Dramatic And Musical

Free Lance, Volume II, Issue 101, 7 June 1902, Page 17

Dramatic And Musical

By Footlight.

MESSRS. Lee and Rial must be perfetth satisfied with the business done up to date by their company of World's Entertainers in Wellington. They opened at the Theatre RovaJ on Saturday night, to overflowing business, and the flood ha«, been up to spring-tide mark ever since. It is certainly a good show , the turns introduce plenty of variety, and much of the capers and the patter are novel, while nearly all is piquant « » • Arthur Nelstone amd Elsie Forrest fiolic through a lively contract on cooperative lines. They pervert the high-stiung phrases of emotional drama into screaming nonsense, and many a bright flash is struck off. For instance, Miss Forrest convulsed the house by observing, "Maitches are made m heaven, but dipped m the other place." And she had them again when she told her coadjutor, "You are a man with a, past, but I should like one with a present." Mr. Nelstone fetched the audiemce with his imitations of well-kno-nn actois, and then joined Miss Forrest m frisking through some dance erotefeouen.es # • • The Mahr Sisters won't make Melba onwoius b^ then sin?ing, but as dancers they are all there. In fact, they leave nothing to be desired in the light fantastic line Miss Alice Mahr also does a subseciuent turn, and pirouettes very piettih through it on her toes. Such a prehensile foot is not often seen on the local stage. Miss Francis Gwvnne's songs invite no particular remark except that, one of them relating to Tommy Atkins was illustrated with coloured pictures of the magic lantern variety. On Monday meht there was a living picture of ' Lord Roberts' entry into Kroonstad, which was more interesting, but not as clear as could be wished. * • • Professor Powell is a sleight of hand artist who performs with the assistance of a lit-tle lady dressed up in Japanese style. His tricks are not new, but they are all neatly performed, and, though his patter is rather stilted, it is to the point, and not beaten out too fine. He produced the usual luggage from a kind of tambourine, and when a couple of hens emerge from the spun paper, and one of them flew off and roosted on the nearest bald head in the stalls, the gods nearly died with laughter. Then the illusionist also exhibited his travelling conns, angled gold-fish from the vacant air, mystified the audience with his connected and disconnected rings, and woundup with the familiar corded-box and cabinet trick

Mr. ('has R Sweet, the musacaJ burglar," is, the most onginal artist in the whole show He has a, rich * clown East" accent, but is a rank duffer in the burgling line, for his clothes are played out even as rags. For half-an-hour he kept the audience shaking with laughter as he reeled off his funny taJk, and vaned it w ith imitations on a convertible piano of comet banio, zithei harp, and bagpipe*,. And he capped it

ail by singing Lucky Jim" with a pathos that melted everybody to renewed mirth. * * » Josephine Grassman is a plump and comely coon singei , with a. strong contralto voice, and her little nigger piccaninnies "come on" just at the right moment to knock her sentimental tongs into shrieks of laughter. For instance, when Josephine, at the footlights, is melodiously infoiming you they're in their beauty sleep, watched over by the angels, a scene shifts and displays them fighting in bed And when they chase a leal loo^ter across the sta?e it seems needless to prolong the song in w hjoh Josephine keeps aisking, Who frew dem chicken feathers roun' mv door." • * • Kelly and Ashby die knock-about artists, and with Miss. Roberts, as a barmaid, furnish a very lively turn m a bil-hard-room set. Their acrobatic feats are clevei , and their work brisk and farcical. The Casinos are a trio of artists — Big Caisino, Little Casino and the Queen of Hearts — whose comicalities are simply 'immense." Nothing more grotesque hag ever been seen here. Mr. Geo. Lyding is the very capable tenor who was here with the Josephine Stanton Opera Company, and the soms;s he sings are given in first-class style. Altogether, it is a very bright entertainment.

