Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume III, Issue 125, 22 November 1902, Page 7

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

DEX'S Gaiety Company has, dooosed the gay company of politicians m the vaudeville business on the boards of the "Royal," and seems to be catching the electois and others in shoals. There is a robust hilarity about the new Dix bill, and from the first notie stiuck bv the piano the business buzzes cheerfully. The artastic and highly-diverting semi-pathetio duo, by Oallahan and Mack, is taking premier place in the opinion of the audience, and the Insih baepipes, combined with the rich comedy of the pair make ud a "turn" thaiti would be hard to excel on the vaudeville) sta^e Mr. Brown-Parkef, a first appearant on local boards, punches a ball. Sounds silly, doesn't it? But, if you have not Been the way a skilful puncher might deal with you in an obstreperous moment, waboh the lithe Yankee "get all over" that leather wind bag. The turn is the acme of "race and dexterity. B.P. is quick of hand and eye, for he makes a common walking-stack perform some marvellous evolutions, with a finish and ramdity that a drum-major mi "Jit envy. It is. an uncommon act, and lecedves its due reward in applause and encores'. * ♦ • Frank Clark and Olive Lemton do an exquisitely humorous burlesque on the "Marvellous Dartos' " well-remembered act. Olive is extremely frolicsome, and, in her especial way, out-Dartos madame of that name. Suspended like a favourite locket from Mr. Clarks waistcoat, embracing that gentleman in a perfectly novel way, Olive gets roars of approval. Frank's French — "La VaJse," "Le Polka," "Le Co-tee'-yong" — is quite Parisian. Mr. Clarke, as am encore, does a savage dance with a sawdust Olive, and the way Frank manages an eye-glass, a crush hat, claw-hammer coat, and a dummy, would break vr> a graven image. * * * Mr. Ernest Fitts, the favourite baritone, is singing as well as ever. His "Harvest Days" was sung with much expression, and "Ding-Donp " one of his old favourite® was quite the best of his four items. Miss Jennie Johnstone, who hias became a firm favourite, gave "Irene," and had to give somebody else as a penalty, and Miss May Lewis, the fascinator with the uncommon coifFure, explained the doings of "Mr. Harris in Paris," and let some light into the doings of dharitv schools generally. Sam Howley and Joe Cowan, on their respective corners and in comic vocalism, are ever hard workers. The American Bioscone fills in a pleasant ten minutes, and "Love, Divorce, and Poison," a "screamer," tops off. * « « Mr. J. C. Williamsons Musical Comedy Company have two of the best things in the bright and breezy line in "The Runaway Girl" and "San Toy." "San Toy" has been keeping big audiences amused for the past few nights. As usual, it has not much purpose ex-

cept to charm by its sparkle. Critics complain of lack of plot but the avei age theatie-goe<r does not want to be worned with plot set to music * Standing out me-eminently in the cast is till© performance of Mis& Rose Musgrove as "Lilee San Toy," the vola.tile girl child, who has been brought up as a boy for musical comedy reasons. Miss Musgrove is charming, and her artless love-making to heir adored Bobbee," Captain Preston (Mr Arthur Ciane) i& one of the most attractive feartures Mr Crane is not as iespon*ive 01 as natural as could be desired but his voice is a good one and he sing sweetly. The "A. 8.C." duet, in which he instructs "Lillee San Toy" in tilie intricacies of the English alphabet., is excellently rendered the voices

Mr. Fred. Graham, as "Li," a private secretary, who does not do any writing, but who is either intoxicated oai stolen eaiu d© cologne, or doing lew ocmedy things in a quaint and clever nay, is decidedly good. Li might be made am extremely depressing part, but Mr. Grar ham's diversions raise it above mediocrity. His topical hits, including an eulogistic verse road from the back of ai fam, on. Dick Seddon, caused ham to restore serveiral timesi to writs new veises, and to give them with characteristic vim. * * * Miss Lilian Dirges, as a lady's maid, was associated with the clever Mr Gra.hiam in, many humorous items. Miss Digges is volajtilo and clever and her assumed lisp 1 is evidence that she belongs to the mo§t modem school of comediennes. Her agility is surprising. Bv the way, for some unknown reason, Li is given charge of the Emperor's female bodyguard. Mr. Graham, in a pigtail, ■assuming the manner of a typical army man, is one of the quaintest things in the paeco. "Aw I say, look heah," he says, as he parades his troops, "which of vomaw — JohnnlJes — is Lieutenant Kanisp^ p " This is invested with sudh comic exa<?geration tihat it tickles the crowd immensely.

