MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 129, 1 June 1907, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

[Bt Osrnxcs.]

COMIXU EVENTS. opkha iiousn. J. C. VTillian^nn, .1: c-_ s ;i to IC'.h June. Suaiii'l jir! Gum:, Jo.lt June to Cth July. llsirj Kernels, otli Jiilv to 27th Jul\. " Mil.:,-: ore's 1{,,;...! Cra-.a Opera Cucpaiiv, IStli A> j;i. -: to Cth September. \i .Ikuglibj-Waid Co., l<:th September to 19th Stiuciibtr. J. C. Wi'liaiwon, 20th September to 9tli Cf.uher. ~ Ai'jh Hamilton, 10th to SOth Octol <"r. Mac M.'lion Compmv. 2nd tv 16th November. J. C. Will>ia<smi 16th to i2ml Xnrriubtr. J. C. ITilii-imsun. 26ih December to 15th January, ISO 3. THEATRE SOTAI. j Fuller* Vnudcvillo Coc-.pany. Messrs. Meynell find Gunn's "Midnight "Wedding" Company Ind a successful se.ison in Auckl-ind, and the tour through J the smaller to\rr>3 of the Island is up to' esrectdlions. Ihe company appear in Wellington after the Julius Knight season, anJ Mr. Hurccurt Be.itty, who is a gic.it favourite hero, and the members supporting him are sure of a hearty w elconic. Mr. G. If. B.irnes will arrive hfre nest week to put matters in train fcr the opening. I Tho Misses Mand Milton (Musjrrove Shakespearian Compiny). Miss Agnes 'liionias (line with Charles Arnold), and Edmund Gwcnn (who ccored here in "Sherlock Holmes") arc all in a new play. "Votes for Women," by Miss Elizabeth Robins, the Ibsen actress, which was produced at the London Court Theatre ! the first week in April. To-night arid for the following week tho "lirst pait"' at the Theitri Royal will bi- dove avray. and an oho programme submitted. This is necessary owing to the Urge number of aitists on the roster. The programme includes Bonit.i. the giil sharpshooter; Caik= ? the human target; Cleopatra, the suoke churmer; th.? Ahlbergs, acrobats from England ; Carl Collier, comedian; Monagiian and Sheehau, sketch artists; ili<=s Lorraine Tfinsley, vocalist ; and on Mond-.y night Keldie nnd Davis, dansjases. Xext mouth n novelty, "The Robing of the Gods," -.rill lie presented. Mr. Ben Fuller reports that the cold snap lias not affected bu«i- ' ne«s at any of tl.e firm's houscb. I In tho tour of the "Mother Goose" I Coi'ipiny in. Is'ew Zealand. Miss Mabellc ! Morgan will os^ume the role of the prin- I ripal boy, as Miss Young is to remain in ' Svdnt-v for "The Spring Chicken." Miss Morrell is also to remain there, and the part of Jill, the principal girl, will accordingly be played by Miss Florence Quinn. a young Aucklander. Tho touring company will also include another chief dancer in place of Miss Addie Hine, 1 nnd Miss Alice Mitchell has been selected j for this duty. It is claimed that this tour will be tiie most extensive yet undertaken by a pantomime company. When Mr. Hairy Lauder, tiie famous Scottish comedian, arrived in. London in ISOO, be was at first unable to obtain an engagement at £8 a week, which was the figure he asked. But before a week had nisaed over his head in London has was besieged with offers for his services. Xow he has secured an American engagement at £500 (some papers say £600) a week, and li>d he been obdurate the syndicate was prepared to pay him £300. It is

