Amusements.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 978, 28 November 1890, Page 15

Amusements.

Theatre r. : jMISS achurcips season. •——•■ ' - - - -vr -K. \, thß new MAGDALEN.” Mi IS Janet Aoharch, an English actress reoently been playing in Australia a good deal of success, began a season Wellington at the Opera House onSatur. r I H B ight. The management were hardly «i«e in choosing a dramatisation of Wilkie ’Hollins’ novel ‘‘The New Magdalen” for - their opening piece. " The New Magdalen ” 'ai’a drama iSjgood enough to remain on the ’active' list, but not good enough to take a nlsoe in the front rank. Moreover, it has In >L time been played a great deal, being distinctly of the “ useful ” olaas. From a business point of view Miss Aohuroh trocld 'have been wiser had she opeued in v- one of her new pieces, and played “ The }few Magdalen ” later on, when local playgoers bad had an opportnnity of perceiving her to be the great actress she certainly is. A> it was, the audience on Saturday night, though anything bat a small one, was not as l»rgo as the merits of the performers de- . " served, or as they would have got in a more htppily selected play. The performance itself was an entirely successful one, and Miss Acburoh and her oompany may safely depend upon good patronage if this was a fair example of their ability. “ The New Magdalen,” as we have said, is not new, but such a representation of Mercy Merrick as Mios Aehuroh gave us iB new, not ouly in that part bat in its whole style. Miss Janet Achurch is the first exponent of the “intense” school of which Sarah Bernhardt is the leader. Her gestures are all rapid and dramatic, and her "business” and facial expression startling in their intensity and forcible expression, Everything is painted in the brighest and most weird colours, so that the emotions may be as vividly shown as possible. Suoh a style, powerful as it is, does not admit of adequate expression o£ the softer passions; everything is subordinated to the Sesire for effoct. In that way Miss Achurch failed to impress her audience as she should have done in theßoene where Mercy Merrick tells the story of her life. Wonderful power was shown in depicting the changing humours of the New Magdalen, as the nurse in the hospital and subsequently as Lady Janet Roy’s protegd. The recklessness of Mercy Merrick, the nurse, and tha artificial happiness of the fictitious Grace Rosebarry were artistically painted, and so effective that at the end of the first and second acts Miss Achurch was called before the ourtain and ' warmly—almost enthusiastically— ap. planded- The confessiou itself, and the icenes that led up to it, were splendidly done also, but sinuous intensity had too much art and not enough nature about it when the story of the penitent had to be told. Still, that Miss Achurch is a very fine actress, and one who has not beeD equalled here in her own style, is unquestionable. Mr Charrington’s Julian Gray !was only a partial suuoess. The line that divides the sublime from the lidionlous is a fine one, and in the case of Julian Gray, as Wilkie Collins drew him, hard to define. Mr Charrington does not define it. He cannot alter the words and sentiments of his ’’“lines,” of course, bat he might advan tageously subdue himself for the benefit of the clergy man’s character. As it is, he is too boisterous in his radicalism and too. ostentatious in sentiment. The spectator is forced to the conclusion that Julian Gray is too fond of advertising his eccentricities and airing sentiments which he knows are good. Where Mr Charrington was quietest he was most snocessful, notably in the scene with the two Grace Roseborrys. Miss Alice Norton, who played the real Grace Rcseberrv, did so in that easy, natural style which is characteristic of her, and conse. quently was an excellent foil to Miss Achurch. Thus the scene between the two women—the finest thing in the drama, for the contrast is admirable—was a play of itself, so well were both parts played. Miss Helen Kinniard’s Lady Janet Roy deserves more than casual notice, as a sympathetic and genuine representation of a fine character. Mr Herbert Flemming, who was Horace Holmcroft, had not a very extensive part, but did ample justice to what there was of it. ress i n g of the piece was exceptionally pood, for which praise is due to Mr Milan England, the stage manager.

_ . ‘IN HIS POWER.” “is was the title of a drama produced by the Janet Achurch Company at the Opera House on Tuesday. The play, which ia by Mark Quinton, treats of the familiar story of a woman (Marie Graham) who is coerced by a husband (Eugene Scara), whom she had believed dead, into doing injury *° the man whom she had married more reoently. In this case, the first husband is a German spy, who wishes to copy a French dispatch entrusted to Hubert Graham, an Englishman whom the heroine, Marie Graham, has married. He forces her to drug Graham in order that this may be done, and then escapes. Graham subsequently discovers everything, and there is a of tribulation until the play ends With the death of Scara and the consequent reconciliation of Graham and Marie, dramatically the play is rather strong ; the plot is well handled, the incidents skilfully rranged, and there is a general ploturesthe piece. Its weakness iB at the sombre shade of the drama generally >s unrelieved by any light except that two comic characters, a Mr and Mrs Walker, are T® clumsily introduced to make fun. lfc j® • grievous pity that such an actress as Miss Achurch has not got better pieces m which to display her ability. “ In ° W f r ’ though it has its good *■. on the whole a poor t£mg when we think what a S^ er u of first-class plays Miss Aohuroh ,“ avo appeared in, and to which she hsvedo » e ample justice. On Tuesday ' ** Marie Graham she acted in her wn forcible and striking style, in which the ln«, Ve ahtie* and unwritten but stern * heroine-representation are boldly S ive place to originality and impressiveness. It wasjn all respects a

