STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 95, 21 April 1906, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

"The Ijarl, and .the _Qirl"_ made a big liii; o.n: Saturday night.. Mr,. Jiheridan ■was ideally cast as -. Jim; Cheeses-Miss Hebe Barlqvy showed- her; originality agwell as pqwer>i3f: artistic- realization- as Shodhanij and. the rest_ were mostly on a good leyeL- - -Musically; the company -is; moderately, biit-not very 'strikingly- good. A series: -of revivals is fol-lowing,-including-many old-ravourites.

I notice in the 'Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic Review" a full page of pictures of Mds3 Dorothy Marsdin, who played "Puck" in Auckland two- years ago last October. She is described as "actress, artist, musician,. linguist, and horsewoman." At latest Miss Marsdin had been playing the name-part in- "Oliver Twist."

A new tenor, Mr. Gerard' Kean, will shortly make his appearance in Sydney. Mr. George Grimm discovered' him , when adjudicating at the "Ballarat competitions of last year, and has since taken in hand the cultivation of this singer. A representative of "The Daily Telegraph," who heard Mr. King sing; says: His voice is of a remarkable range. Dani could sing a mellifluous high C; Mr. Kean rejoices in -equally melodious notes that extend to the E flat above Dani'a range.

Mr. J. L. Toole, the veteran comedian, celebrated his seventy-sixth birthday at Brighton On Monday, and received many , congratulations. ' He is "very feeble.

The Broiigli-Memming Company, in bringing their Sydney season at the Criterion Theatre to a close, revived among other plays, "The Village Priest/ a very strong card in the old company's repertoire in the days of Gerge Titherage. Mr. Herbert Mernming was ou this occasion l/Abbe Dubois, and Mrs. Brough played her original part as La Comtesse de Tremeillau.

Paderwiski's second opera, -which had been started when he was touring the colonies, has been, completed in retirement at Morgis. his beautiful place on Lake Geneva. The. opera deals with an incident in Polish history, and will most likely be sent either to Parig or Vienna. The celebrated pianist has . entirely recovered from his recent illness, which necessitated the abandonment o£ part of his American tour, shortly after leaving New Zealand, and hopes soon to. re-' appear at a series of concerts in Italy. Madame Albani left England on February !) for Canada, where she commences hen farewell tour of the- world, in the course of which site will again visit Australia and New Zealand.

A new musical comedy, "The Belle of Mayfair," with Miss Edna May in the title role, was underlined for production at the London Vaudeville Theatre this month.

Mr. Paul Ivestei-'s adaptation of Charles Major's immensely popular novel, " Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall," which was staged for the first time in Australia at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne. la*t Saturday evening, , is full of good things. The plot turns on the love, between, the hottempered and hot-headed daughter of the house of Vernon and John Manners, tiie son ot the Duke of Rutland. The two families had long , bpe7j at deadly enmity, and the acquaintance between the two lovers began through" a. jest of Manners, who, more to anger tSir George Vernon. than anything else, claimed tie daughter's hand in fulfilment of a twenty years' old pledge between the fathers that their children should wed. But what began in jest goes on fn earnest, and the two young things find their course of true love beset with difficulties, in the creation and subsequent demolition of which, the treachery of her cousin the " officially" recognised suitor, the quarrel between Elizabeth and Mary Queen of .Scots, and the heroine's own fits of delightfully vigorous temper, are all concerned. Miss Tlttell Biime of course plays Dorothy Vernon, and Mr. Thomas Kingston John Manners. The piece had an excellent reception when it was first staged in London, and a few weeks ago its revival in the United States met with a most gratifying amount of public appreciation.

The initial performance of Mossager"s dainty opera. " Veronique," by the Gilbert and Sullivan Company at New-, castle just prior to their corning , to New. Zealand, was both appreciated by tho public and praised by the critics, who found many points in which the production could be favoura.bly compared -with the Royal Comic Opera Company's representation of the opera.

The Royal Comic Opera Compa.ny entered upon a week's revival of that bright musical comedy " The Cingalee" at Her Majesty's Theatre last Saturday evening. ;

Madame Jansdn of the deep voice, a colonial -favourite in Musgrove's Grand Opera, Company* arrived in Melbourne recently to take up her permanent residence as a teacher of- music.

MUe. Antonia Dolorp-j will-be a very welcome visitor on hey return to the. colonies. Her reception in England, which she had not visited, for a great many years, seems to nave "been very enthusiastic. One critic writes: "No ' Home, Sweet Home' but Patti's can be compared vitb that of Dolores." ■ And, might I add at the other extreme, no laughing song ever had half so genuine a ring as hers.

