss Nullie Kilburn, recently through New Zealand with Fuller's Entertainers, is now at Sydney Tivoli.

Mr Edward Terry was banqueted before leaving for his American tour, with the Duke of Abercorn in the chair.

A New York paper states that there will be 22 policemen on duty this year at the Metropolitan Opera House. Refreshments are now provided in the dress circle foyer of the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney, between the acts.

A wax presentment of Mr Dan Leno ha? been paced in Madame Tussaud'a world"kxiawn exhibition of wax figiires. Mr Kyrle Bellew will appear in London next September with "Raffles." The piece was one of few successes in New York last season.

Mr J. M. Barries children's play, which was; produced at Christmas time, reintroduced Miss Dorothea Baird aftev her long illness. Owing to the lease of Launceston Academy having expired, • Bain's Gaiety Entertainers have terminated their season in that city. Madame Modejska denies that she is going into vaudeville, although she was offered a large sum weekly to give a scene from "Macbeth."

Mies Hammon, of George Stephenson's Compamy. sprained her ankle while in Auckland, and was out of the bill for a few nights.

The musical comedy season of George Stenhenson's Company in Auckland has concluded. The company is now working south to 'WellingtoiT. "TheXEarl and the Girl" was withdrawn from the Lyric in December after a run of over a year, due mostly to Mr Walter Passmore's clever work.

Miss Nellie Stewart, who, I am released to state, will be seen in New Zealand again before very long, is appearing in "Pretty Peegy" in Sydney.

The next star to appear under Mr J. C. Williamson's management will be Mr Andrew Mack, a young Irish comedian, who will probably arrive about Easter.

It is probable that Miss Cynthia Brooke ■will be leading lady in the company which Mr Herbert Flemming and Mr R. Brough intend to bring out next Easter.

Mr Branscombe's Westminster Abbey Glee and Concert Party opened their season at Calcutta on Saturday, December 24. The patty finished at Bombay a week earlier.

It is stated that the actor, Mr Harry Pliminer, of the Knight-Jeffries Company, -comes into a nice little New Year's gift under the will of his grandfather, the late Mr John Plimmer. , A very successful rehearsal of the comic opera "Mikado" by the Christchurch Amateur Operatic Society took place the other evening. The opera will be produced on February 7.

( When Sir Arthur Sullivan wanted to direct Sir Alexander Mackenzie to a house of whioh ho had forgotten the nvimber. he said the doqr-scraper was E flat. Sir Alexander kicked the .scrapers till he heard the note. The enthralling news is cabled from Chicago that at a recent concert there Josef Hofmann had to flee from a concert hall in order toescape a crowd of excited females of all ages, who stormed the platform, intent upon kissing him.

Mr "K. "W. Pinero is engaged in writing a serious play for Mr George Alexander at St. James's Theatre. His last serious piny, "Letty," may possibly be produced by Mr "Williamson's dramatic company, headed by Miss Tittell Brune. The rival theatrical magazines, the Play and the Play Pictorial, have now joined forces. The proprietors of the Play have bought the Play Pictorial, and the two are to be amalgamated under the joint title of the Play Pictorial and the Play. A thircl proposal for providing the town o| Oamaru with an up-to-ctato theatre lias come to light In an application by Messrs Irfge and Grave, solicitors 1 , 011 behalf of a client, m fespect to % lease- of A piece of iaim for the purpose. The many admirers of Miss Maggie Moore will be glaa to hear that a. auficiil comedy part was, written tor her i» the pantomime flit the. Shakespeare theatre, Liverpool, to

display her ability in interpreting the Irisli and Chinese characters.

Hyland's Circus give a performance at Rakaia to-night (Wednesday) ; Methven, Thursday, January 19; Stapleton, Friday, January 20, -Mount Somers, Saturday, January 21 ; Geraldine, Tuesday, January 24 ; Winchester. Wednesday, January 25.

The late Dan "Leno put in 16 years of pantomimic work, starting with a joint salary for himself and his "serio" wife. Miss Lydia Reynolds, of 10s per week. His wife, vho survives him, soon retired, and Dan's In test salary at Drury Lane was £250 per ■week.

The Pollards opened the new Her Majesty' 3 at Perth, West Australia, with Arthur Adams's pantomime of "The Forty Thieves" (the first seen in that State), a-nd the poppy and corn ballet, the amazon march, and the transformation scene have come as an eye-opener to the sandgropers. The late Mr Creswick, a well-known old tragedian, once told a friend in Sydney (says Newsletter) that when. in Queensland a large cockroach used always come on to the stage, advance to a certain spot, and remain thera as long as he was on the stage. "That cockroach came regularly to hear me," said Mr Creswick, "and I made him my audience— l acted to that cockroach."

