Dramatic and Musical

Free Lance, Volume VIII, Issue 369, 27 July 1907, Page 16

Dramatic and Musical

By Footlight.

FULLERS', at the Theatre Royal, despite the lemoval of the duty on sugar and motor cars, hasn't closed its doors. In fact, it would be difficult to close the doors without smashing any of the audience It's a good show. The three Stagpooles are real artists. They re-ap-pear in Wellington, and always vary their excellent business until it looks fresh. The agility of the Stagpooles would be a good thing to have to get out of debt, or up a tree, or out of a, paddock where a mad bull was lord of all. The Stagpoole comedy is cornedy — nothing else. • • * Those two, fine, fresh, robust, rotund and altogether well-developed maidens, Misses Hammon and Wyatt, are good to look at, and also sing. Ernie Walker and Jack Hughes, the tennis-racquet jugglers, have as bright and pleasing a "turn" as one need wish for, and their manipulation of the racqaets is more wonderful than the dexterity of a defaulting solicitor or the celerity of the benevolent party who is bound for Buenos Aires. • • • There's a special bio-picture going at Fullers just now, and it shows a British Dreadnought being torpedoed. It's so realistic that one wants to rush to the telephone to ring up the Amokura and so save the British Navy Val Newton (singer), Amy Blackie (singer) and 1 Maud Florence are doing good work. Audiences like Maud Florence. There's something jolly about her. She's a businesslike little party, who likes to dance and throwhandsprings. Miss Lucy Lavinia is among the serios. and there are others. "The Robing of the Gods" (artist, J. E Ward) is gone to Dunedin. • • • Harry Rickards' Vaudeville Company, at the Opera House, is in its third and last week, and throughout the season this excellent company has received good support. No doubt, the unsual "turn" of Charlene and Charlene justifies Mr. Rickards' latest essay into these pastures. Indeed, the audience cannot get too much of the Charlenes, and the male Charlene's very animated juggling with common objects of civilisation has nightly received an ovation. Madame 's finished playing of that quaint instrument, the xylophone, is of special excellence, and is treated by the audience as such. • • • King and Benson, an American comedy pair, do amusing things. The lady partner scores neatly off excited interjectors, and dances a sand dance. She sings well, and is humorous. He sings well. Cassie Walmer, the "cullud gal" with the strong legs and the powerful voice, is a good, rich patch of vaudeville, and her untiring use of one of the limbs aforesaid is a marvel to those who find it difficult to keep dancing on two • • • Fred Russell, with his timber friend, "Coster Joe," is a pleasing ventriloquist, with a large stack ot fresh jokes which aie good and cleanly. In fact, Rickards' show is a good deal more cleanly than the ordinary musical comedy show that strikes these isles so frequently. George Dean, the ever piquant and fresh comic melodist, Harry Hart, Harry Rochfort, and Ada Sadler each contribute their quota, and the pictures go as well as usual. • • • The Thorndon Amateur Dramatic Club, which happily has the expert services of that veteran stage-manag-er, Mr. Harry Norman (Bland Holt's ex-manager), will put on in the Opera House on Wednesday, 31st July, "Blow for Blow," one of the smartest comedy-dramas I know of. I happen to be able to say that the Thorndon amateurs are not mere toe-dragging barn-stormers, and they are going to handle "Blow for Blow" in first-class style. You've got to roll up to see it, if only because the proceeds are to be given to the S.P.C.A. But, you've also got to go because you'll get your moneys worth. • • • Madame Carreno, the famous lady pianist, who is pronounced to be

more virile in her treatment and understanding of the instrument than any male pianist now playing, will begin a semes of recitals in the Town Hall on Monday, 29th July. During Madame's present tour the chief feature of the glowing press notices she has received is the constant expressions of surprise that Madame Carreno has such perfect mastery over the instrument. perfect technique, breadth of interpretation, and depth of feeling. • • • Wellington is happily becoming musically educated bv recurring great artists, and in the past few years we have listened to some of the earth's most distinguished masters Madame Carreno ranks high among the world's first instrumentalists, and no one who cares to be considered musical dare miss hearing her. • • * That very cheerful lady, Mrs. Bland Holt, was given a big farewell m Melbourne the other night, before she left for an extended trip to England and elsewhere. So many bouquets were tin own on the stage that Mrs. Holt was practically buried, and stood alternately weeping and smiling while the stage hands cleared a way for her to go "off." • * * The Wellington Shakespeare Club as readers of the bard's work are steadily improving, and! "The Merchant of Venice," read by its members on Tuesday night, in the Town Hall, was intelligent and interesting. There is great scope indeed in 'The Merchant" for the vivid pourtrayal of emotion, dramatic fire, and the "art of elocution. Indeed, the readers may lun the whole gamut of expressed human feeling. • • • Necessanly, as with other dramatists, Shakespeaie distributes the "fat" unevenly. His Shylock is a fine character, and Mr. W. R. Bock dignified it with fine expression, much dramatic action, and great vigour. The Portia of Mrs S Harcourt was of special interest on account of the fame of the character and the necessity for doing it justice. This lady gave a careful reading in a voice rather too high pitched. • • * The Nerissa of Miss Osborne, and the Jessica of Miss Pollock were even and sometimes excellent. Mr. J. R. Palmer is always intelligent and interesting, and his Bassamo evoked frequent applause. The Launcelot of Mr. W. P. Bastin had a somewhat professional air about it, and he made several hits, and the Old Gobbo of Mr. H. E. Nicholls deserves a line of praise. He gave an excellent character study. More heart (and art) was infused into "The Merchant" than in any reading of the club I have previously attended. • • * Messrs. Tait claim that the forthcoming visit of Madame Clara JButt will be the greatest undertaking financially yet attempted by an individual management m Australasia. The fees paid will be in excess of those paid for a grand opera company, and the prices for seats m Wellington will be necessarily high. So , many requests for concerts have been made in Australia that Madame Butt, who was expected to be in Wellington in December, will probably not reach here until January. • • • Again Mr. Maughan Barnett must be congratulated on his efforts to populanse organ music. At the fouith of his series of recitals on the Town Hall organ he was entirely successful in rousing the admiration and enthusiasm of the all too small number of persons who attended to listen to him. Disheartening as the work of skilled organists must have been m Wellington since the magnificent organ was first heard, it must be remembered that other cities have shown the same kind of apathy, and it was only by repeated efforts that the recitals m Sydney and Melbourne became a vogue. • • • There is a distinct improvement noticeable m the attendance, and an increase of interest. I hope that Mr. Maughan Barnett's mission of education will be as successful as he himself desires. From Mendelssohn's and Handel's great works, Mr. Barnett went to Lemare's dainty "Andantmo in D flat," which is of a particularly exhilarating kind, besides being a useful exhibition number. Paderewski's minuet in G was a number that evoked decided applause, and gave much pleasure, and the whole programme was chosen with a due regard to the varied tastes of lovers of classical music and those whose pleasure lies in lighter productions. (Continued on page 18 ) Sr^j^

