STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 53, 2 March 1907, Page 10

STAGE JOTTINGS.

FORTHCOMING ENGAGEMENTS. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. February 10 to Marcli 9 — "The Squaw Man" Corapany March 11 to 23 — Edison's Popular Pictures and Bessie Sutton March 25 to 30 — Besses o' th' Barn Band April 1 to May 4 — Mr Chas. Holloway and' Company May 6 to 24 — Mr Andrew Mack and Mr J. C. Williamson's Company May 25 to June 10 — Mr William Anderson June 24 t*> July 13 — Mr Julius Knlgn* and Company (Mr Williamson) July 15 to 20 — Mr Fred. Shipinan July 22 to August 10 — Mr Musgrore's Grand Opera Co. August 12 to 24 — Mr J. C. "Williamson August 26 to September 14 — Mr J. C. Williamson September 16 to October 5 — Mr Allan Hamilton October 7 to 26 — Messrs MacMahon's Dramatic Co. OPERA HOUSE. Till further notice — Fuller's Entertainers ANSWER TO CORRESPONDENT. F. B.—lt was Mr. Lauri, as Meakin, who fought with that antique weapon. Mr. Percy played the Comte de Sassignat, who was the challenger, and whose ideas of duelling were more conventional. "Under Two Flags" was good melodrama, with all the merits and faults of its kind. Miss Ola Humphrey showed to much greater advantage ac Cigarette than in the earlier piece. Mr. Waldron had a very conventional part a 3 Bertie, and that tame, though heroic, hero might juat as well have been played by a very ordinary artist. The staging Was admirable. "The Virginian," produced to-night, should give the company much better scope for its talents. The management of Edison's popular pictures announces a brief season with an entirely new series at His Majesty's Theatre on Monday, March 11. The Edison Pictures, when shown in Auckland last August, created a very favourable impression, and a re-appearance should be welcome. Another feature of the entertainment will be the first appearance in Auckland of little Bessie Suton, said to be quite a remarkable juvenile artist. There can be little doubt (says the 'T>aily Telegraph," London) that the "variety" profession, like the purely theatrical, is sadly overdone, and the lot of a man or woman who at Christmastime finds himself or herself—out of a shop is not to be envied. Accounts from the provinces show that the smaller halls have suffered severely from the setting up of big combines. Considering the enormous output of performers, the number of "stars" brought to light is very smalL Mechanical comedians may. be obtained by the score, but a comedian with a natural sense of humour is not easy to light upon. A sad termination to the visit of M. Augustc Yon Biene's company to the Empire, Oldham, recently was made by the sudden death of Mr. Faulkner Cox, who played the character of Mortimer in "The Broken Melody." On leaving the stage at the end of the second act Mr. Cox fell in+o the arms of one of the assistants, and was carried to his dressing-room. Mr. Cos was removed, in an unconscious condition, to the infirmary, where he died the following morning. In the course of an article, "Stars Who Have Made Mc," in the London "Daily Express," Mr. Charles Frohman seems to administer rather a cold douche to Mr. H. A. Jones in the latter's indiscriminate American praises. Says Mr. Frohman: —"New York audiences still like their toys in plays; English audiences do not. That is why they are more difficult. When I say toys, in New

