MAN BEHIND THE BATON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 286, 27 August 1908, Page 2

MAN BEHIND THE BATON.

• —❖ — REMINISCENCES OF OLD-TIME COMPANIES. THE MAKING OF A PANTOMIME. Tho public only sees his back, but could they seo the face of the conductor of the "Humpty Dumpty" Pantomime, they' might without stretching a point mistake him for a bank manager or a family lawyer with a comfortable practice. The flowing locks of tho demonstrative musician do not'flow from Mr. Goo. Hall's His grey hair is out to normal length, ind his greyer mous-. taclio 'harmonises pleasingly with tho. kind grey eyes that look at tho world through gold-rimmed pince-nez. His musical methods wore as undemonstrative as bis mild appearance, yet there seemed strength and character enough in his back to warrant a heart-to-heart talk with this man behind the baton, to the point of which all the musical strings of tho big show arc invisibly attached. Mr. Geo. Hall is one of the oldest employees of "tho Firm"; that is, he has been twenty-two years continuously associated with either Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove, Williamson and Musgrove, J. C. Williamson, or J. C. Williamson and the gentlemen now associated with him, Messrs. ' Tallis and Ramaciotti. "The only one I know to 'have been longer in the service," said Mr. Hall, "is 'Goody,' you know, Mr. Goodman, manager at Ile'r Majesty's, Sydney. I think he has been twenty-six years with tho firm, or more. My .first connection with 'Firm' was as conductor; of the orchestra in what must have been the first production of the nautical drama . 'Harbour lights' at tho Princess, in Melbourne. Let mo seo, who were in tho cast —Billy Elton played tho comedy part, and there was Pattie Brown, Arthur Garner, George Tithoradge, Frank Cates, and IL H. Vincent was stago manager. It was a sort- of stock company, but a very, good one indeed.

Operatic Memories. " After, that I fancy I went over to Adelaide with the No. 2 Royal Comic Opera Company, which included Leonora Braham, Alice Barnett (who will be remembered as a fino Lady Jane in " Patience)"), Federichi tho bantoiloj and Charlie Leumane, the tehor. Charlie is now growing apples in Adelaide, and doing well, I believe. . Then tho No. 2. Company went to Sydney and the No. 1 Company (which had been in Sydney) with Nellio Stewart at its head, weiit over to Melbourne to play ' Dorothy.' Cellier himself came 'out from London to produce tho opera and conduct the' first performances. I remained in Melbourne as his repititure, conducting the opera as often as he did. It was a great 1 go '—ran for nine weeks, which was a long season for those daystwenty years ago.

An Operatic Record. "'Dorothy' was followed by a production of ' Faust,' with Nellie Stewart as Margarita, Federichi as Mephistopheles, Charlie Leumano as Faust, and Fanny Liddiard as Siebel. It was a wonderful season —the opera ran for five' weeks with the saine cast, a world's record, I think for ■' Faust,' and certainly a world's record for the same principals to sing every night. Then Federichi died—died' a most tragic death. He had sung his last note at tho end of the opera, and was going down the trap -with Faust (Leumane) when he fell off—dead I Even Leumano didn't know what had occurred. He thought Federiclii had tumbled off tho trap by accident. It was the heart, of course. He suffered painfully from heart and when he had an attack always took some pills—l don't know what' they frore, but he called them 'dynamite' pills, and ho always had a little pocket made in his stage costumes in'which" to carry these pills,'but on ;.ithp;. night ihc died; ho' had none on him. Federichi, who' was a fine performer, (the best Pirate King I ever saw) . was: an Englishman who adopted tho Italian name for stage purposes. He never visited Now Zealand—only, sang in Melbourne and Adelaide. .

Charles Warrier in' Australia ' After that I conducted the orchestra during the Charles Warner season, when his daughter Grace made her first appcarancd on the The, repertoire included 'The i > y £ Lyons,' 'School for Scandal,' 'Hamlet, Drink,' 'Dora,' and 'The Barrister.' Miss Agnes Thomas was the leading woman— a line actressj rind, Mr. Herbert Flemmin°\ recently here, was a member of the company.

