Dramatic And Musical

Free Lance, Volume V, Issue 247, 25 March 1905, Page 14

Dramatic And Musical

By Footlight.

I LIKE ' The Pirates of Penzance" best of the first thiee pu oductiont, of the Williamson Repeitone Ope, a Company. The public, too, like it amazingly — whether best or not is immaterial—but the Opera House has been doweled to the doors every night it ha*> been on, and encodes were wa.s numerous as Victor Trumper's boundary hits. If you were there, on Satuidiay night, you doubtless saw Trumpeti yourselt, along with his chum, J. J. Kelly, learning acro^ the barrier at the back of the dire'&s circle, watching the stage spectacle oblivious to all else. The champion batsman of the world puts on no style nor any side — not even a ckiwhammei — and parsed almost unrecognised. # However, that is merely by the way. The picturesque httle opeia was btaged with two very fine sets of scen6i y one depioting a charming little sandy beach on the Cornish coast, with the blue waters lapping gently on the stiand, the other the ruined abbey of the Major-General's, purchased ancestors. The costumes, too, of the bevy of daughtets, twenty-one all told, were chic and dainty to a degree and the stage action was bright, gay, and exhilarating. * # * The part of Mabel fits Miss Dolly Castles like a glove, and' her opening song, "Poor Wandering One," with its scale passages and runs, placed l hei ait once on capital terms with the audience. She sustained her part, too, m the various pretty concerted numbens with much sweetness, and spoke her Ime^ with point and auchness. But the two hneist characterisations on the cast were Miss Ceha Glnloni's Bmth, "the piratical maid of all work," and Mi. F. Wilson's Pirate King. Mass Gluloni didn't make up, of course, to look her forty-seven years, but she entered heart and soul into the .humour of her role, and left no suggestion of make-believe about it. Her boisterous laughter in the "Most ingenious paradox" trio and her hoydenish by-play with the amorous Sergeant of Police kept the whole house on the giggle. Her singing, too, was very effective, and "When Fredenick was a Little Boy" never missed its encore. * •* * Mr. F. Wilson made a fierce and deteirmined Pirate King ,and sang hi^ song with one foot on the cask and the black flag in his hand with rousing effect and first-class enunciation. Mi . Howard Vermon looked the very model of a model Major-General, and has stage business was both clever and amusing, but his singing was severely handicapped by a cold. Mr. Walter Whyte, the Auckland tenor, made his debut in the role of Frederick, and produced! a very favourable impression. He is still rather green to the stage, and naturally enough his action is rather stilted, and his attitudes and! gestures lack ease and variety, but he certainly has a tenor voice of good qualiitv robust, flexible, and of fine compass. His method is artistic, and his only drawback is a nasal intonation. His share of the music was sung with undoubted success, and the marks of popular favour were frequent and emphatic. • • • Mir. Ernest Fitts, who was very wooden when he first left the concert stage to join the Pollards, has developed quite a fund of dry humour, and shows a decided knack for buffo parts. His Sei^eant of Police was one of the best I have seen. As for his sonigs and his contribution to the "Tarantara" chorus, they were excruciating. Mr. John Italston's mellow baritone gave such fine expression to the music of Samuel that one felt sorry there was so little scope for him. • • ♦ As Edith, Kate, andl Isabel, Misses De Loitte Thorne, and Annfield were dainty little maidens of an even size, and they sang very sweetly. All the choruses were rendered with delightful swing and orispness and the orchestra gave steady and reliable support. The ensembles, in fact, were positively delishtfnl. f "The Mikado" is due on Thursday night, and will hold the boards for the rest of the week. After that 'Tinafore" and 1 "The Yeomen of the Guaird." J C. Williamson has struck oil again this trip, for every night it is the same tale — a crowded house.

