MIMES AND MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 41, 18 February 1911, Page 11

MIMES AND MUSIC

TBy Oarcunje.J THE SHOWS. OPEKA HOUSE. Macilahon's Pictures, season opens to-night. Doloies, 2iith to 23rd March. ! Hugh J. Ward Company, 29th Match to 12th April. J. 0 Williamson, 15th April to 6th May. Allan Hamilton, Bth to 17th Hay. J. C. Williamson, 18th May to 7th June George Marlow, i2th June to Ist July." Clarke and Moynell, Oth to 20th July. J. C. Williamson, 17th to 26th Autusc Clarke and Mevnell, loth to 30th September. J. C. Williamson. sth to 25th October. Clarke and Meynell. 3rd to 16th November. Max Maxwell, 2uU to 10th December. J. C Williamson. Christinas reason. THEATRE KOYAL fuller's New Vaudeville Comnaur. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATfia. His Majesty's .Picture*. THE KIXG'S THEATRE. Royal and West's Picture*. ST. THOMAS'S HALL. Star Picture Company. TOWN HALL, '.my Castles, 4th and 6th March. To-night the MacMahon Brothers commence another season of moving pictures at tho Opera House. The MacMahons always have some novelties to present, and od this occasion have secured the exclusive rights of a series of picturedramas new to Wellington. To-night will b? shown as the premier picture "Buffalo Bill's AVild West Show," a, complete representation of the whole performance by this notable company, including a display by wild animals. "The Squatter's Daughter," William Anderson's successful Australian drama, will also be screened during Ihe season. Miss Amy Oastles is to give two concerts in the Town Hall on Saturday, 4th, and Monday, 6th March. Miss Castles is giving farewell concerts throughout the Dominion prior to leaving lor Australia and Europe, where she is booked in Italy for grand opera in May. The gifted singer intends touring the continent before returning to London. In Invercargill and Dunedin the brilliant j'ourig Australian has had most enthusiastic and large audiences. Miss Castles is supported by a combination of artists consisting of Alexander Camphauseu, a famous operatic baritone from Royal grand opera,' Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, and Leipsic ; Louis Hattenbach, a 'cellist player from Leipsic, and a Mr. William Conway, a talented young pianist, with* highest English credentials. Mr. Leo D. Chateau, -who has resumed teaching for a limited period, has been engaged to conduct the jtour of Mr. Allan Hamilton's New Dramatic Company, which commences a tour of tho j Dominion at Invercargill on Monday, lOLh April, with Walter Howard's la- ; test success, "Why Men Love Women," which is to be presented by arrangement with Messrs. Clarke and Meynell, who hold the sole Australasian rights. The company -will be beaded by Miss Frances Ross, who has not been seen in ! New Zealand for many years, and Mr. ( Oonway Wingfield, the young English actor, who was round here lately with the Pete Company. The company will also include Miss Muriel Dale, Miss Clara Stepheuson, Miss Millie Lempriere, Miss Nettie Bundle (a young Dunedin girl of great promise), Mr. Konald Riley, Mr. Hilliard Vox, Mr. John F. Forde, Mr. Arthur Wallace, Mr. Chas. I Wheeler, Mr. George Treloar, and Air. I'red Keade. The company comes direct from the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, bringing with it the entire stock of scensry and appurtenances used in the Melbourne productions. The Wellington season opens Sfcii May and concludes on 17Lh 'May. Victor Booth, a cousin of Mr. E. E. Booth, of the Amy Castles Co., and a professor of the Royal Academy , London, has been appointed an examiner of the Associated Board, and will probably visit New Zealand some time this year. Miss Ethel Irving promises to enjoy as big a boom in Australia as was achieved by Oscar Asche. Already the keenest interest is being taken in her approaching season, and the Cla'rke and Meynell management have received numerous enquiries from country, and interstate centres regarding the possibility of a visit. A syndicate in New Zealand has forwarded the offer of a substantial guarantee for a season in the principal cities of the Ddminion. "Lucky Durham," which will fcs-e staged by Clarice and Meynell at the Melbourne Theatre Royal on the conclusion of the run of "The Gay Grisette," was Wilson Barrett's last play, and one which achieved an immense success in England and America. As Wellingtonians know, it is a powerful play, with clean-cut character types, the motif involved boing the harshness of the barsinister in its operation against an unwitting and innocent victim. Clarke and Meynell have engaged a powerful company to interpret the play, including those popular artists, Mr. Harry Roberts, Miss Beatrice Day, and Mr. Hugh Buckler. Mr. Leo. D. Chateau received a cabled engagement this . weeK from Messrs. Clarke and Meynell, to ' conduct iheir several New Zealand