NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1205, 5 April 1895, Page 14

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

Mr Pollard decided after all not to taka his company to Gisborne, and after closing at Napier has started on an overland tour which will bring the clever little people back to Wellington in time for Easter. Woodville was visited on the 4tn, and the company are due at Masterton to night (Saturday). Then follow visits to Carterton and Featherston. The Wellington season will witness a grand production of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin," with special songs and dances.

Before going to America Maggie Moore will (so says a Sydney paper) make a tour through .New Zealand with the burlesque of “Jack Sheppard," and other pieces. Maggie’s last trip round this colony was, I’m afraid, hardly a financial success. Perhaps she may have better luck this time.

The Cunard Vaudeville Company, who have been playing at the Hobart Exhibition, have arrived in New Zealand, and opened at Invercargill last week for a two nights’ season. Mr Cunard was a member of the Kellar-Cunard combination, and afterwards came round Now Zealand as advauce agent, on one occasion for a variety company, on another as agent for the. Brough and Boucicault burlesque tour. Mr Duncan MacaUurn, that cheery little Scot who was' here with Montague-Turners some three years ago, is in advauce of the present shoir, which includes Miss Helen Gordon (Mrs Cunard) and several artistes new to this colony.

The Kennedy and Albert Lucas Dramatic Companies are still playing at Dunedin, at the City Hall and Princess Theatre respectively. “ Pasqum "in the Otago Witness hints at a possible combination of the best talent in these two companies.

The Gourlay-Stokes Company, who were in Wellington last Christmas, are touring the Otago goldfields, and making their way to Dunedin.

Mr Walter Bentley continues to prosper in his new io!e of lecturer. He should do well with the “Passion Play" lecture at Christchurch, whether he has now departed.

Bland Holt ha 3 revived “ A Million of Money " at Sydney Royal, the long and most successful run of “ A Fatal Card" having at last come to an end.

Miss Harrie Ireland, late with Bland Holt, took Mias Amy Rosalie’s part in “ A Bunch of Violets," at Melbourne Bijou, the other night at a few hours notice. The Roselle Daere Elton season is, however, not a financial success. The plays are good. bur. the support given to the principals is only poor, and “ bfz ” is very poor. . "

Alice Leamar, o f the alleged Gaiety Company, here a coupie of years ago, is, I notice, now singing at the Middlesex Music Hall (the old Mogul), in Drury Lane, a very second-class place.

Madame Vanderveer Greene, the very handsome American lady whose fine contralto was so much admired when she was in New Zealand with Kowalski’s Concert Company, has got on capitally since she went to England. She has been studing hard and appearing at Mr Daniel Mayer’s concerts with great success, receiving very flattering notices from the great London dailies. Madame Green on the top of these successes has signed a contract for .£2OOO to sing in America at festival, oratorio, and orchestral concerts only, for a period of one year divided into seasons of six months each- -six months in 1895 6 and six in 1896 7. The Brooklyn contralto’s new contract is by arrangement with Mr Daniel Mayer, who will retain her services during the busier half of the English year. On the 6th February Madame Green was to sing “ Braga’s Serenata V at 1 St. James’s Hall, with the violin obbligato

played by the famous Johannes Wolff, as well as Sullivan's “Willow Song” ; and this month shs was to be the only vocalist with the Leeds Orchestral Society.

In Mr Sala’s “Reminiscences,” recently published, there are a number of more or less new theatrical stories Sala’s brother, Charles Kerris-*n Sala, was an actor, and during some portion of his career was associated with Macroady. Many stories have, been told illustrating Macready’s ungovernable temper, and Mr Sala adds to the store. The following story, however, illustrates Macready’s anxiety to obtain an accurate account of the impression which his conscientious realism was calculated to produce upon th 9 spectator in the theatre. He therefore directed Mr C. K. Sala, whom lie always pleasantly addressed as “Beast,” to sit among the audience on an occasion when the actor was playing Othello, and report to him his opinion of what passed on the stage. The mission was entrusted to the younger actor in these terms :—Beast, L want you to go to the front to-night and give me afterwards a full and candid opinion as to the merits of my acting. Omit nothing ; tell mo how I played and how I looked. X have an idea that I shall surpass myself this evening. ’ Notv, the great actor, 1 must preliminarily explain, went through a tremendous amount of realistic effort in the part of Othello. It is a fact that in the last scene of the play he would stand at the ‘wing’just before going on the stage, clenching his fists, gnashing his teeth j and that he could be heard to mutter most fearful imprecations against Desdemona, and savage assertions that he could not disbelieve that which he had been told by his faithful friend, lag >. On the stage itself he ‘ lived up ’ to his part in a manner slightly inconvenient to those who acted with him, collaring some, buffetting others, and piuching poor Desdemona’s arms black and blue. Finally, he used, towards the close of the tragedy, to get into such a disorganised physical condition that he wa3 all perspiration and foaming at the mouth; and presented a somewhat shocking spectacle My brother duly occupied a seat in the front row of the dress circle —I scarcely think that there were any stalls at the Princess’s in those narrowly watched the performance from beginning to end. Then he went behind the scenes and repaired to Macready’s dressing room. The great artist was being disrobed by his dresser, and was panting with excitement in an arm chair. ‘Well, Beast, what was it like V My brother told him that lie derived the highest gratification from the performance, and he had never Been him play Othello more superbly. was magnificent in his speech to the Venetian §enate ; the jealousy with lago were splendid; the mh r< f« r of Desdemona was superb, and fie died inimitably. Macready’s face lighted up more and more as my brother answered aeriatum his many queries. ‘’Tis well, Beast,’ he observed at last; *’tis well, very well j and now what was my appear anee —how did I look, Beast V My brother cogitated for a moment, and then with perfect candour replied, ‘ Like a - sweep 1 ’ "

Thus Mrs Beerbohm Tree to a recent interviewer, when asked her opinion re garding the stage as a means of livelihood ter young girls ;—“ For a girl of delicate health, yielding disposition, extreme youth, and no home influences or home ties—no. For a girl with an assertive disposition, a certain knowledge of the world, much dignity, and a certain amount of happy-go-lucky eaynaraderie —yes/’

The “New Boy” and “Gharley’s Aunt-” are still running in London, and ‘to big business.

