DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 92, 5 April 1902, Page 17

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL

By Footlight.

THI- compain of amateuis who un(U>r tlif dnection of -Mi W ikL.uighhn have been plawng opeia at tlie Kmpue Bazaai m the bkating Rink, since Kastei Monda\,aie quite up to then work Planquette's chaiinmg Le, Cloches de Coiner ille ox,os with a clash that shows how thoimighh it has been icheaised duinig the past nine weeks It savs much for the pla\ ei s w hen the\ successful^ contended against the most disti acting din occasioned In the Bassaai held in the rear part of the nnk The Sorpolotte of Miss Jennie Sheen, the well-known Featherston amateur opeia singer is pla\ed with a Mvacitv and chaim that certamh entitles her to a, first place. The voung lady's excellent voice, battling against the indifferent acoustics ot the" Skating Emk and the noise at the hack was still very pleasant, and her conception of the waif's part is epocL her action vigorous and convincing and her manner engaging As the Countess de Lucenav she looked and acted the nait to the life ■* * * Mi^s Winified Biicli makes an ideal Geimame. She has the requisite piettiness, a \oiee of veiv telling (.uahtv, and an unrestrained and peifectly natural manner *\o invidious comparisons between the two principal ladies need be made. Ihev are eoually excellent. Miss Birch s 'Just "look at this" "fetched" all that part of the house who could hear her and when Mr McLaughhn had asked the bazaar to be a little more silent, Iwr ringing vastlv impioved DinePon~ " as it alwavs is, was one ot the r-hoicest morceaux. and the chorus went Twth a swing that compelled quietness at the. rear * * * Mr. F Hendiv, as the Maiquis de C'ornewlle, is very successful. ith Jo^ M^ Heait" was sweetly sung, and was his best number The Gremcheux of Mr. W. F. Maok is artistic but lacks Mgour and expei^nce. His voice though small, is of good quality, and he will certainly impiove as he gains confidence 'On Billows Rockin<r" was gi\en veiv effectively. Mr Albert M Samuel as the Bailhe fminshed a lemaikabh good pouitia\al of that pompous old bounder ' Mr Samuel's enunciation it clear and he gauges distance better thar most amateurs. His comech is luot stiff and his success was ven convincing. + •* * Mr C Zachanah as Gobo i& realK capital He makes up excellenth he is physically built for the part and ln> artistic manaeemont of a difficult role is wortln of all piaise His giotos<|uc dance will land him on the piofessional stage if he is not caicful Warm praise is due to Mr. F Dunne for his splendid conception of the pait of old Father Gaspare! The old misei'!, mannerisms *ere vei\ fanthfulh done and in the scene where he gloats over his gold he rises to a standard that w ould be still excellent m a professional It is disappointing that so excellent an amateur company should be playing under such distinct disadvantages. The companv could fill the Opera House as easily as it crams the Skating Rink The choruses are verv stroner and excellently sunp- As foi the orchestra — well, Mr McLaughhn is conducting which is sufficient praise » » ♦ The minoi paits of Gertiude, Jeanne Nanette, and Suzanne weie taken respectively by Misses O Fanner Coingan. L White, and Diiscoll. These ladies are very satisfactory. Mi T Marshall's small part of Chnstophe was nicely done. Messrs Leader Williams and Gil Hoskins are responsible for the pretty scenery Madame C'learv for the dresses, and Mr. Callaghan for the mechanism. Mr. W. P. McLachlan a.s stage manager, was highly successful and Mr. F. Wise, the perruquiej- fixed up the hirsute adornments in his wellknown high-class style. It will be -eew by advertisement eilsewhere that The Pirates of Penzance" vs to be presented on Tuesday and following nights. There is a good chance of both operas being seen m the Opera House aftei a while # • » Dix's Easter crowd and Dix's "Easter programme were both very fine samples On Saturday ni<dit succeeding Good Friday, the house was packed pi omen-

