DRAMATIC GOSSIP.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXV, Issue 9430, 3 June 1891, Page 6

DRAMATIC GOSSIP.

On May 13, a serious and painful accident happened at the Theatre Royal, Sydney, to Mr Albert Norman, an actor, well known throughout this Colony, playing the part of Silkstone, the villain, in The Bells of Hasletnere. In the last act, Silkstone terminates his career of iniquity hy being shot and falling from a bridge into the mill stream. While so falling Mr Norman struck against an iron spike used to fasten a portion the bridge and received an ugly gash, extending almost across the groin. In a few minutes Dr M’Donagh arrived at the Theatre and Mr Norman was carried to an adjoining hotel, where his medical attendant sewed up thewound, the extent of which necessitated no fewer than thirteen stitches. The cut was close to the main artery, and Dr M'Donagh expressed an opinion that the sufferer had had a very narrow escape. Mr Norman was progressing favourably when the mail left, the only danger being that inflammation might set in.

In Sydney Mr Bland Holt’s production of The Bells of Hasletnere has drawn large audiences to the Theatre Royal since its initial performance some months back. The interest of the story, the workmanlike nature of the drama, the general excellence of the interpretation, and the beauty of the scenery, have been heartily applauded on each evening of the representation. A season of light opera will commence on June 2.—-Mr George Rignpld’s highly successful season at Her Majesty’s with The Corsican Brothers came to a close on March 16. It was followed by Bartley Campbell’s drama Siberia, which was announced to run for the remainder of the season, the first production in Australia of the American importation The Country Fair being fixed for May 23 at this theatre.—The BroughBoucicault Company, at the Criterion, after a satisfactory time with Mr Sydney Grundy’s clever comedy, The Silver Shield, staged Turned Up and Barbara. These pieces were to remain on until May 23, when Jane, a farcical piece which is attracting crowded houses to» the Xiomedy’ - Theatre*

London,'was to be presented for thefirefc time in Australia.

Mr H. A. Jones, the dramatist, wa#,! when in knickerbockers, that objectionable: prodigy, the literary boy. He began tot write at the age of thirteen, but had per«J force to wait for his first success until hilt twenty-ninth year. Mr Wilson Banettl was the first manager to appreciate. Mr H* A. Jones’ abilities, and the friendship: based on the acceptance of A Clerical Erw iy in 1879, when Mr Barrett was managing ft] provincial theatre, has endured since, Mr; Jones is the dramatist of English rural life. Ho himself is a farmer’s son, and,! having passed hia early years in the! country, knows the English peasantry as, but few can. He lives at Chalfont Sb Peter, a hidden Buckinghamshire village, j There was a flutter of exoifcemsnt.at the Vaudeville Theatre on the evening of April 10 (says the "European Mail") when MU J. L. Toole, fresh from his Antipodean travels and adventures, put in an appear* auce to see the performance of Mcyvey hf ' Mr Thorne’s excellent Company. When ' the performance concluded, and the bulk of the audience filed out, it wae found that a select few who had received the friendly nod of invitation from Mr Sydney Alport, the ever-courteous and thoughtful acting manager of the Vaudeville, wereremaining behind, and in a few moments Mr Ted* was surrounded by a select bevy of hiej _ old-time friends and admirers. After the! I ceremony of welcome had been gone'l through, and a general all-round chatfl about old times had been indalgetLlfiuiH adjournment was made to the where “ friend Toole ’’ and <r friend IrvinnH met again for the first time since tool comedian’s return. On April 23, Mr Toolcn will make his first re-appearanoe on thuja London boards at hia own theatre in King] I William street, when it goes withouafi saying there will be a jammed house. ! I Our London correspondent sends the! I following items under date April 3s— ! I Sir Charles and Lady Hall£ have enJ I gaged Miss Fillunger to accompany thenf] I as vocalist on their Australian tour. j I Miss Florence Menkmeyer appears ttf 1 have taken musical Borne by storm. Hen concerts in the Papal capital are invalid ably crowded. The Queen has sent Mr Haro a beautiful scarf-pin as a memento of the Garrick Company’s visit to Windsor. The design is a crown over V. 8.1. in diamonds, ■ ( Mr H. H. Vincent, the Australian actorwhoj joined the Criterion company some months] back, is greatly praised for his Sir Olivet in the revival of the School for Scandal. ; A Pipe of Peace is the title of the two act comedy which George Alexander hatf just accepted from Haddon Chambers toj succeed The Idler, eighteen months or bok hence. 1 j Mr William Eigaold has secured thej / Australian rights of George Manvillel F sful m'jlodrr Th(

I .enn’s successful mei .ama,. ,e Foreman of the Worlcs. This is founded on the same author’s excellent novel, “ The Clerk of Porthwick.”

