Dramatical & Musical

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 74, 30 November 1901, Page 17

Dramatical & Musical

By Footlight.

M[SS Janet Waldorf has started well with, her season of legitimate drama, at the Opera House. lAs You Like It" is the most tender and charming of all Shakespeare's comedies, and Miss Waldorf takes the sweet and gracious part of Rosalind as li: native and to the manner born A daintier Rosalind has not been seen on the colonial stage since Hilda Spong left it, and Janet Waldorf need not fear comparison even with Hilda Spong. She is shapely of figure, and v, insome of face, a handsome brunette, with mobile features, lissom and graceful action, and a well-modulated voice, whose contralto quality assisted her m successfully counterfeiting the mannishness which Rosalind has to put on while she masquerades as Ganymede. * * ♦ Miss WaJdorf's Rosalind is in sooth a delightful and vivacious study, free from the slightest trace of affectation or self-consciousness. It is thoroughly artistic, for the actress is merged m her part. It suits her because she is young ajid possesses just the kind of pei&onalvty the dramatist had in view She speaks her lines with the aptness of expre/ssion which proceeds from intelligent apprehension of the meaning, and herb\-plav in the passages of love dalha.nce is realh chaiming. * • * Mi. Noival Mecgregoi is. a young and capable actor, who gave a capital impersonation of Orlando It was a ver\ even performance aJI through, for even the smallest parts were worthily sustained. More often than not the small parts in a "star" performance are completeh smothered or hopelessly bungled Mr Harry Douglas was excellent as the melancholy Jacques, and received a hearty round of applause for his recital of "The Seven Ages of Man." Mr. William Fitchett looked too callow a youth for Touchstone, the philosophic clown, but he spoke his lines with clearness and much point Mr Fred. Patev made a favourable impression as the banished Duke Mr Harcus Plimmer was welcomed with a round of applause on his first entry, and admirably sustained the pai tof Sylvius Miss Floronce Bartlett as Ceha Miss Alice St John as Phoebe, and Miss Maiie DAlton as Audrey were all good * * * The romantic drama of Ingomar" was staged on Wednesday night and seined to nonfiim the favourable opinion which was produced b> the company's Shakespearian performance Miss Waldorf made a great success of the part of Parthema, the Gieek maiden and the role of Ingomar, the Barbarian chief afforded Mr Noi\al Macgiegor the scope and opportunity which he lacked as Orlando ''The Lady of Lyons" will be presented on Friday and Saturday * ♦ ♦ At Dix'b Gaaety there is a pronounced and permanent smile scattered around among the nightly audience at that place of amusement. A smile of more than ordinary magnitude got loose on Monday night last, when a lady fiom the country witnessed the "Ethiopian Monarch," Irving Sayles, in one of his finished absurdities. The lady quite routed the dark gentlemen, and drowned their gentle mellifluous warbling with her laughter. Unfortunately, she could not stop w r hen desired, and became hysteric As Savles says, "I must be funny '' * * * Mr John Bromley is a tenor with a sympathetic voice of resonant quality, and a piano on which he accompanies himself His 'Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes," from the "Gondoliers," is a fine performance Go and hear it Zobedie has not vet accomplished the feat of walking upstairs on his eyebrows, but if the management said he could, ho would most assuredly try He is as far away above ordinary gymnasts as is possible Naturally, his simpler feata are applauded most highly It was ever thus -r ♦ # Mr Ted Box has given up whistling; He sings several songs His sons; in which ho appeals in a "robe de nuit" is poor. He is not built for that kind of thing Animation and humour are moie in his line Fortunately he m aliases to get in a good song or two to counteract the drear effect of his new night-gowned warble Professor Dan La Mont and his dogs are favourites T

fancy the continual somersaults is telling on the small oamne gymnast which does 25 or so consecutive "paw" springs backwards. His larger mates are thriving wonderfully, and have barked and jumped themselves to a front place in their profession. • * * Johnny Collins appears this week in a beautifully fitting and well-starched white linen coat, wid a shamrock in his buttonhole, and Mr George Dean has found a few more songs and things to charm and interest lias audience. Little Fanny Pow ors is dancing prettily and Beattie Galardi does a "turn." If there is a moment's spell, Pope and Savles come out to fill a gap by opening up two very tolerable gaps of their own Their perennial fooleries, as I have shown, produce hysterics if you are not fulh under control The Ada Delroy Company, now shownig at the Choral Hall, is a combination of more than ordinary excellence. Many of our old friends are there, with olever business, and the whole show goes w ith a vivacity that pleases the audience, and does credit to the company Miss Delroy is, whether in song and dance, musical sketch, or coupled with Mr James Bell and their sleigh bells, as bright, fiesh, and entertaining as she ever was Of Mr Bell himself, it is hard to say what he cannot do. He does a nigger ' turn" that is quite novel His jokes are not inane, and his business" is artistic. As a mummy, introduced into a farcical sketch, Mr. Bell shows his versatility strikingly Contralto Miss Maud Lita's fine voice is welcomed warmly. Mr. Edward Ford's only properties are his face and a chau . His facile facial gymnastics are quite the cleverest thing in the line I have seen. The bioscopic pictures are of great interest, and comprise moving scenes of historical, modern, and humorous events. The teipsichorean creations are quite novel, particularly that in which the dancer, bv skilful manipulation and airy fabrics, apparent1\ becomes incinerated as per Rider Haggard's 'She " Miss Lizzie Leslie is a lady of exceptionally pleasing appearance, who plays the xylophone exquisitely, though without much blazon of trumpets. The marvels of telepathy, as shown by the White Mahatma', I do not try to explain Sufficient that the lady has an unusual power in this direction of telling the numerous w ntten questions, which Madame had no chance of seeing no mistakes were made, and many answers were startling Undoubtedly, the Mahatma's "turn" is the most attractive item on a fine programme. • ♦ # The grand matinee, to be given by the whole of the theatrical people now m Wellington on Saturday afternoon, aid of the sufferers bv the "Oriental" fire, should fill the seats and the aisles of the Opera House to overflowing The pioceeds are to be entirely devoted to the needs of the sufferers, whether they belong to the theatrical profession or not It is the dut\ of the people of Wellington to patronise this matinee, and it certainly will be a very pleasant rluU All the best and brightest talditions from local amateurs (Continued on Page 16.)