<ide and all, and the audience en]o\ed itselt with iiohday enthusiasm. The Allisons ,'ie tle\ci. Coming m as an old man and an old woman lespectn el\ , thev mako\ocal lemarks consistent w ith their alleged anti<iuit\ , and the audience laughs Then, Luc\ sa\ s she feels about se\enteen, although she looks se\ent\, and she gviates a little a,s it she had iheumatism, and finallv bieaks out m iealh quite a giddy style ioi one so ancient Next Jamrs is shocked, but his left leg snnplv will damce until all of him is going at the jate of knots Appealing again, Luc\, damtil\ diessed in a black beaded costume and James in evening dress, the pan sing a clcncr song, ajul dance many twinkling with tieinendous vim. Luc\ can skip too, quite wonderfully, and James, appearing alone looks foi «>ll the woild like an animated corksciew defth spun bv olectiicit\ * * " James Haivc^ and Madge Moms pio- \ ide. a \en no\el turn " Mi Haiis a songstei, a, jugglei , <m nnitat01, and in all thiee he excels As Wilson Banett, Johinn Shendan, Bland Holt Inmg Sa\ les 01 John C'oleman. he gives fine samples of the work of those se\eial stais and, m combination with the daintv Madge, he sings duets which aie \en smait and free from inanity. He does a quaint juggling feat with bouncing balls and bottles of beer, and wooden hoops, and his cleverest feat is the quite staitling lugglmg on his upturned feet of a dummv man The footballers in the front row, helped b\ the hunch eds of people behind them re-called the clever pair again and again Wallace King Miigs Backwaul, O Time, in Your Flight " with splendid effect. The veteran's effortless vocal sweetness penalises him. The penalty on Saturday night was Rock Me to Sleep Mother," sung with hue pathos. Still unsatisfied, the audience fairlv veiled foi the favourite 'Sally in Our Alle\ ," and, as the la&t note died away, the roof lesounded to the huirahs and handclaps of a thoroughly satisfied audience. Miss Silvim appears as a balladist this week. In simple touching songs Miss Silvim shines, instils into them much art, and delicacy and in hoi new line is ciuite a success. She has a charming manner and a voice of much excellence Her versatility is remarkable Sivrom, more like a piece of spring steel than ever, sings ludicrous songs as a preliminary to his de\ er, grotesque act His ''turn" is probably the hardest regarded physically, on the bill and it is certainly among the finest artistically. The Lingaid Si&teis weie welcomed back veiy warmly on Saturday night, too. Thej do some damtv dancing, and warble sweetly. Their Belle of Charcoal Allej '' is a daik subject lightly clone, and is among their best items. There are se\ eral othei people >ou ha\ e seen before, and t-he> help the show along wondertulh A faice is in working ordei again, Alf. Law ton, the comic gentleman from Munka, appearing as Major Ball Miss Beiyl Gilman, the soprano songstiess, is to be heaid night1\ and many others with a talent for some line of amusement gn e of then best and keep up the reputation of the bright compatn to which they belong. Those who like sensation, and plenty of it aie enjoying a nightly feast at the Opera House just now. The Laddei of Life " with which the Anderson Dramatic Company made then debut before a full audience on SatuicLn night, would open the eAes of Bland Holt himself From a spectacular point of mow it is realistic to a degree, and the management have certainly gone to veiv considerable expense m piovidmg stnkmg sceneTs and adequate stage effects. The drama itself is full of vigorous situations and the \illams of the piece go m for wholesale contracts in the slnlhngshocker or ponin -dreadful line while \irtuo passes thiough tiials enough to freeze, the blood and blanch the leddest hair before it gains its piedestmed lew a rd * * * The dramatis persona 1 compiise a much - persecuted and greath -maligned lieutenant of the Fighting Gordons his rascally cousin who pursues him with taroless malevolence a Russian lefugee nurse and her Nihilist enemy an anommous youngster like Japhet in search of a father — and mothei — the Gordon lieutenant's- sweetheart, several acrobatic Highlanders from Whitechapel, a lively Cocknev 'Arriett in love with a Gordon sergeant, and a mixed lot of Ghooikhas, Afridis khaki warriors, and Wellington bandsmen and navals * * * There is a good deal of miscellaneous excitement in~Act I. but Act II snnph romps, off with the belt for that kind of tiling It opens among the heaghts of Dargai in the mountainous frontier of North- west India and fills the Opera House with the fumes of blank cartridge gunpowder before it passes away. One is filled with admiration at the

