Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume VII, Issue 351, 23 March 1907, Page 16

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight

SHOWS may come and shows may go, but Fuller's fk«vfc on for evei. Drop into the Theatre Royal any night you like and you will leaihse the force of the above poetic pervemsaon. Just now I should say it's fuller than ever. The present pi ©gramme and) the existing combination of talent seem to suit the vaudeville public right down to the ground. * * * The first or "song cycle" division of the nightly bill opens with a rousing chorus, 'Soldier Boy," by the full company, after which Lilian Loftus lifts up a tuneful voice to ask, m a serio-comic vein, 'Why do the Boys Run After the GirisP" Cornei-man. Will Stevens finds himself in for a long lease of the footlighte when onoe he opens his budget of Ethiopian comics, and his epic upon the wart upon his mother-in-law's nose fetches tihe "gods" every time. Eva Loftus, a young girl w*ith an alto voice, warbles melodiously about things that happened "Way Down the Old Swanee" and 1 tihe Rose Sist&ns scatter rose-buds among the Johnnies in the front seats while they sing, pose- and pirouette through their "Rosebudls" song and dance. They are a nimble pair of nymphs. Val Newton's resonant bass is heard to advantage m patriotic ditties, aaid Ivy Goodwill puts plenty of good 1 will into her trilbies as she keeps tuneful measure with her clogs to the song "Fd Like to Call You Sweetheart." Miss Dorothy L'Esfcrange. whio has considerable vocal execution and a double quality of voice, nightly earns an encore with "Sing, Sweet Bird 1 ," and answers it with "Whustile and! I'll Come Tae Ye, My Lad." In the lower part of the house the invitation sets every boyish whistler going at full blast. • • • Percy Deinton, got up like a kind l of Black Dowie, bearing a massive hymnbook, tickles the ribs of the audience with his "Will the Congregation Please Stand' Up," and' tihen bowls them right over when, he re-appears as a black Highlander in kilts. • • • In the second 1 part, there is plenty of variety ._ The biograph priotures are on a "striking" subject, and! George Mackip is a merry musical moke, who makes music out of fourteen different instruments. Percy Denton figures in illustrated ballads. Edwin and' Maie Gibson show what it is to be locked out at 2 a.m., and' the Rose Sisters scintillate through some more song and 1 dance. And 1 , oh yes. the whole Dam family come to life on the bioscope. Another change of programme to-mor-row, Saturday) night. The Hollow ay Dramatic Company could not have put on a better or more popular holiday bill in honour of St. Patrick than "The Colleen Bawn." It filled the Opera House very comfortably on Saturday night and Monday evening, and) gave the company a capital opportunity of showing their paces outside the blood and thunder of melodrama. Sootii to say, the result was mutually satisfactory to the mummers and their patrons. • * . Nearly every playgoer has seen "The Colleen Bawn," and would go through a shower of ram to see it again. No modern playwright ever knew better than Dion BoucicauJt how to suit the public taste, and most of hie plays still retain their pristine freshness. The Holloway Company were quite equal to the requirements of the piece, and every striking situation won its full meed of applause. • • • The title role fitted Miss Beatrice Holloway as neatly as a glove, and she scored her points without an effort. It was a sweet and wnsome impersonation of a charming character, and held fast the popular suffrages from first to last. Miss Rosa Conroy infused the proper degree of dignity and emotional force into the part of Mrs. Oregon. As that 'happy-go-lucky but goodnatured divil, Myles-na-Coppaleein, Mr. J. P. O'Neill was in his element, and simply bubbling over "wid fun and

