STAGE JOTTINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 76, 28 March 1908, Page 12

STAGE JOTTINGS.

Messrs. MacMahon's Pictures have done well throughout the week. With two exceptions, the subjects are all humorous or "faked," but as the world goes are all the more likely to be popular for that. The pictures are admirably clear and steady.

The theatrical managers of Washington and Baltimore have come to an agreement to eliminate all shop window advertising in future. This sort of advertising has been paid for in free admissions, and several of the managers have figured it out that on an average this proceeding was expensive and out of all proportion to the benefit derived.

Out oi 156 would-be Carusos from all ranks of life tried at the Theatre dcs Nouveates, at Paris, the jury of distinguished artistes and musicians selected two or three, or perhaps four tenors, whose names, the president says, "will soon be of world-wide reputation." The trial went on from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on January 21 before an audience of 1200. The competitors included medical students, a doctor of medicine, an accountant, soldiers, butcher's, stonemasons, carpenters, postmen, several landed proprietors, waiters, grocers, and a woman ironer in a laundry named Mdme. Verdier, whose attempts to reach a top C aroused great enthusiasm and who is anxious to go on the stage as a tenor vocalist. The youngest competitor was only sixteen, but weighed '22st. Hif, success was tremendous. Similar competitions organised by the theatrical journals, "Musica" and

"Comedia" took place at Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nice, and Dijon, there being in all 275 candidates. The object of the promoters is to supply new tenors, and to meet the huge salaries offered in the United States to the leading singers.

A meeting was recently held in Christchurch to consider the forming of a concert orchestra. It was announced that Herr Benno Scherek had intimated that he would accept the position of honorary conductor if it was offered to Mm. It was unanimously resolved that an orchestra be formed for the purpose of giving fortnightly or monthly concerts. Herr Benno Scherek was appointed conductor, and Mr. F. Woledge hon. sec. pro tern. A sub-committee was elected to arrange details. It was announced that Mr. Robert Parker, of Wellington, had placed his fine library at the disposal of the orchestra.

Six members of the staff of J. C. Williamson have been with the firm for over 25 years, one holding the record, with 33 years' service.

The "Glasgow Herald" and the "Dundee Courier" are warmly appreciative of the powers of Madame Dolores. The former paper considers that. in her own. realm she is almost unapproachable. Her singing, while not in all points above criticism, is bound to delight those who ''would rather be charmed by unaffected simplicity than astonished by trills and top-notes."

Mr. William F. Grant, an Australian actor, who was a member of Mr. J. C Williamson's companies in Sydney, and who is making a big reputation in "star" parts in the English provinces, started recently at the head of a tour in a dramatic version of the late H. S. Merriman's novel, "With Edged Tools."

The Musical Comedy Company is to have "The Red Mill" and "The Prince of Pilsen" added to its repertoire, and it is highly probable that they will enter upon preparations of the former piece on their arrival in Sydney from New Zealand.

Mr. Oscar Asche, who was born in Geelong (Vie), aspires to bring English prices for seats down to something like the Australian standard. He is arranging for a theatre in which rates will range from a shilling to six shillings— with a few stalls at 7/6. At present it is impossible to get a stall in any decent theatre at less than 10/6, so that two seats break two sovereigns. The trouble arises mainly from high rents. Mr. Asche pays £375 a week for His Majesty's, and it is impossible to get any London theatre with a reputation at less than £250 a week.

The question of floating the Fuller firm into a limited liability company has been deferred until August.

One of the new pieces secured by Mr. Williamson is "A Waltz Dream," a Viennese operetta by Doermann and Jacobson, music by Oscar Straus, and the English book by Joseph Herbert. Americans had been told concerning it, writes the New York correspondent of "The Daily Telegraph," that another "Merry Widow" had come to town. Whether that is true, or untrue, Londoners are to have a chance of deciding, because Mr. Charles Frohman intends to present the "Waltz Dream" shortly in conjunction with Mr. George Edwardes. There is a curious lack of agreement in the American Press criticisms of the piece. One. section, and this by far the most numerous, hails it as sparkling like champagne, a signal success, while the minority say it is dull as ditchwater, all excepting the dream waltz, which was played on the stage by an orchestra of ladies, and may possibly rival the "Merry Widow" waltz. It is produced at the Broadway Theatre, only a stone's throw from Klaw and Erlanger's New Amsterdam Theatre, where the "Merry Widow" seems likely to reign indefinitely-

Sarah Bernhardt is considering the advisability of going to Japan next summer and touring with her full company in the island empire, instead of spending a quiet month or two on her little island off the coast of Brittany (says a London paper). Mme. Bernhardt has become very intimate with Sada Yacco, the clever little Japanese actress who is called by her admirers the "Bernhardt of Japan," and Sada Yacco declares that Tokyo would welcome "Camille," which has never been played there by a European. Japanese versions of "Camille" have been produced as well as "L'Aiglon," "La Tosca," and other plays in Mme. Bernhardt's repertoire. "I shall go if I can manage it," Mme. Bernhardt said, "for I am very anxious to do something that no European actress has done before."

One of the most successful of the principals in 'Tlumpty-Dumpty" is Miss Olga Grey, who is also one of the youngest. By a curious coincidence it was in a J. C. Williamson pantomine— "Alice in Wonderland"—that she began

her professional career some few years ago. Soon afterwards, while appearing in "Ben Hur," she had to leave the stage on account of her mother's health. ■When she did return, it was to the hard experiences of provincial touring—a course she deliberately took to rid herself of her extreme nervousness. It was only after an extended period in drama that her talent for mimicry attracted the attention of her friends, and she took up that branch of theatrical work with what success her present popularity plainly indicates. Her great ambition, however, is to ' become a comic opera artiste, and on present appearances it will not be long before she attains it.

Mr. Harold Whittle, son of Mr. L. H. Whittle, of the Wellington staff of the Bank of New Zealand, has accepted an offer from Madame Melba to become her permanent accompanist in. her future concert tours of the' Old World. Mr. Whittle, who is now in Sydney, leaves for London shortly to fulfil his engagement. Amougst his recent appointments was that of solo pianist and accompanist with a party under Mr. Lemmone, the well known flautist.

After her long spell of holiday-making, Miss Tittell Brune returned to Australia last, week by the Ortona to take up once more the work of entertaining Australian audiences, in which, during her previous sojourn, she proved so singularly successful. This time she will have the very best medium for her re-appear-ance, in the shape of "Peter Pan," in which she makes her bow once more at the Princess Theatre on Easter Saturday. As a matter of fact one of the objects of her visit to America and Europe was to study the part, and in her elforts so to do, she was fortunate enough to see both the most famous exponents of the character —Maude Adams in the United States, and in London Miss Pauline Chase, who has played the role for the last three years' revivals, and has been specially coached in it by Mr. Barfie himself. That latter advantage, however, Miss Brune may now claim for herself. Mr. Barrie makes it an invariable rule that he shall have the ultimate decision in choosing the actress for "Peter Pan," and in accordance with this, Miss Brune visited him in London. Satisfied at once that she would do the part justice, the playwright devoted a considerable portion of the time at his disposal in London in talking over the play generally and the part particularly with her, giving her the points he wished emphasising in the character and his own conception of it. His kindly interest in the Australian production, and in Miss Brune personally, will be of invaluable assistance to he- in her work.