MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12526, 19 March 1904, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

THEATRICAL BOOKINGS.

HIS MAJESTY'S TSEATSE.

March ? r :to 2&~-J. 0. Williamson's Curler Hastings' Company. March 28 to 31—Benefit Performances. April 2 to May 15—Wm. Anderson's Company. Max 30 to June 25— J. C. Williamson's Royal "Comic Opera. Company. .. • August. Ito -13— J. 0. Williamson New Eng- . lish Comedy Co. ,-.'".. ■■■;■:■" ; ABBOTT'S OPERA HOUSE. March 5 to 30— Win. Anderson's Company. April 1 (Good Friday)— Miss Lilian's Tree's : Concert. ,''"'' "'■ ■_ '■ ,-'•'_ April 2 to 22—Alfred Dampier Company. April 23 to May 14—George Abbott's Musical Comedy Co. ■"; : - . . May 50 'to : Juno 2—Gavin Spence American CO. :: - ■: ■/ , ■ June 3to 25— C. Williamson. , Auwst 1 to s—Watkin Mills Co. (pencilled).; November 5 to December Andersons Dramatic- Co. (pencilled). * At His Majesty's Theatre to-night Mr. J. C. Williamson's powerful dramatic combination will present a revival of the remarkably successful drama "Sherlock Holmes," with Mr. Cuyler Hastings in his fine creation of the great detective. As ouly four ! nights have been set apart for this ever- | popular plav it is reasonably certain to attract large audiences. The cast will be almost the same as on the initial production, | some 12 months ago. The Anderson Dramatic Company put on "Man's Enemy" at the Opera House tonight, a drama described as a companion play to " Brink," and calculated to show in realistic fashion the steepness of the "downward path." The opportunity will be afforded to musiclovers next week of again hearing one of the greatest living pianists in Herr Albert Friedenthal, whose first recitals take place in the Choral Hall on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. One of the leading Berlin musical critics, in reviewing one of his performances, writes':—"Hen 1 Albert Friedenthal executed the Beethoven Sonata in E Major in a ! very clear and technically perfect manner. I By "the performance of a number of modern pieces Herr Friedenthal exhibited his great perceptive faculty and his ability to express the most different sentiments and pictures. His wonderful playing was followed by iin*! mensa applause." Mr. Walter Whyte will | assist at the recitals. The days of the City Hall as a place of amusement are said to be numbered. Though j not at present in a position to state any- ! thing definitely, I have it on the very best | authority that there is ft probability of the block in which the hall now stands being transformed into a- commercial chambers | building, and that before many months are ' past. ■ ;■ ".' -" • " ! Good Friday concert-goers are looking forward to Madame Lilian Tree's Company's performance of " Stabat Mater" at the Opera ! House. A large chorus has been secured, and rehearsals are being carried out assiduously, so that the work may receive adequate treatment. The Remuera Musical Society, who have done excellent work in the way of stimulating the taste for good music, hold their annual meeting on Monday night next. An invitation is made to residents of surrounding districts to join, the ranks of the society. Miss Florence Menkmeyer, the pianiste, who will appear at the Opera House on May 1.4 'and three following nights, studied under Rubinstein at St. Petersburg, who declared her technique to be perfect, and her playing : full of soul. Miss Menkmeyer's tour in ; New Zealand will be necessarily short, owing j New Zealand will be ncesesarily short, owing to her numerous foreign engagements. - Following.■"'Sherlock■■.Holmes" the Cuyler Hastings Company will revive " The Christian" on Thursday and Friday neat, and will close- their highly successful; season with "The Ladv of Lyons" on Saturday next. The choir of the Sacred Heart Church, Ponsonby, have been preparing for the production of a beautiful composition for solo, chorus, and orchestra, entitled "The Seven Last Words of Christ," by Dubois. The singing of the " Passion" is one of the prominent- features of the Roman Catholic ceremonial on Palm Sunday, and for this reason the choir of the Sacred Heart Church have chosen the above work for the evening service on that day. The composer has not restricted himself, like Haydn, to the words of Christ, but has surrounded them with relative passages of the Passion, which are described in expressive