divaishuji." He kept the 1 audience shalung its sides witii sympathetic laughter while he was using his blarney on the stage to Eily O'Connor, or Father Tom, or giving the back of his tongue to Gorrigan. • • • Ma\ Robert Trnnan gave- a good account of himself m the paat of the rather unstable youmg squiie, Hai-dross Cregan, and Mr. Godfrey Cass "ot cut of loi» line of stage villains fai once and pourtrayed very effectively the fine character part of Kyrle Daley. Misses Alice Deorwyn and Mabel Russe.ll amd Messrs. Harry Douglas, Hesford' and Taite all had congenial roles and acquitted themselves well. • * * It would not be a bad idea on the part of the management to tay a few revivals of old favourites like "The Colleen Bawn." There is a field here which seems rather neglected, and I shall be surprised l if the manager who does try it judiciously doesn't strike a rich lead with the public. I commend the notion to Mr. Holloway, who, I hope, is quickly recovering Ms health. • * • "The Two Little Vagabonds" ran to good business on Tuesdtay and Wednesday. Miss Beatrice Holloway as Dick, and Miss Mabel Rueisiell as Wally, in the title roles played their parts to the life. Mr. J. P. O'NeiH as the Gaffer and Mr. John Hesford' as Dido Bunoe were also very effective. There were several calls before the ourtain. The season closes this week. » • • The Besses o' th' Barn got no quarter from the Clerk of the Weather for their return season m the Empire City. For the first time m their tour of the colony they struck a real bad patch. The rain, m fact, waited for them to start and) then let itseilf go. The Athletic Park was engaged for two open-air concerts on Saturday afternoon and evening respectively. In the afternoon the Besses were just about to start on their opening selection When the rain came on and obliged them to seek refuge in the long oovered stand', where, of course, their selections could not be heard to so much advantage. More than that, the weather deterred the public from attending in large numbers. • ♦ • The evening concert was given m the Town Hall and drew a fair house. Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" was greatly enjoyed. On Sundiay afternoon, the band crossed the harbour and performed at Day's Bay, under the auspices of the Ferries Company but again the weather was not inviting. "The Heavens are Telling" was the gem of this concert.. In the Town Hall at night, however, with only the doillection-plate to bar the way, the public braved both driving rain and sloppy streets to put up a record house. The principal items were Verdi's overture to "Nabucodtaasor," the "Elijah" selections, Mozart's "Eyrie" and "Gloria," the "Messiah" recitative "Comfort Ye," and the choruses "The Glory of the Lord" and "Hallelujah." • • • The final and farewell concerts were to have been given in the Athletic Park on Monday afternoon and evening. Again the rain interfered, and they had to be gj*-**! in the Skating

Rink, wLuoli is not lenowned foi its acouotic pioperties. lhere was only a isiaaJd audience in the aiternoon, but at night the hall wiat> filled and a very nil© concert was the lesult. The pw>granime included 1 suoh gems, as the rnaicli from Tannhaubei, ' the overture to ' Tne Bohemian Girl," Strauss' s jjiue Danube" waltz, selections from '•The Lily or Xi Homey," and tin© fantasia Ould Ireland." The Besses have gone, but tthe memory of their aatistic perfonnanoes will long be gieen and fragrant. The lush national concert, in the Town Hall on Monday night, was a financial success in spite ot rainy wear tiier. Enough tickets were sold to fill the house, but the inclement night kept a good many at home. Those who did attend enjoyed a first-class concert, and they snowed their satisfaction by encoring most of the items. Muss Amy Murphy was 1 down for 'The Hairp that Once," ' The Minstrel Boy," and Killdirney," and' she was recalled every time and] for "Kililarney" had to pay toll to a triple encore. Mr. lieslie Hill was at the top of aias form in "Oft in the Stilly Night," "Eily Mavourneen" from ''The La!ly of Killarney," and Moore's -Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms." Miss Van Staveren's fine voice was hed/id to advantage in 'Green Isle of Erin" and "The Irish Lullaby" and Miss Morrison contributed very sweetly ''Kathleen Mavourneen" and 1 "Rich and Rare." Master Foote lifted the audience right off theair feet with "The Wearing of the Green" and "The Dear Little Shamrock," and triple encores were enforced. Mr. 0. Olarkson gave with fine effect 'Father O'Flynn" and "Off to Philadelphia," while Mr. W. MeLaughlin conducted a capital orchestra in two overtures and he also played' most of the song accompaniments on the piano. • • • The advent of Mr. Andrew Mack, who will open with his own company at the Opera House on Saturday next, will mark a new departure in Irish drama. His first production is "Tom Moore," a pleasant love story, for wiiiich Mr. Mack appears eminently fitted. He also has Moore's miisicianly gifts, and is said to have something of his extraordinary personality and magnetism. It will come as a pleasant surprise to Irishmen to find there are Irish plays in which the hero is not a buffoon. It is also pileasant to find that Thomas Moore and his genuine love story foim the motif of the drama. • • • Mr. Edmund Montgomery, proprier tor of the popular Montgomery's Entertainers, commences a short season in the Town Hall on Good Friday and following evenings. On Saturday, the 30th inst., the company give a special Easter matinee at 3 p.m. Mr. W. H. Montgomery, a famous baritone from D'Oyley Carte's company, London, will make his first appearance in "Wellington, as also will Mr. Hall-Kenney, Scotch comedian. The old favourites indludie Mr. Edmund Montgomery and! Miss Ettie Hargood. Several entirely new pictures are also promised for thia season. • • • The Elton Comedy Company are doing uncommonly well up country- They

were at Eketahuna at the end of last week and! at Nireaha on Tuesday, and were dtrawing like a, hundred-bulloolk team. Miss Elton's singing, dancing and playing, Fred Elton's funny patter, oomio songs and lightning changes, ana Fred Meymott's character song* «ne the prevaUinig topics of conversation in the country districts. Wool and turnips have ceased to agitate the rural mind. (Cunttnued on page 18.)

