NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1211, 17 May 1895, Page 18

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

! The Mostyn-Dalzeil season closes on Saturday. I am afraid the financial result is only poor, and for this I am very sorry, as the company work hard, and v change the programme frequently. In melodrama, however, it would appear that only Bland Holt can draw big houses in Wellington. Mr George Darrell and a strong dramatic company are to make a start at Auckland next week, and will tour right . through the colony. it’s a long time since George was last in New Zealand, and if he only brings some good pieces and capable people he ought to do very well. t< ., The Faust Family, with Van Mehden, the cornet soloist, are about to make another tour of this colony. i ‘ The Pollards are back again on Sunday to give a sacred concert, for which an excellent programme is announced. Mr Duval, who, I am sorry to say, has had a nasty bout with the influenza, tells me that he doesn’t expect to be back in Wellington until near the end of next year. At Dunedin the Kennedy and Albert .Lucas companies have at last seen the wisdom of amalgamation, the combined company having produced “TheGuv’nor." ■ —A benefit has been given to Mr C. J. Bryant.—The Tivoli Specialile Company have produced a burlesque, “ Predatoria, or the Pirates of Balelutha ! " at the City Hall. The following artistes from Australia have, it is announced, been engaged by the Tivoli Company’s management : Messrs John Collins, Karle Brown, Johu Hamilton, James Stapleton, Frederick Beaumont, Arthur Lascelles, Peter Miller, Misses Evelyn Harte, May Malvino, Christiuia Teninyson, and several others.

Wanganui notes Mr Walter Bentley’s lecture season in Wanganui passed off successfully. Palmerston, Hastings, i and Napier will now be vjsited.—Bishop Grimes is to jlecture on “ The Passion Play as I saw it at Ober-Ammergau," on Thursday this! week, and Mr Gee, the well-known baritone, has booked the theatre for a concert on the 7th.of next month. —Mr William McKenzie, the Scotch vocalist here with Bessie Boyle, has been giving concerts up the Coast.

Some Auckland items Madame Goldenstedt (here with Montagu-Turners), has beenappearing in the “Screen Scene" from the “ School for Scandal,” assisted by local amateurs. Acompany which has been organised by Mr Albert Richardson, an English baritone, is to give a short season of English opera. The opening opera is “ Maritana," the season commencing at Abbott’s Opera House on the Ist of July. —Mr C. E. Jones, a recent arrival from Melbourne, is giving lectures on “ American Humour,” and other subjects, and Mr John Fuller (here with the Albu sisters) is continuing his concert tour of the outlying districts.

The Royal Comic Opera Company are doing well’ at Sydney Lyceum, quick changes of bill being the rule. At the Royal the festive Maggie Moore has again squeezed her plethoric figure into a “ boy " costume, and is making a new hit as the scampish “Aladdin." “Faust," ■with George Rignold as Mephisto., has exhausted its popularity at Her Majesty’s, being replaced by a new social drama, “Work and Wages," and at the Tivoli the redoubtable ’Arry Rickards is reported to be doing splendid biz, a new and special “draw" being a comic singer, Horace Wheatley. The Tivoli show is also the proud possessor of a “ champion bone soloist." and the greatest serpent lady on earth.

At Sydney School of Arts a new company, of which Messrs Cosgrove (lately with Bland Holt) and Stewart are the managers, are to produce that hoaryJheaded chestnut, “Fun pn the Bristol."

As, however, the original Widdy O’Brien, Mr Johnny Sheridan, is in London, I hardly think the Sydney show will do verv well, for there is but or.e “ Madame OBreehon, plaze," ana her name is J.L.S.

Recent benefits on the ether side have been one in favour of Billy E ton, which I am sorry to see was not a booming success, and another to the veteran J. P. West, who is well known in New Zealand. At Melbourne the “ Gaiety Girl ” Company have been doing fairly well at the Princess. The piece is altogether too “ Londing ish ” in its jokes, and although there are a host of beauteous dames, before alluded to in this column, and a rattling good low comedian, Harry Monkhouse, the show doesn’t “ catch on," as it was expected to do. Wicked people say it is because there are no tights in the piece. “In Town," a musical comedy in which there is said to be a strong smack of “ Man.’zelle Nibouche," is to follow. Arthur Roberts made a big hit iu this piece in London last year, but it may be again as it has often been before, that a London success is not always enthusiastically received in Australia.

