Dramatical & Musical

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 75, 7 December 1901, Page 17

Dramatical & Musical

By Footlight.

THE legitimate drama is receiving very fine exposition from the Janet Waldorf Company, at the Opera House. For Friday and Saturday, the bill was "The Lady of Lyons." It was, played on both occasions, with admirable effect, to a large and highlyappreciative audience. Miss Waldorf's Pauline is a stage portrait of the highest artistic excellence • • * Claude Melnotte is a romantic and heroic part that suits Mr. Norval Macgregor's personality and style very evenly. He spoke his lines in, the scenes of love dalliance with much taste, showed much force of expression and powe of sarcasm and scorn in the passages with Beauseant and Glavis, and scored all his points with considerable skill and ease. # * * "Camille," played on Monday and Tuesday gives Miss Waldorf one of her Strongest parts One never believes that Camille is absolutely wicked. The pourtraval of the fine character by the American tragedienne is very fine. She lias had many lovers and loved none, is stricken with the passion, and Armand Duval (Mr Norval Macgiegor) is the recipient. The powerful, pathetic love scenes are inifeiitable. and the innate force of the tragedienne find*, vent in those moving passages of passion and affection * • ♦ "Romeo and Juliet," on Wednesday night, was a Shakespearian treat. Go and see it by all means. It is many a long day since so fair and sweet and tender a Juliet a& Janet Waldorf was seen on the Wellington stage, while the gallant and impetuous Romeo—"Fortune's fool," as he calls himself— is admirably presented by Mr. Norval Macgregor. It is fitting to see young artistes like these interpreting Shakespeare's tragedy of love's young dream. Mr Hanrav's Mercutio, and Mr. Harcus Plimmer's Benvolio are also entitled to honourable mention The play will form the staple of a matinee on Saturday afternoon. "Twelfth Night" is billed for Friday and Saturday nights • ♦ • The Gaiety programme is as bright and effervescent, and also as wholesome, as ever. There is much to rejoice over in the "Venetian Revels," which constitute the first part. Geo. Dean, as interlocutor, keops the fun and frolic and fugitive ditties moving at a brisk allegro pace Little Alma Gray, in her serio-comic dancing, "fetches" the audience every time. The "corner" men and the chair-folk take good care that there are no interludes of dulness • • • In the second part, Mr John Bromley is still winning kudos and encores for his tasteful tenor song&. "In Sweet September," and "Take a Pair of Sparkling Eves" get right home to the popular heart every time Geo. Dean still rings the* changes on his descriptive songs. The three Val dares (brother and two 4sters) are the cleverest "wheelers" who have ever appeared in Wellington, and that is saving a good deal. But see them, and judge Nothing seems too hard for them to do with the bike * * • Miss Olive Lenton is a charming little personality in her "coon" songs, and Richard Shepherd's mellow baritone is always welcome Tom Powers, as the burlesque cyclist, is simply sudden death to the blues. A straight face is the most difficult of feats while he capers about the stage. From the moment of his entry, upon a bike that was evidently built by the village blacksmith of some bush settlement, and with a cowbell doing duty for electric bell, until he is capsized from a carriage wheel through an adiacent stace window he keeps his audience shaking

with laughter until their sides positively aohe. Pop© and Sayles are still in urgent demand. So urgent, in fact, that the rest of the show has to wait until the •'house" will let them go * ♦ * At the Choral Hall the Ada Delroy Company still hold the floor. From the overture to the National Anthem tihere is n^ 1 .ng dull in the programme Mi«*> Ada Delroy, the danseuse, comene, and musician, gives a fine exhibit ion of her versatile talents m her musical melange with Mr. James Bell, her terpsichorean creations and her droll \ocal items being brightiv entertaining and welcome Mr. James Bell is at home in everyone of the manj paite he is called upon to perform He is a novel dark 10 in his Senegambian oddities, and in lus farcical sketch "Strate2em" he is certainly a good many points ahead cf most comedians who attempt thi.s kind of business Miss Maud Lita smgs "Once " The audience asks for Once" twice, and the cultured contralto obliges with a select song from her repertoire. Mr. Edward Ford does not "make faces," but he plays fearful pranks with tine one Nature made foi him. He is quite, distinct as a facial contortionist, and his personations are strikingly original and true Miss Lizzie Bell is a xylophonist with an artistic finish that places her in a high position as a musioian The bioscorac pictures are new, and the subjects are of great interest. The White Mahatma mystifies with her telepathic wonders, and the absorbing interest taken bv the audience in this item is unusual • * • The performance given for the benefit of the sufferers by the Oriental fire eventuated on Saturday afternoon last No particular credit is due to the public for filling the Opera House to the doors, for, apart from its worthy object, the combined theatrical companies now in Wellington gave an entertainment that should fill the house if it had been twice the =ize Miss Waldorf, the charming American, gave a finished rendering of "Rosalind," in the fourth and fifth acts of "As You Like It." The Wellington people vs ho did not co to the entertainment know what Percy Dix can do in the way of vaudeville and he certainly seiit of his best Miss Delroy, too, supplied many "turns" from her comnanv and if you have not sampled the Pelrov bill of fare at the Choral Hall the comnanv is still T>lavinar nightly A goodly sum was netted for the relief fund. [Gavtinved nrt Page IS.I

