MIMES AND MUSIC [BY OPHARUA.]

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 71, 26 March 1910, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC [BY OPHARUA.]

COMING EVENTS. OPERA HOUSE. J. C. Williamson, In season to lGlh April. Clarke and Meynell, I9tli to 27th AprlJ J. C. Williamson, 2Sth April to 18th May. J. C. \Villi*nj*on, 19th May to 3rd June. Allan Hamilton, 4th to lftth June. Clarke and Meynell, 4tli to 23rd Jull. July 25th to 30th. vacant. Hugh Ward, lut to 13th August. TUEATHK UOTAU Foiltr*' Xew Vaudeville Company, io teaton. Hia IIAJESTTS THEATBK. His Majesty's Pictures in tcaton. THE KING'S THEATRE. Royal aad West's Picture*, in season. TOWX HALL. His Majesty's Pictures, Easter Monday night. IT. THOMAS'S BALL. Star Picture*, la acaaoa. "Man," says Stevenson, "i» not altogether quit of youth when he is already old and honoured, and Lord Chancellor of England ; he- can still retire- upon occasion into the green enchanted forest of his boyhood." Hia belief in his words, it is said, would be confirmed, if h« could see "Peter Pan" — which is claimed to be a poem of childhood, a. dramatic idyll. To a lover of children the child-life must contain always • certain element of pathos, the- simple wondering pathos of Peter beside Wendy's body. "Wendy ! Aren't you hero at- all ? and — and — won't you be here any more to play?" And then the exquisite touch : "Perhaps she's frightened at being dead." But there in in the play nothing of false sentiment! —nothing morbid, cheap, or vulgar. Perhaps Mr. Barries art is nowhere so admirably displayed as in providing so delightful a jubatitute for the conventional fleshy fairy m tights and tinsel. Mb he has in "Peter Pon." The name | as it stands gives us the keynote to one of the two dominant molit's of theplay — Pan, which iv Greek means simply "all" ; and the little boy who refuses to grow up, is the author c symbol of Nature horself— the "all," tho "mother of all, ever young, ever beautiful, ever joyous." An intense worship of motherhood is the second motif of the play, but the two motifs are really but difter/nt aspect* of tho one central subject — Nature. This reverent idealisation of the most beautiful thing in the world ia seen in a hundred, passages of the play to be presented for the first time in New Zealand at the Opera Housa to-night. "The Mountebanks," the clever band of amateurs who have given several successful performances in Wellington, are studying "Lady Hunt*worth's Experiment," which they intend staging at an, early date. To ensure completeness in every detail, Mr. Leo de Chateau has been engaged, and under his guidance rehearcale have been very successful. Mr. Chateau is also busy coaching pupils for the Chrißtchurch elocutionary competitions, which are to be held in May. The Fullers have engaged the Town Hall for Easter Monday night, and intend giving a moving picture entertainment in the large hall, as well as in His Majesty's Theatre. The programme at the two places will be quite distinct, the one for the Town Hall including "The Last Muster of the Balaclava Light Brigade." A ' party of these gallant old warriors were assembled on the fifty-fifth anniversary of the famous charge, and living portraits of them obtained. These films are sold, and the money obtained for them goes to the Balaclava Survivors' Fund. The Fullers have obtained the exclusive right to exhibit the film in New Zealand, for which they paid a considerable amount to the fund. Mr. William Anderson will be sending a strong dramatic company to Adelaide in April to play a three-weeks' season. The chief piece in the company's repertoire will bo "The Prince and the Beggar Maid." On the strength of this excellent drama's continued success in Melbourne, William Anderson will probably send it through New Zealand with a special company. lho popular "Scarlet Troubadours," after a mo»fc successful tour of New Zealand, leave Wellington for Sydney on 3th April. They go direct to Queensland for a brief visit, finally embarking at Melbourne on 18th May, for an extended tour of Africa. It is quite possible that this company will again tour New Zealand in about 18 months. Mr. R. B. Young, touring manager for Mr. Edward Branscombe s English enterprises, left Wellington, for Sydney last Thursday, en route to Africa, to make iinal arrangements for the appearance thero of the Scarlet Troubadours. Tho J. C. Williamson Dramatic Company finished its career in Adelaide with a very satisfactory season. lho members of the company for the most part will be drafted into other organisations under the same management, including the Nellie- Stewart and tho Julius Knight Companies, while Mr. Kingston and one or two others havo J joined the 'Peter Pan" Company for the Now Zealand tour. Hall Came is keenly interested in the forthcomiug production of "Pete," and in a