York you. can reconcile* imucK : that-is not good ip a play by a rain effect, a storm effect, or beautiful lights that change fifteen minuteg. When the scenes are not really very good—by that I mean the acting scenes—you quickly darken the stage,' show a beautiful light or a snowstorm," and you are safe for nine cur-" tains;" ■ ■ ■ ■'. - ■ After what, for a serious play, was an exceptionally long run, " Parsifal" finished its career at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, on February 15th;, the attendances keeping up*to a. noteworthy level right up to the end. This was followed by a revival of " Leah Kleschna." The season will close with the performance of a .few of the old favourites in Miss Tittell Brune's repertoire. Mr. Andrrew Mack and his company have left San Francisc for their (forthcoming , Australasian tour; which begins in Wellington at Easter. They will remain in New Zealand until July, after which. Melbourne and Sydney visits will follow. Miss Celia Ghiloni, the splendid Katinka of the Williamson Repertoire Company, lately had to enter a private hospital in Sydney to undergo an operation. Sydney advices state that she is progressing well. Mr. J. C. Williamson has still further extended the coming tour of " Mother Goose," which will take in New Zealand as well as Brisbane, Adelaide and West Australia, and will necessitate the prolongation of its life until the end of the year; eloquent testimony of the remarkable popularity it has achieved. Mr. John Fuller, jun., confides to the Sydney "Daily Telegraph" that his firm intends to erect a new theatre in Wellington. This fact has been known in Wellington itself for some time, but was not publicly announced for business reasons. For the Adelaide visit Mr. Williameon's Royal Gomie Opera- Company will' again have the services of Mr. Reginald Roberts, who after recovering from his severe attack of appendicitis, had recently to undergo another slight operation. He will, however, be fully recovered before he is wanted for Adelaide. Madame Melba is said to have- increased her son's income to £500 a year when he married Miss Ruby Otway. Superstition,' writes my Sydney correspondent, is of ' course the recognised weakness of actors and actresses, and Miss Florence Young is not immune. Recently he received a set of nine prayers, with the solemn injunction to copy out one every day and send it along to a friend whom she judged was in need of spiritual exaltation. The penalty for disobedience was something awful, which was to happen on the ninth day. Although she took counsel it seemed to her wiser to take no chances, and she accordingly obediently did as she was bidden, spurred on to the completion of her task by her fellow professionals. They were of course actuated by the same superstitious fears, and never failed to remind her many times over of her duty, every day that the trial lasted. When the sixth day had been successfully negotiated, and nothing dreadful transpired, .the great sigh of relief which went up from the assembled company created quite a draught behind the curtain. Mrs. Lillie Eangtry's " Memoirs " are to be published about September. They should make intensely interesting reading. Paul Cinquevalli, who is at present on the Continent, will return to America for a forty weeks' season shortly, and may then revisit-Austialia. ■"'»' ,-:.■•■•; Mr. George Musgrove was greatly disappointed with theatres generally during his recent tour. He found that with the exception of Continental Europe, art on the stage was deteriorating all over the world. In London the lighter and more frivolous a production is the better the public likes it. A great deal of this is due to the great change in the mode of life among London people. Years ago they were content to lead the home-life. Now they crowd into the big hotels and restaurants. Not only the residents, but others dine at 8 o'clock. The ladies are generally addicted to cigarette smoking, and there they stay listening to the orchestras playing until they leave at ten o'clock to see the star turn at one of the music halls. After this they go to supper. There are no theatres for these people. But in Germany the position is the reverse. To hear an opera the public is willing to go to a theatre at any time the manager may fix—even four o'clock in the afternoon. They are content to go without their meals, and sit the whole performance out seriously. It is only when it 13 over that they seek the restaurants, which are open until three and four o'clock in the morning, and let themselves loose. The work of the German theatres generally is taken a great deal more seriously than in any other country. La Milo is suing certain Cardiff ladies who described her as a perfectly nude woman. As already stated in this column, a miner named Hicks, who was rescued after spending fifteen days in a collapsed tunnel in California, was seized upon by a Los Angelos music-hall as a star-turn. The sequel is now to hand. Hicks was announced to relate his awful experiences but when the time came he took stagefright and refused to come from the wings. After a time he was prevailed upon to take a seat in the stalls and commence his narrative, but his remarks were inaudible, and eventually he arose and dashed out of the theatre. He said subsequently that he would rather spend thirty days in a tunnel than appear on the stage agaiin. • | "It is most difficult," said a London dramatic agent lately, "to break through the ring of managers in London. The majority of the * star' artists in London to-day have no right to be ' starred.' They can neither dance, act, nor 3ing to the standard of a ' star.' I have at the least twenty clients on my books now who could do far better than they; but they cannot get the chances. The manager knows those who pay, who draw, and he will try nothing new. And so genius repines in misery." THE DEADHEAD.