touts, commencing about June next. An exceptionally strong dramatic organisation will be sent to Nev/ Zealand by William Anderson early in May for the purpose of presenting Waltet Howard's romantic drama, "The Prince and the Beggar Maid," and other Melbourne- successes. The lour commences at His Majesty's Theatre, Auckland, on 9Lh May. The Bulletin's revised version of the O'Connor-Castles Merry Widow Co. Mr. David O'Connor incepted (no, not intercepted) the revival, and he and Mr. George Castles are putting their own red gold into the. venture. Alsu, Mr. O'Connor has donu more than understudy Higginson in the role of Damlo. fie has portrayed the flirtatious Danilo, in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, and has been publicly complimented on the stage by J.C.W. for his rendering of the part. Ths Firm has yielded the two young guardians of the Widow . her original scenery and costumes; a good orchestra will be inclvi'ded in the venture, and several members of the original to. will join. Young Nicholson, who gave such excellent comedy account of himself in the operations of the Petersham Amateurs, has also been annexed by the O'C.-C. pair. They are not yet sure whether Eiken Castles will join th euro, or go into J.C.W.'s employ. She is on the Otway, by which liner Mr. Williamson is also returning here. Mr. O'Connor began his comic opera career some 13 years ago with the Pollards in M.L. Then he went to London, studied with Stanley, joined the Bandmann Opera Co., did pretty well a world's tour with that group, and presently took over from Bandmann a disbanding company and toured it through India, China, Japan, and Java. So he is not quite a bantling among theatrical managers. Mr. William Anderson has commissioned Mr. Roy Redgrave to dramatise .1 new version of~ Thackery's "Vanity Fair," making a big star part of Becky Sharp for Miss Eugenic Duggan. The piece is to be staged at The King's Theatre, Melbourne; shortly after the Dramatic Company's return from the West. Mr. Redgrave is mokiiig a big teature of the act depicting the famous ball given by the Duchess of Richmond on the eve of Waterloo. This, with its wealth of colour, the gorgeous uniforms, and the marching of the troops and the subsequent tableaux of the battle, will, it is said, be one of the biggest and most ambitious effects Mr. i Anderson has ever staged at Tho King's.

Mr. Ernest Booth, touring manager for Mr. Lawrence Campbell, having finished his engagement, has accepted a, position 111 a, similar capacity for the Now Zealand tour ot Amy Castles. Mr. L. Monk also concluded his contract with Mr. Campbell. Th?rc is a possibility that Mr. Monk may become associated with Madame Dolores in connection with tho travelling arrangements of the present New Zealand tour. Nothing has been definitely settled. After a revival oi "Miss Hook of Holland" at Sydney Criterion, for the larowell week in Australia of that popular comedian, Mr. Win. Cromwell, there will be the first production there of "Tho Belle of Brittany," on next Saturday night. This dainty little work is known as the "daffodil" opera, as that flower figures frequently in it, and the song and chorus, " 'Tis Daffodil Time in Brittany," with the fields in blossom, and the girl-gatherers in the quaint old French costume ctill worn by the- peasants of that district, give a touch of sentiment to the entire opera. After the opera season is finished the George Willoughby Company will produce "The Woman in the Case," with a new dramatic combination. The new play by Mr. Henry Arthur Jones, "We Can't b8 as Bad as All That," is said to have won complete success in New York, where it had its premiere last month. According to the New York correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph, it will rank as the strongest work Mr. Jones has done since "Mrs. Dane's Defence," to which it bears some resemblance, containing more comedy and a striking scene, which is perhaps as strong as the cross-examina-tion scene in the earlier play. The piece is likely to cause considerable discussion in Anglo-American circles as to whether it is a faithful "picture of English society. In an interview Mr. Jones disclaimed any intention to arraign English society generally, but said his object A'as rather to bring an indictment against the worthless and corrupt elements that always infest any wealthy and leisured class. He pointed out that, judged by the plays of Moliere and our Restoration dramatists, the whole of French society under Louis XIV., and the whole of late seventeenthcentury English society, might be accounted as sensual, frivolous, and corrupt, and he claimed that this class will always be the legitimate mark and prey of the comic dramatist. In the play itself he enounces this point of view by making Sir Ralph Newell say, "Look at the set my cousin nas got down here," implying that ifc is