STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

Miss Nellie Stewart appeared in a new version of the fascinating Peg Wotfington's life-story in '"Pretty i Peggy," and though the play is not by any means (he best the company has had to interpret. Miss Stewart charmed her audience with her conception of the name part. She has been playing the part this week to houses that have been large, in spite of flic rain. Tonight she is to appear in a new comerlydrama. -Blind Man's BufT," by Clyde "Fitch, which is at present one of the brilliant successes of the London season.

Herr Hugo Heerniann and his L son passed through Auckland en route to Australia in the Sierr*. They are under engagement to Mr John H. Tait in Australia, and they tour Maoriland during August. Herrmann, says Mr Tait, in a letter to mc, is without question one of the world's greatest violinists, and though he may not. have the same name in this part of the world as has Kubelik. he is in Kurope and America regarded as the greatest living interpreter of Beethoven, Brahms and other masters. In Kurope his reputation is quite as great as Joachim's and Sarasate's. Undoubtedly Heerniann is the greatest violinist who has ever come to Australia.

A rendering of Mendelssohn's "Elijah" is being prepared for St. Patrick's Cathedral, with Mr Rupert Mantell as the principal attraction. He is billed as a pupil of an unrevealed ''greatest exponent of Mendelssohn." A large choir and orchestra are being diligently trained for the production.

At the Opera House Fuller's new Empire Company is doing good business. Miss Alice Layton shows a remarkable improvement in her voice production. Miss Lavinia -Tyson is quite au exceptional contralto, and has one of the pleasantest voices I have heard recently. Mr Harry Harrison is a most excellent ventriloquist, though his humour and diction are rather crude. The latest addition to the company is Miss Nellie Power, a singer of coon melodies.

Mr Fred Graham Is playing in Christchurch for two weeks with Fuller's Entertainers in the Opera House, Christchurch and afterwards comes North to take up the leading comedy role in the Birch-Hill Comic Opera. An arrangement has been come to with the Messrs FullcT and Sons for Mr Graham's services during the run of the opera. At its conclusion Mr Graham, together with Miss Nellie Dent, will again appear under the Fuller regime in the Opera House.

The Auckland Orchestral Society on Thursday n ; ght held the second of its concerts this season, several fine orchestral compositions being played. Miss Lynn Mills, a charming soprano from Sydney, sang, and had an excellent welcome. Mrs C. P. Roe and Mr T. Mandeno Jackson also contributed songs, and Mr G. Edward Poore played a flute solo. The society in ifcs brief existence has made under the baton of Mi- Alfred Hill wonderful progress. Shakespeare and the classics (especially in comedy) are beginning to see a revival in England and America. I hear with rejoicing that a. slump has begun in musical comedy in the States. Mr McK.ee Rankin told mc recently that a more costly and gorgeous revival of "Floradora" was attempted in New York (I tbink), and it proved "the flattest of flat/ failures." In a chat with mc a ,few days ago, Mr McKee Rankin told mc that the past two years held an unrivalled position in American theatrical history for badness. He attributes it largely to the surfeit of musical comedy, which the managers mistakeninly persist in believing the public wants. Per contra he called up the present successful revivals in classical comedies with big castes. Things are, he says, improving rapidly, and it looks as if "musical comedy" so-called is doomed as to popularity in the States. Miss Nance O'Neill passed through Auckland in the Sierra en route for Sydney, where she plays a season of 18 •weeks with Mr J. C. Williamson. I Jisci a chat with her stage m.ajl*,gfir,. Mr.

iMcKee Rankin (who, as usual, aeeomj ponies, her),, before the boat sailed, but ] the tragedienne was making up for the j loss of two nights sleep in the hurri|cane through which they came to Aucki laud. jVLr Rankin was profoundly sure J that her improvement would astonish ! the Australian public, and he claims i that she i? recognised- as one of the foremost tragediennes of her native J land. She has signed a contract for a : lengthy engagement with Mr Schof el ! (the survivor of the Abbey-Sehofcl jfirm), and her presence in these parts lis as a "loan" from that entrepreneur. She has to he back in San Francisco for a season on December 11. Manager Eankin told mc a sensational story of j how he broke up the ring against her, j and saved the reputation of the young I American. The interests of Mr Sehofel .'arc being wa toiler! by Mr Albert Shee- ; han on this tour —his first trip to these i parts. j Mr Harry PHmmer was to appear as 'Marcus in' "The Sign of the Cross" at I Sydney Royal, vice Julius Knighf-. Miss Maud Jeffries was to be the Mercia, Miss Florence Hamcr the Berenice. The Williamson Repertoire Company, which opens a two-nights' season at Tiraaru on June 14, is having its operas selected for it by representative local theatregoers, who have been circularised with, that object. A few dafys ago Wellington was supporting no less than three vaudeville companies! Andrew Mack, the great American interpreter of Irish character, is to play in AVellington and Auckland only in this colony. His visit occurs during September. Mr Geo. Musgrove returns to Auckland by the next boat from San Francisco. He and tho present company playing at His Majesty's go to Kotorua. Mr Musgrove expects to arrive here on the last night the coinnany plays here. Miss Nellie Power, who lias joined Mr John Fuller's Company at the Opera House, is an Auckland girl who had previously made her mark at amateur entertainments. She is a charming young singer, and. judging by the success which she instantaneously achieved with Mr. Fuller's Company, she has excellent prospects of eventually obtaining distinction among the best variety artists. Miss Power charmed the audiences during the week with a tuneful coon song, entitledj ''Honey, don't say wo must part," and her fresh sweet voice, clear enunciation, and' intelligent interpretation of tho song earned a double recall. A lively encore item, "The High School Girls," proved, moreover, that the artist's ability is l>y no means confined to ballad singling, i

