MIMES AND MUSIC.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIV, Issue 18, 20 July 1907, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC.

£Br OuVhkus.3 COMIAu £ VENTS. OrERA HOUSE. Harry Rickaids, in etaton to 27tli Jvly Thorr.doa Dramatic Club, 31-st July and lot August. v 1 Montgomery's Enteitajncrß, 3rd August 0 IQ:U Aucus:. ' Musprinc/s Royal Grand Opera Company, 19th August to Oth September. Wtllonghby-WaiU Cv, Vilh September to 19th oopU'Dibcr. J. C. Williamson, 20ch September to 9ih OM'iher. AiUn Hamilton, ''Otli to .TOtli October. JluoMnhun Company, 2nd to 16th X^eiubcr. J. U. Williamson, lßtli to i2nd Ko\ ember. J. C. Willwmson, 26th December to 16th January, 1903. THEATBE SOTAi. fuller* Vaudeville Cotnpio). "V«nus Milo," a lady who is said to have made a sensation with nude statuary 1 in the United States, explains 4o an in- I terviev.-er that sho is a New Zeulander, and the origin of tke> "white-painted body." She states that she sent photo- j graphs of herself in the white paint to an | Australian vaudeville manager, and that someone else appropiiataed her idea. Mr. J. C. .Williamson intends to rejrganise the dramatic company headed by Miss Tittell Bruae after the close of the tour at Charters Towers on 20th Sepiember, when Mt, Thomas Kingston will I become the principal artist in a produc- ! tion of the new American farce-comedy ■'Brewster's Millions." Mr. Kingston will ' *ppear as the hero, Monty Brewste*, the ' ■young- American who is faced with the problem of spending a. million dollars in a ! year in order to fulfil legal conditions, • linger which he will inherit a fortune of. -"* ( millions. This piece has caught on in ; London with Mr. Gerald dv Maurier in the chief part. The "Blue Moon" has caught on at the Princess's Theatre, Melbourne, and the leason will probably last until the middle of next month, aftei 1 which the combination will be sent on tour with* "My Lady Madcap," "Three Little Maids," , »nd "Kitty Grey," in the repertoire, j The J. C Williamson firm has reserved 1 two moic important pieces for New Zealand, '"The Littl-s Michus," and "The Girl from Kay's," which tlie new* artists will thus introduce to this country. -I At the conclusion of its Perth season ' the "Mother Goose" Company will have to undertake some ''rush travelling." Immediately after the performance on 27th July the members of the company will leave for Adelaide ; and, arriving there, ■will step practically from the steamer to a special train waiting on tho whaTf, and' be hurrted to Broken Hill for a five nights' season, from 2nd to 7th August. Immediately the curtain falls on the last night at Broken Hill the company and scenery will be hurried on to the train again, and, leaving at 2 o'clock in the morning, will travel on at an unbroken journey through to Ballarat, where they Trill be due on 9th August. I Miss Marie Lohr has received excellent ' notices for her acting as Trixia in "My , Wife," at the- Haymarket Theatre. The Tribune describes her as "a. very fresh and bright young actr-ess, full of grace, buoyancy, and charm." The Chronicle considered that nothing could be "pret- J tier, gayer, or more vivaciously young I

