FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

Evening Star, Issue 12843, 19 June 1906, Page 1

FOOTLIGHT FLASHES.

[Bi Caul. Bor.] John Fuller and Sons, theatrical proprietors, claimed £lO damages at Wellington on Friday last against WiU Lochrane, comedian, for an alleged breach of agreement. Plaintiffs explained that the defendant contracted to perform at Dunedin for two weeks, commencing 9th Jane. Plaintiffs made arrangements accordingly, and billed him in their programmes. The defendant wrongfully refused to carry out the contract, whereby plaintiffs suffered damage and inconvenience. Dr A M‘Arthur, S.M., after hearing evidence, held that the agreement entered into was not sufficiently binding, and gave judgment for defendant, without costs. Air Young appeared for plaintiffs, and Mr Wilford for the defendant. Miss Made Nacelle brings with her to Australia the English tenor Chester Fentress. Miss Nareflc claims that in Mr Fentress she is bringing a tenor who will be equal to, if. not better than, any that Austridians have had the privilege of listening to for many years. The Narelle season opened at the Sydney Town Hall on Saturday last.

The Lenton brothers, under engagement to Messrs Fuller, arrive from Melbourne by the Moeraki, and open in Christchurch on Saturday. A theatre is shortly to be constructed at Rio de Janeiro solely for the entertainment, of children. Many of the plays produced will be adapted from the. stories of Grimm and Andersen. - The municipality will erect the building and subsidise the enterprise Mr Charles Wilson, stage manager at the London Alhambra, has accepted an engagement to become stage manager of Mr Hammerstein’a enterprises in. New York at, bo it is said, a salary of £5,000 a year. Miss Alice Hollander has been offered an American contract of forty-two weeks at £BO per week by tbc representative of Mr It F. Keith, who controls. the most impotiant vaudeville circuit in the United States. . The directors of the Syndicate Halls have, however, declined to release her from her English engagements, which extend over a period of eighteen consecutive months, and Miss Hollander has therefore been regretfully obliged to refuse one of the biggest offers ever made to an Australian artist.

Miss Ivy Ansley,'thc New Zealand contralto, will make her debut early in July at a London concert kindly given by M.v dame Jkdelba.so as to socarc a fair _ start

for the young vocalist, who will in future be known as Miss Irene Ainsley. Miss Nora Long, the Wellington soprano, was to moke her first appearance in opera at the Crystal Palace with the Moody-Manners Company on May 21, playing Michaela in ‘ Carmen. 1 A concert programme of twenty-seven songs all by the same composer is something of a musical curiosity, hilt that was w hat Mr and Mrs Albert'Mallinson gave Londoners at their first recital at the Beclistein Hall the other evening. It says much for the charm 'of Mr MaJlinson’s songs that they were able to hear the strain of so severe a test. Mrs Mallinsoa and Madame Ada Crosslcy' were the singers at this concert, and the composer was fortunate in having exponents of his music at once so sympathetic, gifted, and accomplished. Mrs Mallinson has a beautiful voice, under perfect control; and Madame Ada Crossley’s rich tones and intensity of expression were admirably suited to the deeper note of feeling sounded in the contralto songs, Mr Malhnson’s work revealed him as a composer of singularly refined and delicate fancy, and subtle but dainty workmanship. He is happiest in the shorter songs, some of which are almost perfect little gems of art. His choice of words shows admirable taste, and some of W. E. Henley's, Longfellow's, Stevenson’s, and Christina Rossetti’s most charming verses have been set to music which seems to catch the very essence of their poetic fancy. Among t'lp chief successes of the evening one might mention Henley’s ‘ To me at my fifth-floor window window,’ Westwood’s; ‘Slow, horses, slow,’ Kric Mackays ‘ Eleanore,’ Longfellow’s ‘ Four by the clock,’ ‘ Schon Beatris ’ (from a Spanish poem), ' and B. L. Stevenson’s ‘ Bed in summer,* while a song-cycle entitled ‘ My garden,’ the words of which are by Philip Bourke Marston, contained a melody of rare charm in the principal theme, ‘O, my garden, full of roses.’ The accompaniments, which were/tone-pictures in themselves, were admirably played by the composer. It is not at all probable that Mr Mallinson’s songs will have much suburban drawing-room popularity. For one thing, they require the most finished vocalisation to do justice to their - daintiness of expression, and in the second place the accompaniments are likely to prove beyond the powers of the average drawingroom pianist. But in the hands of artists like Mrs Mallinson and Madame Ada Crossley their merit must compel recognition. ‘Madame Lydia Titus has accepted the tempting offer held out by the Fullers, and opens at the Theatre Royal, Wellington, next Saturday. Mr Andrew Black, the celebrated English baritone, who gives farewell concerts at the Garrison Hall on Saturday and Tuesday next, tells the following amusing incident which occurred some time back when he was singing a duet with Ada Crossley at an English provincial town: “ Before we went on someone told a good varn, and Ada, having a keen sense of humor, appeared on the stage still smiling over it. 1 started, and when we came to her part she burst out laughing again. I sang her part, expecting her to take it up presently, but Ada couldn’t get a star), and the duet really became a solo. The audience encored t-lie item,- so Ada said ‘G i on, and take your encore.’ I dragged her on, and just as we were about to start site collapsed again, and wo left the stage. The German manager came round honing with rage. ‘Vat is der matter mit Crossley, eh?’ he asked me. He soon cooled down when I said sadly : ‘ Poor girl, she s not well to-night. She suffers from hysteria, vou know.’” ■ : Mr Justin Huntiy M‘Cartliy has been for some time engaged upon- a plao dealing with the career of Joan of Arc. ihe piece is now finished.' and under the title of ‘ Tim Flower of Franco’ was performed for copyright purposes at tins London Scala. ,Nlr Charles Manners says that grand opera in English is, in his opinion, probably about in the same condition, position, and state at present as the drama was some 400 years ago. There will be no performance given by f.he Fullers at. the Alhambra Theatre on Thursday evening in respect for the memory of the late Mr Scddon. A touching incident is reported in connection with the death of Mr W. J. lueson, a sub-canon of Hereford Cathedral. He was well known as a baritone vocalist, and had been ciigag- d to sing at the Hereford Choral Society’s performance ol ‘ Faust.’ Whilst in the delirium of erysipelas which caused his death his mind apparently dwelt on the engagement ho could not fulfil, for he sang Ins part —that of Valentine.