GioNNi, the marvel-man, who is exhibitmg samples of hus weird myt>teiiesat Fuller's his Majesty's, draws a veiy large ciowd together to wonder at him. Tins Italian telepathist and oonjuiens a handsome, well-set-up, big-beaided man, with a limited but easily-under-standable supply of English. He is also urbane, smiling, and polite. I saw him on Tuesday night, when hi*, very excellent manager explained that the experiments had been remarkably successful. Theie ie>n't the least shadow of doubt m the minds of the audience that his prehminaiy business is genuine telepathy. A counle of men from the audience cover his eyes with cotton wool, ,md tie a black handkerchief over the wool. Grossi with the aid of a piece of chalk hais made a mark on the stage One of the men from the audience w obbleo that chalk-lme intricately about the stage, dowTi the nan aw steps, up one of the aasles, over a vacant char_r (the only one in the body of the theatre, and bv deviousi routes and serpentine twistnugs, here, there, and everywheie, he leturns to the stage. Groos-i, having taken his hand) momentarily, starts off at a 2.40 gait, and not only follows the seipentine line, but keeps his feet on the chalk mark all the time, mounting the vacant chair, stooping on crosses when his controller "willed" it, and all the rest of it. • # * Again, apm ks hidden in the lace fichu of a lady in the audience. This time the controller is a young man wellknown in volunteer circles. Grossi, followed by the mental controller, rapidly advances towards that lady, gently removing gentlemen who are in his way to get there. The volunteer gentleman isn't thinking very haid, so Grossi feels for the pm on the wrong shoulder, but the galLant warrior at last fixes his wandering thoughts on the outside edge of the chaimmg subject's left shoulder, and Grossi dives rapid.lv, and is tnumphant. The hidden pm in the gallery was placed on the inside of a mail's coat. Grossi brought the man, pin andi all, and produced the pm as before. Also, a peison willed that the blindfolded Italian should bring the "Smoking Strictly Prohibited" notice from, the wall What is so remarkable about the exhibition, is that Gio^si does not make a false step. He trips lightly down the nanow stairway from, tihe stage, and goes through the crowd -unhesitatingly and with great rapidity. His purely trick-conjuring ~wa& very excellent, a dainty finish being given to intricate palming feats. The bagging, boxing, and roping of a Kaffih — whose release is effected in three seconds, Grossa himself being found in the bag inside the trunk — is not anew trick, but Grovsi is the master of the ti lck • * * Fuller's vaudeville artists supporting the big "turn" are up to the standaid. Ted Stanley is the pievaakng comic boncrstet and foot-artist, and Mjss Eileen Murray, Mr. Bob Foster, and Mi. Harry Brown help the show brightly. Mr Brown is a baritone vocalist of some excellence, and sings "Holy City," nllustratedi with works of art. Miss Addie Frederick, the slaok-wire performei, and George Mealing, the clogdancer, complete a strong b ill But, see Gros->i. He is thei marvel-man. The liit>h concert, on St. Pat's night, hlled the body of the Town Hall, and evoked plenty of enthusiasm. Mr. Hamilton Hodges came all the way from Auckland, and paid toll wi tlh six songs before the audience liad done w ith him. The best of all was that beautiful love elegy, "Across the Far Blue Hills, Mane," which was sung with a foi cc and play of expression that proclaimed the tiue artiste Other numbers were "The Patriot," by Campania, "The Harp That Once," "The Minstiel Boy," "Let Erin Remember," and "A Ballad of Kisses." The committee certainly deseive great credit for then enterprise in engaging such a talented singer to lend eclat to their concert. Mlss Pulsford's sweet and mellow conti alto was heard to great advantage in 'The. Meeting of the Waters," as well as in Del Riego'b "Love u> a Bird." Miss Amy Hyde made a decided hit in Foote's well-known "Irish Folk Song," and the encore produced "Home, Sweet Home," given with very nice effect. She also sang ''0 Erin", My Country" with a fervoui that found an echo in every Irish heart. Miss Glendenning (otheiwise Mrs. Mitchell), from Sydney, made a successful debut, and received a warm welcome for hen rendering of such green old favourites as "The Dear Little Shami ock " "Barner O'Hea," and ' Killarney." Mr. E. J. Hill was in good voice and gave a first-class account of himself in "Believe Me if all Those Endearing Young Cha-rms," and the pathetic "Irish Emigrant." In response to a recal, he also gave "It Came With the Merry May, Love." • • • There were some instrumental numbers, all being of a high order of merit.

Miss Julia Moran gave on the violin a tasteful ai raoiigement ot lush airs, and Heir Max Hoppe worked up patriotic feeling (-till further with a charming violin fantasia on "The Harp That Once," and, to satisfy the clamour for more, added "The Last Rose of Summer," which no one would willingly have missed. Mr. J. Parker contributed two cornet solos in his own mellifluous fe-tyle. one being as encoie to the othei . If I mention last of all the two orchestral selections, it is only out of deferenoe for that modest young man, Mr. W. McLaughhn, who was conductor, accompannst, and musical director, and peifoimed every task with his usual tlhoiouehne^s and geniality. It was a very capable orchestra, led by Berr Hoppe. Messrs. J. B. Doherty and J. W. Calla^han were the secretaries. The only fly in the ointment was the presence of a row of half-grown youths at the end of the hall, who had taken in some lausrhm? gas and had no earns for the co'ioevt. • • • Miss Hai dinge^Maltby has alreadiy started the fii-st of her Shakespearian teaching classes, at her studio. 107, Lambtom Quay. The ranks of her Amateur Dramatic Club are also filling up rapidly, and it has already been decided to "lye a performance during tibe winter months. Those who wish to join had better hurry up. • * * Alice Hollander, the young Australian contralto, has abandoned the concert platfoim for the stage. At present she ls appearing in "Sergeant Brae," at the Strand Theatre, London, and findls her new work "quite the most exhilarating" she has yet undertaken. • * * J. C Williamsons concert company ha> caught on all right in Melbourne. Miss Elizabeth Parkina is said to have a delightful soprano voice of beautiful clear crystal quality, while her execution is almost perfect. Her manner. too, is winning. Arnold Fol'desy is described as a 'cellist whose fingering is marvellous. The other stars are . Signor Amadio (flautist). Mr. Victor Marmont (manist). Miss Margaret Thomas (contralto'), and Mr. Whitworth Mitton (tenor) . (Continued on page 18.)