AMUSEMENTS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 970, 3 October 1890, Page 13

AMUSEMENTS.

The Theatre. An English contemporary says that Mr Walter Reynolds, of Blackburn, has come forward to dispute Mr Christie Murray’s olaim to be the first English dramatist who ever produced a play at the Antipodes. As far back as 1877 Mr .Reynolds states that he brought out in Melbourne a play entitled “Gold and Alloy,” in which Mr Fred. Thorne, of the London Vaudeville, enacted a leading part. Since then he has produced two other plays in Sydney. The Maoris in the Greytown district have formed a Christy Minstrel troupe, and will shortly give a performance there. Mr D Orsay Ogden has been engaged by the Wirth Brothers to give the descriptive leoture of the Wild West entertainment: The great shipping strike has even affected the plans of the Rev Charles Clark. He had a splendid season in Sydney. Opening in the School of Arts, he moved to the more commodious Centenary Hall, which holds 2000 people, yetr on the occasion of his twenty fifth and last leoture many hundreds of people v ere unable to obtain admission. From Sydney the popular lecturer went to Brisbane, intending, after a fortnight s season, to go north ; but owing to the strike he was unable to get there. When the mail left he was travelling overland from Brisbane to Sydney, lecturing by the way ; aud if Mr Smythe had reasonable ground for believing that he would not be stuck up in some New Zealand city, it was his intention to come over with Mr Clark by the first steamer.

Madame Marian Burton, late pritna donna contralto of the Carl Rosa Opera Company, whose singing formed the chiet attraction of the last Santley season in Melbourne, intends touring New Zealand with a concert company. Mr Santley hoped to have included Madame Burton in the party which he brought to New Zealand last year, but the lady’s terms were too high. The young lady achieved great success in the “Elijah” and “Messiah” at the concerts of the Melbourne Philharmonic Society; and she was specially engaged for Mr Best’s farewell organ recitals in the Sydney Town Hall. 1

The Wellington Amateur Operatic Society will commence their “ Sorcerer ” season of six nights at the Opera House on Wednesday next-, October Bth.

The question is often asked, Has Mr W. S. Gilbert any serious intention in writing the absurdities and topsyturv-aydoms which we now look forward to' in his operas and plays ? One object that he seems to have is the satirising of the incongruities of the modern stage. For instance, in the “ Sorcerer,” which the Wellington public will next week have an opportunity of witnessing, the absurdities of the supernatural opera are ridiculed. The inconsistency of a nineteenth century audience viewing with interest a plot depending upon witchcraft, sorcery, and demons is brought vividly home by introducing all the ordinary supernatural situations into a nineteenth century plot. The “Sorcerer” himself belongs to the “firm of J. W. Wells and Co., family sorcerers,” and objects to give himself up to “ Ahrimaues ” because the “ firm a retaking stock next week, and it wouldn't be fair to the Co.” In short, the “ Sorcerer” and modern commercial man rolled into one results in situations that strike the most romantic as too absurd.

Mr W. H. Manning was a passenger by the s.s. Waihora, which arrived at the Bluff on Tuesday, Mr Manning is weii-known throughout this Colony in connection with first cless theatrical shows, and on this trip he comes as avant courier for Miss Janet Achuroh, who has made a success in the sister colonies by her production of Ibsen’s famous play “ A Doll’s House,” a satirical sketch of modern life. Miss Achuroh is accompanied by Mr Charrington, a very excellent English actor, and a very good all round company. “A SCHUBERT EVENING.” The members of the Wellington Orohestral Society gave an exceedingly enjoyable concert in the Exchange Hall last night week, to a fairly large and most appreciative and enthusiastic audieuoe. The evening was devoted exclusively to Franz Schubert arid his’works. Mr Robert Parker delivered A btief but comprehensive and highly inter, esting lecture on the marvellously gifted and prolific composer. The sad and neglected life of that wondrous genius: his incessant siruggles with the direst poverty, and his continuous outpouring of musical masterpieces in every class' of composition, notwithstanding his doom perpetual drudgery for a wretched pittance, were powerfully depicted by tlie lecturer, and his explanatory Remarks on the various pieces that were to be performed enhanced materially the listener’s enjoyment of the performances. A cordial vote of thanks wiis paesed to Mr Parker, at the conclusion, On the motion of Mr Connolly, the conductor of the Society. The programme was judiciously selected. Its sole fault was somewhat unduo length. The piece de resistance was of course the magnificent octet (op. 166), which stands second only to Beethoven’s immortal septet in that class of music, and even runs the Beethoven masterpiece very close in respeot