Maxine Elliott declares beauty is not necessary to a woman's success on the stage, which calls forth this from an American chorus girl: "If beauty doesn't count in the show business, how about the bald-headed row? I don't mean o-nly in opera, and I don't mean only bald heads. But there never was a picliue show or any performance that advertised pretty girls that you didn't see the front rows bought up on the jump." Sir Henry Irving was recently entertained at Aberdeen. Speaking at the banquet, he referred to the valuable stock company which once existed at Aberdeen, and greatly deplored the abolition of these once widely-spread institutions. He said that a stock compamy in a town of which the members were part and parcel of the ordinary every-day population was a nursery of the* drama.

Among the numerous patrons at Dunedin, during the holidays, of the variety show headed by Madame Abomah, the African giantess, was Mr "Tiny" Leckie, a Wyndham gentleman, whose height is 6tt 6£in in his stockings. The dusky Amazon cordially greeted this descendant of Anak, and informed him that be was the tallest gentlezaan she had 'net in Australasia.

Master Victor Harris, of Waipawa, who vent to England some time ago to pursue his study of the violin, an instrument with which he showed considerable proficiency, returned by the lonic. The boy gained a three years' scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music, but has returned for the purpose of completing Jiis ordinaryschooling, after which he will return to England.

"Pinafore" has been revived in Sydney vith the recently-imported prima donna Miss Alexia Bassian as Josephine. The present ca?t is as follows:— Sir Joseph Porter, Mr H. Vernon ; Captain Corcoran, Mr F. "Wilson ; "Ralph Rackstraw, Mr C. Kenningham; Dick Dead-eye, Mr E. Fitts ; the bos'n, Mr J. Ralston; the bos'n's mate, Mr C. Danby; Josephine. Miss Alv-xia Bassian; Little Buttercup, Miss Aggie Thorn; the Midshipmite, Miss Irma Car on.

A local theatrical company at Nagasaki, Japan, recently produced a play on the Russian-Japanese war, the only drawback being a want of "Russians." This was overcome (saj-s Melbourne Dramatic News) hy the engagement of a number of "beachcombers" at a salary of £1 2s per month and all found — the only stipulation being that they should have loud, deep voices, look ferocious, and at the same time not object to be knocked about and haye things thrown at them by the audience.

The following story concerning the loudnesp of Mr Harry Randall's voice was going about London at the time the popular comedian was at the Tivoli with his two favourite songs. "Pass no rude remarks," and "It ain't all lavender." A man riding on a 'bus through Trafalgar square .suddenly turned to his companion and excla hned, "Hark, there's Harry Randall singing his number-one song at the Tiv! Let's jump off and see if we can get up there in time for 'It ain't all lavender!' "

The peroxide blonde will soon be. a thing of the past. Even the later Titian beauty who followed Z^za's reign is no longer popular. The brunette's day has come. And the reason for the rise of this long-neglected type is the Oriental musical comedy of the day. Japanese plays and musical comedies: have appeared every season since the geisha, and their effect on the erstwhile gilt pompadours of the chorus has extended over the footlights and set the fashion for raven, treases.

Miss Florence Young will conclude her engagement with Mr J. C. Williamson at the end of the season of th& Royal Comic Opera, Company at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, next month. Miss Young will make her final appearance in "Paul Jones." She then goes to America. Mr Williamson says he has not yet decided who is to take Misa Young's place with the company. It is certain, however, that Miss Dolly Castles will join the company now that the run of "Patience" has ended.

At a small vaudeville house near New York the following notice is handed to every performer on Mcnday mornings: — "Remember we are catering to refined lady audiences, so be on your guard every minute and do not use any slang or vulgar phrases, or, in fact, no suggestive sayings, not even mild ones. Let your general condiict be extremely polite, for we have a critical audience to cater to Our 'bread and butter' is yours." A similar notice (says Melbourne Dramatic. News) would be appreciated by patrons of some of the theatres in Australia and New Zealand.

A verse on the "dead-head" in an American journal : — "With pose and mien affected, He sat in X 13, And haggled and dissected The drama scene by scene. • He "guyed" each situation, He magnified the flaws. -''; He mocked the presentation, He stinted his applause. He criticised the players With unbecoming glee ; He was a, prince of players — And he'd 1 been admitted free.

"We have not finished with Paderew^V "S| (writes "Cristina"). A steamer which fefc Sydney a few days ago tcok a huge consignment of photographs of the world-renowned pianist, which was only part of the order which remains to be executed for him. They measure 20in by 15in (which ia leviathan for a. photograph), and they are intended for circulation on the American tour. The maestro left word that 10,000 of these were to be sent alter him, but said nothing about engaging "a tramp" or cargo boat to carry them ! This is "the tallest order" in. photography ever known in Sydney.