only through tho kinducss of Mr. Adney l'ayns in waiving .in existing contract that Lauder has been enabled to consent to go to America for four or five v/ceko. With ouo short break in July, 1910, he is actually booked light up to the year 1912, including pantomime engigcnu'jJts for every Christmas season in the interval. ''.Something of a sensation v.'ill, ono iini.gines. be caused by the daring but oitremely beautiful series of living pictures introduced to New Zealand audiences by Mr. J'.»E. Ward aud Miss Ruby White, under the auspices of Messis. •lyiin Fuller and Son," says a wiiter in the Auckland Graphic. "Nothing quite the .',: mc, nothing quite so far advnnc-'d, has been seen in this* colony before, aud certainly nothing more beautiful and aitistie. Mr. Ward's model is a \\onvin of pe.-feotly formed figure, and it is Mr. Ward's design to show this figures '•Q to its fullest, most charming advantage, in lepresentation of certain classical pictures. Leighton's 'Psyche' is prcsentsd to us a-5 if she had stepped from the pictuie itself. Mercury «cd Minerva are exquisitely po«od, and artistically draped, the same model posing for each. Niobe, mourning for her children, is uioit beautiful of all, and is hailed with tremendous applause. Mr. Ward is to be congratulated on having struck sometiling entirely out of tho common. Ho is himrelf obviously an aitistj and the immense speed with which he, conducts the> "robing" is pimply amazing. Xo doubt all New Zeabnd" will fleck to the hpectacle, which may safely bo pronouncert one of the most original, beautiful and unique entertainments ever shown to a colonial audience." This act will be keen in Wellington on sth July. The death occurred at Harrogatc last month of Mr. James Davis, who, as '"Ov\cn Hall," was one of the first to introduco such musical comedies as ' Floiadora," "The Geisha," ' The Gaiety Girl," "The Aitist's Model," etc. Other successful musical comedies that followed included "The Girl fiom Kay's," "Sergeant Brue," and "The Little Cherub." Mr. Davis confessed on one occasion to netting £20,000 from '"Floradora." Formei'ly ho was a solicitor, but abandoned bis profession for tho more lucrative one of musical comedy in 1885. Tho last piece he produced in London was the one-act serious diaimi, "Agnesa's Secret," which was played at Madame Emily Soldene's farewell matinee at the Palace last November. This was the first piece he over wrote, but it never pleased him. Last year he formed himself into a limited liability company, selling his productions for the next ten years to this concern, which had a capital of £12,000. Remarks the Melbourne Leader: — There was a funny little unrehearsed episode in the play "Leah Klesehna" at Her Majesty's which served to excite amusement and .wonderment. The approval of the audience at the close of the third act was manifested by calls before the curtain, and after Miss Brune had appropriated her share there was a demand for Mr. Mervalc, which for some reason or other ho declined to acknowledge. . With an (motional emphasis quite out of place, Miss Brune made an unauthorised and dubious apology on his behalf. After the final scene she was also left to make her lesponscs to demonstrative approval alone. Jealousies behind the curtain should not be allowed to make their appearance in front. Mr. Mervale wiote to tho Argus to explain that

there should not or havo been any misunderstanding. He thinks that the illusion of a fine scone — it may be even a death seene — should not be destioyed by artists standing mutely, and with the affection of modesty common on such occasions, in front of the footlights, to rcceivo applause which might just as genuinely bo given in their absence. Actors arriving hero from the Old Country when confronted with the Sydney list of artists who have appeared as I Wilfred Denver and old Daniel J' ikes have often declared that its length is probably without parallel in the record of the English stage, says the Sydney Morning Herald. Tho "ievival at the Theatre Royal will not increase the ' number of Silver Kings, because Mr. Julius Knight played the character at the Palace Theatre in March last year I (with Mr. 11. Plimmer as the Spicier), ' but, in the person of Mr. Hubert Willis, there will be yet another Jaikes. This curious Sydney list, arising from tho extreme popularity of this play, probably tho best melodrama ever written, will always be read wi'.h inteicst by i the curious in such matters. The local Silver Kings, in (he oidcr of their acI cession to the thione of popular favour, } aro G. S. Titheradgo (1884, 1885, 1886), J Lawrence Cautley, George Rignold, Ed- ' ward Sass (who also played the Spider on a previous occasion), Walter Bentley, Scot Inglis, King Hcdley, Wilson Barrett \IB9B, and December 1901), Harry Plimmer (1905), and Julius Knight (1906 and 1907). The number of artists seen in Daniel Jaikes is as follows:— Phil Day, H. H. Vincent, G. \V. Anson, J. R. Grevillc, Sterling 1 Whyte, Bland Holt, Lachlan M'Gowan, I William Klton, Harry R. Robcits, D'Arcy Stanfield, Horaco Hodges (18S8 and 1901), Herbert Leigh, G. P. Carey, and now Hubert Willis. "Raffles,"' an exciting drama will be the next production by the Julius Knight Company at the Opera House. Tho play was very successful in Sydney, whore it had been played previously by Cuyler Hastings. The following is a brief account of the drama: — "Raffles," beloved at school by his fellows and the lion of society at the age of 30 or so, has been given to thieving all his life. With him it is a disease, though his education and genius havo enabled him to bring it to a fine art. Many of the greatest burglaries of tho day have been traced to "an amateur cracksman," on whom tho police have been unable to lay hands. At tho time the play opens 1? a flics is staying as a guest at the country house of the Earl of Amerstcth. As the champion slow bowler of the day he is to play in the local cricket match, and being just Raffles, the most charmj ing of men, ho is beloved by all, including Gwendoline Conron, a ward in the Earl's house. In consequence of I burglaries, Cuitis Bedford, a famous I American detective, comes to stay in j the house, and very soon matteis are ' made lively by the appropriation of Lady Amersteth's diamond necklace. Suspicion falls on everyone except Rattles, who, of course, is tho real thief. It appears that he is known to a Mrs. Vidal, who is staying in the house, and, as he declines to return her affection, she threatens revenge by exposing him. In tho second act Curtis, has come to suspect not only that Raffles is the thief, but that ho is the amateur cracksman. In tho third act he is at his chambers in London, and

