NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1262, 7 May 1896, Page 17

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

Now that Pollard's Opera Company has departed, after what, 1 am glad to learn, was a very successful season, financially as well as artistically, wo are going to have rather a slack season in the way of theatrical amusements.

The next event of any importance will bo the performance, to be given on the 25th inst. (the Queen's Birthday) in aid of the Society for the Prevent ion of Cruelty to Animals. Tho programme includes Craven's domestic comedy, " The Chimney Corner," and the farce "Chiselling." f. hope to give the east in my next week's Notes.

Tho Hastings Amateur Operatic Society will shortly stage Gilbert and Sullivan's " lolanthe." The conductor of the society, Mr A. A. George, is well known not only in Hawko's Bay, but in many other parts of the Colony, as a most enthusiastic and talented musician, and his efforts in the way of educating musical taste in Hastings are, i believe, much appreciated One of tho best amateur performances of " lolanthe" 1 ever saw was that given at Napier a few clays ago. If the Hastings people can beat that and I believe they will nialco a big effort to do so—they will do remarkably well.

Mr 11. E. Bannister, a well-known member of the Keening Pod commercial staff, has been appointed the Now Zealand representative for Messrs Williamson ami Musgrovo, in place of the late MrGillon. Mr Bannister will, I understand, also take over the duty of watching tho rights of the English Dramatic Authors Society in this Colony. I'irates had better beware, for Mr B. has tho reputation of being ''as sharp as they make 'cm."

Tho London correspondent of the KenZealand Herald thus reports of a young lady who is wcdl known in musical circles in Napier and Wellington : —A favourite New Realand singer, Miss Lillie Largo, of Napier, made a very successful debut at a London concert recently. It was given in the Queen's Hall by Miss Marion Gordon and Miss Beatrice Pratt, both London professional performers of high standing, one as a vocalist the other as a violinist. The concert was given under exceptionally influential and aristocratic patronage. Miss Large contributed two songs, Cowen's piquant •'Because" and (by request; the popular old ballad "Cherry Ripe." Both were delightfully sung, the beauty and purity of her voice, especially iu its upper register, telling out with singularly good effect in the hall, while the artistic excellence of her singing excited general admiration. Miss Large war;, in fact, quite the success of the concert, and may fairly be congratulated upon hor first appearance on so important a stage.

Tho Sydney Sunday Times corrects my statement that Miss Meryl Faber had returned to England. Miss Fabor, is, lam glad to be informed by my Sydney confrere, now appearing with tho Brough and Boucicault Company iu Sydney. The mistake was not mine originally, the Mail "par" being based on one of a similar character in an Australian paper.

" Djin-Djin," Williamson's gorgeous Japanese pantomime, a pantomime without a harlequinade, and in reality a gorgeous spectacle with vory litllo pantomime business in it, has been drawing immense houses at Sydney Lyceum. Florence Young, John Coleman, and Elton are great popular favourites.

" Bill " Holloway was playing "Trilby" at Johannesburg when tho last mail left. I don't see Greenaway's name mentioned in tho cast. " Led Astray " was to follow.

Bland Holt, interviewed by a Sydney Sunday Times representative, said that taking his New Zealand tour all round, business was very good, and the general appreciation most encouraging. " New Zealand people," says Bland, and lie is right, " are very critical, and the fare submitted to them has to bo first-class before you can bo certain of their patronage." "One of tho Best," says Mr Holt, is proving a great success in Australia, As

to future productions he promises "Tho Derby Winner," a Drury Lane success. Beyond this he ha 3 not yet decided as to future pieces, but amongst plays of which ho possesses the colonial rights aro " In Sight of St. Paul's," " For England " (both by Sutton Vane, author of the longrunning "Span of Life"), "The Cotton King," "Under the Mask of Truth," "Base Coin," and "Day by Day."

The Western Pod (Mudgeo) asks : What can a travelling theatrical company take Mudgeo playgoers for when it has the unblushing effrontery to stage " 'The Unknown " and ask the audience to believe that it's "Hands Across the Sea " they aro witnessing? Mudgeo folks uiay be green, but thy aro hardly so green as all that.

Dampier seems to have struck oil at last with his provincial tour in Victoria. At Ballarat ho had a record house, with -CluO odd. "Robbery Under Arms" was the piece played.

Juliet Wray appeared as Bettina in " La Maseotte" iu Adelaide. Tho local Quiz says her voice is showing signs of wear. 'The same paper says:—She is to bo complimented on her conception of Bettina, and as there has only been one perfect Maseotte on the Australian stage—Miss Maggie Moore—wo must all be satisfied with something which is below perfection.

Latest advices from the Capo fell of the great success of the genial Frank Fillis and his Circus, now at the Amphitheatre, Johannesburg. A feature of the programme is the spectacle of 40 trained horses trotting round a raised platform. The Foeleys are still with Fillis. Dan Feeley, whose leg was amputated after his accident, is with the show as clown.

