MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12955, 26 August 1905, Page 4 (Supplement)

MUSICAL AND DRAMATIC.

BOOKINGS. HIS MAJESTY'S THEATRE. August 12 to September Tittell Brune Company. September 4 onward-West's Pictures and the Brescians. October 2 to October 6.—'Watkin Mills Concert Co. October 23 (abeut)-Miss Nance O'Neill. December 26—Knight-Jeffries Co. OPERA HOUSE. Nightly-Fuller's Empire Entertainers. Miss Tittell Brune's season at His Majesty's has been a, great success from every point of view. "Sunday," which will be performed for the last time this evening, is a delightful play, and an entire contrast to " L'Aiglon" or " Romeo and Juliet." The gorgeously-mounted " Theodora" will be presented on Monday. It will be followed by " Camilla." Fuller's Entertainers at the Opera House will introduce this evening Sigaor Torzillo, the eminent harpist; Stella Lipmaii, the operatic soprano; and the great biograph, in addition to an otherwise excellent bill of fare. The Bernard Babies are a most powerful attraction, and Kodama, the Japanese wire-walker, is a powerful draw. The next reading of the Auckland Shakespere Society, taking place on September 21, will be'.Stephen Phillips' "Paolo and Franccsca." Mr. William Archer, the wellknown dramatic critic, speaking of the play, said:—".Mr. Phillips has achieved the impossible. Sardou could not have ordered the action more skilfully. Tennyson could not have clothed the passion in words of purer loveliness." Some other equally eminent critics have not gone quite so far as .Mr. Archer in comparing Mr. Phillips' verse with that of the late Laureate.

The Black Family, who have returned from Fiji, 'are touring the suburbs, opening at Parnell on Monday. 'By arrangement with Mr. J. C. Williamsou Miss Leech's Dramatic Society will stage at Dunedii) Princess on September 6 Pinero's comedy, ' The Magistrate." The proceeds of the performance are to be devoted in the Hospital Extension Fund. Stephenson's Musical Comedy Company, at present louring the Golden West, pays a return visit to .New Zealand, commencing at Dunedin on Boxing Night. Bland Holt, purposes producing shortly an up-to-date drama exiled " The Siege of Port An loir." '.the Auckland Choral Society, which gave such a line performance of the oratorio " St. Paul," will produce Gounod's ''Faust" shortly. Madame Tree has been selected to lake the part of Marguerite. The other characters are not yet definitely cast. Jessie Maclachlan, the Scotlisti singer, who may come to New Zealand, unlike Madame Metba, does not entirely depend for success upon the beauty or Hie brilliance, of her voice. or does she set up a claim to recognition as a splendid example of the science of singing without the soul of song. If she has a secret, two words should describe itsympathy and sincerity. She is earnest and straightforward in everything she does. The Sydney Bulletin says:—"it is seriously alleged that Melba intends to marry Loid ' 'Dick" Nevill, the tall, thin Government House assistant whom she attached to her service when she revisited Melbourne on Iter starring tour. People wondered why (he tempestuous prima donna chose mild, pallid Lord Dick for her follower-in-chief, but if she means to convert him into Lord Richard M'elba the mystery is explained. Also a surprising circumstance incidental to his departure from Melbourne last year will be accounted for by the marriage it comes oil'." Mr. J. C. Williamson has now definitely decided that Zangwill's comedy " Merely Mary Ann." which the Tittcll Bruue Company now has in hand, shall be reserved for the Sydney season. It was the original intention to produce the piece during the New Zealand torn. Miss Tittell Prune herself will appear in the part of the lodging-house slavey, • who comes into a fortune. The piece, which was one of the most talked of and best-liked comedies of its year in London, should receive an interpretation that will be much above the ordinary. There is the ring of truth in the following remarks of Mr. Arthur Adams, who has returned to New Zealand after his sojourn in England. Of play-writing he has been doing a good deal. Some of his plays are on tour. " I've a modem comedy going the rounds— the usual process," lie says. "It has been wandering from manager to manager for six months, and is still going. livery two months it comes back a little dirtier, and off it goes again. Do the managers read them? I don't know. Mr. Robert Brough read and criticised this comedy very appreciatively, and .1 am now at work altering i it on the lines of his suggestions. Then I there's a romantic comedy going the rounds. ! I completed a comic opera, but cannot place it." Here he shed a light on the ways of some managers. His agent warned him on no account to show a comic opera plot to any London manager. Why? The agent would give no reason. Later he explained. If the idea is good, the manager—if he is a manager of the numerous class—sends the opera back and steals the idea. You may sue him and obtain damages, but he can afford to ' pay.v While on the question of plays, Mr. Adams said that if a man can get a play produced he is all right, even if it is a howling failure. If a writer had, say, £500 to spare, it would pay him to take a theatre and' produce his play. He would lose the £500, of course, but his future plays would be read and produced. Jan Kubeleik, the great violinist, is to visit Australia in July. Mr. George Musgrove, who has been looking for new plays in America, is expected to arrive in Auckland by the next mailboat from San Francisco.

Hugo Heerraann, the violinist, who has been' creating a furore in the musical world in the Commonwealth, opened at His Majesty's Theatre, Wellington, yesterday, in a series of recitals.

Mr. E. Montgomery, proprietor of the well-known Montgomery's Entertainers, has been searching Melbourne and Sydney for novelties for his forthcoming summer tour of New Zealand.

Entries for the band contest in connection with the Charity Fete close this evening. Already the following bands are spoken of as being possible entrants:— Hauraki, Hauraki Battalion, Rotorua (Maori), Hamilton, Waihi. Ist Regiment A.M.R., Impey's, Auckland Battalion, and the Garrison, One of the local bauds has had occasion, I understand, to call lor the resignation of two of its members and to caution a third for disorderly conduct at an engagement. Too much cannot be done to ensure gentlemanly conduct among instrumentalists, even at the sacrifice of good players and the numerical strength of the particular band. From what I can gather there is room for much improvement in the attendance at practices of the local . bands, players apparently overlooking the fact that the summer will soon be upon us and that the winter months is the time for breaking the back of the work for outdoor performances and mastering new selections. Lieutenant Hunter takes command of the Garrison Band next week, and the band should give a good acount of itself during the coming season. The selection for the massed bands' performances this afternoon include the "Quarter Column," "Constellation," and "Rimutaka" marches. R. Sprague, a promising player, of the Ist Regimental A.M.R., has been promoted from first to second cornettist. E. Lind is rejoining the band with the Bb bass. The 3rd Battalion parades at St. John's Church, Ponsonby. to-morrow. Hauraki, 22 strong, gave a fine performance at the Hauraki Rifles' recent ball at the Thames. Mount Albert Band is plodding along, doing good work so far as it goes, but requiring more capable players. A niOYement is on foot to request the Mayor to meet local bands, with a view to arranging for a summer programme for performances in the Albert Park. The famous English " Besses o' the Barn" band gave concerts in Marseilles recently, which realised £200 for the pooi scholars. A crowd of 10,000 persons accompanied the musicians to their hotel, shouting, "Vive Angleterre," "Vive France." and singing the "Marseillaise" and "God Save the King." The band then journeyed to Lyons, Musico-Dramaticuk.