finished performance, and well merited the applause it evoked. Mr Charrington’s Eugene Scara was also a fine effort, and had the rare charm, of - quietness and naturalness, ia a part which many actoro wonld have spoiled by loudness. Mr Herbert i! lemming was a distinct success as Hubert Graham, in which he proved himself an excellent actor. Miss Kinniard, as Mrs Walker, was pleasant as usual, but Mr R. E. Watson, who’ was cast for the male Walker, ruined his character by futile efforts to make it too funny. Several other small parts were well filled, and the piece was. staged in faultless style. v

“A DOLL’S HOUSE.” This evening p’ay “A Doll’s ilouse, which has given rise to more newspaper and magazine discussion than any other play of modern times, will he produced for the first time in Wellington, and in it Miss Achurch will appear in a part which she created m London. When first produced in theworld s metropolis it became such a general topic of conversation that at last, leaders of society wrote on the “At Home’’ cards that l“ e “ You are requested not to mention A Doll s House.’ When Miss Janet Achurch played the part of Nora Helmer in Melbourne and Sydney, the same interest and discussion attached to the performance. The play deals with some of the deepest problems of married life—its duties and rights—and hence probably its popularity with both sexes. It is a strong ■ plea for fair play towards the “ weaker ” sex° and hence the welcome universally accorded it by that part of the community. . Nora Helmer, the heroine, is married at the time when the play begins to a respectable citizen a bank manager, who has always, in spite of poverty and an increasing family, managed to live in good repute and credit—his character is, as he expresses it, unimpeachable. Nora adores her husband, and he loves her with the usual patronising affection of the husband who considers his married life a thing apart from his more serious interests, and they have two beautiful children to whom they are devotedly attached. A year before the play begins Torvald Helmer has been ordered by the doctors to take a. holiday in a warmer climate for the good cf his health. He will die if he does not follow this advice, but he is too poor to do so, and his rigidly honest notions will not permit him to borrow the money. Nora, however, whose father was a somewhat unbusinesslike and thoughtless man, whom Torvald helDed out of a scrape at the beginning of his acquaintance with her, has no such scruples. The money must be obtained with or without her husband's consent. Eventually it is borrowed in her father’s name, but as he is dying at the time she signs his name for him and hands the bill to Krogstad, a clerk in her husband’s employ, who advances L2OO upon it. By scraping and pinching and various shifts she manages to pay off some of the debt ; but now on Christmas Eve, when she is nearly out of the difficulty, a complication occurs which produces the result of showing Nora and her husband to each other in a light they have never yet experienced. Mrs Linden, an old friend of Nora’s, appears, and asks for employment in Helmer’s bank—in Norway it is common for women to be employed in such posts—and Helmer, whose fastidious egotism has been long annoyed by Krogstad’s familiarity, determines to dismiss him and take Mrs Linden in his place. This Mrs Linden had thrown over Krogstad some years before, considering it her duty to sacrifice her own love and his for the sake of her mother and young brothers, who were dependent on her. And now, by a strange fate, she again, .unknowingly this time, comes to wreck his life just as he is getting into a sure and respectable position. At any sacrifice he. will keep his place, and he threatens Nora to expose her forgery unless she makes her husband keep him in the bank. The three days’ mental agony Nora endures, her efforts to keep the secret from her husband, and her shock at discovering that it is not the act itself, but the fear of its being discovered by the world that rouses its anger when he does discover the forgery, completely awake Nora from her faith and irresponsibility, and she determines to stand quite alone, and, apart from all considerations of expediency, “to think things out for-herself." So the play ends with the separation of husband and wife—he pleading for her love; she declaring that her love is killed, and bitterly complaining of the false union of their life—a union of a respectable egotism on his side ; of childish trust and ignorance on hers.

The total contributions made by the Wellington Amateur Dramatic Club towards the Club’s cot in the Hospital during the past two years have amounted to £SO.