Miss Grace Warner, who was here with her father, Charles Warner, somo six or seven years ago, seems to be making big progress in her profession. 1 read in tho London Stage that she has been engaged as leading lady with a comedy company Mr George Edwardes is sending out, to A frica ; and has also received offers of two more tours as the heroine in "The Prodigal Daughter," the part- played hero by Miss Elizabeth Watson. Miss Warner is now appearing as Nero's wife, I'oppa?.a, in the religious play, " Tho Sign of the Cross," at London Lyric.

A sensation was caused at Sydney Royal the other night when 'Mine of the Best," was being performed. The piece includes a military "degradation" scene, based, so it is said, on the notorious Dreyfus affair. When Sir Archibald McGregor (Albert Norman) was telling Dudley Keppel of tho enormity of his crime in revealing State secrets, a man, evidently overcome by his feelings, rose up in tho audience and shouted "It's a d d lie." What a splendid ad. for the show. I wonder whether it was genuine.

An exciting event occurred at tho Princess's, Leith, recently. During tho last act of Herbert Marr's "Life" (tho Tower Bridge scene), where one of the characters is supposed to strangle his wife, a foreign sailor, carried away by the. realism of the struggle, leaped upon the stage and attacked the actor. The mimic fight thus became a reality, and it was only after a struggle that tho man was overpowered, and the drama proceeded with.

Thus Miss I Jessie Bell wood in a recent Era-. She had just returned from .America, and heralded her coining baclc in an advertisement thusly: —Bessie Bellwood, the inimitable, having returned from America with a slight Cuhl, and Marie has turned a " Chili Widow," Bessie has decided to take a rest, and then come out a.; a red-hot "grass widow." Great success of Hie new song "Nice Change-for Loth." Resume business .March -'■'.

The story as to how the well-known actress Miss Ada Rehan came to adopt that name is interesting. Born in Limerick, her real name is Regan. At an early age she was taken by her parents to America. Upon one accasion tho local printer, in setting out the cast, changed the "g" in her name to " h," and described her as Rohan. The actress attracted i ic attention, aad, n i! dissatisfied with her new name, dcci led to adopt it.

In the course of an "interview " in Melbourne I'unrh Mis.; Jenny Watt-Tanner records the following story: -The most humorous t-vnl in my career happened at the Sydney Theatre Royal when I was playing Virgiuio with Charles Warner in

"Drink." In the laundry quarrel scene I had to throw a bucket of water at my rival. When we came to this 1 noticed that some heavy-swell Johnnies were leaning out of the singe-box rigid in the jj ]1( . of fire. I motioned to them to go back, but one, mistook my sign, and leaned more forward. Just then I flung out my bucket of water, and, to my horror, it splashed full on the shirt-front of the excited masher. Naturally (hey drew back in a hurry, and Gracio Warner and 1 went off the stage simply suffocating with suppressed laughter.

Miss Tanner ought to have told how she smashed a sofa on the Opera House stage, Wellington, when here with "The New Boy " Company.

Max O'Rell is likely to figure shortly before the English public in the new role of a playwriter (according to a London writer). He has written a farcical comedy. ".John Bull on tho Continong," which, after a highly successful trial trip in Canada, will probably bo seen on the boards of a London theatre. 'The work is described as "bright, clean, and pleasantly humorous," and as containing "a rare sprinkling of touches of nature m which '

Max O'Rell's humour is brought out in force."

Poor old Mark Twain got knocked up by the Indian climate, and as his cicerone, Carlylo Smythe, got a nasty touch of malarial fever, the pair wisely cleared off to South Africa before, the tour was quite finished.

By the way, when is "The MuchTravelled " — pere, not fils —going to send us along another lecturer. 1 Perhaps Mr Smythe thinks that, what with Haskett Smith, and llaweis, and Mark Twain, New Zealand wants a spell. Rev. Charles Clarke will probably be our next visitor in the lecturing line.

Gilbert's libretti) in the new Savoy production is slated by several of the London papers, but Sullivan's music is described by Modem Society " as tuneful and excelled, far above all other living composers, both in the feeling for melody and the brilliancy of instrumentation." " Far above all other living composers," eh r Well, how about Mascagni ?

The latest "kid" phenomenon—from Vincent Crummies' time downwards all

" kid " phenomena are hateful —is reported to have appeared at Vienna lately. This is a " combined child pianist and violinist." The little holy—-the infant phenomenon always gets this title of courtesy gave a concert in Vienna, where she not only violined and piauoed, but played her own composition.-,, and then proviscd ; giving, among other things, a Fugue by Bach, tho Andante from Beethoven's L> major Sonata, and Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso -at least, report says so. The sweet child is only eight years old —no more. How av.ful !

The A If. Lawfon Variety Company arrived in Auckland by the Waihora from Sydney last week.

Philip Newbury and Madame Spada are to tour Queensland, appearing in oratorio at Brisbane in June, and thence giving concerts through the northern parts of the colony e.n route for the Straits Settlements and India.

Mr Robert Kennedy, the famous Scots tenor and raconteur, once well known here with the Kennedy Family, is to re-visit the colonies before many months are over.

Ovide Musin, tho violinist, whose concerts here were .such a success, is now in Japan. An Australian tour may probably follow.