Melbourne Bijou closed its doors again the other night after a most deplorable scene both before and behind the curtain. Miss Amy Roselle and Mr Dacre, as grand an actress and ac'or as were ever imported, claim to have been very badly treated by the management, in which Mr Phil Stuart, well known over here, was interested. The ghost had failed to walk with regularity, and there was, 1 hear from a private source, a “cruel” scene on the stage when Phil and Arthur Dacre indulged in mutual “rowings," whilst poor Miss Roselle sat weeping on a chair. The Bijou is a very unlucky theatre There is some talk of the Dacres being taken up by a Sydney manager.

Discussing the revival of “La Mascotte" by the Royal Comics, at Sydney Lyceum, Miss Sappho Smith, of the Bulletin , indulges in the following somewhat giddy strain : —Blueness arose in Act 2. The shapely pages —what lovely legs are May Pollard’s— were blue. Tapley was blue his striped doublet gave him the appearance of a boneless wonder from the back ; Nellie S ’s white satin dress had a kind of Masonic apron and collar of blue silk —blue feather tufts and blue shoes and stocking ; and some of Lauri Laurent’s jokes were even tinged with turquoise. In that act, if you weren’t blue you had to be yellow. Yernon and Florence Young resembled a pair of cayenne pepper-fed canaries, and when Brownlow changed his clothing he wore a white suit slashed with pumpkin yellow. It really looked as if the company had individually lost confidence suddenly in its own taste and. started to copy violently. In the last acG Nellie Stewart made a brief, ail-too-fleeting appearance in radish tights of the most long-drawn.out description (it is corsage revelations Miss Stewart detests : “display as much leg as you like but keep to high water marie above the J brisket" is Nellie’s idea of decency) as if to show that there is no deception, ladies and gentlemen. The act is played out in a white muslin bridal frock, while Florence Young looked gorgeous in cactus colours.

The Auckland Observer says : —Many of our readers will remember Bob Love, who was for years the business manager of Woodyear’s Circus, and who visited Auckland again and again as manager of other shows. Bob wrote to a friend the other day from the Fhillipine Islands, where he is managing Harmston’s big circus. He expects to be in Auckland with the show towards Christmas, so that those who enjoy this class of entertainment have both Harmston’s and Fitzgerald’s circuses to look forward to.

Bland Holt, who will be with us again towards the end of the year, has been doing well at. Melbourne Royal with “ The Span or Life." Mr Holt’s many New Zealand admirers will be sorry to hear that the popular actor had the misfortune to severely strain a tendon the other night. Mr Holt still appears in the piece, but has had to considerably modify his original activity.

Arthur Deane (Sydney Deane’s brother), a popular Sydney concert singer, and said to have a very fine, though at present, not over well cultivated baritone, took a “ begabib " at Sydney Town Hall, the other night. Three hundred golden beauties was the result, and Arthur now goes to England and Paris for study. Another departing vocalist, and one very well known and deservedly popular on this side of the Tasman Sea, is Mr Willie Walshe, who shakes off the dust of Australia from his number nines, and is away to the Golden Gate, and to the ’Frisco Tivoli, where he has secured a very lucrative engagement. He is a good, useful tenor, but a terrible stick as an actor.

The much-travelled Smythe has a big stock of lecturers “ on hand and to arrive," as the iron merchants’ advertisements are wont to say. He is now running the Rev. Haweis, of “ Music and Morals" fame. Mr Blaythwayte, the “Prince of Interviewers," is also on tap out of the Smythe barrel, and Fred Villiers, the war artist, just fresh from Japan, lias arrived in Sydney, under engagement to R.S.S. Another lecturer, Professor IJaskett Smith, whose speciality

is a fine descriptive lecture on the Holy Land, with splendid lantern pictures, is also due shortly. Mark Twain has been engaged for next year, and now I read that Mr Smythe has engaged our old acquaintance, the Rev. Charles Clark, for another Australian tour. Mr Smythe and his indefatigable son, Mr Carlyle Smythe, will have their hands full.

The last time the Rev. Charles Clark was round New Zealand Lorgnette was residing at Napier. One evening when j Mr Clark was to give his lecture on | “Dickens,"! was dining at the Masonic (then run by the genial “ Bob ’’ Smith, of “ Hieland darncin’ fame, and now owner of that “show farm," Onslow Park, near Pahiatua) in company with Mr Herbert Flemming, who was temporarily in advance for fhe Janet Achurch-Charrington Company. We had just got past the walnut stage and were tackling our coffee, when the firebell rang out, and in a couple of minutes we were making a beeline for the Theatre Royal. The flies were all ablaze, and the whole place had a narrow escape of being destroyed. Herbert Flemming did wonders with a hose, and the local fire brigade worked ‘like lions. But you should have seen that theatre after the fire was out—at seven o’clock, and the Rev Charles to start his oration at eight ! Full of smoke, water-washed stage and orchestra, even the drop scene damaged. Willing hands put things fairly straight, and the rev. lecturer was there to the minute Promptly at the proper hour he did his usual handkerchief business (I never saw a man use a handkerchief with more grace than the Rev. Charles—Thackeray’s Charles Honeyman was never more serenely graceful at Lady Whittleseamere’s chapel), and there cameforth the opening sentences in the well remembered full and rich tones of the practised elocu tionist. It was a great night entirely—after the lecture.

