DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8928, 17 December 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

DRAMATIC AND MUSICAL.

Geo. Leitoh's company produced " Human Nature" at the Opera House on Monday evening with great success. To-night it will be played for the last time, and on Monday night " Harbour Lights" will be reproduced, and a scene from " The Librarian. ' A Helensville correspondent writesi All amateur performance of ° Little Ked Riding Hood" (a burlesque) took place, at the Helensville Town Hall on Tuesday evening, December 6th, under the auspices of the Kev. Father Keogh and Miss Lorrigan, Of Auckland, which resulted in a most gratifying success. Nothing of this kind has hitherto been attempted here by local talent, and it is on the tapis that the formation of a dramatic company of lady and gentlemen amateurs will ensue. The oast was a# follows Queen of the Fairies, Miss Lorrigan; Bluette, Miss Nelly Hand, of Makiri; Dame Dorothy, Miss Lizzie Ballaus ; Ist Fairy, Miss Sandin ; 2nd Fairy, Miss Lottie Hand; 3rd Fairy, Mist Edith MoLeod; Dame Monica, Mr. J. Griffiths; Prince Hyacinthe, Mr. Barrell; Duke Kavensburgh, Mr. Joe Roderick; assisted by Messrs. Donovan, W. MoAlanns, CMcManos, and J. Stanaway, who were again supplemented by ten demons and twentyeight fairies. The incidental singing was received with enthusiastic plaudits. A duet, " Sainted Mother" from " Maritanaadmirably suited the Misses Lorrigan, evoking loud applause; "A Warrior Bold," rendered by Mr. J. Roderick, and the well-known ballad, " sing, Birdie, Sing," given by Miss Lorrigan, were much admired and encored. Tne performance was repeated by desire on Thursday evening, when a fancy dress ball concluded »he entertainment. Many visitors from Auckland and the townships n?ar Helensvilla were present, and *11 passed of with 6elat. ~ " Speech day" at St. Johns College, Tamaki, is always interesting ; not so much because of the speeches, but by reason of the admirable musical entertainment, whioh, since the Re*. Thomas F. King became the principal, has always formed so pleasing a feature of the occasion. This year forms no exception to the rule. An excellent programme has been arranged, including selections from Mozart to Glover, while the dramatic predilections are duly gratified by Shaksperian raorceaux. This attractive performance, it may be wall to note, is fixed for Wednesday next, at three o'clock, and, as a special omnibus will run to the College, there will no doubt be a large contingent Iroin the city present. , "It is stated in a Melbocroe piper that Remenyi, the celebrated violinist, lost his life in a shipwreck off the coast of Madagascar. The news, however, requires to be confirmed. Remenyi has lost his life so often that I am sceptical of these reports. Mr. Wash Norton is playing m ban brancisco. lady member of Mr. George Leitch's A lady member of Mr. George Lmtch s " Harbour Lights" company, when in Napier, challenged any member of the Ladies' Aquatic Club to a swimming match. The Hawkes Bay Herald of December 2nd has the following We are at liberty to state that the lady who issued the challenge to **>15 or row any member of the Ladies' Aquatic Club is Miss" limilv Bevan, who played the character of Lena Melson in '« Harbour Lights. Miss Bevan is an accomplished athlete, ana has won many prizes. She is, it is said, a perfect dock in th« water. The Wanganui Herald of December -uri says — «' There are some would-be wits in this world, whose only conception of the -word, if we may judge by their effusions, seems to consist in a desire to display a large stock of innate vulgarity and ignorant spite. Someone of this type managed to get a paragraph inserted in the Majeroni playbill last nigtit, fleeting on the critical abilities of those who write the dramatic notices for the Wanganui papers. The effusion was so manifestly the work of some spiteful and til* appointed aspirant after dramatic fame, who had fared badly at the hands of tne local press, that it was hardly worth notice. On being pointed out to the acting manager of the Majeroni Company, Mr. Cecil Kingatone, he at once disavowed any knowledge of, or sympathy with, tne utterly out of piace and uncalled for paragraph, which was also disclaimed by the person in charge of the establishment at which the programmes were printed. Mr. Kingatone sent the following apology to the papers here " My attention " having been drawn to a paragraph m the programme circular in the theatre this evening reflecting on the members of the press of this city, I desire to disclaim on behalf of the Majeroni