The annual meeting of the Wellington Amateur Dramatic Club was held at the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel on Friday. Mr R. Stansfield presided. The report and balance-sheet were read and adopted. The report reviewed the proceedings of the year, and mentioned that the clab was in a satisfactory financial position, having a balance in hand of £ls ss. The expenditure since the last half yearly meeting was £65 5s Bd. The report also contained osrtain recommendations a 3 to the working of the clab in the future, and a committee was appointed to consider them and report at a special meeting. The officers of the olub were reelected as follow :—Manager, Mr R. Stansfleld ; Committee, Messrs H. E. Nicholls, A. Newton ; Secretary and Treasurer, Mr H. C. Woolcott; Property Superintendent, Mr E. T, Sayers; Musical Director, Mr C. J. Hill.

At the conclusion of the meeting of the Amateur Dramatic Club Friday night Mr R, Stansfield, who has filled the position of manager of the Club daring the past year, and who is abont to be married, was presented with a marble clock by the members of the Clab. Mr H. E, Nicholls made the presentation, and Mr Stansfield made a suitable reply. The latter’s health was then drunk in champagne. It may not be generally known that Mr J. L. Toole, the genial comedian, is collecting notes for a book he will publish on his return to London anent his visit to the colonies. The Greater Britain of the South, as seen by the eyes of a comedian, will no doubt be very interesting reading, and as Mr Toole's trip through Maoriland has been one of unalloyed pleasure, both publicly and privately, he will of course put New Zealand in a favourable light before his English readers. His work should be one of the best advertisements the Colony has yet He pTomißes to send a copy as soon as it ia ready to Mr J. A. Fronde.

It seems strange that when a prima donna gets on the shady side of 40 her value should inorease with her age, yet such is the case With Madame Adelina Patti, who by-the.

by ia nearer 60 than 40. According to journals to hand by the last mail the supreme prima donna has declined an offer of £30,000 for 30 operatic representations in America, preferring to aooept an enga.ement of 12,000 guineas. for 12 appearancesun St Petersburg and Moscow, only half of the appearances to be in opera, and it being stipulated that the diva should not be required to attend a single rehearsal. These are the highest terms ever paid to a ainger,; On reading the statemenc one isi almost tempted to doubt its truth ;'but when questioned on the - subject last week by a ‘ representative of this journal Madame ‘ Marian Burton, who frequently travelled with Madame Patti in England, declared that there was not the slightest reason for believing that the figures were incorrect; ‘‘for,’’ added the gifted contralto, " the terms are in proportion to the attraction, which is all a manager thinks about. Patti draws every farthing of the npmney. The difference between her marvellous singing, and that of any other soprano is just as great as the difference between their respective terms.” Such being the case, it is not probable that Madame Patti will ever be heard in Melbourne or Sydney, much less in New Zealand. The oolonles will have to rest content with theatrical stars like Sarah Bernhardt and Henry Irving, whose advent js promised ; and we shall believe in their coming when they are actually here. In spite of the miserable weather whioh prevailed ou Wednesday night a large crowd assembled in the Theatre Royal to welcome back Madame Marian Burton and her company. The programme was an excellent one, and comisted principally of items that had found favour with the audienoe on the previous visit'. Miss Cjlbourne Baber, however, iu the first part contributed a new number, namely Spohr’s “Rose softly blooming,” which was snng with great taste and expression, and earned an undeniable encore. In the second part Madame Burton gave Molloy’s “ Kerry Dance ” in splendid style, the varied passages of the song, changing from the lively to the pathetic, being rendered with superlative skill. It is needless to say that all the other items were accorded full justice, and the audience showed their appreciation by loudly applauding them. M. Poussard’s violin playing was received with especial favour and mention should also be made of Mr Frank Bradley’s pianoforte solo, which was a feature of the evoniug. Madame Burton’s singing of the “ Lost Chord,” and Miss Baber’s sympathetic rendering of “ The Old and Young Marie,” were as popular as ever, while Mr Stockwell’s “ Englishman” was vociferously redemanded. THEATRICAL NOTES. The Bairnsfather Family of Scottish vocalists have been doing well in Sydney. There is an addition to the family in W. Nunn Bairnsfather, who is a violinist. Mrs Brown-Potter and Company seem to be doing as well at Sydney in ‘ Camille ’ and other light plays as could reasonably be expected. Not long since they put up * She Btoops to Conquer,’ with Mr A. G. Poulton as Tony Lumpkin. By way of adding the charm of novelty to the season, a gentleman who signs ‘ W. N. W.’ has been writing in the Sydney Truth, a ; descriptive article of a play called ‘Romeo and Juliet,’whioh It seems, the company play. The young gentleman appears to have struck the play for the first tune, and in his anxiety to tell the world of bis discovery he talks in language which simply whips Shakespeare out of his olothes. It is a sort of haggis of descriptive work, praise of Mrs Potter and quotations from the play. In one place, having got particularly bad, he says : Here Mrs Potter shows her power as the tender maiden, rushed into love at first sight, gazing anon as an entrapped dove at her future lord, Romeo, going through the dance.’ The silent preliminary wooing is very good. Then we learn that 1 the first blast of a stormy life shakes the delicate frame ’of Juliet. Alas, poor Juliet l Dead! my friends, dead in the heyday of her youth and beauty, etcetera. It is a wioked world, we live and we eat regularly and dtink whenever we meet a man in possession of the wherewithal. We enjoy ourselves and we have our disappointment?, ana we think we know everything. But we are all mad sir,—mad as the maniacal hatter. Articles like this of W. N. W’s bring it home to us. Let us drop a hearty tear to the memory of Shakespeare, whose plays have turned out such handy keys to hang star actresses’ fine dresses on.