Mr Robert Courtneidge writes to the Sydney Morning Herald in joyful strain, stating that since he arrived in England a year ago he has jumped from one long engagement to another. Mr Courtneidge is no longer with Mr Lonnen’s combination, but is playing the chief comedy part in Oscar Barrett’s production of “ Cinderella ”in Birmingham. This is the fairy piece originally performed in London at the Lyceum Theatre, and afterwards iq New York. Mr Courtneidge describes the play as “an exquisite idyll and full of poetry," and fondly hopes it will completely alter the complexion of pantomime on the English stage, ” Mr Courtneidge and Miss Rosie Nott are engaged for next year’s Bir niingham pantomime at a large increase of salary, and in the interim they expect to tour with Mr Gilbert’s new opera, so that Australians may rest satisfied with .t;ti<e success of one of the most popular Comedians w.ho ever appeared with the ’.Royal Cotnic'Qpeia Company in Sydney.

s£is& Genevieve Ward has a part in the Lyceum production, “ King Aftliur.”

A New York paper says :—I see that Pauline Markham, who was at one time a favourite with the stage masher? of twenty years ago, is now in deep straits iu Brooklyn—that is, she is dead broke. Pauline came over here with Lydia Thompson, and she attracted a great deal of attention by her shapely form. She .liad h'undreds-'of admirers, who gave her presents of diamond's and other /jewels—in fact, all that money could buy. But now it is different. Her beauty has faded, her voice has gone, and she is really in need, living in some boardinghouse in Brooklyn 1 Popr Pauline I

This is the history of not alone of one woman, but of hundreds who live at full speed while in their prime and never prepare for that rainy day which comes with the decay of their beauty. Girls of the stage, let the history of poor Pauline be a lesson.

The ’Frisco mail brings news of the death, in London, of Mr James Anderson, a once well-known actor, mainly famous in the “ legitimate,” He played with Phelp3 and Macready. Lorgnette saw a James Anderson play Antony, in “Antony and Cleopatra,” at Drury Lane when the writer was a boy. Wonder whether he was the same gentleman whose death is now announced. Will any old London playgoer give me a few particulars re Anderson ?

Miss Elsa May was, I see, billed at the Royal Victoria Hall, London, recently as “ the great Australian prinia donna,” and appeared in some opera tableaux, singing the music of Leonora from “II Trovatore.” The Weekly Dispatch says “ she possesses a well-trained soprano voice, and is well cultivated to attain to a first place amongst operatic artistes.” She received a warm and flattering recep tion.

No prima donna (says a writer in the Cornhill Magazine) was ever more delightfully capricious, more full of mischief than the famous Mme. Malibran. . At the rehearsals of “Romeo and Juliet” she could never make up her mind where she was to “die" at night. It was important for Romeo to know, but all he could get was “ not sure," “ don’t know,” “can’t tell,” or “it will be just as it happens, according to my humour ; sometimes in cine place, sometimes in another.” On one occasion she chose to “die” close to the footlights, her companion, of course, being compelled to “die” beside her, and thuSj when the curtain fell, a couple of footmen had to carry the pair off, one at a time, to the intense amusement of the audience. John Templeton, the fine old Scottish tenor, was probably never so miserable as when he was cast to sing with Malibran. Very often she was displeased with his performance, and one evening she whispered to him, “You are not acting properly ; make love to me better; ’to which—so it is said — Templeton innocently replied, “Don’t you know that I am a married man ?” Evidently the lady did not think .there was anything serious in the circumstance, for not long afterward, when in “ Sonnambula" she was on her knees to Templeton as Elvino, she succeeded in making the tenor scream with suppressed laughter when he should have been singing* by tickling him vigorously under the arms.

Mr J. J. Kennedy, the actor, was thrown put Qf a trap while driving to Outram, and severely hurtThe tyajrarapa Relief Fund Committee at Chri@tehur.efi have decided to giye a benefit to Mr Pollard at ffie Theatre Royal theye on the 9th instant. Some musical and pictorial entertainments of a noyel and charming character which should prove an effective advertisement for New Zealand are to be given in England shortly by Ra.wei, Hinie and Tareti Taimoa, members of a well-known .and remarkably gifted half-caste family residing at Waikouaiti, near Dunedin. They are at present in Wellington, en route to London, whence they sail per the s.s. Ruahine, which leaves on April the I.Bth. The .entertainments are entitled “ Maori Picture, Song and Story,” and are run on precisely similar lines to the entertainments given in this city by Mr Snazelle. Many of the bumoro.us, pathetic and tragic phases of Native life ar.e cleverly pourtrayed, and illustrated in a unique manner with pictures that are real works of art. Some really magnificent reproductions of North and South Island beauty spots are also introduced with wonderful effect by a powerful ether-oxygen limelight apparatus. Most of the views haye been .specially prepared by Messrs Wilson and Yalentine, the well-known Glasgow opticians, and are said to be one of the finest collections ever exhibited. The musical programme, a pleasing feature of the entertainment, includes quaint Native ballads and several gems of Maori sacred song.