"Faust' will be the opening production of the return season of the Italian operation at Melbourne • ♦ » Wilson Barrett opens his New Zealand tour at Dunedin on the Ist of Januarj . 1902. Brisbane a\ lli be vi&ited after Maoriland. • • • Mr. George Musgrove's attraction tor Christmas wiJJ be Red Riding Hood." During the season the comic operas "The Fortune Teller" and "The Singing Girl" will be produced • « • The Williamson Comic Opeia Company were to open in Sydney this week. "Florodora." "The Casino Girl," 'The Gondoliers," and The Old Guaid" <ue their chief stock in trade • ♦ • J. H Maccann, the conceitma king, who lias returned to London from a fheMnonthV tup to the United States, will go to Australia, under engagement to Harry Rickards • » • Mr. Dix will lutve the. heartiest sympathy of the public m his effort to ehmtnate from the halls under his control the unnecessary indecency which those pornographically inclined are apt to characterise as 'piquant." — "Prompter," in the "Canterbury Times " • • • Mr. A. Clark representing "The Message from Mars," Company, has arrived in New ZeaJazid, and is now in J.nrereargill, making arrangements for the opening of the company there. They start tlheir Christchurch season at the Theatre Royal on Boxing night Rodda Perry a phenomenal male alto, will be one of Dixs next big stars. His voice is of exceptional range and beautiful quality, and has. quite captivated the Australians. For some time Perry toured with Philip Newbury, and he has just concluded a starring tour, under the management of Lemmone. • * * Bland Holt is going strong at Melbourne Theatre Royal, with "Hearte are Trumps," which is said to be worth going a long distance to see. Walter Baker, as the persecutor, is in a new role. Miss Francis Ross, as a society teader, wears some magnificent costumes, while Albert Norman plays the hero, an artist • » » "The Casino Girl," by the Pollards, is now the reigning attraction in Auckland Miss Wilmot Karkeek, Miss Zoe Karkeek, Miss Gertie Campion, and Miss Nina Osborne play the leading "lady" parts, the first-named filling the title role. Maud Beattv and Mar Beattv are not in the cast. • • » Christie Palmerston. who died lately in Borneo, was son to Madame Carandina, the once famous vocalist, and therefore brother to Rosina (Mrs Palmer), Fanny Jessie, Isabel (Mrs. Cotterell), and Lizzie Carandini. In his day he was reckoned one of the best bushmen in North Queensland, and shot many a blackfellow in self-defence • » * Mdlle. Antonia Dolores (Trebelli), the world-famous soprano, will positively begin her New Zealand tour at Wellington early m February next The dates for this colony were originally fixed for October last, but the great success achieved in the Commonwealth States induced the songstress to prolong her stay in that country. Mdlle. Dolores «s accompanied by Mr. Clarence NewaJl, a brilliant pianist The Jubilee Singers displayed some originality in announcing their arrival in Hobart. Suspended from the balcony of the hotel they were quartered in was a hfe-buoy, bearing on the outside "S.S. Monowai, Dunedin," in the centre of which was a neat sketch of a ship showing signals of distress, while written large upon the skyline and water were the appropriate words, "Saved from the sea." • » » Basil means sheepskin, in a tanned state, and it is a current trade word among saddlers. So Basil Gill, who plays the despondent young lover in some of Wilson Barrett's dramas, is known behind the scenes as Leather Gills. A man can't be too careful m choosing his stage name » » * While the Monowai was drifting helplessly about the Tasman Sea, the passengers amused themselves in a variety of ways. One of the most absurd and successful, says the "Bulletin," was a glove contest to a finish between Max Eugene, Musgrove's baritone, the laigest man on board, and Kuhr, the jolly little feLlow who blows his soul through the French horn in the orchestra. The battle raged furiously through innumerable rounds and resulted in a knockout, Kuhr swinging his right to© on to the boss corn of Euerene's left foot. The baritone was counted out, and Kuhr was then invested with the ship's champion belt and took the last cake in the Monowai 's larder.