MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 11200, 21 October 1899, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

AUCKLAND ENTERTAINMENTS. Permanent: Tile Gaiety Company. October 26: Pollard Opera Company (5 weeks). October 27: Auckland Liedertafel. December 11: Williamson and Musgrove'a "Trip to Chinatown" Company. December 26: Bland Holt Dramatic Company. Date uncertain: Dante's Entertainments. February 12: Erougll Comedy Company. M'Mahon Dramatic Company. Hollo Dramatic Company. Henry Dramatic Company George Kignold Dramatic Company, Charles Arnold Comedy Company. Note: So far the last five companies mentioned have made inquiries for New Zealand dates, bat have not booked.

Two actresses in whom Australians are interested have engagements just not/ at the

Palace Theatre, London. Miss Elliott-Page

appears in a dialogue, entitled, " The Order of the Bath," and Miss Ada Reeve is singing several serio-comic songs nightly. Thackeray is being dramatised by the Americans. At the Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York, an adaptation from "Vanity Fair" is announced under the title "Becky Sharp," The action commences at Brussels on the eve of Waterloo, and includes a representation of the famous ball. Miss Annis Montague (Mrs. Charles Turner), so well remembered in New Zealand, has taken up her residence again at Honolulu. For a couple of years past she has been head of a school of music in San Francisco. The Henry Jewett Dramatic Company, we gather from a New York journal, has recently been organised and incorporated under the State laws of Virginia for the purpose of presenting a dramatic version of James Lane Allen's popular novel, "The Choir Invisible." The dramatisation is the work of Frances Hastings Jewett, and it is said that the play follows the book closely. The chief role, John Gray, will be played by Henry Jewett, who is well known in Is ew Zealand.

Williamson and Musgrove's production of " The Christian' at Her Majesty's, Sydney, may, be safely regarded as a triumph for all concerned, says a Sydney exchange. The book has been admirably dramatised, the play has been beautifully mounted, and in the long cast of 37 characters everyone appears to have been specially suited. There is not a poorly played part. The first audience taxed the capacity of the theatre, and it was fired with enthusiasm throughout. Our London correspondent, under date September 8, writes:;— music still consists solely of the rival promenade concerts held nightly at Covent Garden and the Queen's Hall respectively. Both are more than respectable, and include in their programmes orchestral works of the highest order, which are admirably interpreted. Still, these promenade concerts, excellent as they are, can only be regarded as a species of interlude between the real musical seasons of summer and winter. And the latter is not on us yet. Bayreuth has somewhat lost caste this year. It is rot what it was. There is far too much (of the Wagner family, about whom no one care two straws. Even the Great Master, who alone gave to the rather pretentious family such public interest as it may possess, is too often sacrificed, m a measure, to the craze of his widow and son for personal publicity. Nobody hankers to see Siegfried Wagner conduct. He may turn out a capable conductor one of these days. Richter thiuks he will, and has said so. with, perhaps, imprudent embellishment. But that is still quite a matter of the future, and pending the arrival of his full capacity, one does not relish to hear of —still less to hear—the mighty masterpieces of his wonderful father having their beauty and power impaired in some degree through being entrusted to the conducting of an immature youngster, who has never yet given token of any particular ability. It enhances the turpitude of the sin when it is committed at Bayreuth in the unequalled theatre which was designed by the Master, and built for the perfect performance of his works. Nor is the sin mitigated when the works are further prejudiced, as to effect, through particular singers of no adequate competence being engaged, and more competent ones excluded, at the mere volition of Madame Cosima Wagner. And what enhances the rage of staunch Wagnerians is that this should befall them after they have undergone the remendous tedium and discomfort of travelling to Bayreuth and been subjected to the numerous unpleasantries of a stay at that remote village. lam afraid that'the Bayreuth cult has had its day. Alma Stanley, the " divinely tall" lady who was here with Harry Paulton, is touring the English provinces with a farcical comedy, "Larks in London." The Broughs began a season at Adelaide on September 30, their first production being Jones' comedy," The Liars." Miss Edith Bland had a significant testimony to her talents recently, when Mr. Becrbohm Tree offered the talented actress the part of Lady Faulconbridge, in his revival of "King John." Unfortunately, it would appear, Miss Bland was unable to secure her release from Mr. Milton Bode,

with whose "Woman and Wine" Company she is playing. A letter received by the last mail states that Mr. E. S. Smythe is endeavouring to persuade Rev. Charles Clark to make another Australasian tour, with a new repertoire of lectures. Mr. Smythe has every hope of inducing Mr. Clark to once more visit his friends in Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Bland Holt has purchased the colonial rights of the latest Adelphi production, "With Flying Colours," which has proved a great success. Mr. Julius Knight scored a hit in the piece. It is on the cards that Mr. Holt will also secure the new Drury Lane melodrama, which was to have been produced towards the end of last month. Mr. Charles Failing lias returned to Syd- ' ney after a most successful tour of New Zealand with his own company. The Referee states that the popular comedian will inaugurate a country tour at Parramatta, after which he will work up to Bathurst. _ Mr. Failing is by far the best artist in his line in Australia, and en artist who could teach ! many of the highly paid importations their * • business, and, therefore, deserves to do well j wherever he might go. It is his intention f to open the Opera House shortly, with a specialty companv. i John F. Sheridan ("Widow O'Brien"), Miss Gracie Whiteford, and several other .English artists, who arrived in Sydney on September 29. under engagement to Messrs. Holloway *wd Anderson, were to open at the Lyceum Theatre last Saturday night in "When the Lamps are Lighted," which was written by Mr. George R. Sims for Mr. I Sheridan.' Since Mr. Sheridan was last in I the colony, seven years ago, playing in " Fun on the Bristol," he has been playing in ,/ America. London. India, and China, with 5; great success. His present repertoire con- % sists of "Little Christopher Columbus," "When the Lamps are Lighted," "Fun on | the Bristol. 1 ' and other plays which have an & equally good reputation. | The Brougli season in Sydney was the V longest and most successful the company has played there. The company are now in 5 Adelaide, where they opened with "The f. Liars." £. Maurice Gran, the well-known American entrepreneur, is endeavouring to secure Dr. r Karl Muck, conductor of the Prussian Imvj perial Court orchestra, and director of the r Royal Opera at Berlin, to conduct the Ger- «. man operas and the Sunday concerts at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, durg ing the next season. s;', Mr. Harry Lynch, of the Lynch family of If bellringers, has engaged the London Glee f'. Singers for Australia on the termination ' of their American tour. Mr. Lynch sails for Melbourne on tFe 20th tost. The Oamaru Mail announces the debut, gS\. as accompanist, of the youngest pianiste in !#,, New Zealand—only four years of age, who 0- can accompany any song or play any piece ft?'- of music which she heard once played over. §? One of our leading violinists, Herr ZimWg nermann, is leaving Auckland shortly for 0 Dunedin. His pupils will feel the loss of a good master, and the charitable institute tions will miss a citizen who was always IfM; ready to help the cause of charity by tendering his services. / , A . correspondent,' writing from Cairo, %X:Egypt, to an American exchange, describes ■ a performance there in Arabic of "-Romeo fllftaniji Juliet,"'.; A journal from London the P other day noted that a copy of the first folio / of " Shnkespere" has just been sold in that f'o'icity for close on:£2000. Widely different tokens 'of . the always increasing and univerf.\"' sally shown appreciation of the theatre's • greatest and immortal figure. i\ MtfSICO-DRAMATICUSy