and graceful, than Miss Lohr's appearance," w'lile the Daily Mail "devoutly hopes'' that Miss Lohr has corns to stay — to stay as pert ond sweet and pretty, us full of fun and innocence and charm, us she is now. We rarely see octresses who can act so well, anr 1 yet remain so entiroly free from staginess." Mi\ Cyril Maude has been more successful than he hoped in collecting speedily the seven American actors needed by him to play in "The Earl of Pawtuckot" at the London Playhouse. With an adaptation from a W. W. Jacobs' story ("The Changeling") this Amorican play 13 to succeed "Toddles" shortly. Like the "Soar-lot Pimpernel," which has long passed its 500 th performrnce afthe new Theatre "Toddles" has been unaxpectsdly successful. It has stood two transfers at least, and its attractiveness at the Playhouse has mGre than justified Mr. Maude's judgment in opsning his new house with it. The first Australian performance of "The Pimpernel" is to be given in Melbourne by Mr. Julius Knight's company I at the conclusion of the present New | Zealand tour. An Australian, appearing under tho name of "Fred. Lindsay," has been j doing very clever things in a stockwhip I cracking exhibition at the London | Hippodrome. Hl3 feats have astonished tho Londoners. "Lindsay" is not his name ; he is, a London paper says, a well-known colonial cattle man, born at Bendigo, educated at Melbourne, and matured in turn in every State of ths Australian continent, says a Sydney I paper. Lately he has Deen in South i and East Africa, and he possesses not only landed estates and financial interests_ in the latter region, but many quaint photograplis of its inhabitants. His appearance at the Hippodrome is something of a fad;^he was detected doipg some o£ his clover items? vrith a. whip at a "private gathering, and lured temporarily to the stage by a sporting instinct and a big salary. Asked how he acquired his skill, Mr. Linasay says : "By riding for 20 years in the hot sun with niy tongue hanging on to my beard, my horse and whip and dog the only t things between me and starvation." "The Merry Widow," the new piece lately acquired by Mr. J. C. Williamson, is an Engli?h version of ths opera, "Die Lustigo Witwe," which has been enormously successful in Vienna. The •story was writtsn by Hcrrcn Victor Leon and Leo Stein, and the music was composed by Hevr Franz Lehar, and both Herren Lehar and Leon went to London to assist Mr. George Edwardes in the English production. The piece, it is? eaid, does not depend for sucress^on spectacular display or striking ecenic effects. On the continent, it has won its way to unexampled prosperity by the simplicity and directness of its story, arid in Ji very high degree by the melodious -character of the score. According to Mr. George Edvrardeu, there is a charm, a fascination, a seductiveness about the music which he hopes vdll please the ears of all melody-lovers. A specially noteworthy number- is the Syrens -wcltz, an entrancing piece of intisic, which has enjoyed remarkable popularity in Vienna, Paris, and Berlin, as is best illustrated by the fact that ■tho publishers havo already sold about 800,000 copies. At one ' period of the present year, it is said, "Die Lustige Witwe" was being performed simultrvneously at 300 theatres on the Continent. Thp appearance of Madame Teresa Carreno at the Wellington Town Hall

on the 29th inst., will be an event of great musical interest. While, Qarreno has especially distinguished herself by producing a tone twice as powerful as the regular first-olass male pianist, she has developed every 'side of the musical art and she coVe^s the whole range of pianoforte literature. As one critic says : "Her Beethbven is magnificent, hut so is her Chopin. She can rouse her a"udience to a pitch of , tumultuous cheering with tho fiery bravura of a Liszt Rhapsody, and immediately afterwards lull them to pomplete sensuous enjoyment with tho exquisite delicacy she uses to interpret' one ol her own gracefully simple waltzes. Over and above all is the women herself. Just as soon as she step's to the platform there is the conviction. Efere is a personality in vthe truest sense '6i the term ; and when once she is at; the piano her magnetic quality so' impels attention that the man whost musical education stops short at a dra\ying-room ballad is quite as likely to stand on his seat and cheer at the end of a number as the music-lovor -whose .idea of that musical number has received a new and better setting from' her playing of it." Tho attempt to privido grand opcin for the citizens of Sydney at the Theatre Royal led to an extraordinary epipodo on Saturday night (6th) reports Sydney Mail. At the end of the first act of "The Valkyrie," the manager, Mr. George Musgrove, ■ appeared before the footlights, and said that the opera could not be proceeded with. He explained that Fraulein Hcinse ha,d cent a doctor's certificate that if she sang that night her voice might bo -injured. After a remarkable, scene in which members of tho audience shouted various humorous suggestions to the manager, the company gavo "The Flying Dutchman," a uotablo success being achieved by Miss Ormonde, a chortle girl, iwho stepped into the breach, and tGok tho part of Sonta, with book in hand. In the course of interviews, Mr. Musgrove retailed his troubles. Miss Anderson, it seemes, infused to sing as Sonta unless paid a double fee. Mr. Regnfcas, husband of Miss Anderson, has given the "other side" as follows : — Fri. Heinzs received news of the death of her father on Monday night, and became prostrated with trisf. In order not to disappoint Mr. lusgrove and tfie public she sang, although during tho intervals she remained in her dressing-room* overcome with grief. On Thursday night &ho saiit* again, although sho was far from well, and that evening she was told that .die was to sing Sei?ta, in "The Flying Dutchman," on the following, afternoon, us Miss Stocller was ill, and "Hansel and Grots!" had bsen postponed. She interviewed a doctor, who told her it was impossible for her in her condition to sing Brunhilde on Thursday and in "The Flying Dutchman" nu Friday. This intimation wasi conveyed to Mr Musgrove in ample time for him to have mado other arrangements. On Friday afternoon she was unable to, sing, unit the audience wns dismissed. The fault did not lie with Fri. Beinze, but with Mr. Musgrove. "Referring to Saturday. Mr. Musgrove, askod the company in a general way, what was to be done ? Different suggestions wer© offered, one by Mis 3 Andenson being that ono act ol the "Valkyrie," one of "Tfus Flying Dutchman, and one of some , , other opera should bo given. Mr. Musgrove, however, declined to act on this, saying that the people h3re did not like that class of pe-formauce. He eaid he would give the audience one act of the "Valk-