calmness with which a. Wellington bra&b baud and a detachment of Wellington Na\als maich about those mountain fastnesses m the intervals between blood> engagements on the stage. Foitunateh , the wauiois on both sides manage to blaze aw a\ a few yaids apart without decimating each other. Theie is also a hospital ambulance scene, into which a troop of Gordons aie nvaiclved and a wounded lieutenant, stung into vigour by a false charge of tieachci>, jumps fiom his bed, and leads a chaige against the enemv. The disembaikation scene at Devonpoit dock va ids fills the eye with martial coloui, and the ears with military music, both of the blazon and bagpipes varieties But the foundry scene, wherein thiee acrobats, fOlf 01 m a ladder of life" to lescuo one of the heroines, from an impending steam hammer, caps the climax of and works the pit up to a legulai hysteria of excitement. The company is quite e<|Ual to the coutiact m hand. Miss Fitzmaunce Gill, as Meg Mernlces, makes a chaimmg heioine and Mr Chas. Blake v a \oungNew Zealand a,ctor, who has made gicvit stndes in his profession, is a gallant Gordon Highlander lieutenant. He hais a, good stage presence, speaks his hues with excellent judgment, and acts without bombast or other forms of exaggeration w Inch so often mar histrionic pea form a noes. Mr. Laurence Dunbar, who is also a New Zealander, takes the part of the arch-plotter and villain of the. piece, and shows no famt-hearted-ness about it either, while Mr. Frarik Hawthorne scores numerous points in the light comedv rolei of Sergt. Donald McDougali. Miss HeJen Fergus, as the Russian refugee, Miss Hilda Fraser as Mary Jane Jolliboy, a London slavey, and Mr. Frank Harcourt, as the Nihilist spv all gave a good account of themselves At the disembarkation scene, Miss Kathleen Dugeran "came on" in the ga.rb of a Gordon Highlander and sane "The Gordons to the Front." There will be a change of programme on Saturday meht when "The 10.30 Down Express" will start its career. * » * The Ministry provided a crow dec! assemblage, in the Sydney-street Schoolroom with a free show on Wednesday night. It was an exhibition of the kinematograph views taken bv Maior Pern 7 , of the Salvation Army, to the order of the Government, for the purpose of pieserving an. enduring record of the ro\al visit to New Zealand. The pictures embraced the receptions, etc., at Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Ohnstchurch and Dunedin, and whenever a familiar figure came to life on the screen the beholders made haste to greet it Up at Rotorua, Special Commissioner Freeth seemed to be watching the apparatus with a suspicious eve for he A\as constantly cropping up -with a ' take me in this style" expression. Other prominent public men were also causrht in poses more or less plastic A gi eat sensation was produced w 1 en George Fisher was seen striding up the Queen's Whaif m majestic dignity, and the o\ ation that he received from the elite of Wellington seemed to touch him to the heart on Wednesday night. Mr. Commissioner James Coates made a ver> gratifying impression, and Royal Commissioner Holmes looked the very glass of fashion. Grandfather Phmmer occupied a, fair share of one him, and a mixed lot of 'happened-to-be-thei es" came oxit into more or less prominence. The views on the whole though Mere indistinct, and there was so much flicker about them that the exhibition left a gieat d««l to be desired. Perhaps, these defects are only due to causes that ma\ be eas-ily remedied. If so, it would be worth while to repeat the dis-pla-s in a larger hall so that the public at laiee might have a chance of seeing it Mr. R A. Loughnan by the way, acted as lecturer at the exhibition. i Continued on pti(/e lti.)