solo and choruses. The genius of the composer may best be recognised in his having so effectively expressed in a few numbers, and with wonderful simplicity of form, the dramatic and devotional spirit of a theme which others have only succeeded in doing in works of greater length. In the absence of the honorary conductor (Mr. Thomas Adams) the choir has been trained by the Very Reverend Dr. Egan, who will probably conduct the work. Mr. arid Mrs. Hamilton Hodges, and j Mr. Frank Graham have paid the reverend conductor the compliment of being responsible for the solos. The choir are also rehearsing Haydn's "Imperial Mass" for Bister Sunday, with Madame Lilian Tree as soloist.' i Mr. Charles Chambers, who is managing Hen Friedenthal's recitals at the Choral Hall next week, leaves, shortly for South Africa to rejoin the Westminster Abbey Glee and Concert Party as business manager. .Playgoers Will'sympathise with Miss Eugenie "Duggan (Mrs. William Anderson) on learning that her infant daughter is suffering from an illness which has for some days past caused her mother great anxiety. The strain of continuing nightly to enact heavy roles under such circumstances has been a double one. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson leave for Sydney on Monday. :•::■■•.' Sir August Manns is to made his reapcearanee in public on the afternoon of Good Friday, when he will direct a performance of Rossini's" Mater." Mr. and Mrs. M. Hamilton Hodges proceed to Wellington shortly, where they will give a series of recitals.' Mr. Hodges has, by the way, accepted an engagement to sing the solo parts in "Elijah" and "Faust" in Christchurch. ■■: Miss Bosnia Buckman, a New Zealand (Palmerston North) soprano, who has just completed five years' study in England, will commence a tour jof New Zealand in this city on the 28th inst. Miss Buckman will afterwards givo concerts at New Plymouth on the 30th, Palmerston North on the 31st, and Wellington on Good Friday. &iiss Clarice Buckman, who made a successful debut at the Tree-Blitz popular concert at the Choral Hall on Wednesday last, is the 12-year-old sister of Miss Rosina. Paderewski will commence his Australian tour in July. '' The Messrs. Fuller have reopened His Majesty's Theatre, Wellington. , Mr. Henry Bracy, stage-manager for Mr. J. G. Williamson, arrives in Auckland to meet the latter gentleman, who is due here by the 'Frisco mailboat, expected on Monday, Mr. Bracy, after conferring with bis chief, will proceed to Dnnedin to take ever the Comic "Opera Company's stage management. This company opens in the Southern city at Easter. The fiftieth performance of "A Country Girl" at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, was witnessed by a house crammed from floor to ceiling. The fate of the London Lyceum has been definitely decided, and it is to be pulled ! down, and on the site is to be erected a i music hall, with a "winter garden," * resi taurant, and promenade attached. . Mr. George Stephenson's New English Musical Comedy Company leave London on March 31, and are due in Sydney on May 13. Mr. Stephenson expects to commence a tour of Australia and New Zealand on May 28. v A ChriEtchurch writer says that Southern playgoers have a grievance against Northern critics whc "boosted up" the "Power of Gold," played by the Sanford Dramatic Company. Same writer immediately contradicts his "statement in the following words — " This is not to say 'The Power of Gold' did not find favour with the large audience which crowded the theatre when the company opened or Fridav night; quite the re-, verse." It the piece thus found favour with Southern playgoers where does their grievance against Northern, critics come in? It does not come in at all. On the contrary, Chrischurch playgoers, on the, clear admission of the writer quoted, confirmed the yerd'et of the Northern critics as to the particular play. Exit grievance. Herr Friedenthal's programme for next Wednesday night at the Choral Hall includes Chopin's "Sonata Op. 35inB fiat Mmor," " Nocturne in D flat," "Valse No. 5 in A flat, "Polonaise in A flat," the MendelssohnLiszt "On the Wings of Song," the Wag-ner-Liszt . "March from 'Tannhauser,'" Rubinstein's " Barcarolle in A Minor," Schumann's "Nocturne," Weber's " Perpetuum Mobile," Corelli's " Gavotte Antique," and Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody." MryglCO-DRAMATICTIS. s