AMUSEMENTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 933, 17 January 1890, Page 11

AMUSEMENTS.

The Theatre The Darrells.— The Darrells played “ The Pakeha” at the Opera House on Friday night for the last time, the Mayor and Mayoress and the Colonial Secretary being among the audience. Theatre Royal. —Mr Oscar Smith's benefit performance at the Theatre Royal on Saturday evening drew a large audience. The programme was made up of ventriloquism, songs, musical sketches, acrobatic feats, etc., by Mr Smith himself, Mr Harry Devere, and the Roselle Surprise Party, all of whom acquitted themselves very well. “East Lynne.” —The Darrells concluded their season at the Opera House with ‘ * East Lynne on Monday night.” There was a large audience, and the performance was a success in every respect, Mrs Darrell’s representation of Isabel being one of the best efforts that talented young lady has made. THEATRICAL NOTES. Mr Darrell concluded his Wellington season with ’East Lynne’ on Monday night, and then skipped to Christchurch, where—cunning man—he will ju3t get in ahead of Frank Thornton. Mr Charles Warner seems to be having a real good time in Auckland, where he is going through the same repertoire as he had here. Napier amateurs have been playing ‘ Time and Tide ’ in marvellously successful fashion, and Invercargill dittos have been producing * Rob Roy.’ Pain’s fireworks have been a recent attraction in Melbourne, but the people there are reported to be about tired of pyrotechnic displays. A delicious bit of humour is recorded by a contemporary, who states that a Signor Luigni makes the following announcementwith respect to the re-openinsr of a theatre in Pompeii, which was shut at the time of the Mount Vesuvius eruption : —‘ After a lapse of more than 1800 years the theatre of this city will be opened with ‘ La Figlia del Reggimento.’ I solicit a continuance of the favours bestowed on my predecessor, Marcus Quintus Martius, and beg to assure the public that I shall make every effort to equal the rare qualities displayed during his management.’ The Payne Family begin a season in Canterbury this month, starting at Christchurch. They conclude their New Zealand tour on the 21st of March. . _ . . Mr and Mrs Foley are in the Rangitikei. Herr Carl von Zimmerman, until recently leader of the Walshe-Seymour opera company’s orchestra, has left that combination and accepted a twelve months’ engagement in Nelson. Leading amateurs of that town are about to give him a benefit. . The Seymour-Walshe company itself has been playing in the Wairarapa, and doing exceedingly well. Mr Frank Thornton’s company did immense business with ‘ Sweet Lavender’ at Dunedin, and followed up with ‘ Mamma ’ on Monday night. Wirlh’s circus has also been doing well in the Edinburgh of the South, and are about to d 6 Oamaru and other populous cities iu the neighbourhood.

A troop of Rarofcongan natives, described as * The Summer Isles of Edinites,’_ have been performing iu Auckland. They sing, dance, and give what are apparently the nearest approaches the Raro-wliats-is-name have to the drama-burlesque, and so cn. In introducing * The Lady of Lyons the Auckland Star very tersely remarks : In these days of highly-coloured sensational plays, with their oftentimes improbable situations, overdrawn plots, _ and many spectacular effects, it- is positively refreshing to the lover of true histronic art to have the felicity ■ f witnessing _ one whose component parts are more elevating in their tendency, and » hicb, without overstepping the wide bounds of probability, may sti 1 re 'l®l the dim and misty realms of Old-World romance. This is a complete answer to the foolish people of the present and past generations who have said that ‘ The Lady of Lyons ’ is wildly improbable. Mr Charles Hug - and his company are doing Nelson, Blenheim, and other cities of the South. . , The Sydney New Year attraction, Aladdin, is described as cribbed, aciapted. and locally treated by E. W". Royce and lorso lay lor. Miss Jennie Lee played Aladdin. The Silbon-Siirk company, who are now m Sydney, intend to pay New Zealand a visit shortly. Autolycus.