. Bland Holt in " The Siege of Port Arthur," which he put on at. the Sydney Royal last Saturday night, runs as usual considerable to scenic effect. The chief s'-ene shows the sinking of a Russian batthleship by a Japanese destroyer.

There was an unrehearsed incident in the performance of "Paul Jones" at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney; last week. The Tadiimi ballet, which is a new attraction, is danced "without so much as a glimmer of light in the house, the subdued play of coloured light being entirely devoted to the performers, in approaching the exit one of the dancers (Miss Jessie Brown) in the darkness cc Hided with the proscenium. Losingher balance she was making an unpremeditated descent' into the orchestra which the front of the stage vox temporarily decked. The box happened to bo occupied by Miss Clara. Clifton, a robust member of the Royal Gomfcs, and before the aerial dire could be continued she had Miss Brown by the skirts and lifted her bodily into the box. Promptness of action as" on the st igo is evidently available in' emergenci'M' off . tlie liosnJk." Miss Lrowh was Jittfe' ihs W&rfce "for her accident, but T believe that the extra act, though attractive, has not been embodied in the dance; Madame Calve, the great " operatic? artist, was recently reported to be dissatisfied with the terms of her engagement at the Metropolitan Grand Opera at New York, and was considering an offer to sing in city music halls at a. salary of £4000 weekly; two songs at the matinee and two' mi the evening being the total of the proposed day ? s work.In noticing the marriage of Miss Maud Beatty to the- chief of police at Manila, tlier cays: 'Wow, -who says' * jioliceman'B ltfe fe not a aappjr pufiT

—iJ-iiayAi Tgeeived .iron* ..Mr MieWl Joseph; -'two-. -yery_ attractive pasters of the. pantomime; of "Sinbadthef Sailor," which was iirst produced in' New Zealand at • ■Dunettin. last Saturday ■ night, Misa Marie-(pamgbeii,;as the-redoubtable Sin-i ; bad,-is- the- tpp-linerv-ani-she has- as support- - many - comedian* -favourably known "on-both side* oj the Tasinan Sea. Among-others, uVleasra. Fred M, Graham,; Tod Calloway, Queale-y,. Lennon, Hyma-n and" Leimon. The pantp/is ia thiee acta- and twelve., gorgeous .scenes, and., as a conclusion there is the - old harlequinade. . ..-■.,

Although such Press notices as I read were not over favourable to "The Fatal Wedding," as produced for the first time. •in Melbourne recently, .the public, havetaken a different view. One writer says: If 3lessrs. Meynell and Gunn cannot be . camplimented upon the inherent exeel-' lence of the play itself—"The ITital Wedding"—they can at least be eoittmended for their selection.of the.artists; for they and others have* undoubtedly made a success out of comparatively little material, and by conscientious and artistic work won laurela which., the author did little to help them to. It is no mere journalistic platitude, to -say that the house has been crowded" for every performance; it is a hard-bake fact; and, what is more, the audiences have not included but one class. "Allsorts and conditions" of play-goera hav.e flocked to the theatre. . • ~..:..

Mrs Brown Potter has been discharged from the Bankruptcy Court. Debts were :prgute.d>afc the ..assets realised' £.1513. .' '. '. ."''l.

A characteristic story of the ; whimsi-cal..generosity.-.of the late Sir Henry Irving was told by Mr G. Alexander at the New Vagabond Club. Mr Alexander being invited by the "chief" to renew his engagement with him at a time "when he was receiving £40 a week says that the Scottish instinct, w.as strong in him, and hq asked that the. pounds should be made guineas. Sir Henry: "My boy, what have, you done that, you should get this enormous salary?. Are you aware that. I waa leading man, in this., theatre for. £15 a ..week?.. Arejpou aware, that I played Hamlet, for. .£.20 a .week? And yet you. haye the audacity; to ask for a rise in. sa|ary. You- are not content with your present salary,, but. you come here as if. you werp a .doctor or a lawyer, and suggest I am determined to h»Ye.my. own way. in_,this matter, and I engage you nexf; season at £45 af week."

An original method of playing farcical comedy will- be introduced here by Mr 'William Collier. Instead of the usual' palpable "waiting for the laugh" which most English comedians affect, the Americans bustle on from good lines to good lines, with an assumption of being- absorbed in the serious character of the matters in. hand. When the members q! the company are absolutely forced to stop and let the laughter die down, they do so with a pained expression as if they said, "You may think it funny, but really, you know, "we are all in deadly earnest up here. The London success of "The Dictator" last year was more due to the originality of the Collier methods than to the intrinsic merits of the piece, though mind you it's a good play. THE DEADHEAD.