Dixs Gaiety Company re-open at the Theatie Royal on Monday night with a host of fresh taJent. Among the special attractions are the Juvenile Dartos who have speedily installed themselves prune favourites wherever they havei appealed. Mr. Val Vousden, whose character impersonations haye 1 been vastly entertaining to Australian audiences, is also on hand. Pope and Sayles have leturned with more material for broad grins, and Rangiuia, the Maon tenor, will help along the cause of melody. * * * At the Opera House, the Anderson Dramatic Company revived The Ladder of Life" on Saturday, and ran it to good business up till Wednesday when the season closed. There were several changes of the original cast Miss Fitzmauriee Gill, for instance, played as the Russian nurse, which she did very effectively and Miss Masie Maxwell appeared as the heroine, Meg Meriilees, while Miss Helen Fergus gave a clever character sketch of that hard piece of goods, the baby farmer. The other parts were in the same hands as before, and the performance seemed to yield much satisfaction to the public. * # • Montgomery's Entertainers closed their season at the Exchange Hall on Tuesday, and have set out on a country tour northward ho. This bright and picturesque little show can be strongly recommended to our country cousins. They will find it to be well worth therir patronage. * * ♦ Dr. PeebW popularity as a lecturer is unquestionable. On Sunday night the New Century Hall was crowded to the doors as usual, and his discourse on "The World's Bibles and Religions A Pilgrim in Search of Truth," proved quite fascinating, so interestingly was it treated. At the close, a large number of written questions were pithily answ ered. Harold Ashton has flitted once more hack from New Zealand to Brisbane, and his name now appears as lessee of His Majesty's* Theatre there. Under the management of Tommy Hudson, Musgrovp's new dramatic company started a reason on the 20th of May with 'The Sorrows of Satan." « • * Once at a dinner party in St Petersburg, Cmquevalli, the juggler, was a&ked to do something to amuse, the company The excuse that he had none of his implements did not avail, for his host handed him a knife, fork, and potato to see what he could do with them. The great luggler, not knowing in the least what he was about to do, took them thought a moment, then suddenly

Owing to the illness of one of the principals in. hi& sporting comedy, The Sport of Kings," Mr. De L'lsle was reluctantly compelled to postpone the entertainment billed by bam for Wednesday, 4th June, to Thursday, 12th. A strong programme has been formed, and in addition to the sporting comedy, selections from Mr. I>e L'lsle's musical comedies, "The Globe Trotters" and "The Prairie Flower" will also be performed. Among the many amateurs assisting Mr. De L'lsle are Misses O'Moore, Fitzgerald, Randall, Hall and Johnson, and Messrs. Walshe, Jones, Stratton, Huntley, Hobman, Adams, Bea,umout, and (lark. ' • • Mr. Hany Richards' No. 1 Vaudeville Company is to open at the Opera House on -Thursday ntght this week, and I ha\e no doubt it will be a bumpei season. The reputation of Cinquevalli, 'the Prince of Jugglers," ought to be alone sufficient to fill the house even 7 night. But there are other attractions as well- Madame Yeamans-Titus, the clever mimic , Mr. Chas. Colbv the ventriloquist, and Miss Alice Way, the dancing doll ; Mr. Chas. Wrigley, who performs on the saxophone, clarionet, and ba&s cornet; the Diamond Duo. Miss Ida May, and Mr. Chas. Walker, cake w alkers : Miss Lelte, contralto, and Mi . Opie baritone.

flung all three into the air juggled with them for a few seconds, seized the knife, cut the potato an halves in midair, transfixed one-half upon the knife, And the other upon the foik' * » » Lettie Haimston, once of the Pollard Opeia Company, is spending a holiday m Japan, a«d, writing to "Pasqum," from, Yokohama, she says —"I nevei dreamt, when I was playing in The Geisha," in New Zealand— when, in fact, I was made up" as a Geasha — that I should leally see the genuine Geisha girls of Japan. They are very pretty, veiy polite, and decidedly graceful in. their manners. The Geisha girls have quite taken my fancy. lam "omg to interview- the authorities to see if I can take a Geisha girl back to Manila with me ,as my maid." * * * Charles Carter, of the Pollard Ouei'a Company, who leaves tor England about January, is likely to receive a send-off benefit fiom the Dunedin amateurs in December. Alfred Woods, actor-manager with the Woods-Williamson Dramatic Company, has been fined £100 in the West for giving a dramatic performance at Kalgoorlie on a Sunday. The play was "Barabbas," and Mr. Woods thought that, as it dealt with Bibhca.l people, he was justified m producing it on a Sunday.