(Continued from page 16.) GLnquevalli opees at Invea-oairgill on Apm'l sth of next year. This is no Muff. • • • Marie Narelle l "Queen of Irish Song," is still in hospital in Sydney. She is, I gladly hear, improving rapidMiss Ellen Terry ''Eveiy woman under thirty believes she is an actress. And every actress believes she is under thirty." And some actresses believe m husbands under thnty. » » ■* Madame Claia Butt lately lefused 10,000 guineas from a gramophone firm, which desired records of her \oice. She considers repi odinctions of the human voice per tin and wax aie not aitistic, and hence e=he refuses fortunes. • • • "These are the days of melodrama" (says an exchange). "Comic opeia is worn out, Shakespeare forgotten, Robert Brough, alas, is dead l , andi for the present all Australia's hopes of seeing deep yet dainty comedy are buried with him." . • • The managerial experience* of Mr. Clarence Brune at the new Bdjou, Melbourne, seems to be in an inveiise ratio as compared to that of his clever wife as an actress. "The Littl© Motiheir," am American melodirama of which the critics speak scathingly, has failed to draw. • • • Mr. Edwin Geaoh is the' latest of the Australian managers to succumb to the- fascinations of the movinie; pictures. He is now "preseiwtiing" at the Palace Theatre, Sydney, "The Empire Picture Show." The first of the ssriee comprises views in Scotland and Trelandl. • • • • Raplw Holmes, the magnificent "Big Bill" of the Waildlron Company, and the excessively poor arisitoorat in the extremely poor "Under Two Flags," is just naturally going; to remain richt here in Austrafesin William Anderson has roped the 1 bie cowpuncher in. • « * One of Shakespeare's plays, until the Ist June, had not been produced since thle great writer ; s death, aaid then, it happened at the great Queenstreet Theatre, London, against draperies, in costume. Charles Fry and a new company produced! it, and the title is "Troilus and Cressida." • • • Mr. Otto Heggie, who wasi the Martian, in "A Message from Mars," when the Hawbrey Company was here, has returned to London from America, whither he went with Mass Ellen Terry's company. The younig Australian actor proved very acceptable to American audiences, and is likely to return to the States' elhorttly under engagement to a well-known manager there. • • • Dancing the other evening at the Dunedin Alhambra, Nellie Quealy, the clever wife of comedian Harry Queoly, severely injured herself, but, notwithstanding she was suffering intense pain, the little lady pluokily responded to her encore, and has continued! in the bill ever since. By the way, Harry Quealy is not enjoying the best of health, and is at present under medical treatment. • • • Another element of strength has been added to Mr. J. C. Williamsons new Musical Comedy Company in the person of Mr. Alfred Stephens, who began, very young, as a member of Pollard's Lilliputians, and has for the past few years been a leading musical comedy comedian in India and the East. Mr. Stephens will take up work in Australia again as Corporal Ham in ''My Lady Madcap." And, by the way, I noticed Alf . gazing with great rapture on a copy of the Lance outside the Wellington 6. P.0. the other day. • • * They have some universal geniuses in Australia. Recently, at a small town in New South Wales called Dungog, a local enthusiast produced a comic opera of his own, writing the libretto and several of the lyrics, besides composing some of the music. He played two parts himself, took a hand at painting sceneiry, arranged ballets, and made tin illuminators for footlights. The sixty performers in the cast were local lads and' lasses, and tthe autlhor, who was stage-manager as well, ruled them with a rod of iron. Before the show started, by means of a little deft scaroasm, he encouraged some local people to quit reserved chairs for which they hadn't paid, and then went off to play a piccolo in the orchestra. He was also seen several tames at the rear of the haM, loudly applauding the local prima donna's solos.