i Continued from page 16 ) Heibeit Fleinmmg, who was here only the other day, has pui chased the Au&ti ai-asian lights of -Chailes 1.," "Nance Oldfield,.' and "Olivia." They were leseived' from sale dunng Sir Henry Irving's life. • ♦ • . After 100 peifoiinanoe& of the pantomime, "Mother Goose," it left Melbourne on Wednesday last, and opened at Sydney on Saturday. Tittell Brune takes up the running in Melbourne with hea- farewell season. » • • Chnstchuicli playgoeis patiom b ed the Roya.l Comic Opera Company to such purpose that the biggest week of their New Zealand tour eventuated theie last month. The company is now in Dunedm, whence they leave todlay, 22nd inst., on board the Rivenna, direct foi Adelaide, opting there on Easter Monday in 'The Cingalee." Julius Knight has some fine situations in "Robin Hood." The culminating scene is one m which the bold outlaw holds up a whole garrison or a castle at the point of an arrow. The authors of the play have written in some starring lines to accompany the action, but Mr. Knight can never give them utteiance. As soon ac his bow is bent and the men-at-arms fall back, the whole house bursts forth into cheering and applause, and the heroic words never get beyond the footlights. • • • Mr. Geoige Lauri became a, devotee of the simple life, or the Nature cure, just as soon as his recent nervous breakdown in Auckland enabled 1 him to get about ag<un. He hired a fi&hingboat and, with its orew of two, saaJed away on a coastal oi vise, putting in the lazy days wherever his fancy led him or the weather would' peimit. The long hours of open air and sunshine have already worked wonders with Ms health, and he is getting l-eady to rejoin the Royal Comics at Easter. Messis. J. and! N. Tait announce that Madame Clara Butt and Mr. Kennerly Rumford will commence tueir Australasian tour in Sydney early in September next. It is expected that the visit of these famous singers will be successful. Both these artists have appeared at Buokinghom Palace and Windsor Castle, and are, in fact, great favourites of Royalty as well as being exceedingly popular throughout the United Kingdom. Madame Butt is the greatest contralto of modern times, and Mr. Rnmford is a magnificent baritone. • • • Miss Marion Grey, who plays leading parts in Julius Knight's company, is a daughter of the late Captain William Grey, of the Coldstream Guards. Miss Grey went on the stage at the age of seventeen, having been specially engaged by Mr. F. R. Benson to play seconds to Mrs. Benson in hie Shakespearian company, with which she remained three years, playing most of the Shakespearian heroines. She is tall and slender, with blue eyes and dark brown hair, and! is said to be the original of Frank Dieksee's picture, "Revprie." Do you remember it in the Sydney Gallery? • • • Dublin was simply bristling (says ''Table Talk") with Australian favourites when the mail left, for not only Miss May Beattv Miss Nina Osborne, and Mr. Edward Lauri were an the pantomime, but also Mr. Snazelle. The latter does his old whistling song, and has, in addition, a fine song which is a hit, as his voice is still very good. May Beatty sings "I was Dreaming" and a pretty "Moon" song which was heard in Australia in "Bill Adams." Then at the other theatre was the MoodyManners Co., with Sisnor Sapio as conductor, Madame de Vere Sapio as one of the soprani, and as one of the baritones Mr. Charles Magrafh, who won all feminine, and a good many masculine, hearts, when he was out here with the Belle Cole Concert Company. • • • I understand that Messrs. J. and N. Tait have completed arrangements with Messrs. Baring Bros., of London, for a brief visit to the Australian colonies and New Zealand' of the celebratedl violinist, Miss Marie Hall. This young lady has, by pure merit, risen, to a high position in the musical world of England) and the Continent, and is now regarded as one of the foremost violinist® of the dlay. It is not so long ago that the great_ master, Sevoik, took this young lady in hand, and under his tuition her wonderful talents have been fully developed. Kubelik also completed his studies under this teacher, and it is said they are the most successful pupils Sevcik has turned out. The tour will commence in Melbourne about the end of May, and the risit to New Zealand will tak« plao© about the end of August next. A talented vocalist and pianist will aeoompany the great violinitt.