MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 135, 4 December 1909, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

[By OfePHKua.l COMING EVENTS. . OPERA HOUSE. J. C. Williamson's Julius Knight Company, in season to 9th December. E. Branscombe, 10th to 18th December. J. C. Williamson's "Flag Lieutenant" Company, 2Gth December to loth January. Carter, the Magician, 17th to 2flth January. J. C. Williamson's. "King of Cadonia" Company, 20th January to 10th February. TUEATKE 110YAL. Fullers' Pictures, in season. HIS MAJESTY'S THBATJIB. Royal Picture Syndicate, in season. ST. THOMAS'S HALL. Star Pictures, in season. The Julius Knight season will close on Thursday night, the company leaving on Friday for Sydney. "The Corsican Brothers," the good old French drama founded on a romance of the eldest Dumas, which has remained in the repertoire of the English stage ever since Charles Kean first staged it in London in 1852, will be staged by the company there at Christmas, and no doubt the revival will be welcome. The company has had the piece in preparation for some time. Miss Beatrice Day, i who has been touring arduously for a year past, will not be in the cast, as eha will be holiday-making, but it will probably include Miss Dorothy Grimston, who remained in Sydney instead of accompanying the Kingston-Tither-adge Company or its tour of this colony. Mr. Walter Bentley stages "Hamlet" in Melbourne to-night. The cast includes Walter Bentley and Miss Eugenic Duggan, Frederick Randall (late of Henxy Irving's Co.), Charles Brown, Wynne Hunter, Alfred Boothman, Frank Crossley, Maurice Kemp, Walter Emery, Harry Douglas, Wilton Power, K. M'Leod, Miss Helen Fergus, Miss Florence Richter, and others. Walter Bentley has his own version of "Hamlet." The principal theatrical attractions in Sydney at Christmas will be Meynell and Gunn's "Cinderella" pantomime at the Criterion, Royal Comics in "The Catch of the Season" at His Majesty's, Hugh Ward' in "A Bachelor's Honeymoon" at the Palace, and Julius Knight in "The Corsican Brothers" at the Theatre Royal. Vaudeville and picture shows, of course, will be numerous. George . Hackenschmidt, the noted wrestler, is shortly to arrive in Australia on a twenty-nine weeks' tour, commencing in Meloourne on Boxing Day, with his own company, which includes "Gun- | ncr" Moir, as trainer and wrestling partner, and Herman, a strong man. In addition to Hackehschmidt's wonderful wrestling exhibitions, there will be displays of physical culture, embracing pos-ture-posing and endurance tests. A biograph display of a few of Hackensmidt's most notable contests will also be shown. A contrasting feature in lighter vein will be the inclusion of a magician aiid a monologuist in HackenGchmidt's entertainment. The New Zealand tour begins at Auckland on Monday, 17i.h January. Mr. George D. Portus is the general manager of the Australasian tour. Miss Rosina Buckmann, who made her first appearance, under the Williamson management, as Illyrine in "The Lady Dandies" at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, recently, is thus spoken of by the Argus : — "Miss Rosina Buckmann, who played during a recent season of J^nglish Opera in this city, appeared with the company for the lirst time on Saturday as the much-married Illyrine, justifying the heartiness of her reception by a thoughtful and dainty exposition of the character, added to an earnestness and dramatic power of singing that was very refreshing. Her first song, with its quaint "Cuckoo" refrain, at once put her on the best of terms with her audience, and, having got over her nervousness, she continued to do herself full justice to the end." Carter, the American magician, and his company of eight people, with fifteen tons of marvellous illusions, was a passenger on the Moeraki from Sydney on Wednesday, en route to Invercargill. It is two years since Carter was in New Zealand, with his mysteries, and uncanny laughable entertainment in conjuring. Since that time Carter has j visited every country in the world, travelling over ■ seventy -five thousand miles — more than three times the circumference of the earth. Carter travelled over five thousand miles into the interior of India, and spent five months in Benares, on the banks of the River Ganges, studying the occult with the native fakirs and mahatmas, and as a result brings back with him now a series of most surprising marvels. Carter also brings illusions and mysteries which he has obtained from Egypt, China, Japan, and Java. This us Carter's last tour of the world, and his farewell visit to New Zealand. He will be seen in Wellington the week of January 17th. ! Theatre-goers are' no doubt looking forward with great interest to the return visit of the delightful English Musical Comedy Company "The Scarlet .Troubadours