STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 199, 20 August 1904, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

The Williamson Comedy Company, which completed its Auckland season on Saturday night last, has since been appearing nt the smaller towns en route to Wellington. Where only one night has been played, "The Marriage of Kitty" has been the piece presented, and where the company has remained over for a second performance "The Governor" has been staged. The season in the Empire City opens on August 27.

Miss Dorothy Marsdin, who made a marked success as Puck in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," under Mr. George Musgrove's management, in New Zealand, has been engaged by Mr. Hardie and Miss Yon Leer for Wally in "Two Little Vagabonds," on tour in the English provinces. Miss Hilda Spong has been engaged by Mr. Charles Frohman for the American season of "Joseph Entangled" and "Mice and Men." It is interesting to read at the present time that Paderewski had at one time in his career serious thoughts of learning the trombone. The turn of the Uessems, who open with Fuller's on Monday at a large salary (stated at £100 a week), was spoken of by the "Sunday Sun," when they first appeared with Rickards at the Tivoli, as "the best of its kind ever seen on the boards in Sydney." The distinction of giving the last notable concert of the London summer season was gained by Mile. Antonia Dolores, whose success earlier in the season was an inducement to her to appear again before the town was deserted in favour of the country by the fashionable set Mr. James Loeb, a New York millionaire, has just given £ 100,000 for the foundation of a conservatorium of music in that city, and ten of his friends have added another £100,000 among them. Nance O'Neil has just "caught on" in Boston, where the critics are said to be raving about her "Magda" and other tragic studies. Receipts in six weeks were £8000. Madame Melba and Signor Caruso have been drawing enormous audiences to Covent Garden in "La Traviata." When the work was produced in London nearly 50 years ago the "Times" wrote of "the foul and hideous horrors" of this very mild version of Dumas', and the Lord Chamberlain's veto was actually invoked. Miss Amy Castles, who is reported to have developed considerably physically, is expected to make her grand opera debut on the Continent at the end of the year. London is endorsing the verdict of Continental critics that Signor Caruso is the finest tenor on the operatic stage to-day. He is 31 years of age, and a Neapolitan by birth. The American Travesty Stars, now appearing in Sydney, are nothing if not original. Their opening "event" was billed as "Fiddle-de-dee," a potpourri of dramatic fol-de-rol in three exhibits, with musical interruptions and magnificent scenic investiture." One of the theatrical attractions for next year arranged by Mr. Williamson will be the appearance of Mr. Andrew C. Mack, an Irish comedian, who has made a fine reputation for himself in America. A company specially selected to play Irish comedy will accompany him. It is rumoured that Mr. Tom Pollard has serious thoughts of forming, in conjunction with Mr. George Darrell, a comedy company, which may visit these shores. Mr. Harry Quealy is at present appearing in the parts left vacant by W. S. Percy when he left Pollards. The May Beatty-Edward Lauri Company will be round this colony at the end of the year with "The Rose of the Riviera." The travelling strength of the company is stated to be sixty. "Sweet Kitty Bellairs," which is founded on Egerton Castle's book, "A Bath Company," is now spoken of as Miss Nellie Stewart's opening piece at Melbourne Princess' on October 8. The period is about 1815. Mr. George Stephenson, who practically entered upon his career as a theatrical entrepreneur here with the Stine-Evans Company, has apparently been unusually successful. The engagement of the original company was extended from six to twelve months, and the second venture, with the Edward Lauri-May Beatty Company, has turned up trumps. Mr. Stephenson is said to now be in negotiation for leases of theatres in Sydney and Melbourne, so as to establish a circuit, and have permanent headquarters. Mr. Fred. Duval, too, who is Mr. Stephenson's business manager, is off on a second trip to America at the end of the year to pick up novelties. Wirths' circus have with them at present a sort of amusing "Spring-hee,l Jack." He is billed as champion jumper of the world. His jumps are not only over great heights, but it seems to be his custom to land on an ordinary brick up-ended. So ccreat seems to be his penchant for dragging bricks into his feats that it would be in appropriate thing to call him the rhampion brick-jumper. When playing it Newcastle-on-Tyne he watered that he could jump in and out of the back yards of a terrace of houses in twenty swing jumps. The fences separating the yards were five feet high, and the width of each yard fifteen feet. He successfully accomplished probably the most remarkable jumping feat ever performed. No doubt the fences were made of bride —they anally are in England. One of the most valuable contributions made to the Nellie Farren fund in 1898 was that made by the Messrs. Rothschild, who generously offered to undertake the investment, in high-class securities, of the money raised by subscriptions and the benefit, and to guarantee to Miss Farren, in her lifetime, exactly the same amount she would receive were the capital sum sunk in an annuity. Thus the whole of the money remained intact at the death of Miss Farren, who, on her part, undertook to leave £1000 for the endowment of a cot for the children of actors and actresses, and another f 1000 tn he divided between the Royal Genera.' Theatrical Fund and the Actors' Benevolent Fund. How admirably all this was carried out (says the London "Era") was recently shown when it was made known that the advice given by Mr. Albert de Rothschild in 1898 had resulted in doubling the sum received from the Nellie Farren benefit—that is to say, the 16000 had become £12.000, and no less a sum than £10,000 will be divided between the two sons of the late Miss Farren. The petty jealousies of public artistes are amusing: Because she was not put at the "top of the bill," according to the draft programme submitted to her, Mme. Kirkby Lunn, the well - known vocalist, will not sing at the Leeds Musical Festival next October. To Miss Muriel Foster had been assigned the leading place, but the Festival Committee endeavoured to soothe the ruffled singer by placing her first on half the programme and Miss Foster first on the other. Then Miss Foster offered to forego the honour of being first in any case, but Mme. Lunn refused to accept as a charity that which she claimed as a right, and she has therefore surrendered l»«r «iwvement -itatretbar.