yrie" and the whole of "The Flying Dutchman" ; they would then bo getting plenty tor their money, and would not squeak. Miss Anderson then threw up her hands, and exclaimed that she could not do that — it waa too much for her to ."-ing on ono night. She however, was prepaiod to undertake the risk of injuring her voice by singing two such parts on one night if Mr. Musgrove gave her credit for so doing ,and paid her accordingly. Mr. ltegneas saw Mr. Muegrovo about the matter, and that gentleman remarked: "Now that I am in a hole, 1 suppose I will havo Vo agree. " To this Mr. l{egne;u> answered that Miss Anderson was waiting for his (Mr. Musgrovo's) written acceptance of her terms, and would not go on tho stags until h^ had signed them. In the meantime Mias Anderson was dressing for the part of Senta. Mr. Musgruvo's repjly was: "I will not agree to that in writing," whereupon Mr. Pi-egiieas said, "Then Miss Anderson will not sing the second opera." La/st Saturday marked tho fiftieth representation of the Australian melodrama, "The Squatter's Daughter" at the Criterion Tboatre, Sydney, by Mr. William Anderson's Company. Tho pioce is as popular as ever, and Mr. Andersort 15 hopeful of being able to break all melodramatic records in- Sydney by this purely local production. Theatrical clips : — Miss Nellie Mortyne is playing with Nat Goodwin's company in the United States. . . . Mmo. l'aderewski, in a letter to Mr. John Lemmone, who directed the comprehensive Australasian tour of the greatest of all pianists in 1904, holds out a prospect of her husband's return. . . . Mr. R. G. Knowles has gone back to the London music-halls, after an absence of two years, having accepted an engagement from Mr. Alfred Butt, of tho London Palace Theatre. . . . Mr. Seymour Hicks and Miss Ellaline Tcrriss have signed a renewal of the contiuct with Mr. Charles Frohman, as a result of which these artists will continue under his management for a further term of years. . . . Mr. Hugo Gorlitz (husband of Amy Sherwin, the celebrated Australian singer), has been appointed | manager of the i\*hburton branch of the Dresden Music Depot. . . . Miss Nellie Ferguson, 11 member of the Tittell Bronc Company, was recently at the Methodist Church, Broken Hill, married to Mr. John H. Dickenson, of Melbourne. . . . Mr. George Edwardes, theatrical manager, has c-n-gacted • Miss Dolly Castles for the principal part in the "Girls of Gottenburg" at the Gaiety Theatre. . . . The comic opera "Dorothy" is to bo revived .it Her Majesty's, Sydney, after "Tho Spring -Chicken." Meanwhile the Royal Comic Opera Company is rehearsing ''The Dairymaids" a 6 its next new ' piece. . . . Mrs. Brough is contemplating the formation of a new dramatic company. . . . Mr. Alf. Stephens, who graduated in Pollard's Juvenile Opera Company, has accepted a two years' engagement in Mr. Williamson's Comic Opera Company. One of 3lr. Stepjiens's special studies will be Ichaboil Bronson, in "The Belle of New York."

"When I was coming home last night." said Miss Skoery. "I saw a man skulking along in the' shadow. Oh, how I ran!" "An* couldn't you catch him?" enquired her little brother, innocently.