GOSSIP FROM STAGE AND STUDIO.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 5477, 7 February 1885, Page 4

GOSSIP FROM STAGE AND STUDIO.

(BY EUTKIU'K.)

Mi-;s I,nri;K I'omkiuiv i* in Now Vnrl:, ap> peiuiiig in " Tho Outranl, " Mamie lirausoomufi writaH to the London " Era " dimyiiiK ' hut <-he in married. Queen Victoria linn '.■ranted a pom-ion ol CSO to tlio widow of Riilfa, tho composer. Fred. Millis and 15-irry O'Neill are at llokitikn.

'flio Intent Anioi-iflun temperance song is entitled " I'lcasc sell no moro drink to my father." , . Mr Wybort Reeve lias boon playing in Sandhurst lately, ami lecturing for the Unitarian Social l/nion. A daughter of Mario and (iriai is in prison for debt in Berlin. She has squandered a fortune of ovor Cl 0,000 in five years. _ Tho Dunning Opera Company opened in Svdnoy in " Boocaooio " on Saturday weok. The " Mail" considered it aruky enterprise. Mru I'arnoll, mother of the Irian agitator, is, it i.s said, engaged in writing an °PM?" Justin McCarthy, M.1., has now avowed tho authorship of "The Candidate, which is liia fir*t piece of dramatic work. Tho lucky uuthor of "Contusion and " Twins" lifia written a new comedy called " The Plebeian, " which is to follow " Satnti and Sinners" at the Vaudeville Theatre. Mr Irving closed his New York season—a wonderfully prosperous one-in the middle of December, playing for his last round of pioces ".Hamlet," "Charles I," and "iho I Sell*." , . .. ~ The oiii'aj'omcnt is announced ot Mi'U E. Buckle, tho editor of the "Times," to MisH Alice I'ayn, tlio third .laughter of tho distinguixhed r.ovolist and editor of the " Cornhill Magazine." Harry ltiokards, tho comiquo, and a complete conceit company, are to leavo England on April 15th for Australia, They will appear under the management of Mex.sr.-i Kignold axd Allison. At the Sydney Academy of Music, the Federal Minstrel*, with tho black pantomime, rival any of the theatres in their hold upon the public. " Blue Beard in Black " is the great "draw." Miss do Grey's company successfully began their season in Dunodin la=t week with " Tho Country Girl," the acting copy which has been in u?e for so long of Wycherley'* well-known "Country Wife. ' "Cinderella" is still drawing crammed houses every evening in Melbourne ; indeed, such business has never been known in the Theatre Royal before The piece is expected to run into April. M. Loo Deliben, composer of "Sylvia" and other delightful ballad music, hay been elected to tho chair 111 the French Academy made vacant by tho death of Victor Masse, composer of " hull find Viginia " and other operas. tin route to Melbourne by tho incoming San Francisco mail is Jliss Gertie Hoy, •■: young lady who has written a number of burlesques and played in them in America, and who proposes producing them in Melbourne or Sydney. It has boon decided, after all, not to allow such a celebrity as tho Tichborne Claimant to run to seed, and ho has been engaged to appear each evening for one week at an Edinburgh uiueic hull, the fcalavy for the six nights being £200, Mr Robert; Buchanan seem* to have failed to "hit it" in New York. His new play " Constance " falls flat, and it) pronounced, moreover, a plagiarism, and it is predicted that it he produces another piece in America he will huvu to "swim back" to his iutivo land.

A companion volume to "Men of the Time," devoted to women of mark, and comprising ■JOO names well known in art, literature, science, music, and the drama, has been compiled by FranceK Hayes, and ivill shortly bo published by Messrs Cluitto and WindUH.

The accident which bofol Mr Goorge ])arrell whilst playing in llis "Sunny riouth " at the Grand Theatre turns out far more serious than was anticipated. Ho lius already undergone two operations to eavo amputation, and by last advices had not been pronounced out of danger. A frenzied Now York pareon thus aelivors himself concerning the stjge:—"l don't know what goes on inside the theatre, but from the show-bills I see in the saloon windows and the criticisms I sco in daily papers, 1 judgo poople see nothing thoro but seduction, adultery, murder, false marriage, robbery, and blasphemy." The I'aris " Voltaire " tells a young man: "If your huncilc .shows a marked predilection for Strauss, you may set her down as Irivolous ; for Boethoven, as cross; Liszt, as ambitious ; Verdi, sentimental ; Mozart, prudent; Offenbach, giddy; Wsgnor,crankUh. If you would bo sate, select a woman who doesn't play the piano." Mr J. C. Williamson has purchased the right of "The Private Secretary" for Australia. This extraordinarily popular pieceis just now being played by no fewer than ton companies in the States in one form or another. It is being done in German at the Thalia Theatre, New York. Mr Williamson is also said to be angling for Mary Anderson, but is little likely to get a bite.

An enterprising showman has hit upon a unique scheme for the, ill-fated Imperial Theatre, London. He haß a troupe of parrots trained as opera singers (how trained ia not stated), and ho proposes to do "Norma." Tho sumo experiment is reported to have beon successfully triod by another showman in Lima, when tho divns were aocompaniod by a harmonium. Bon Allah, the irrepressible, performed ono night in Bombay, and secured a good house "on his gift bill," but a number of tho audienco wishing to interview him, ho quietly got out by the back way, and took steamer tor Colombo. His natural bashfulness placed tho doairod interview out of tho question. He seems to be pretty considerably broken up, having had a severe attack of fovor latoly in Achoon.