a particular set that comes under his lash, and not the whole of English society. Miss Katherine Kaelred (known heie as Miss .filbert Orton) is highly praised for .her "delicate, refined, sincere method," and amongst others enthusiastically spoken of is Mr. William Hawtrey. Amongst the- long list of English artists engaged for the J. C. Williamson" production of "The Wliip" appears '' the name of Maurice Dudley (stagemanager), an Australian actor, bom in South Melbourne, whose appearance as Joe Kelly, the Yorkshire trainer, has thus brought him once again into a Drury Lane drama, although at a far remove from the old theatre where he had his early training (relates Sydney Telegraph). Mr. Dudley made his first appearance on any stage at the "National" Playhouse, being taken on at England's Theatre Royal by Sir Augustus Harris some seventeen years ago. The youthful wanderer from Australia walked on at £1 a >veek in "Robinson Crusoe," and after seven weeks was told by the famous manager that "he would have to come out." "What for, bir ';" asked young Dudley, more in sorrow than ir> anger. "To take a speaking part somewhere else in the world," replied "Sir Harris" (as the French always called him), with a merry twinkle in his eye. The result was a transfer to "The World" Company, and ultimately as comedian and stage-manager to "Tin Derby Winner." Miss Marie Illington, now here in "The Whip," was the sporting Duchess of that production. During his seven years' connection with the Lane management, the best part Mr. Dudley played was the Jew, in "Hearts are Trumps " (Bland Holt's Australian part), and on one occasion ne replaced Dan Leno at Drury Lane for twenty-four performances of the Baroness in "Cinderella " For four years Mr. Dudley stage-managed pantomimes in Manchester and Birmingham, and played the Dame in "Aladin," "The Babes," and "Cinderella." An attack of double-pneumonia brought Mr. Dudley to Australia, where J. C. Williamson engaged him for Dido Bunce, the murderer, in "Two Little Vagabonds," and later, by way of a complete change, transferred him to the character of the light-hearted Captain Donegal in the •So. 2 "Florodora" Company. This devei artist's extraordinary versatility during his Australian career of ten years under the same direction has often been observed by his admirers, who sometimes lose sight of him, but always recalled him for such vivid characterisations as the Polite Lunatic, old Lively ("Sunday"), and Perkin, the dwarf in the romantic drama "Dorothy Vernon." A valuable block of land, 85ft by 200 ft. has bceu secured by a syndicate V s Ihe mosfc populous part of Sydneyroad, Brunswick, Melbourne. It is intended to erect a new theatre there, capable oi holding 2500 persons -md tho plans include the building of 0. large alAffo foi Uie production of comic onera and drams, at no distant date. The>"e is Ld be a, "winter garden" for openair entertainment, and for the Sret weapon it is probable that a series of picture programmes will be presented. The gonoral design will be somewhat similar to that adopted in Ihe new Lyric Theatre at Prahran. % Theatrical clips. — Ifc is stated that Harold Parkes,. of the Willoughby Comedy Company, will go nito vaudeville shortly as a song and dance artist. Mr. Tom. Graves, comedian, nnd Mr. Dutton Nlcholls, and Miss Marguerite Lercy, dancers, have arrived in | &eU>cmvne. They came under engagement to the Clarke and Meynell management. . . Miss Beatrice Day will nlay the role of Lady Mountfallon in "Lucky Durham" when H. R. Roberts I prestiits ths drama in Melbourne for the first time next month "Jimmy" Campbell has coiuiuded nis engagement with J. and N. Tait In Melbourne, and has gone back to England to be in time foi - the summer season at the seaside reports. . . The rebuilding of the stage house of ohe Berlin Royal Opera House is now complete after an expense of -€40,000. The auditorium has not been touched. . . . It ;s; s reported in Blenneim that arrangements are well in hand for the erection of a new theatre, including a special floor for skating rink purposes, at an estimated cost of £6000. . . . ... A new concert hall, to accommodate 2000 or 2500 people, is to be built in George-street, Sydney, near BathurstI street, on or about the spot where Goodlet and Smith's timber-yard used to be.

In almost every neighbourhood yon will find someone who during the summer months had a severe attack of colic or Engli-h cholera and who had been put to the most severe suffering before medicine could be procured or a doctor hummoned. A reliable remedy for .this complaint should be kept at hand. The risk is too great for anyone to take. Chamberlain's Colic, Cholera, and Diarrhoea Remedy hub undoubtedly .■-aved the lives of more pepple and saved more pain and suffering than any other medicine in use. It can always b6 depended upon for this ailment. — AdvAt