Conductor of the First Calety Comapny. • "In 183S I conducted the first Gaiety Company sent from London to Australia. It only had only two pieces, 'Monte Cristo' ancl Esmeralda,' but what a show it was! I don't suppose there were ever so many Gaiety stars associated in one company as on that occasion. .First of all there was Fred. Leslie and Nellie Farren, who were supported by Miss_ Letty Lind, Miss Marion Hood, 31ii!s. Sylvia Grey, Charles Danby, and Fred Story —all stars.' They played for eight weeks in Melbourne, and the same in Svdnev to enormous business. After the. Gaietv* Company left I took over the Royal Comic Opera Company for a revival of tho Gilbert and Sullivan repertoire, and then settled down for three years as resident conductor at tho Lyceum Theatre, Sydney, shaking the baton in front of drama, comedy, opera, or anything else that camo along. I started on my travels again with tho 'Trip to Chinatown' Company, with Harry Conor in the lead, and have been travelling ever since with all classes of shows."

And you writo a good deal of your music? "Write! I should think I do—reams, bales of it! It never ends, and yet none of it gets lost. All tho music written for dramas, pantomimes, overtures, or anything is properly scheduled and pkced in 'the 'firm's' library either in Sydney or Melbourne, and if at any time a piece is revived tho music and complete band parts aro always available." Hiiiv a Pantomime is Suilt. •Mr. Hall conducted (and practically wrote the music of) "Mother Goose" throughout tho mazy wanderings round the Continent last year, and to him fell tho work of arranging "Hunipty Dumpty," as far as, the music is concerned, and that it is one of its chief concerns and charms all who have seen the pantomime can testify. Mr. Hall, in response to a request, indulgently explained how a pantomime is constructed. The "book" (dialogue and lyrics) having been decided on, it is handed over to him to write tho music —but it is best to let Mr. Hall explain, confidentially :

"Take 'Hunipty Dumpty,' for instance; I go through the book, and see what ballets aro requiredj and I write the ballet music first, so that it can be handed over to the ballet mistress at the earliest moment • to enable her to figure out the dances. After that is done I write the choruses—opening, ensembles, and finales, and fill in tlio incidental imisic. As the choruses are scored they are put into rehearsal, each part separately at first, then all together, and onco into the thick of rehearsals I have to burn the midnight oil to write— score the band parts, and orchestrate the interpolated songs. Equally with my. department, the stage manager, the scenic artist and his staff, the property man and his staff, and the mechanist and his staff are all plotting and planning and scheming to got the best effects. When the chorus is well in hand the principles come along with their and tho rehearsals proceed under the direction of tho producer (in this case, Mr. Coventry). Meanwhile, the ballet is practising assiduously somewhere in the theatre (and I might mention that tho dancing takes longer to arrange than anything else). Three weeks before the production they ail como together, and tho work of fitting in and rounding off, improving an . effect-, making an alteration hero and there, goes on at tho dailv rehearsals, until everybody becomes quito familiar'with-what is expected of him or her, 'and the workablo continuity, of the show is assured. About ten days before tho opening, the scenery. comes along, and tho rehearsals proceed with increasing smoothness; tho mechanician tries his effects; tbo ' properties' are used as" in the performance—in fact,' except for slight delays hero and there tho performance is complete but for the dressfis. The orchestra is brought into • action five days before the opening, and, finally, tho dressea arrive, and |

two full dross rehearsals are held, which tiro practically the two first performances of the pantomime. Then comes the opening mglit—and rest! An Army Employed. " During the rehearsals there are frequent consultations between' the heads of tllo departments, and ideas aro freely interchanged when tho possibility of an added effect is spen. All are ready to listen to ideas —for instance, Mr. Ramaciotti suggested 'tho wheel of life' effect, one of the best we've over had. : • ■ . ; ■ :• Could you guess how many people are concerned in tho production of a; pantomime? ■ ' "No, I couldn't; there is an army. There is.the producer, stage managers, and stage hands, the scenic artist and his staff, the mechanician and his staff, the electrician and his staff, tho wardrobe mistress and her large staff, a ballet of about sixty girls of all ages, a choruS of botween .thirty .and forty, an orchestra of thirty, property man and his staff, besides principals, acrobats, specialists, and tho front of the house staff. Of course, the bulk of these, finish their work when tho pantomime is produced-, but there nre more tbiyi a. hundrod people touring with " Humpty Dumpty." '