Williamson's Alice in Wondoiland" speculation was a inoiuitai\ tailuie The company disbanded attoi the Biisbuu' season * * » Miss Jessie Ramsa\ of Pollard's Opera Compam is to bo mariied to Will Peicy, of the same cmnpam m Dunedin, duung Slav * * * The sudden death is announced fioin Cardiff of the mid got Known a« 'Majoi Mite " He was 31m high <n\(\ had appeared, before io l^^ * • * The plague rat has spoilt <-how business m Sydnev to such ai 1 extent that an actor recently m Wellington declares 'There'll only be o>ne place woith showing in piesently and that's the quaiantme, grounds " » ♦ ♦ Tu S\ dues at the Tnoh, Han\ \(,st is most appiopnatelv singing consnleuna the plague disclosures The Shantv m Tumbledown Alle\ " Pinports to be written by a landloid anxious to continue to draw rent at 100 r>ei cent, on capital value fiom a rat-infest-ed hovel. * * * Miss Maud Beatty (Mrs Mil burn) is in Melbourne, and just a,bout to take flight, along with her husband for Home so as to be in time for the coronation Afterwards she purposes soekmg an engagement as principal bm in companies torn ing the Fnglish piovmces * * » Hanv Rickaids lias inci eased Ins team of net-ball players to twenty sliapeh a.nd more or less buxom damsels Betting eoes on fieelv on the eame everv night, especially in the stalls and backers shout out to the gills "Plav up Maudie" "Go it, Grace" and so on. * * • Mr Cha.s Blake now playing at the Opera House with the Anderson Dramatic Company, is a Wanganui natn e having been born in that pieturosouo town some twenty-nine years aeo He has plaved leading roles with Hpokp Rignold Walter Bentlev, Chas HoMowav, and Anderson. This vounsr lead is possessed of a fine stage presence and with a voice to match. Blake is proud of the fact that he i<= a New Zealand01 and thinks there is no colonv hi e Maoriland. * * * Amv Castles has- arrived in Australia and is to give her opening concert at the Melbourne Town Hall on Apnl 9th If she comes to New Zealand— and Harold Ashton w rote, Mr. J C Williamson fiom Wellington strongly advising a New Zealand tour — .she will be supported bv Sign or Dani, the great tenor from the Italian Opera Company, probably al<-o Signor Bozzoli, the magnificent bantone from the same compam some contialto of repute, and Herr Bo'ino Seheiek as musical director I believe that dates in May are already pencilled at the four cities * • * Miss Ada Willoughby, who has been playing the principal boy m Aladdin," at Sydney Royal tin us out to be the wife of Geoigc Willoughby, a well - known member of the company which Charles Ainold brought to Wellington early last year. He is privately know nas George Willoughby Dowse, and has taken action for di\ oroe, the co-respondent being Reginald L. Sheldrick, who has made no defence Evidence as to misconduct .shown, and the case stands in abeyance while the judge thinks ovei how petitioner stands in the mattei . * * * It appears that the death of Warw lck Gay nor, the operatic baritone (so well known in these colonies) was involved m myste-i > . He wasui w ork — playing at the New York Opera House. On the night of June 18, he was found bruised and wounded m his room at 202, West Tluitv-four-street, where he boarded and was taken to the hospital m a dazed condition. How long he had been m the state in which he was found is not known, neither in the inquiry held did it transpire how he came bv the mlunes received His landlady's theoi v is that he had been drupreed, beaten and robbed in a tenderloin bar-room Madame Camilla Urso, the distinguished violoiuste who died in New York on January 20th, paid tw o professional visits to Wellington, the hist about 1880, and the second in 1894 when «.he was assisted by Signor and Signora De Vere Sapio. Camilla Urso was a child prodigy, making her debut at the age of seven Hen- fathei a Sicilian organist and flautist onteied [her at eight veais old at. the Pans Conservatoire of which she was the first girl student At eleven she went to Vmerica and since then always looked upon it as hei home Hei hobb\ was stamp collecting and w lien on ton i her most precious goods weie her tw c beautiful violins which she kept wrap ped up in silk handkerchiefs in then cases when not using and hei his book of stamps