Company, any connection with it, and assure you that had 1 known it was inserted 1 should have prevented its being circulated. J shall make inquiries as to its origin, and regret exceedingly that any annoyance has been caused by it." , G. W. Anson's benefit at the Sydney Theatre Royal was a grand success. "Courtship" and " Clerical Error" were the pieces chosen, in which, in addition to the Royal Company, Myra Kemble and H. N. Douglas took pars. . „ _ _ . The success secured by Mr. Henry Irving and his company in the provinces has been really phenomenal. The fortnight's engagement at the Theatre Royal, Manchester, realised more than £5000- , . . Mr. Henry Irving, replying to a criticism of his recent speech at Gla«gow in favour of " municipal theatres," says : " (1) That a well-conducted theatre is as necessnry as a free library; (2) that if the question were put to thii vote the majority of the ratepayers, I 'believe, in large towns would support such a theatre ; (3) that whereas a free library is a charge to the ratepayers because it'is free, a theatre would not be free, but, if properly managed, would be a paying speculation. The municipality might ■afely guarantee at least 4 per cent. During their stay in Wellington a large party was given at the Government House to meet Mrs. Greenwood and her daughters. By command of His Excellency the children performed a number of vocal and instrumental selections. After appearing In Christchurch the Greenwoods go South to Dnnedin, taking Aahburton, Timarn, and Oamaru en route. Their arrangements are made for the present as far as Inveicargill, but there is more than a possibility that they will crOß# over to Australia when the New Zealand tour it completed. Mr. Leslie is so solicitous for the bodily welfare of the members of hi« company appearing in "Dorothy," at the Prince of Wales' Theatre, London, that he has appointed a regular medical officer to attend *11 persons in his employ. The revival of Mr. Boucicault's romantic drama, "The Octoroon," at the Alexandra Palace the other day, says a Ecrne paper, has moved an expert In photography to enter a serious protest against the " absurd photographic business" in that play. Six-and-twenty years ago, when this piece was brought out at the Adelphi Theatre, amateurs of the lens and the tripod stand were few. Hence the notion of the camera that accidentally bore witness to the murder ot Paul, " The Yellow Boy," by automatically taking a photograph representation of M'Closkey's crime, passed for a very happy and ingenious idea. No one inquired then by what miracle the plate was mysteriously developed" without any dark room or developer, and this for the simple reason that, »* a rule, no one knew anything about it. Hence, as the memory of many playgoers will testify, the spectacle of Pete, the negro, rushing to the instrument, taking out the plate, and exhibiting the damning testimony of M'Closkey's guilt to the audience, was always followed with thunders of applause. It is very different now, as is shown by the circumstance that among the audience at the Alexandra Palace there was a sufficient number of the initiated to get up among them an audible titter. Probably that titter will do more to get rid of this absurdity than any remonstrance from experts in photography. Shakspere himself could hardly have ventured upon seaports in Bohemia, or even harboured a lioness in the forest ofArden before an audience of members of the Geographical fciociety, . Mrs. Scott Siddons has lately been giving recitations in Aberdeen, ... The star of " My Geraldme," which was played at the Olympio Theatre, in St. Louis, \ last week (I quote from a New York paper received by the mail) is Mrs. Dion Boucicault (Agnes Robertson). She told a reporter for the St. Louis Republican, the other day, some of the reminiscenoeo of her thirty-five years of stage life, and made some personal statements as welL In explanation of her present position, she said that she had been off the stage for five yearn, but that as Mr, Boucicault gave her nothing, and as the expensive litigation in which she was engaged has taken about all she had, she found it necessary to resume active work. She further said in this connection, after alluding to the trans-, ferral of her suit from England to America, that she should continue to act for two years, inside of which time she beleived she would nave her rights legally defined, and that in