Marcus Superbus Juhus Knight has been coming out as a lecitoi m London. v * * Janet Waldorf made a great nit" in Twelfth Night," m Melbourne, hei Viola being waimly praised. • • • Latest rumoui out is that Hanv Rickards has captured tvrO' ping-pong champions for his vaudeville sho^ » « • They say that the terms whicli Musgrove is giving Melba are £8000. with travelling expenses for twenty concerts. • * • Miss Lilian Digges is leading lady of the musical comedy company which J ('. Williamson is going to send to Ne« Zealand « • * Nellie Stewart is adding another to her versatile roles. She is going to manage The Thirty Thieves" Comic Open Company foi George Musgrovc * * * Actor Wybert Reeve and dramawriter Sutton Vane have collaborated in the production of a play of New Zealand life The new play will be pro duced in London * * * Mr Sydney Moss, the well-known Sydney musician, whom Mr. Alfred Hill succeeded as organist at the Synagogue, died somewhat suddenly in Sydney a fortnight ago, acred 48. • • • Belle Ponsonby, the handsome little vaudeville artist, who was married at Christchurch the other day to Mr. G. Campbell, is- going to settle down with her husband at Wanganui. * * * Miss Connie Buttel, Tom Pollaid's newlv-disoovered star from the business end of the Cigarette ballet, is one of the Sydney Buttels of swimming championship fame Connie herself is a swimmer and high diver of much repute • » * Mr. Philip Newbury, the New Zealand tenor, has succeeded so well in Sydney with his Newbury-Spada "pops" tthat he intends making them a permanent institution He promises a continual succession of artistes of rewute • • • George Majeroni, who was in Wei hngton with Wilson Barrett, broke down during the latter's Brisbane season, and had been advised medically to winter in Albury He is therefore employing his leisure at that far inland town in forming a Dramatic Club. *• ¥• * Some time ago Arnold Denham got judgment against John Fuller and Sons for £21 on a claim for £200 for alleged infringement of copyright bv producing "The Kelly Gang," which Benham claimed as his play. Fuller and Sons appealed against the -judgment, but have again lost A musician in Marseilles has won a wager of £40 hv playing; the piano for t\\ enty^sevein hours, onLy resting one hour and sixteen minutes during the time instead of one and a-haJf hours the time allowed. When he finished his hands were terribly swollen, and he was prostrated with a nervous attack # • * Miss Maggie Moore has once more shaken the dust of Australia from her No 3's, and struck out for the Stars and Stripes. She picks up her former leading man, the versatile Harry Roberts, in the States again, and they are to bo married before setting up another company, and collecting novelties _ for the Australian market. So Maggie says. * # • "The Runaway Girl," who is to be introduced to us a few months hence, is said to borrow largely from all sorts of sources. It is full of reminiscences of "La Periohole, "Paul Jones " Les Cloches," poor old Emmett's "Fritz," and a hundred other pieces Grace Palotf a's "Listen to the Band" is about theTTnost dashing" thing in it * * • The net ball qrame, between Sydney and Melbourne teams of buxom, bouncing damsels, is still the star item at Rickards' show in the marvellous city, but people are beginning to tire of it One critic remarks that a girl playing rushing athletic games and a cow climbing a ladder are always seen to some disadvantage. * • • A matinee benefit is being given in Melbourne for Thomas Kennedy, who first came to the colonies in 1878, in advance of the Kennedy Family of Scottish Vocalists, whose "Twa Hoors at Haine" concerts used to be so highly popular. Thomas Kennedy has fallen on evil times since then, and his days are now said to be numbered • * * They have just formed a Dramatic Society up in Auckland, and appointed the following officers — President, Mi F. Earl (a well-known solicitor); hon sec, Mr. Gresham . Hon. treasurer, MiAbel Rowe committee, Messrs. Keenan. D. C. Ingrain, J. Hall, Fiagleton, Harry Gray, E. S Withers, Dr de Clive Lowe.