NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1191, 28 December 1894, Page 28

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

Pollard's Liliputians drew a crowded house on Boxing Night, when they produced the panto time of " The Forty Thieves." ,

Mr A. H. Fawcett writes as follows to the Otago Wimess from Meerut, India : " It will interest many of your readers to know that our prima donna is a Christchurch young lady, known by her nom de theatre as Nelly de Lome. She is just now the rage in India, and her popularity has contributed very largely to our enormous success. She is a youthful and talented actress, possessing gnat personal charms, combined with the perfection of refined gracefulness. A.bV the,, present moment she is appearing asTjivain " My Sweechearb," which almoSfc sn*pysses her performance as Bettina in <k La Mascotte." Her repertoire is enormous, embracing over 30 principal soprano parts in comic opera, exclusive of comedy a> d drama, in which she is no less successful.

The same correspondent says that Professor Archibald, who was round New Zealand with the phonograph, is now engaged in astronomical work at Simla. He is engaged by the Indian Government.

Miss Jennie Lee goes to India after her South African tour.

Miss Annie Brandt, Miss Wyniard, Mr Rrandon Creraer, and others known here, have been playing at Dunedin, where the Kennedy Company are still located at the City Hall.

Harry Marshall, whose * l Guv'nor " is so well "known here, is in the Queensland country districts with a small company.

Miss Alice May has joined the Albert Norman Dramatic Company, now at Brisbane. ... „- .<s v

Mme. Adelina Pattt was lately asked, " What do you do to keep your voice so perfectly pure and clear?" The diva smiled. "I do nothing for it/'she re-

plied ; " our beautiful mountain air here in Wales is better than all the medicine in the world. I preferhomcepathic treatment, however, in causes of absolute emergency. Ido not drink tea ; it does not agree with me, but I always take a cup of strong black coffee when singing professionally, although I do not take coffee every day." "Whom do you con sider the best teacher of singing of the present day ?" Mme. Pattio answered, 1 recommend all my young proteges to study under Mme. de la Grange in Paris. Her method of the Italian school is undoubtedly excellent, and she is one of the moat conscientious of living teachers." Pattie, by the way, gave her first concert when she was seven years old, and made her first operatic appearance at on November 24th, 1859, at the New York Academy of Music in " Lucia di Lammermoor." She appeared in London for the first time as Amina in "La Sonnambula " in 1861, and took Paris by storm in 1862.

The manager of one of the gaiety com panies wh'ch visited America relates the following reminiscence :—The girls were pestered with innumerable attentions ; but in Brooklyn things reached a climax, for, without any permission, certain fellows got up a ball and supper for the benefit of the company, and called it the Gaiety Ball. All the principals refused the invitations, and I diree'ed the chorus to do the same. When the night came, the "Johnnies" had taken the Everett Hall, ordered an extravagant supper, and taken seats for the show. As soon as it was over they made a bolt for the stage door, and as the girls came out, begged them to come to the supper. The requests only produced refusals, and of the entire company only two girls went, and they were sent back to England next day. Of course the local papers tried to make out that the dance and supper really came off, but they claimed that five of our girls were there, while as a matter of fact there were but two.

• . • Some interesting anecdotes are told about the late M. Antoine Sardou, father of the celebrated dramatist. M. Sardou pere refused to believe that his son, when joung, had any talent for writing plays, and made him study medicine in Paris. The future playwright found time between lectures to try his 'prentice hand at dramatic writiug, and submitted his first attempt in that line, " Les Amis Imaginaires," to his father, who fiankly pronounced it a miserable failure as a com composition. When "Patrie" was produced M. Antoine Sardou was highly complimented on the success of his son. " It is all due to himself," said the oldjman, "for if he had listened tome he would now be a fourth rate doctor or a tocth-extractor in the provinces."

Mr Ben Davies, the famous English tenor, entertains a hearty contempt for the words of a large number of the sentimental songs that are sung now-a-days, It is quite painful, he declares, to note how many, songs that are submitted for his approval are of the " Heart of my heart," " Life of rny life," and " Soul of my soul * order. One song, he remembers he once took at the request of a publisher. The music was pretty, but the words were so bad that he only sang it once. He was ashamed to stand up and utter such nonsense.

Tho Brough-Boucicaiilt Company had a splendid send-off at the Opera House last Friday,' when the mythological farcical comedy " Niobe" was produced. The house was crowded in every part, and from start to finish the audience, which included His Excellency the Governor and party, was convulsed with laughter. Mr Brough received a splendid reception as Peter Amos Dunn. Mrs Brough male an arti3tic Niobe, and consistently carried out the role of a classic lady suddenly resuscitated and thrown into the nineteenth century. That her popularity has in no wise diminished during the present season, but rather increased, was shown by the floral offerings made to her and the frequent recalls with which she was honoured. Miss Eomer was well suited in the character of Helen Griffin, the virtual ruler of the Dunn household, and Miss Noble made a lively Hattie, the younger sister of Caroline Dunn (Miss Temple). Mr Ward played the part of Cornelius Griffin in a capable manner, and the other characters were well represented.