Talking of Herbert Flemming, one of the best dramatic critics in London, George Bernaid Shaw, the Fabian Socialist, had recently an article in the Saturday Beview in which Herbert is most enthusiastically praised. Herbert’s wife was the singer, Miss Minna Fischer, round here with the Amy Sherwin Concert Company, and now, like her hus band, in London.

Line from Oscar Wilde’s “An Ideal Husband“ For the first time I feel terror ; I feel I am in for a public dis* grace.” Oscar evidently possesses the spirit of prophecy.

An amusing incident recently occurred during the performance of the opera “ Hansel and G^etel" at the Municipal Theatre at Mayence. One of tha habitues of the theatre, upon whose susceptible heart the y r ouug lady enacting the part of Hansel had made alasting impression, was desirous of showing his appreciation, and deeming the time-worn bouquet too commonplace, decided on a novel departure. To this end he purchased a puppy, which lie decked with ribbons and flowers, and caused it to be presented to her over the footlights, when she came before the curtain after one of the acts. The lady was delighted with the novelty of the gift, and caressed it effusively.

Mr George Edwardes has engaged Miss Pattie Browne, the well-known Australian actress, to play Lottie Yenne’s part in “ The Artist’s Model ” at the Lyric Theatre, London.

Mr A. H. Gee is to tour the North Island with a concert company.

The Wellington Operatic Society will have the honour next week of giving the first .performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera Ruddigore ”in the Australasian colonies. As the cast is a strong one, comprising the best local talent, the production should be one of the best the Society has ever given. Special scenery has been prepared, and the mounting in every way will be excellent. A strong orchestra has been engaged, and the instrumentation should be one of the features of the performance. It may be mentioned that the band parts have been scored by Mr Tallis Trimnell, conductor of the Society.

Pollard’s Liliputian Opera Company finish their Christchurch season next Saturday, leaving there after the performance, arriving here Sunday afternoon, and giving a sacred concert that night, when an entirely new programme will be presented. This is to be positively their last appearance in Wellington, as they leave for Feilding, en route to New Plymouth, on Monday, May 20th, playing at Marton, Wanganui, Patea and Hawera, and opening in Auckland on Monday, June 10th.

As the time for the production of the opera “ Ruddigore ” draws near preparations are being actively completed. The scenery is now finished, and will comprise two very pretty sets ; the first an exterior, the second an oak-panelled interior. The dresses will be excellent. The period is the beginning of the present century, and the quaint dresses of that time will make a pretty picture.

The Wellington Amateur Dramatic Stutents have had in rehearsal for some time past Pinero’s farcical comedy “ The Schoolmistress,” with a view to its early production. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Trustees of the Benevolent Institution a letter was read from Mr W. Simm, secretary of the Stqdents, offering to perform the

comerty in aid of the institution. The waiter stated that the oiler was made conditionally ,on the Trustees co-operating with the Students in working up the enterprise. The Students suggested that a j strong working, committee be formed to manage all business connected with the • production, push the sale of tickets and obtain concessions in various directions If this was agreed to the committee of the Students would accept any financial responsibility in the event of the entertainment resulting in a loss, a contingency which they thought exceedingly remote. On the Students 5 part everything would be done to make the production a thorough success. The play, which was quite new to a Wellington audience, was by the most successful and popular dramatist of the day. It had been admirably cast, the majority of the company being in the front rank of Wellington amateurs. With ordinary luck a substantial sum should result from the performance. The Trustees decided to give their patronage to the performance. The cast is as follows: —Hon Vere Queckett, Mr M. Fox; Admiral liankling, Mr H. E. ISTicholls ; Lieutenant Malory, Mr A. Newton ; Reginald Pauloner, Mr W. Simni; Herr Otto Bernstein, Mr W. P. Bastin; Tyler and Gough, Mr R. Hall; Geoffrey, Mr Bastin; Saunders, Mr Letham; Miss Dyott, Miss Jessie Newton ; Peggy Hesslerigge, Miss Newton: Mrs Rankling, Miss Watson; Dinah Rankling, Miss Mabel Hill ; Gwendoline Hawkins, Miss O. Letham; Ermytrude Johnson, Miss A. K. Parsons ; Jane Chipman, Miss L. Watson. Mr H. E. Nicholls is stage manager.