With the prolific whimsies of James M. Barrio producing play titles like ' Alien Sit-by-the-Fire ’ and ‘ AH-of-a-Suddcn Peggy,’ tbe nomenclature of the drama is likely to“become a queer and amazing thing in a few years if the usual imitators get in their fine work. Before very long ft may be that the public will be reading on the play bills and posters such alluring titles as • Just-thirty-minutos-behind-hand-Susan,’ ‘ Josoph-come-in-out-of-the-Wct,’ ‘ Do-it-now-and-don't-dclay-Delia,’ ‘ Julia-jnmp-without-a-thoughl,’ arul so on. Wbon a thing of this sort once gets a fair start there £ no telling whore it will end.

Fullers are giving rapid changes at the Alhambra Theatre. Next Saturday will see the first appearance of Hollo and Sinclair, remarkable contortionkd3. who also lift- tables and chairs by their teeth as easy a-- (hev would feathers. 71)0 Gibson Girls will make their reappearance, whilst Mr Wallace Pollard (tenor) and Miss Nellie Leslie perio) will appear for the first time. Mr William Collier’s Melbourne season will only last two weeks and five nights longer, and the shortness of his visit compelled Mr J-. C. Williamson to limit the run of - The Dictator’ to throe weeks, and the term of Richard Harding Davis's wholly admirable farce-comtdy expired on Friday. The company arc now seen in an equally entertaining ’ and laughable piece entitled ‘On the Quiet,’ with which, indeed, Mr Collier has been identified even more closely than be has with ‘The Dictator.’ Tim story of the new play revolves round the figure of a young American, Robert Ridgeway, who, after the custom of his kind, has fallen deeply in love with a young lady posseased of enormous wealth. She, howover, cannot marry without the sanction of her brother, and' his ambition for her i; a person with a title, or at least of distinguished social position. Neither of these is in the possession of poor Robeu, but the latter is so keen oh pressing Ids claim that the brother, presumably to get rid of him, advises him to go hack to college, and when he has completed hia course, promises that further consideration win bo given to the matter. Robert accepts the condition, but, being vise in his generation, persuades the maiden to a, secret marriage before hq embarks on his scholastic career. His behaviour at college and in the presence of bis beloved, however, is of so extraordinary a nature that the brother,' fearing for iho eonseepsetiees of the wonderful situations in winch hi* unsuspected brother-in-law involves himseii and hi sister, withdraws all objections, and Robert triumphantly enters upon the matrimonial state with the full approval of his bride’s guardian. Mr Collier himself plays t-hft always calm and ready-witted Kidgewuy, aikl his clover supporting company are all fitted with congenial parts.