FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 10394, 16 August 1897, Page 3

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

TBy Call Boy.] Mr Ben Fuller leaves for the Old Coantry by the Guthic on Thursday on a flying visit. Mr Fuller, who haa been suffering from a throat complaint which haa prevented him ifrom lecturing, is taking the trip in the iiope of throwing off his throat trouble and an search of myriorama novelties. In addition to views of the Jubilee pro•cession to be shown by the kinematograph at the Princess's next week, the review of troops at Aldershot and the naval review at Spithead will be exhibited. The Brough Company did record business in Chriatchurch last week. They open at Wellington on Friday night. Mr Chris Simonsens has rejoined Mr IBland Holt.

Mr Phil Newbury has been engaged to Tproduce ' The Golden Legend' twice in eonmection with the Brisbane Exhibition at the beginning of September. M. Pechotsch, who visited Dunedin some years ago with the Kowalski Concert Company, and created enthusiasm with his violin playing, is leaving shortly for Europe. His object is to secure the be9t instruction for his son, Master Raitnund Pechotsch, who is «Liowing exceptional talent as a violinist. Tha lad gave a concert in the Sydney Town {HaIS jrecsntly, and played with remarkable 'Jbrilliaiicy. Amongst those who assisted at this coneert were Mr Sydney Hoben (late of Uapier) and Mr H. Weir (late of Christ•phuroh). ■.Mr Scharf, who was accompanist to the MublHS, has settled in Melbourne as a teacher vi the pianoforte. The Musins have returned to Belgium. Miss Marie Lloyd, the famous English tqubio hall comedienne, has been engaged to visit Australia. Miss Lloyd recently returned to London Icom South Africa, where ■she is reported to have netted over £I,OOO at one benefit in Johannesburg! She appears at Vienna in August, find sails for America in September. From the United States Miss Lloyd will probably come across W play in Melbourne and Sydney, and will pay a return visit to South Africa on her way Home. An endowmeat of £1,200 from the Halle" Memorial Fund has been given to the Royal Manchester College of Music to found a scholarship in the name of the late Sir 'Charles Hal!e\ first principal of the college. Philip William Goatcher, the well-known ■scenic artist, was examined id bankruptcy "in Sydney last week. He attributed his •insolvency to the failure of his ventures at the Lyceum and the Palace Theatres. He arrived in 'the colony seven years ago from America under engagement to Messrs Williamson and Garner, in whose employment he remained until May, 1896, at *£l7 per week, out of which he paid his assistants, his net salary hsing from £lO ■to £.12 per week. He eame to Sydney *f.o design and decorate for Mr George Adams -the Palace Theatre. Mr Arthur '•Garner, who had formerly been his em.■ployer, applied to him to start him in some -venture. The bankrupt's idea was to arrange for variety artists to come out, and share expenses, and, after negotiations, Mr Adams advanced £SOO, without security, lo ■open a theatre. Mr Garner wap to go to England and America and engage talent. He gave feim £IOO for his expenses, sJ*d the day before Mr Garner sailed be received from him a memorandum of agreement. He found from this that Garner had not used the £IOO for his passage, but had sent it to his wife in EDgl&ed. Garner asked him to send him the balance of the £SOO, and he forwarded him a cheque, insolvent borrowed money on the understanding that artists should not only come «bere,but should agreo to go to America and Africa. There was no arrangement that Garner should do anything except engage artists. Insolvent borrowed another £I,OOO from Mr Adams later on, and sent it to tOaraer. He borrowed it on the understanding that Garner had bought 'a cine•matographo. Some artists arrived, and ■finally he had to file his.schedule. A funny.incident happened recently at Sasseldorf during a performance of Auber's •* Fra Diavolo.' In the seaond.act occurs the well-known undressing seen* of Zerlina. When, after her beautiful short prtyer, the ■young lady laid down upon her bed, the bottom of the bed gave way, and the fair singer disappeared before the eyes of the audience. Saaturally the music of the next ■scene was drowned in the laughter of the The hilarity cached a tumultuous

climax at the words of one of the bandits, " Oh, the poor girl!" and for a few momenta the performance had to be interrupted. The arrival upon the scene of Lorrenzo, Zerlina's lover, put an end at last to the almost painfully ludicrous situation, in which the napless heroine was embedded.

Madame Melba, Australia's famous singer, recently gave a French interviewer a page of her early life. "Do you know," she said, "that in days gone by I was a pianist. I gave concerts and lessons. Then came that time that?cornea to all: I fell in love, and—married. Armstrong was his name; mine was Mitchell. 1 call myself Melba after my native place, Melbourne. With my husband I took also troubles to myself—hard, material troubles, which well-nigh destroyed us all. Then I bestirred myself. My voice had been praised. ' Good; I will go on the stage,' said I. *My family, of course, were opposed to this all, my father, my mother, my husband. I, however, kept to my idea. Then my father came to Paris during the World's Exhibition a3 agent for the Australian exhibitors. We all came with him. My first (secret) visit was to Marchesi. She was charmed with my voice. She wanted to give me lessons. And so I learnt from her—and to know the finest teacher yet known. I acquired a repertoire of some ten operas. And now—now came the great day. I was to make my debut in Brussels, but in an opera which was not in my repertoire —in ' Tannhauser.' In five days—which indeed were five days and five nights—l mastered my rola. I appeared, and met with a great and unequivocal success ; and from that day (and here the diva smiled) my family had naught to say against my profession." Charity concerts in Auckland are not always a success. The ' Herald ' describes one held recently as a misenble fiasco, and states:—lt had been announced that a "grand concert" was to be given at the City Hall in aid of the children's hospital funds. A very acceptable musical programme had been arranged, but those taking part could hardly do justice to themselves owing to the meagre attendance. At ten minutes to 9 p.m., shortly before the intermission, a count was made of the' house. This was as follows: Dress circle 44 (including six reserved seats), stalls 101, pit G; total, 151. The management put the total cash returns (and the concert was run on "spec") at £7 103 at the outside, against which the expenditure, excluding newspaper advertising, is as follows :—Rent, £6 ; artists, £4 10s ; sign board, £1; 5,000 "dodgers," or small bills distributed from house to house and in the streets, £1 5s ; programmes, 12s 6d ; door hands, 14a; total, £l4 Is G'd. Balance on wrong Ride, and not including cost of advertising, £6 lis 6d. As the price of admission wa3 2s dress circle and Is stalls, fun included, those who want a children's hospital erected out of the pockets of the "givers" will have to be asked in crier to show the measure of their sincerity to "plank down," not their " dollars," but their " cents."