letter to Mr. Clyde Meynell, says : " i am glad to hear that you have secured such a capable young actor in the person of Mr. Roberts, to produco "Pete" in New Zealand. I read the Press notices concerning him with great interest, but I had already heard of his previous success in America. I shall look forward to hearing how the result of my efforts to write a play will b» appreciated by all classes of those who go to tho theatre will be received. Mr. George D. Portus is due in Wellington early next week. H» joins Williamson's 'Teter Pan" Company in a managerial capacity, Mr. Harold Ashton, who came over with tho company, on Wednesday, returning almost im-' mediately to Australia. Thomas Barrasford, the music-hall manager, who died in Brighton (Eng.), last month, at one period of his careet seemed not unlikely to become the most powerful variety manager ill Britain, for, having started in a small way with one theatre in Leeds, h© extended his business until he had variety theatres al) over the North of England. He went to London with a scheme for turning the Lyceum Theatre into a great music-hall, with two houses a night, and he carried it through. He spent ten* of thousands of pounds in rebuilding that theatre, but the venture was not a success, and entailed Mr. Barraeford in heavy losses. Mr. Barrasford built tho Alhambra Variety Theatre, Paris, and tho Alhambra Theatre, Brussels, nnd formed a plan foi an outdoor theatre in a garden, with a restaurant attached, a short distance from Brighton. Caruso's throat has just escaped being tho subject of litigation (writes a Milan correspondent on 4th February). After the extremely delicate operation to which tho celebrated artist submitted his vocal chords in Milan rome little time ago, Professor della Vcdova presented an account which was truly worthy of his fame as a surgeon and of tho celebrity of the singer. It amounted to £2000. Caruso offered at first £400, and then, as the surgeon persisted in his demands, £600. Thero wew some attempts at conciliation, but they met with no success, and at last Professor della Vedova decided to have recourse to a legal tribunal. Caruio

was, in fact, cited to appear before the tribunal of Florence, where he has his Italitin liomiciln. Caruso, howi-vei, ref,umad negotiations for a settlement, and to-<'av ll is announcd tlu.t tJie question has been compromised , the tenor agicc1113 to pny £1200 Writing from New York to Mr. Clyde Mpynell,"" Mr. Matheson Lang, wliose Australian tour will be^in with "Pote" in May, says that "work in the National (millionaires') Theatre was very bard, owing to the quick change of bill. The theatre is a magnificent building, but more suited to the production of grand opera than comedy. I am looking forward to my visit to Australia with keen interest. My friend Mr. Oscar Asche has wjitten to me so much concerning his magnificent tour in Australia, and so much concerning the enthusiasm, cordiality, and hospitality of the Australians, that I am sure that I will not be quite lumpy till I got there." Mr. Oswald Stoll has been successful in persuading Lady Heerbohm Tree to accept a week's engagement at the Liverpool Empire. Lady Tree has signed a contract which gives Mr. Stoll a further call upon her services in the event of the first week of the experiment producing certain rocults. Out of a salary, for the week, of what is rumoured to be no less than £350, Lady Beerbohm Tree, with her customary concern for the condition of the poor and suffering, will ask the Lord Mayor of Liverpool to take £100 for distribution to any local charity or charities ho may select. It is understood that Lady Tree intends to make a similar reduction from her salary, and for the same good cause, if her engagement continues beyond the first week. The following paragraph, written by "Clio." in Melbourne Punch, should receive hearty endorsement :— "There is one thing about comic opera companies that I do object to. It is the continual joking that goes on on the stage amongst tho members of the company. It is not at all amusing to sit in a theatre and see the players convulsed over some little joke of their own. I have heard things said, interpolated into the dialogue, which meant nothing to the audience, or nine-tenths of them, anyway, yet to the people, on the stage, and a few of their friends in the front stalls, the remark was a most droll one, for the play had to stand still for a moment or two* while all tho company tittered over the joke. Tho next stop in that direction will be that the audience will be allowed to make remarks to tho actors, or crack jokes across the theatre amongst themselves. Then th« actors will have to wait in an embarrassed silence whilo the audience laughs at its own cleverness. Tho present system is not a very great testimony to tho excellence of the stage management." Puccini's "Madame Butterfly" is to be produced in Sydney to-night by Williamson's Grand Opera Company. All the principals, have been hard at work since their arrival under tho guidance of Signor Hazon. That conductor's orchestra has been calculated by Mr. J. C. Williamson on the satisfactorily liberal basis Qf two score players, T ncluding seven first violins, fix seconds, four vio las, three 'cellos, and two double basses. An important engagement will bring forward Mr. Ernet-t Toy os leader. The Queensland violinist, who ha& had a great deal of experience on the Continent, more especially in Paris and Monte Carlo, is tho fortunate posseftor of a Gaspare d Salo violin, which formally belonged to the Norwegian virtuoso Ole Bull, who used it, on account of its large ton?, for his appeal an Je in the Groat Market Pisce Hall of Moscow. Ole Bull died in 1880, and another great player, Wilhelmj, acquired it a year later, just before his Australian tour. The instrument was presented to Mr. Toy in 1902 by a party of Queenolanders headed by Lord Lamington and Mr. Lionel Kobinfon. His artistic experience, should eminently fit him for this new position in Italian opera. Tho death of the well-known artrees. Mme. Meta IHing, has abruptly endfd the career of the English Thortr* ir. Germany, since it has been decided that the enterprise was too intimately bound up with its foundress to survive hef. Mme. Illing's idea of establishing this theatre in the German capital was formed about three years ago, when she as ;\. prominent member of the famous LesI sing company at Berlin, lealised the opportunities for such a venture ; and, perI ceiving in her English and American tours that German theatres were in existence in London and many citios of theI United States, Khe argued aptly that English plays in Germany should do equally well. The Kaiser took great interest in tlw undertaking, but the chief reason for its sue cers wac tho indomitable energy of Mme. Illing herrelf. .Accordingly, Having formed her company, aho began operations about the middle of last year Hey plans prouded not only for a season in Berlin from' October to April, but for tours every year to thos© other German c«Jitre» where there arc large enough colonies. Just when the enterprise was well -founded, Mme. Illing \vu» attacked by pneumonia, and died a tew day* later. Ono of the last piece* of the company, then appearing at the New Scuaubpicihaus in Bfriin, was "The Rivals." Mr. Cecil Word, who was in Australia «om« years ago with the Broughf, wai the Captain Absolute of tb« cft*t. Theatrical Clips. — Owing to strengthening orchestras in permanent picture shows in Christchurch, there is suid to be .a dearth of professional municinns in that town. ... A London jury recently held that "Blime," "Blimey," and "Lorblimey" amounted to blasphemy, and should not bo used on the stago. ! . . Mr. J. L. Shine, brother of the lat* Hariy Shine, has been awarded £1000 damages in an action against the Moss Empires Limited, lor injures received in a fall on the stage. . . . Padcrowski, the pianist, ha* arranged to make his first tour in South Africa during tho coming spring. He will reach Capetown on sth April. The young Chermavskis are back in the old world. Leo is studying with Professor Biodsky in Manchester ; Jau has cone tr» Vicuna, to Leschetitzky ; and Mische 1 i« workine at his \ello in London, under Mr. Waflon. Tho boys will enter on an American tour in October. . . . Ernest Toy has relinquished teaching in Melbourne hi order to take up the position of leader f)f the orchestra for the grand opera season. . . . George Willoughby is busily i*near*ing "What Happened to Jones" for tho New Zealand tour. . . . William Ajiderson will produce the new drama just completed by Bert Bailey and Edmund Duggan this year. . . . Roy Redgrave ha* ju»t romploied a number of 6mall plays', which will shortly be seen in Australia. . . . Allan Hnmilton. and Max Maxwell open their season at the Sydney Palace to-night with "Woman and Wine." . . . George Willoughbv Company opens at BallaTat in "The Night of the Party" io-night; in Geelong on the 31st, followed by a visit to Launcc»ton, Hobart, then New Zealand. . . . Last Tuesday night was the last night in Australia of the Clarke and Meynell Comic Opera Company, and the farewell performance of "Sergeant Brue." . . . Beatrice Day has been engaged by Clarke and Moynell to tour Now Zealand with Harry Roberts in "Pete" nnd othor plays, while Matheson Lang is producing that piece in Sydney nnd Melbourne. . . . Convay Wingfield has been specially engaged bjr Clarke and Meynell for the part of Siv George Paddock in "The Arcndiamt." . . . j There are no le.«* than thirty-two characters in "Tho Arcadianß," which will he the first production of the Clarke and Meynell New Comic Opera Company »t the Theatre Royal, Melbourne, to-night.