•lore occurs a hair-raising scene botv.ren a. low burglar (whose attempt to steal the necklace had been forestalled by "that amateur ciaclcsman"') and the hero, who fives his own life by literally talking the burglar into absolute helplessness. In a most exciting scene Rallies assists his would-be murderer to escape, while the police aio at tho door. In the fouith act, it would seem as if there was no hope for Raffles, of whose guilt the police aic now certain. With the polices upon his heels, he bolts out of the room, fires a pistol, and whilo the polico aro breaking open the door and searching for tho corpse, thrust 3 himself back through a secret opening in a grandfather's clock, and departs, l.issing his hand to his best gill, and vowing to lead a new life in a new country. A lady writer in Melbourne Punch says : — There are road hogs, cycle hogs, motor hogs, domestic hogs, political hogs, and soci.il hogs, all kinds of hojjs ; but there is no hog equal to tho feminine hog — if there can be such a natural history object — who sits in the stalls of the average- theatre ancl 'wears a huge floral hat, which she absolutely refuses to remove, and which as absolutely obscure 3 the view of the long suffering unfortunates behind her. Such .in ole,o le, substantial, wealthy they say, and assertive, over-bearing, what term you will, at the grand opera a few cve.iings ago, proved, in this manner, her absolute lack of claim to the term "genfle." Why, my dear Mab, even the tears of the poor, pleading litilo woman behind he: 1 had no effect whatever upon her impenetrable boorishness; nor the sullen murniurings of tho many about who heartily sympathised with tho victim. Well, I suppose what's bred in the bone, etc. Lord foruive them ! Ihcatric.i] Clips. — Meynell and Gunn's No. 2 "Midnight "Wedding" Company v, as doing splendid business in Queensland when last heard from. . . . Mr. Herlort Flctmning has produced at the Sydney Palace Henry Wills's dramatisation of Goldsmith's "Vicar of Waiefield," entitled "Olivia."' . . . Miss Tittell Bruno finishes her engagement with Mr. J. C. Williamson in Northern Queensland, Adelaide and Biokc-n Hill will scs a call before Queensland. . . . Miss Annette KelWmann was on tour in the Englth provinces when the mail left. . . . La Milo and Cruikchank i-etam to Australia citljnest year. . . . Miss Elsie Moore has closed with Charles Ftohman as regards a starring engagement in Now York, and willchortly appear in it new musical play. . . . Miss Edith Blandc, popular here come years ago in melo luama, is in vaudeville 111 England, presenting n sketch •entitled ''Love in Short Frocks." .... The statement in the London press that Mr. Williamson is bringing out a thud mucicil organisation, 'Tho Little Cherub," at present in New York, is without foundation. • . • Mis- Celia Ghiloni is to join Mr. Williamson's new musical comedy company, which will begin its Australian performances in Melbourne on 22nd June. . . . According to a cable message received by Mr. Willinmron from bis London rcpres'entative, "Brewster'e Millions," produced there at the beginning of May, has made a favourable impression. . . Mr. Harry Sweenoy has joined Herbert Flomming's Dramatic Company. . . . Mrs. J. B. W. Lewis leaves for England shortly. . . . All London is said to be laughing over tho new comedy at tho Court Theatre, "Votes for Women." ( . . . Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Williamson have left Sydney for a trip to England. .