who have just completed a two years colonial tour. Their efforts have been to appeal not only to the educated musician, who enjoys good music, but also to those who like their music enlightened by the introduction of sparkling wit, and clever comedy. The style of programme they present, and their way of presenting them, are new to this part of the world, although in England they have become perhaps the most fashionable and popular form of entertainment in vogue, and notable amongst such similar companies aie "The Follies." Mr. Edward Branscombe has personally selected tho artists forming his company, not only for their qualifications as good singers, but also for their histronic abilities, an important qualification as the musical numbers given are not only sung, but are acted, whether it be a song, or concerted number. In organising the Troubadours, Mr. Brarusoombe had in mind the desirability of engaging only singers of the highest repute, and thus making music the backbone of the programme. Very great difficulty was experienced in obtaining the right class of performer, as it was necessary to also insist on stage experience, and no less than forty-two difierent organisations at home were visited before the present company was got together. They have now been performing uninterruptedly for the past two years with but two changes in the personnel. The company commence their season here at the Opera House, next Friday. The London roller-skating season has started. The Empress Hall Rink, at Earl's Court, was recently opened. It is claimed that this rink is the largest in the world, and the following figures support the claim :— Skating area, 60,000 square feet ; accommodation for 4200 skaters ; felt used, 33,000 square yards ; instructors, 60 ; skate boys, 100. The floor is surrounded by picturesque mountain scenery, and there is a special annexe for beginners. "F.C." in the Bulletin : Apparently the moving picture wanes. Despairing of getting into a theatre on Cup night, Mrs. C. and I fell back on the pictures and got into a front seat early. We need not have rushed things. There was less than £30 in a house that could easily have held £130. Yet the show was good and new, even the Cup films being wound off, five houre after Prince Foote had dons hi/» victorious sprint. The fak- ,

ing of so many films has evidently soured the public's appetite; unless a picture is obviously real, liko the Cup or Henley, it is nowadays put down as fake, and too much fake wearies. Berlin is Caruso mad (wrote the Daily Mail's Berlin correspondent on 12th October). The great Italian tenor is to sing at three performances on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week at the !Royai Berlin Opera House, and the demand for s-ents, though prices have been raised to unprecedented figures, is without parallel in Berlin operatic history. The be&t places were sold for £2t2 t and 3s was changed for standingroom. Long before daylight to-day a crowd had assembled, consisting of mes-senger-f3oys, hotel-porters, commissionaires, shop-girls, school children, and soldiers, waiting for the box office to open at ten o'clock. The police refused to allow a queue to be formed until 7.30 Then began a desperate struggle for the best places in the line to the boxoifice. The police had to. interfere to prevent violent combats. When the office was opened, a queue stretching twice round the opera-house, and conposed of at least 4000 persons, was waiting. Before half of them secured seats the house was sold out of all three performances. Extensive as is the repertoire of Madame Emma Calve, who is to visit Australia next year under the management of J. and N. Tait, it does not embrace a single Wagnerian role. Strangely enough, the great dramatic artist has never appeared in any of the operas of Wagner, and, so far as is known, has little intention of doing so. Yet Calve, it is readily admitted, has the voice and the power to make successes of some of the most exacting of Wagnerian conceptions. As Elsa in "Lohengrin," as Isolde in "Tristan_and Isolde," and even as Kundry in "Parsifal, " she should attain considerable distinction, and there is certainly immense scope for her in such characterisations as Senta in "The Flying Dutchman" and Elizabeth in "Tannhauser." Mr. Matheson Lang's Australian, tour is to open, on 20th May, either in Melbourne or Sydney, and probably in "Pete." His wife (Miss Hutin Britton) and five or six other members of his company will accompany him to Australia. The repertory will also include "The Passing of the Third Floor Back," but at the time Mr. Lang is appearing in Jerome's famous play, another company, headed by Mr. H. R. Roberts, will tour other parts of Australia in it. Miss Margaret Anglin, whose brilliant emotional acting in "The Thief" in Australia