the meantime ahe wm willing to leave her case in the hands of the American people. The reporter notes that notwithstanding her present strained relations with Mr. Boucioault. she spoke of his record " with the pride and enthusiasm of ft sympathetic wife, and defended his literary and dramatic fame with the utmost warmth " la reference to the question so often brought up of the authorship of " London Assurance," Mrs Boucioault said . «• J doubt very much whether John B rough man ever laid serious claim to the play. I have myself eard him disclaim m New York London, and Manchester any connection with the comedy, and ridiculed those who sought to credit him with it. Mr. Boucioault was so young when he wrote it that people found that it paid to believe that he was capable of such work. He was about eighteen, I believe, when he met Brougham in London in IS4O and showed him a one act-farce entitled. 'Curiosities of Literature# Brougham was so taken with it that he asked permission to show it to Charles Mathews, the veteran. The latter cculd scarcely believe that so young a man was able to produce a play of such high merit. He stated that he was not playing farces at the time, but that if Mr. Bouoioault would expaud it into a five-act comedy, he would gladly put it on. Mr. Boucioaultaccordingly took the part of Dazzle, amplified it, and put out' London Assurance. The part of Max Harkaway was written for Brougham and Dazzle for Matthews. The play was cut, revised, and changed into a hundred different ways on the stage by Mr. Bouoioault, and no question as to the authorship was raised. Then followed 1 Old Heads and Young Hearts,' which Mr. Boucioault and 1 both regard as his best comedy. After speaking of Booth and his first wife. Mary Devlin, and Irving, the actress said of W. 8. Gilbert that he walked around with the tail of his coat dragging in bold defiance after him. "Gilbert," she concluded, "is bitterly, bitingly sarcastic and can say terrible things to those whom he detests. But he is a thorough gentleman, quiet, reserved, and most gentle to the few he considers his friends. Those who recollect " Evans' " in its old song-aud-supper days will regret to bear of the death of Mr. F. Jonghmans. Some 30 years ago the deceased made a reputation in the old music halls, thanks to his excellent baritone voice, and to his sing ng of patriotic and other songs. When " P-»<tdy Green died Mr. Jonghmans undertook the direction of the music at Evans', and he continued in that duty until the place closed. After wards he was more or less frequently heard at music halls, until two or three ye*rs since, wh-n brain troubles prevented his appearance in public. "Outis, "in the Anglo-New Zealander, writes — I met Mr. Charles Warner, the popular comedian, a few days ago, and was delighted to learn that he had arranged a 1 professional visit to Australia. He will appear at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on Feb. 16, under the auspices of Messrs. Williamson, Girner, and Musgrove. He will probably open in the realistic drama of •< Drink," but " Held by the Enemy," "In the Ranks," and other pieces in which he has achieved distinguished success, will be produced during his six weeks' engagement Mr. Warner will also appear in Sydney and Adelaide, and should his talents be properly appreciated—of which there is no i oubt — he may perhaps arrange for a second visit later in the year, during the height of the Exhibition season in Melbourne. Mr. Alfred Cellier, the composer of " Dorothy," is, I am told, now ou his w-y to Sydney, via 'Frisco, having been encaged by Messrs. V\ illiauison, Garner and Musgrove. Mr. George Musgrove, having completed his business arrangements in L' ndon, will return to Melbourne in the s.s. Britannia, on November 4. Miss Nellie Stewart, "the Australian prima donna," will accompany him. lime. Adelina Patti was to leave her castle. ' Craig-y-Nos, in South Wales, on Nov. 15, for a concert tour of the British province#, which was to continue until December 6:h. Then she was to go to Paris, where she was to g.ve a concert on December S:h for the benefit of the French hospital in London. On December I3;h she was to begin a season of two weeks in Lisbon, after which she will spend a month giving concerts in Madrid, the first of which is fixed tor December 3lst. At the conclusion of this season she will return to London, and remain there until March 8 h, when she will sail for Buenos Ayres, accompanied by Maurice Gran, to fuifil her engagement for a Mouth American tcur under tne management of Abbey, Scbceffls, and Grau. Musico Drmatxccs. « 4 * All communications intended for this column should be addressed "Musico Dramaticus," Hbraid Office, Auckland, and should be forwarded as early as possible. __________