Mr <i. Schirmor, tho well-known music publishor of this city, always desirous of finding something new and intorosting for his patrons, will shortly publish a acena and cavatin.i by Donizjtti, which hitherto has remained in MS. form. It was composed in 1829 at Naples, and was sont to Mr Schirmer by Signor Giulio C»t trail. It is for soprano voice, beautifully written, and we recommend it to all professionals and amatriecs.

Drury Lano was to bo tho only West End Theatre with a pantomime, but on tho Surroy eide of tho Thames and at the North and East Ends of London there wore to be upwards of a dozon. Tho Savoy management promiso an afternoon attraction in the ehapo of a children's " Pirates of Penzanco." Tho porformere are Imiki fide infants, the Mabel's nge being sovon and the Major-General's nine.

It seems definitely settled that the Princoss Theatre, Melbourne, is to como down at lust. A short season of opera will most likely bo played about Eastor time, and the foundation stone of the now building will bo laid in May. The proposed theatre, which will bo the finest in the Australian colonies, is tc bo built on the most approved principles, and replete with all the latest American inventions for tho convenionce of patrons, including a largo saloon bar.

It is bolieved that tho extra plate, " Quito Ready," presented with tho Christmas number of the " Graphic, " is tho largest coloured picture over produced in conjunction with newspaper enterprise. Tho edition publishing is 5G0,000, tho actual printing for which commenced in January last, and, has been in duUy continuance. The number of sliects and colours, for which each shudo requires to be passed separately through the press, represent nineteen million impressions. By the next mail steamer duo at Auckland is oxpected to arrive Mr J. Gaylor, who it will be remembered acted, as buainess manager for Cooper and Baily's great Circus Company. It is reported that Mr Gaylor comes in advance of one of the largest circuses and menagericE ever soen in the Australasian colonies. The Company are to leave America at the end of February, but it is not at present known whether New Zealand or Australia will be first visited.

| . David Christie Murray commences a now ! serial entitled "Rainbow Gold" in the January "Cornhill;" Mrs Oliphant supplies tho serial to "Chambers's Journal;" and W. Black is writing a story called "White Heather " for " Longman's." Amongst the recent cheap editions of notable novels issued may be mentioned Walter Besant's "Dcrothy Foster," Buchanan's "New Abelard," Mrs Price's " Mrs Lancaster's Rival," Sarah Tytlor's " St. Mungcs's City," and Mrs Riddel's "Weird Stories," all at Ss Gd, and all worth reading. Mr George Rignold lias received a letter from Mr George Augustus Sala, in which ho says :—" lam working hard at my lectures, and on Nov. 19th am going to Brussels fora month's rest from newspaper work, and shall spout tho lectures on tho field of Waterloo. 1 return in time for Christmas. Next mail I will tell you by what route I have concluded to come. Possibly it may be by way of States and 'Frisco. With compliments to Mr Allison, and our united best wishes to yourself and Mrs Rignold,

believe mo to bo faithfully vaT^NI A no. Sai,a. , Horns™* titf^^rkM and Mr Vornon. |J &£V§& gnocess." wftdif | Lord Tennyson's now bofe^ ■ was expected to be out bY u'%. exact y Pet the Tlmm M &»W Crawford's latest work uS'M I'olifu-ian," fnll n iar riiottof-u4® I and has fo far boon severelyl,. 7«2 critic,,. "Mr Montonello "h^vl Hamilton, of the OolonU'oHlH good novel, and FarffiJ^lJ Square" seems to ploaaa tt, Mr, Cashel Hoey1/?£*•■ *5| thought very namby.pa^ 1 S|i i Cecil Power's "Philistm™^*,! Vory ffnv theatrical noveltl I duced in London during thnXL** J Uecomber, tho majority of 5*M usual, preferring to reserve n^ftll they had in hand till Boxing »« " World " was withdrawn f r iS*ll on tlio 30th of NovemZr l^li mail left, and tho vast stage 'Ci^l up to pantomime rehearsals KnMJ story of " Whittington " w«, r"S| groundwork of Mr Augustus nJ"1! annual, and that enternrisinT?1! promised, with characteristicilSSi outshine in splendour and any Jeerie spectacle ovor prodnlS^l Paris There was to beVnSSi city companies, and al 3o a gJjFNiI as well as a scene in which a M Z.^M would literally be eaten np Cg*Js craw along tho wall inomßtliflS* The ttanstormation scenewiubr^ the four olonients merging into.^ figure of Brittania ruling theY& surrounded by mermaids with m^S?' moving tails. ?T?*N In a letter to the Wollingto^ Mr W. H. Vernon thus S# circumstances which led to Mrt' Anstead leaving tho wfSfl Company :-" Attention to dS? correspondent's opinion to tha^l notwithstanding) is one of th'enW'V tinguishing eharactrjrigticg of B1 company, and want of that iita pM is the immediate cause of thetrouble. In order to correct ceryJ3 carelessness upon the stag*, »jfflg a ly injured sundry passages in theS of 'lorget-Me-Not,' a rehearsal w3 one day last weok. All the moaSs company duly attended with the S of the lady for whom it w»s oSI needed. This lady positively, mSf attend, thoreby wilfully brtaffi"! rulo of all thoatrical companieiij*! intimated to her that she KooU^ allowed to appear again if shenerS hor refusal. She did persist aSS* followed. The discipline of a thSSS bo as rigid as that of aniipT?? Ward's company it is rigid, and O offender against it hu9 b«en ths'iaM in question " ,^*S