W. H. Vernon* who visited your part]; of the world with. Genevieve Ward) hag ' just made a big hit as the American millionaire and speculator in Bronson Howard's The Henrietta. It is an admirable piece of character acting, and generally pronounced the feature of the play,. » i Amy Sherwin was as successful in New*; castle during' the Carl Rosa season as in! Edinburgh. At the concerts which thiaj 'Company give from time to timo fbe Aus*; tralian primd donna almost invariably sings one or more of Sir William Cleaver] Robinson's songs, of which she is makings a speciality, and for whioh there is, in con? sequence, a rapidly growing demand. The English Ease scarcely promised to b«| a big hit when first produced, and ;?et the; two hundredth performance has just been celebrated and the piece still runs merrily to capital business. Unquestionably thal> Adslphi is one of the safest theatres ini London from a lessee's point of view. A good audience can always be relied providing the entertainment is a hot and strong melodrama. A farcical comedy called Our Doctors, Sir Randall Roberta and the late Joa, Mackay, was produced at Terry's Theatre, the other day. It depends for success on; one solitary idea, which grows weaker and; more attenuated as the play progresses. In order to prosecute a love affair, JaokWentw' worth, a young artist, pretends to be a medical man. He is called into consults* tion with real doctors, and endless compli* cations ensue for an hour and a half. Then the curtain finally descends. When will budding dramatists learn that one .idea] doesn't make a play, any more than one swallow makes a summer.

Business at the St James’ Theatre, where The Idler draws crowded houses, continues so big that Mr Alexander did not, like most of the West End managers, dose for Passion Week. The success of this piece has crystallised Chambers’ reputation, and he is inundated with commissions. A play for Mr Irving is the most important. leva and War, the adaptation Mr Chambers arranged for Amy Boselle and Arthur' Dacre, was spoilt by the action of the Carden Theatre (New York) management* who insisted on altering the original danouement to the great detriment of the plot. The critics cried out, and the original denouement has now been restored, bat tod late, it la feared, to save the play. Mr J. Ironbridge Oritohell informs us,; through the “Pall Mall Gazette,’ 1 that Janet Achurch has made countless cony verts to Ibsen during her Colonial tour. Ire Sydney, according to Mr Critchell, the more intelligent portion of the comma-* nity ate “ Doll’s House " mad, and divided into two camps Nora-ites and anti-Nora-J ites. Judging by the gushing and emotional critiques I have read concerning the fair Janet in certain New Zealand papers, I should judge many Maorilandera are equally bad. To correct tha Ibsen fever; I commend a large dose of Ghosts, which fit unadulterated pornography. If this does not succeed try Rasmersholm .read aloud. Very severe cases can attack Hedda Gabler. When men have had her (I mean hedda) badly they are almost invariably cured. Theatrical folks are all and always tha same. They talk and think of absolutely nothing but “shop." This gets terribly wearisome to the outsider after a time, bub once in a way actors’ gossip is by no means unentertaining. Last week, for instance, I happened to be amongst a little clique of the profession who were discussing recent successes. One of the chief men present advanced tha theory that undoubted good plays though they were, it was tbs' touch of suggestiveness, the suspicion of adultery, or worse, which drew such crowds; to The Idler and The Dancing Girl. Of coarse this was pooh-poohed, upon which! the speaker said, “ How then do you| account for the failure of Woodbarroux Farm and Sunlight and Shadow .” I said I always understood the latter was a big; hit. “Thai," replied my informant, "i#l what the public supposes, but the truthj happens to be something very different.) Sunlight and Shadow was, you remember,! wonderfully well acted and rapturously! received by a critical audience. The entire Press praised the play, dwelling strongly on its pleasant, wholesome story and George Alexander’s sympathetic rendering of the chief part. Nevertheless* the piece didn’t draw. Alexander papered the house, and ran it on and on confident that, like Dorothy, Sunlight and Shadow would presently attract. Instead of the move to the St James’ interrupting, a successful run as most people sup* posed, the management hoped the change would give the comedy a muchneeded fillip. Alexander lost several thousand pounds over this ostensible success. Ho wdo I account for the failure P Simply by the fact that the tea-cup and saucer comedy of the Robertson. Albert period has had its day. To draw the great B. P. (as distinguished from tha * regular play-goer ’) you- must have a morbid opj indecent motive, and if you can judiciously veil it, as in The Dancing GirlJ, so much the better. Look at the way these j dull pieces of Ibsen arc taking. People goj to see them out of curiosity, and becausethey’re ‘ quite too awful yer know.* ’*

Young and impecunious English gentle-j men have had a new occupation suggested! by one of them, who says that his col-j leagues number many first-class all-roond| sportsmen, who have broken their own dogs' and are familiar with ail the technicalities: of sport, and - woulch be _ j