Miss Lilian Tree, the celebrated soprano, was to leave Australia a few days ago, on her way to Paris, whore she is to study grand opera.

Mr D. Christie Murray, and Mr St Maur are in Adelaide.with a dramatic company, Mr Fairolough, the tragedian, has been giving Shakespearian recitals in Auckland. Wirth’s Wild West Show was doing good business in Dunedin last week.

Mr L. J. Lohr, the popular, charming, goldeu-haired manager, and the father of a family, is treasurer for Nellie Stewart’s Opera Company. Mr J. J. Kennedy (according to the Referee) takes a oompany to the West Coast of the South Island during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Mr and Mrs Kennedy and Mr and Mrs Collett-Dobson will be the principal members of the company, and Mr H. G. Parker, who has been so long and favourably known In connection with the Christchurch Palace Rink, will act as business manager. The company will commenoa operations in Hokitika on Boxing night, and will journey thence to Greymouth and Knmara and the other principal towns on the West Coast. Several Irish dramas, in whioh Mr Kennedy appears to advantage —suoh as ‘ The Colleen Bawn ’ and ' Arrah Na Pogue ’—will be produoed, in addition to other popular pieces. ‘Several Irish dramas,’ you will observe, whioh are the work of the late Dion Bouoicault. He was, *b I wrote last week, ‘ the busker’s friend.’

Brough and Boucicault’s Comedy Company have been playing in Sydney ' A Night Off,’ whioh piece, a well-informed critio assures me, is the very funniest thing of the oentnry.

Madame Patey, having been on a visit to Adelaide, renamed her Melbourne concert*

«rly the Tiscinitibni of tw l operas—* Paul Jones ’ and * The Gondoliers ’ —attracted Melbonrne people moat, and many of them did not go to see and hear Madame, whose principal effoit was ‘There is a Green Hill Far Away,’ composed especially for her by Gounod. Mr John F. Sheridan, comedian, waade-. fen-ant in an at the County Court, Melbourne, on Nov.-6, before Judge Worthington, for balance of salary and wrongful dismissal, brought by Charles Lewis, a coloured actor. The plaintiff was engaged c P*. a y Uncle Pom in the recent production of ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ at the Opera House at a salary of £8 a week, and he alleged that on the 3rd October he was, without just cause, refused admission to the theatre, and prevented from fulfilling his engagement. There was at t .at time £6 salary due to the plaintiff, and he sought to reoover that amount along with £l6 for wrongful dismissal. The defence was that the plaintiff went to the theatre in an intoxicated state, interfered in the choruses, kissed two of the girls of the ballet, and struck at Julius Erickson, Mr Sheridan’s ‘dresser,’ when remonstrated with. A further defence waa that the plaintiff was not dismissed, bnt left his employment of his own aocord. The plaintiff denied that the conductor, Mr Robertson, complained of his singing in the choruses, and that he struck Erickson. Kissing, he said, frequently ‘went round’ at the Opera House, but he had not been guilty of that indiscretion. The person who refused the plaintiff admission to the theatre was the stage-door keeper, James Campbell, end it wa3 urged by the defendant that there was no evidence that Campbell was his agent or was authorised by him to prevent Lewis entering the theatre. Bis Honor agreed with the view presented by the defendant on this point and non-suited the plaintiff. Mr Eaglesou appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr Duffy for the defendant.

Mr Bland Holt recently revived ‘New Babylon ’ very successfully in Melbourne. Another ' revival’ was that of 1 Impulse,’ by Brough and Bouoicault’s company. Mr Titheradge played Captain Crichton, in which Wybert Reeve used to be so good. Autolycus.