is so well remembered (says the Telegraph) has another tearful role in "The Awakening of Helena Richie," now so successful in New York, but has made up her mind to go back to comedy parts when the run of this piece is over. She informed a representative of the New York Herald last month that Mr. Charles Frohman had promised her a comedy, and she had one of her own ; and either of these would then be produced. In an amusing talk she said she was absmdoning weeping roles simply from a desire to see people laugh •instead of cry. "It's wonderfully gratifying," she observed, " to feel that your characterisation has struck home ; but when you go on year after year weeping your eyes out it gets monotonous." "When did you start crying for a living?" the interviewer queried. "Nine years ago. Think of it! Why, I have dripped enough grief in that time to float the Half Moon and the Clermont together. And you must bear in mind that I never cry when I'm off the stage. At home I always manage to keep ridiculously happy. In 'Brother Officers' 1 managed •to wring a couple of tears out of a little part I had, and my doom was sealed. One damp part followed another, until- it seems I haven't had a handkerchief out of my hands in the whole nine years." Theatrical clips : — Hammon and Wyatt, the Australian Sandow Girls, wete .at Glasgow Empire last month .... Carl Hertz is touring England with a new illusion, "The Bridal Chamber." . . . Edward Lauvi and May Beatty are still on the Moss circuit in England . . . . Little Tich is exclusively at tho London Pavilion .... Mooney and Holbein, known in Wellington many years ago, were at the Palace, Aberdeen, when the mail left .... At the opening of the skating rink in the Paris Hippodrome, there were '20,000 people present .... It is said that John Wren intends building a theatre in Melbourne .... Thomas Elliot, a vocalist, aged thirty-four, died in the Melbourne Hospital last week. It is supposed that the cause of death was starvation .... Mr. George Marlow has returned to the Palace Theatre, Sydney, with his dramatic company .... Kyrle Bellew is reported seriously ill in New York . . Andrew Mack, here with tho J. C. Williamson management, has forsaken the "legitimate" and is about to be starred 4n musical comedy in America .... A picture show man has written to tho Clarke, Meynell and Gunn firm with an offer for the rights of taking and exhibiting a film of the Oscar AseneLUy Brayton production of "Othello," with which to tour Australia and New Zealand .... Walter Bentley is to play "Hamlet" in Melbourne, under William Anderson's management. Miss Eugenic Duggan will be the Ophelia .... Madame Ada Croasley was the principal contralto at the Birmingham Musical Festival last month, and sang on the first day in "Elijah," and later cm in "Judas Maccabaeus." Mr. John Harmon sang the tenor music in ' Elijah" .... Since his success in Australia Mr Oscar Asche has received an offer from Japan, asking upon what terms he would consider extending the tour of the company to that country. .... A dramatic Company, under Allan Hamilton's banner, will tour New Zealand shor% with "Women and Wine, "Revenge," and "Lights o' London, ' acquired from Bland Holt . . . The Harry Roberts-Maggie Moore Company may be seen in New Zealand shortly .... "The Great Divide," notwithstanding its success in America, has failed to hit the taste of London audiences .... Dix and Baker have had to dose the King.'s Hall, Newcastle, owing to tlie cbalminers' strike .... Bert Gilbert, who has been recuperating for tne last two months, made his reappearance in "Havana" hi Sydney last Saturday . . . Harcourt Beatty had a warm welcome on his reappearance with Nellie Stewart in Sydney last week in "Sweet Nell of Old Drnry" .... Walter Bentley will tour New Zealand next year in ''Hamfet," "The Bells," and "The Silver King." . . Alf. Lumsden is writing the lbook for William Anderson's pantomime. Mr. Lumsden wrote the popular song, "If Captain Cook Had .Never Landed Here." . . For Mr. Allan Hamilton's dramatic season at Melbourne Princess's this month Mr Leonard Wiljey, of the J.C.W. Dramatic Co., has been engaged as leading man. "Lights of London" will be the principal ( production. . . Outside of West's and Tait's, the moving picture world in Melbourne is on the wane. These two shows absorb all the business. King's pictures have closed down altogether. . . Miss Maud Faning is with Clay's Vaudeville Company in Sydney. . . The Taits take Charles Dickens's son, Alfred Tennyson Dickens, on a tour of America and England. . . The Eltons have started a permanent shov» at the Launceston Empire. . . Fred Curran, an English song writer of great popularity, is visiting Australia. . . Meynell and Gunn"6 "Hypocrites" will be reorganised shortly, when "Lucky Durham" will be staged.