of popularity among English audiences at the Monday and Saturday “Pops,” where It is always one of the greatest attractions. The octet was given for the first time in Wellington, and, we believe, in New Zealand. Its extreme length militates against a frequent hearing, a performance in its entirety occupying more than an hour. Eight movements (representing five of the main divisions of the octet) were given last week, and these occupied three-quarters of an hour. The work is written for two first and second violins, viola, violoncello, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. The performers were Messrs Connolly, O. Schwartz, Kennedy, Hamerton, Butler, Sewell, Forster, and G. Schwartz. The start was not wholly satisfactory, some degree of nervousness being noticeable. To this was evidently due the poverty of tone in. the strings and some occasional uncertainty in the wind, bnt as the performance advanced this disappeared, and on the whole the exacting work was most creditably played. The undertaking was no light one for instrumentalists mostly amateur, and the public of Wellington are greatly in. debted to them for affording an opportunity of hearing this great work. The duet (op. 160) for piano (Miss I. Cooper) and violin (Mr King) was excellently given, as also was the E-flat string quartet by Messrs Hotop, Connolly, Kennedy, and Hamerton, the dreamy adagio being beautifully contrasted with the sprightly allegro. One passage, in which a oharming melody is snperimposed upon a pizzicato bass, was peculiarly effective. Bat undoubtedly the palm of popularity was carried off by the renowned “Trout” quintet played by the performers already mentioned, with the assistance of Miss Medley, whose brilliant and artistic interpretation of the important and elaborate pianoforte part was quite a feature of the concert. A vigorous (but vain) effort was made to obtain a repetition of the “Tront” theme with variations. The vocal contributions were very meritorious. Miss Greig’s fine mezzo-soprano voice told well in the songs “ Faith in Spring,” “ Who is Sylvia,” and “ Thou art my peace ” ; and Mrs Stuart’s pare and sweet toneß were heard to much advantage in the exquisite “ Ave Maria.”

THEATRICAL NOTES. Everybody who is anybody will remember the little Berkeley girl who was one of the two bright stars of the Lord Fauntleroy Company that was here a few months ago. How old was that Bturdy little girl? Ten years, according to the show people ; fourteen according to outsiders who know everything. At any rate, we were all agreed that Olive was more than seven. Her ma, who has been touring Australia with a company, settles the question, and notifies the future movements of herself and the phenomenon thus, in a communication to the Sportsman Miss Olive Berkeley ba9 thriven so well under Australian skies that, although she will not be eleven years old until next May, Bhe bids fair to be taller than her mamma before she reaches her teens. She is to retire from the stage after the conclusion of her Australian trip and spend a couple of years in Germany, not reappearing until she is sixteen. The oompany will reach Melbourne at the end of this month, will leave for Tasmania on 4th October and sail for America m December, resting on the way a month in Honolulu, then at its most pleasant time of the year. Brough and Boncioattlb’s Company, now playing a round of comedy at the Bijou in Sydney is one of the strongest in that line of business that the colonies have seen. Recently they have been playing ‘School,’ and ' Dandy Dick,’ (a new comedy said to be three times as funnyr as ‘ The Magistrate,’) with Messrs G. W. Anson, Titheradge, A. K. Lawrence, R. Brough, Corlesse, Percy Lyndal, and J. F. Cathcart, Mrs Brough, Miss Temple, Mis 3 Patty Brown, and others in the cast.