ot the paiir blending ricihlv. "It's nice to be a> boy sometimes" is a witching little thing, and Miss Musgrove instils into it real art Mr Claude Bantock, as "Yen How," the mandann father of 'San Toy," is a comedian of a hi^h order. His solemn \ lsa^e never allowed a real smile to cross it, and his officialism was highly diverting. Also, he scored a, great success in a sow*;, 'Six Little W yes," the six charming little women m blue being poems in blue. As Yen vocally threatens each one with immediate' extinction if they are not good, they retire behind a huge yellow umbrella, until the much - married one is an apparent gracs widower. The effects to surround this clover song are extremely picturesquei

Mr. Graorcr© Lyding, as a gentLeman in khaki, has noi particular place in tihe unfolding of the plot, except to sing song here and tiheire, which he manages vetry nicely and tine Emreror of China (Mr. Oharles Troode) is especially remarkable for his love for nice little girls and tlhe artificial way he chuckles at a lady dancer. Mr. James Hughes, as a> loud-voiced Chinese student, who wants tr> marry San Tow, is big, and bold, and unconvincing, and a heap of people, with more or less quaint Chinese names), fill their respective partis with much credit. The choruses are full-throated vigorous, and musical, the dressing and staging; are quite uncommon, the illuminations being particularly fine, and the whole of tine Williamson people put their soul into this production of a very satisfying performance. (Continued on page 20.)

She "Will you take pait in oui theatricals' 3 " He "Aw — weally — I — aw — should so like to What shall I take 0 ' She "Tickets." Ladies have recently been taking Kindly to the theaitrical managing business. The latest recruit is Miss Fitzmaunce Gill, well remembered as leading lady with George Rignold. ' He is thinking of launching out as a theatrical manager this winter." 'I did not suppose he was fitted for that sort of thing." "Oh, yes a relative who died recently left him a fur-lined overcoat." ♦ * • While on her deathbed, a Sydney firm of solicitors were inquiring for Miss Ada Willoughby. as "she would hear of something to her advantage." They found out her whereabouts easily enough but too late * * * Adelaide "Critic's" critic has a oueer idea, of abbreviation. He calls Saturday night, "Satuxnight " and the dark of the fifth day, "Frinight " He cannot reconcile the terms Fri "day" and so on to his sense of the fitness of things. * ♦ * Sandow narrowly escaped the fate of weaker man at Sydney Tlvoh , on, his appearance there. While he was doing his Limb of Hercules "turn " and supporting all his weights and six men on hi 9 chest, his cream performing horse baoked on the stage, and was stopped within an inch, of the platform. Had he pushed it from its balance, it would probably have either fractured or flattened his skull Sandow commenced to support half-a-dozen Aucklandeis on one hand, and to cause a boom in ''developers," last Monday. After he has finished up there, he will repeat these things under Wellington auspices. Other "strong" people with Eugen are Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Drew sketch artists Professor McCann, the concertina k:no- Mark Antony, society entertainer Ray Jones soprano Nita Leete contralto and Little Fanny Powers • * * Val Vousden, who did the Dix cncuit recently as a ventriloquist and imitator, sued Harry Rickards the other day Mr Backards engaged him for twenty-four weeks, but Vousden only played nineteen weeks for him Hatrrv wouldn't pay the return fare to America. Breach of contract, brought about bv Vousden wringing a fowl's neck on the stage, spoiling his show. Vousden finished his engagement by doing twelve weeks with Mr. Dix still under the Rickardian engagement. Extra w r ecks with Percy in exchange for fare. Verdict for Riokards. * • » The worm, will turn ' A well-known idol of the silly girl who giggles in the stalls, recently gave one of these fair gigglers a decided set back. He had been pestered with the charmer's unwelcome attentions, said attentions being, in the main, bouquets and letters, to which he made no response. The other night he received a bunch of violets, and nestling between the leaves was the lady's card, upon whioh was pencilled: "Violets are for love." During the interval the flowers were returned, also the card, on which the actor-hero had penned- "Violets are also for modesty." There is a vacant seat in the stalls now. The man who dives two hundred feet into a tank is common, the person who rides a bike down an artificial precipice is not unusual, sliding down a wire rope by the teeth is ais old as the hills, and lifting half-a-ton with one hand is hard work. But, a chap named Gorman, "who oalls himself a human pincushion, is stabbing himself with eight-inch hatpins in Africa, to slow music, and the tinkle of silver. He eats glass tumblers as easily as ice cream, allows a muscular person to break paving stones on his chest, and, with an ordinary anvil poised upon his manly bosom, a blacksmith, in his pay, makes a horse Ishoe thereon. He discovered his insensibility to r>ain in his early youth by sitting on a big darning needle, the presence of which he knew nothing of until he disrobed. Since which time he uses hat-pins in preference.