The premiere of tho Hill-Birch comic; opera "A Moorish- Maid" is fixed for Monday. 20th instant, and thereafter the; {reduction will run for the remainder of Sat week. An showing the interest! taken in tho new work by the chorus (about 50 strong), the members have at-' tended rehearsals so consistently during tho past three months that there havej never been more than two or three ab-j sentc.es from any ow of them. The prin-| cipals also are. displaying a fine spirit inj connection with their preparation of tho : various roles. Very wisely the manage-i ment are providing rich costumes andj handsome new scenery for the presentation of the opera. The cast of principals; consists, with two exceptions, of profes-j sionals. or ox-profi?ssionals, and the intelligent work of the chorus promises to. make their efforts better than the aver-j ape amateurs. Mr. Fred H. Graham, who' creates the chief comedian role, is the! only non-Aucklamler connected with the show.'" "Consequently, should the opera l win the populartiy that is hoped foT it, 1 the credit will rolled upoju Aueldander* generally. From the amount of talk one. hears about "A Moorish Maid." the sea-; son is likely to be remarkably well patronised. Jt is of interest, in view of the forthcoming production of Alfred Hill's '"A Moorish Maid." that the author of the' "book" (vMr. J. Y. Birch) has already! an undoubted success to his credit in a! somewhat similar direction. He is also tho author of "The Second Mrs. 5.," a' musical comedy the music of which Mr. J. IT. Philpott has composed. This piece. after playing to two crowded houses at Otahuhu, was this week repeated at Onehunga by the Otahuhu Musical Comedy: Club. At a recent big Masonic function j in Auckland Mr. Horace Stebbing sang; one of the .solos from "The Second Mrs. 5.," and received themfor no less than' five recalls, finally having to repeat thei number. Mr. R. B. Young informs mc that a cablegram has been received from San ! Francisco announcing that. Mr. M. •R i Curtis is bringing to New Zealand Howard Thurston. a famous illusionist and magician, who is to leave San Francisco by the Sonoma, due here on the 26th inst., and opening in His Majesty's Theatre on July 8. The entertainment is something after the style of that given by Dante, the great illusionist, but on a more elaborate scale. At latest ''The Silver King" was still running at the Sydney Royal. Mr. J. C. Williamson may certainly complain of misfortune regarding his Sydney productions just now. !NTot only has the Knight-Jeffries season been materially affected, but Miss Kose Musgrove, who in the part of Peggy was one. of the successes of "The Cingalce,"' has also contracted enteric fever, and is now seriously ill. Her part has been taken by Miss Connie Milne, who has already established herself in the favour of playgoers. Mr. George Stephenson's Company is producing iv Sydney Criterion a "musical extravaganza" entitled "Bill Adams." It is about the immortal 'ero of Waterloo (which Mr Ed. Lauri plays), and a pronounced a .success. There was no hesitation in the minds of the crowded audience which welcomed ''The Second Mrs, Tanqueray" at the Melbourne Princess on Saturday. May 27. They accorded their enthusiastic approval of Miss Tittell Brune in the name part before she had finished her first scene., and thereafter each of the powerful situations was followed almost breathlessly until the last. Miss Brune had to respond to several calls at the end of each act., and her interpretation of the difficult part must be reckoned side by side with "L'Aiglon" as one of the best efforts she has ever made. Mr. Julius Knight is now progressing towards recovery "after his severe attack of typhoid fever, but it will be some weeks longer before he can resume his place in the company. The arrangements of that company have necessarily undergone considerable alteration in consequence of his illness. They will remain some three weeks longer in Sydney, but the Brisbane visit has had to be abandoned, and also the production of "Everyman" in Melbourne—at any rate, for the present. Mr. J. C. Williamson is sanguine, however, that Mr. Knight will be strong enough to undertake the trip to Adelaide and Wcstralia, which has been arranged.