Mr Ryley, a new baritone imported from England by • the firm,’ made his first Australian appearance as Harry Sherwood in ‘ Dorothy,’ along with the Royal Comio Opera Company at Melbourne the other day. The cast otherwise was much the same as when the company were in New Zealand. I observe that Mr Elton is playing Lurcher, as usual, and is declared to have surpassed all his previous efforts.

An Australian young lady named Eugenie Duggan made her debut ia Melbourne recently, supported by Mr Inman as Romeo. Mr Royce was in the cast, playing the apothecary.

Hugo’s Minstrels are playing to cheap prices and fair audienoes in Adelaide. The cable man informed us a month or two ago that ‘ Cunningham ’ had made a successful debut at the Lyric Club. • Who is Cunningham?’asked an excited populace. * Give it up,’ was the reply of the weary newspaper men to whom the question was put. We did not know young Cuuniugham. He might be a choice pianist, a boss fiddler, a phenomenal tin-whistler or a world beating pugilist; we didn’t know. We pined away for want of farther particulars. In the end all things come right, and now this enormous problem has been solved by an Australian paper. Mr Cunningham is a Victorian tenor-singer who has been studying in London. Mr G. Shakespeare Miln has been showing at Castlemaine and Geelong recently. ‘TheSnow Vision,’ a comedy drama by Miss E. M. Montgomery of Wanganui, was produced by the Baby Ogdeu Compauy in that town the other day. The Herald says of the play : ‘The component parts of the drama are excellent, and with a little judieious toning down shonld prove a decided acquisition to the repertoire of any travelling company. The *Snow Vision’ it»ef was excellently managed for an initial ierfoimance; and it speaks volumes in favour of the Company that they should produce the drama at short notice in such a first class manner, while it redounds to the credit of Wanganui that the town possesses in Miss Montgomery an authoress of such promising merit. The lady gracefully responded to many recalls, and should certainly feel proud of the ovation she received at the conclusion of the piece, when three cheers were called for by a wellknown resident and heartily echoed.’ The trunks of ‘ the divine Sarah ’ the other day interfered with the traffic at Angers

Station, and it appears, paralysed nearly the whole of the railway staff there. Mdme. Bernhardt has been ‘interviewed’ on the subject, and iu answer to her interrogator admitted that she had forty-eight trunks with her, exclusive of packages gieiv and small. Twenty of her tranks are made of wood, about four feet high, each divided into three compartments and filled with her most valuable dresses. Fourteen were made of wicker work, also iu three oompartments, some of the heavier being subdivided into two, three, or four spaces, filled with petticoats, linen, boots, and robes of small value. Three special trunks are Bet apart for hats, arranged on pegs in suoh a way as to prevent them from being shaken or crushed. The tragedienne’s ‘ kit ’ in all weighed between 2 and 3 tons.

Marion Hood does not accompany the Gaiety girls on their tour this time ; in fact, she finally seceded from the troupe on Saturday. Miss Hood has been a member of it ever since the days of • Billee Taylor ’ and ‘Jack Shepherd.’ She oreated the title role of ‘Dorothy,’ and played the part until an illness caused by the poor girl’s then husband obliged her to give it up. Oa her return ‘ Dorothy ’ had moved on from ths Gaiety. Then Miss Hood acted the heroic parts in 4 Monte Cristo,’ ‘ Esmeralda,’ ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘Ruy Bias.’ Before this she was the original Mabel of the ‘ Pirates of Penzance,’ making her debut on the London stage in that part. Mr D’Oylet Carte discovered the girl at the Academy of Music studying for the concert platform under Mr Shakespeare. He was much struck by her beauty and intelligence, and introduced her to slr Gilbert and Sir A. Sullivan. An unfortunate marriage out short tbe fair singer’s connection with the Savoyards, or she would probably be singing in the ‘Gondoliers’ to-day. ‘Marjums,’ as her friends call her, is a great favourite with the profession. She has twice entered into the bonds of martrimony, and has several children to whom she is devoted. Mrs Hesseltine (to give the lady her proper name) invented and popularised what is known in stage ciroles all the world over as the Marion Hood wig. Just now she means to take a long rest, but will be heard of in comic opera again by and bye. Aotolycus.