Mr. Tom Pollard has engaged an Auckland young lady amateur, who has a good voice, as a member of lus comThe Haw trey Comedy Company was to open at Invercargill on Wednesday this week. Mr Frank Musgrove is manager » • • Jolin F. Sheridan has bought the Austialasian nglit of the two sensational diamas, Honour Tliy Fathei" aaid The Greed of Gold " * ♦ * President Roosevelt hat, a beautiful cousin who is so wealtlu as to s-com filthy lucre She means to make her I rung on the stage, and has onteied into the profession rocenth * • » Talent is cheap m S\diun A onotime o\ pen sue conue man ad^ertlsos m tiho S's dnev Morning Herald" his willingness to give of his best for 3s a night, smoke concerts and charitable concerts preferred " He evidently gauges the charitable ones * » * Mr John Fuller is having his shaie of success, and his little crosses. Mr Arnold Denham is bringing a suit against him for producing what he claims to be a colourable imitation of The Kelly Gang," a piece he affirms he co righted. Mr Vivian Edwards who plays leads" with the Janet Waldorf Company is the son of Mr. J. R Edwards, a solicitor, of Broken Hill He has had a most successful career, and his talents have brought him into prominence in a remarkably short time ♦ * • A correspondent, writing fiom London, states that half the perfoimers there are doing coon songs. ' What with 'My Rainbow Coon' and 'Rosie Posey,' " he says some of them would drive you dotty Every place you go to someone on the programme is singing either of the songs." * • * MdUe Dolores, whose engagements have been so numerous and tirine, has been resting for some weks She reappeared in Melbourne on November 30, with the Philhaimomc Society, in "The Golden Legend. She now commences her promised tour of Tasmania and New Zealand ♦ * * Wilson Barrett, the dignified dramatist and classic hero was not always the admired and wealthy In 1808 MiBarrett played, harlequin in pantomime It is difficult to imagine the rotund and weighty Christian King jumping through a two-foot window and smacking the clown over the head, at 30s a week. ♦ * * In spite of pirates and competition, Charles Arnold's earnings during his colonial tour are said to be in excess of those of any company which has toured the colonies. Said that the winner of the Tattersall's biggest sweep offered to exchange it for Mr Arnold's theatrical earnings and that Charles laughed the idea to scorn * » * At a recent musical entertainment (says the Bulletin") a foieign gentleman was in the chair and lie announced "De nexta performance is de part songa, 'Salinalan.' ' Some of the audience would have preferred a popular air, but the lovers of the classical leaned back with a large, satisfied expression. Anyhow, 'Sally m Our Ally" took the whole crowd by surprise • • • As Williamson lefused Melba hei terms of £-100 a night, 10 per cent, of the gross receipts, passages for herself and maid to and from Australia, the engagement of Sahgnac, the French tenor, and opera appearances with an orchestra at the French, pitch, what can Musgroi c be giving her.-' Musgrove has well earned the title of the ' Theatrical CarnegVe," by going into tihe philanthropic business. What might have been a serious accident occurred at a theatre recently during a scene in which the beauteous herome jumps into a river to end her persecuted teriestrial existence. The property man, however, forgot to place the mattresses beneath the rock from which she is supposed to dive into the river. As she smote- the bare boards with a resounding thud, one of the gods sang out 'Be jabers, the water's frozen '" • • • Red Riding Hood" is to be the Christmas pantomime at Melbourne Princess this year. The goigeous scenery is well advanced, the music is scored, and George Musgrove and Miss Nellie Stewart are on their way fiom London with a number of burlesque artists and the dresses. Harry Musgrove and Tommy Hudson have been busy lately interviewing hundreds of applicants, and selecting from amongst thorn likely ballet and chorus people. Mr. Musgrove has stated that he is going to eclipse the glories of "Cinderella" with his new panto , but that remains to be seen.