SONG, STAGE, AND STORY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 5, 7 January 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

SONG, STAGE, AND STORY.

Pollard's Opera Company still continue to attract crowded houses to the Opera House. 'The Gay Parisienne' after a very" successful season of eight nights was withdrawn on Tuesday night, and the extravaganza 'Djin Djin,' which was so popular on the company's last visit at Easter, was revived for four nights. 'The French Maid' will be staged for the first time in Auckland on Monday evening. Mr Harry Rickards' Variety, which commenced its New Zealand tour at Dunedin, is now appearing to crowded houses in Christchurch. The season there will shortly be brought to a close, and after a visit to Wellington the combination will come on to Auckland. The company includes a number of first-class artists, including Signor Ugo Biondi. the imitator of well-known orchestra conductors. Mr J. C. Williamson has entered on his twentieth year of management in Australia.

A meeting of members of the theatrical profession was held in Melbourne recently in connection with the distressed actors' fund. Mr Williamson, who convened the meeting-, stated that 20 people, whose ages average over TO -years, are maintained by the fund, for which £2635 2/ has been raised during the last five years. The money has now run out. and am overdraft 'had to be created, it is suggested that three benefit performances a year in aid of the fund should be held", and the money raised by these would suffice to provide for all needy Australasian actors. The Brough Comedy Company, which brought to Australia a number of the latest London successes, has been doing very good business in Melbourne and Sydney. 'Madame Sans Gene,' Sardou's latest play, adapted to the English stage by Mr R. Comyns Carr, is at present enjoying a good run at Sydney. The Magg'ieMoore-Harry Roberts Company has completed its Australian tour. The company visits this colony en route to America and England. Miss Florence Young, who was here with the Gaiety Company a couple of years ago. has made a successful appearance in pantomime in London. Verdi has permanently taken up his residence at Milan in order to superintendent, the establishment of his Home for Aged Musicians. He is credited, on reliable authority, with the near completion of a new opera, 'King Lear,' which will shortly be submitted to a circle of his friends. Of the recent productions at West End London theatres 'The Manoeuvres of Jane' at the Haymarket; 'The Topsv Turvv Hotel' at' the Comedy; 'The' Broad Road' at Terry's: 'Youiig Mr Yarde' at the Royalty; and 'When a Man's in Love' at the Court are failures. The Court collapse has sadly chagrined 'Dot' Boucicaulf, who fully expected Anthony Hope's play to run six months. He is now rehearsing a comedy by 11. Y. Esmond called 'Cupboard Love.'

The big draw par excellence in London just now is 'The Musketeers,' eight'performances of which realised £.)2.(>0. Mrs Brown Potter is laid up .vith pleurisy, and to the intense di------g-ust of her. understudy, Grace Warner, Mrs Tree has grabbed the part of Miladi. Miss Warner played it.one night with conspicuous success, but the manager's wife wishing to try her hand thereat, she was without ceremony shelved. Mrs Tree wis an excellent Queen, but she makes a poor Miladi. Mr Tree has greatly improved his D'Artagyan, but with Lewis Waller (the ideal of- the character) in his com.p_.ny he should have contented himself with Richelieu, a role created fcr his particular genius The K<-ndal season at Ihe St. James' with "j he Elder Miss Blossom' has been such good business that these youthful veterans are thinking of taking another London house and.reviving 'The Money Spinner' or 'The Squire.' The success of 'Thp Great Ruby' is unequalled in the annals of 'the Lane.' The company are now playing it nine times a week.

Sir Henry Irving is still unwell. The doctors are said to be urging a long sea voyage and complete rest when he recovers, but the invalid mislikes the programme. Nevertheless unlikelier things have happened than the actor's finding his way out to Australia this year. Poor old Sims Reeves, who has fallen (solely, of course, through his own extravagance) on evil days in his old age, is writing a book upon the art of singing, which is nearly complete, and will be published shortly. The book differs in its scope from the ordinary vocal tutor, as it expounds the secrets of the old Italian method of voice production, and gives practical advice based on the long experience of the veteran tenor. The highest price ever paid for the copyright of a single song- is £2,240, which a well-known firm of music publishers bid for Mascheroni's 'For All Eeternity' six weeks ago. This was worth but a trifle till Patti took afancy to singing it at her concerts. Now 'it shares with 'Queen of the Earth' the honour of being the most popular of modern compositions. Messrs Puttick and Simpson, who have had a long experience in the sale of copyrights of songs supply some figures, which are exceedingly' inter. esting. In 1871 several huge amounts were paid for songs. Balfe's 'The Sailor Sighs as Sinks His Native Shore,' a duet, fetched £324; Blumethal's 'Requital' was bought for £130. The royalty on this song was as much as Sd'per copy. Arditi's 'II Bacio' fetched £715; Gounod's' Bethlehem,' £19S; Button's 'Good-bye. Sweetheart, Goodbye,' £462; Loder's 'Brave Old Oak,' £241; Knight's 'She Wore a Wreath of Roses,' £495; Macfarren's 'Beating of My Own' Heart,' £360; Santley's 'On to Love,' £269. In the same year Wallace's opjera. 'Maritana,' was sold for £2,232, while shortly afterwards £2,500 was paid for his opera 'Lurline.' Some well-known songs came under the hammer in 1883, many of them being Blockley's. His 'Arab's Farewell to His Steed' went for £640; 'The Englishman,' for £465; 'Hearts and Homes' for £319; 'Love Not,' for £305; 'Many Happy Returns of the Day,' for £364; and 'Ring Out, Wild Bells.' £239. In the same year Meli's 'Nil Desperandum' fetched £253; De Faye's 'Tell Her X Love Her So,' £465; Alice Mary Smith's Maying Duet, £663; 'Will o' the Wisp,' '.£209; Wal-

lace's 'Sweet and Low,' £214; Wal-

lace's 'Why Do I Weep for Thee?' f2S. and Arditi's. 'L'Ardita,' £360. £s much as .€I,OOO was paid for goote ■ Prince Imperial galop while Jalfe's opera. Rose of.Cast, le,' was bought for £958; and Weber's opera °bf° n> for, £f 2f: "was m 18?,° that Farmer's violin tutor was sold

for £1,752. Small.vood's 'Fairy Barque,' a simple piano piece, used principally in schools, fetched as much as £1.810. Leslie's song. 'Four .Jolly Smiths,' went for £300. In 189:! Verdi's opera, '11 Trovatore,' was sold for £503.

Here is a true story of Mr W. S. Gilbert at rehearsal. In •Trial by Jury' the plaintiff has to produce from her pocket a stocking, which is supposed to form part of her trousseau. The lady in question objected on the grounds of the impropriety of the thing, and appealed to Mr Gilbert. 'Very funny.' be replied; 'but whenever anyone shows a stocking on the stage it'is considered improper, unless it has a leg inside it!' An actor recently appeared before a French police magistrate on the charge of calling a highly respectable but Tumpv lady" a camel. 'May I not call madame a camel'?' asked the accused. 'Certainly not. sir,' said the magistrate. 'But may I call a camel madame?' 'Well. 1 suppose so.' The accused turned to the complainant, T salute, you—Madame!'

The suite that the vivacious exGaiety girl, Jennie McXulty, brought against "Mr Daniel Jay. money-lender, to recover £1,090. the value_ of her furniture and costumes, which she accused him of illegally selling whilst she was in America, terminated in a complete triumph for the fair plaintiff.