MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12698, 29 October 1904, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

BOOKINGS. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. October 22 to Harry Richards' Company. November 1 to Woods-Williamson Company. . November 19 to December Knight-Jeffries Company. ' December 19 to 21—Hayearth Comedy Co. • December 24, onwards— Stephenson 9 Company ("Eose of the Kiviera"). OPERA HOUSE. ' ' rollers' , Empire Company. I Mr. Alfred Woods and Miss Maud Williamson's company will reappear at His i : Majesty's Theatre on Tuesday night next, j in Miss Williamson's latest adaptation, j ; The Garden of Lies." The play is founded upon Justus Miles Forman's new book of the same name, which has created such a remarkable furore in the literary and social world abroad and at Home. Those who have read the book will easily understand what a fine chance is here offered to a dramatist of the ability of Mise Williamson! The new play is in five acts, and gives scope for good acting in its enthralling situations. "The Garden: of Lies" has also' been adapted for the ...stage by Sydney Grundy, who lias made a four-act play of it, and his version was produced early last month at the St. James' Theatre, London, by Geo. Alexander.

The Harry Rickards tympany will give a matinee performance iit His Majesty's this afternoon. The season closes with Monday night's oiateitaiumeut. The company nave been playing to remarkably good business all the week.

At the Opera House the Nawns are firmly established in public favour. On Monday night Mr. Fred Graham and Miss Nellie Dent join the company for a short season.

It will be welcome news to music-lovers that Paderewski will shortly return to this city, where he will give a farewell recital. Mr. John Lemmone advises me that the new arrangement is caused by ah American offer of £60,000 for 55 recitals, which P'aderewski has accepted. Consequently he had to anandon his Indian, Egyptian, and Oriental tour, which he had arranged to follow Australia. He was to give a final Australian recital in Sydney last night, and will leave for Auckland on Monday next by the Sonoma. Paderewski and party will go to Rotorna for a good rest to Jet the great pianist recuperate before attacking his American tour. He will give his farewell recital in the Southern Hemisphere at the Choral Hall, Auckland, at the latter end of next month, sailing foi 'Frisco by the Ventura on November 25 t and opening his American tour at 'Frisco on December 18. ■

The Auckland Shakespere Society's final reading of the present season will be given in the Y.M.C.A. Hail next Wednesday evening, when "Romeo and Juliet" will be presented'.,,-' "The Rose of Edviera" was produced for the first taiae in the colony ait Wellington on Saturday last by Geo. Stephenson's Company. There was an immense audience, and the production; was highly eulogised. Mr. Charles Stine, of the Stine-Evans Company, who returns to America in a few days, talks about returning, to Australia next July with another company. Fitzgerald's circus has commenced a Now Zealand : tour ia Wellington. It is stated that, owing to the dulness of business at present in Australia several managers are inquiring for New Zealand dates. ..-

' The action of a three-act comedy which Mrs. Langtry is writing passes on an American liner.,

There is a somewhat marked tendency amongst certain vaudeville artistes nowadays to indulge in so-called funny sayings, "gags," and gesture that savour too much of vulgarity. Many a comic song, too, cubmitted to patrons of the variety show is largely made up of similar elements. It is a mistake to suppose that thinly-veiled suggestiveness is humorous. To most people it is quite the opposite. The greatest humorists have attained distinction without the aid of methods that appeal only to certain classes : and . are offensive to everybody else. Managers of vaudeville combinations might well consider - whether their programmes should not be kept rigorously free from anything likely to keep a largo section of playgoers away from their theatre. "Miss Margaret Marshall, Who played Mrs. Brood! in■:." Mania's New Husband" during the ■' New Zealand tour of Mr. George Stephenson's American Comedy Company, is (says " Lorgnette") a hopeless invalid. The unfortunate lady is suffering from cancer, and is now being wheeled about in. an invalid's chair in 7 the land of the Stars and

Stripes. .. '■'■■■. Mr. Beerbohm Tree has consented to organise a "subscription to provide a memorial of Wilson. Barrctti the lamented actor and playwright. Mr. Alfred Hill's latest opera, " The EifBans/' will be completed-.within a fortnight. Miss Nellie Stewart and her new English, dramatic- company tour New Zealand: next year. Mr. Frank Beis' Dramatic Company includes Miss Helen Burdettej Miss Celia Mavis, Miss Lucy Eraser, Messrs. Harry Diver, Albert Lucas, Martyn Hagan, Tom Leonard, Basil Leon, and J. C. Whitfield. The affect on the audience of. the tender scenes in "H Trovatbre," with which the opera season opened at Hanover recently, was considerably marred by the view of a noble array of beer bottles, which the sceneshifters had forgotten to remove from the top of one of the columns that adorned its ducal mansion.

A start is' to be made early next year with the new theatre building in Gloucester- ' street, Ohristehurch, opposite the present theatre. The building is to cost £22,000. Jin Australian exchange says that Ouyler Hastings, the well-known American actor, intends remaining in Sydney to qualify for admission to the local Ba*.

Mr. R. S. Smythe m about to introduce a new lecturer to the public notice, Commander Colquhoun (of Melbourne), who was lately one of the London Times "specials" in the East. A series of lectures will be given in the Commonwealth and New Zealand.

The Canterbury Times says that since the receipt of Miss Gertie Campion's appeal Mr. Royle has met with a very gratifying I response from sympathisers all over the j colony/ Various subscription lists have been opened. Mr. Royle is endeavouring to arrange a benefit entertainment in Christchurch for Mm. Campion, and there is a likelihood of similar benefits being held in other towns hi the colony Dr. Greenwood, of New Brighton, has offered to take Miss Campion into the Avon Pine Sanatorium on terms that would offer no financial difficulties, and in the event of Miss Campion coming to New Zealand, Dr. Stephenson, of Dunedin, also offers to find her accommodation at his consumptive hospital at Halfway Bush. Interviewed on the subject, Sir Joseph Ward expressed the warmest sympathy for Miss Campion. He said!, in reply to a question, that there would be no obstacle to her admission to New Zealand if she should decide to come here for treatment. Ho would be very glad to facilitate her return in. any way he could, and to help in providing for her comfort." When £50 has been collected it is to be cabled to Miss Campion to meet her immediate needs.

Mr. W. S. Percy will, it is understood, make his debut under his new management in " The Orchid." This is a piece which has made a very great hit in London. The Frawley Dramatic Company has disbanded in Durban, South Africa. The well-known Australian, Miss Carrie Moore, appears as Naitooma in " The Cingalee, at Daly's, London, under the management of Mr. George Edwardes, and she scores a distinct success. Miss Alice Hoij lander (who toured New Zealand with a concert company a yeai or two ago) is now |mthemorusof"ThoCi ngalee." George Titheradge is touring the English provinces with/ Olga NethersoTe The boy composer, called by 'some "the new Mozart, for whom the leeu . of Roumama Carmen V a") has promised to write the libretto of an opera entitled "La Pucelle d Orleans, has just received the following letter from, Her Majesty:-. " Dear Child, —I promise yov that the libretto will be finished shortly, and that no one save you shall write the score, for you are pure. You are an angel, and you are endowed like no othe, musician." MTTSICO-DSAMATICms.