PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1315, 13 May 1897, Page 19

PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

“ The actors are come hither, my lord, Buz, Buz ! ” —Hamlut

The theatrical editor of the New Zealand Mail will be happy to receive and print route dates and any other information concerning the movements of companies. A post card giving “ route dates ” for tho week is recom mended. Address all communications for this column to “Lorgnette,” New Zealand Mail office, Lambton quay, Wellington.

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

Mr Lohr sends me a budget of Sydney papers. From the Herald I gather that quite a sensation has been created at the Royal by the appearance of an American company, “ The Flying Jordans’ Vaudeville Company.” The show includes trapeze flyers, the most sensational yet seen in Australia, wire walking, and all the usual variety biz. The great feature about the performance is said to be the wonderful froshness and originality of the turns. A very successful season is expected, The company will play in Melbourne and other centres and will come on to New Zealand afterwards.

“ The Firm ” will have their hands full shortly. Harry Paulton (it makes Lorgnette feel old when he remembers how long ago he saw the genial comedian at the London Alhambra) will be out in a few weeks time. Miss Lilian Russell, the American comic opera prima donna will also be crossing the “ Big Drink ” very soon, under engagement to W.and M., and an Australian tour under The Firm’s management is also talked of for Miss Fanny Davenport, an American actress who has made a big name in the “legitimate.”

Miss Priscilla Verne, the well-known serio-comic (Mrs Charles Hugo that was), has married a Westralian bank manager, and relinquished the stage.

Sir Henry Irving has cabled his representative in America that the sensational reports there alleging a disagreement between himself and Miss Ellen Terry are wholly without foundation.

Mr Alex Cochrane, recently with Mr Geo. Darrell for his Maoriland tour, has been engaged by Mr Frank Thornton to play Scot Inglis’ part in “ The Bookmaker” during his forthcoming tour. — —-Sydney Times.

The following paragraph appears in the dramatic column of the Sydney Daily Telegraph : —“ Scene, a Sydney theatre. Time, not long ago. Enter low comedian, brandishing revolver. Leading lady (pretending to be his mother): ‘ Heavens, my son, what are you going to do with that pistol ?’ Low comedian : * I’m going to shoot yer !’ Leading lady (with sudden inspiration) : ‘ No, don’t shoot me. Shoot the author !’ Prolonged applause.”

A- private letter from Sydney informs me that the ahove incident actually occurred. The play was “ Squattocracy,” a locally-written play, and the leading lady was Myra Kemble.

George Edwards, who runs the London Gaiety and two other theatres, not to speak of some half-dozen companies touring the provinces, is said to have been making .£I6OO a week for himself —clear —for the last two years. Lucky dog !

The new London theatre, which the cable recently reported as having been opened by Mr Leerbohm Tree with splendid success, says the Sydney Telegraph, is called Her Majesty’s. Mr Tree at first intended that “ Julius Caesar ” should be the house-warming piece, but subsequently decided to substitute Mr Gilbert Parker’s dramatisation of his own (Mr Parker’s) novel, “ The Seats of the Mighty.”

An “operatic drama,” by Mr Pinero and Sir Arthur Sullivan, will be the next production at the London Savoy.

George Kignold closed his season at the Opera House on Saturday last, when the amusing comedy, “ Confusion,” was played to a large audience. The company appear at Christchurch this week.

A comedy company, of which Miss Gladys Leigh is the leading lady, has been appearing at the Opera House, Auckland.

Poor Nellie Farren, of Gaiety fame, must be in great straits, for the whole of

her jewellery was recently sold by auction in London. And when an actress sells her jewels she must be very hard up.

Auckland amateurs commenced a five nights’ season of “ Princess Ida,” on May 19tli. The opera will be-produced under the superintendence of Herr Carl Schmidt.

Nothing impressed Miss Maggie Moore on her recent inquisitorial wanderings through the theatrical worlds of New York, London and Paris (says a Sydney exchange) so much as the tendency toward music-hall bills. In fact, the popular actress declares that “it is music-hall all through.” One-act sketches especially are quite the rage, Miss Moore had one or two offers herself in this direction in London. “The Chinese Question ” being suggested for one. Very good offers they were, too, she says, but not sufficiently good to tempt her. In New York these one-act sketches arc equally in request, and the demand is supplied by leading actors and actresses. Mr Barrymore goes to the Vaudeville (London), and so do several other prominent stars who have played in comedy. They have these one-act tit-bits written for them, and really make more money out of them, Miss Moore asserts, than by acting in “ the legitimate.” In a sentence : “ Variety seems to be doing all the business, and it’s wonderful the salaries paid—to artists of recognised ability, of course,” “I don’t know whether they are in favour in Australia,” Miss Moore added, “but I got heartily sick of those 1 coon ’ song. Everything abroad is ‘ coon ’ songs. In England and America they were mad on them.”

Teddy Lonnen, hero with the so-called “ Gaiety ” Company, has been in luck recently, having a share in “ Tho Little Genius,” a “ musical comedy ” which ran upwards of 100 nights at the London Shaftesbury, and is now having a most successful run in the provinces. Miss Florence St. John is in the cast.

A case of Trilby in real life has occurred at Stockholm. An actress lost her power of speech and memory through sudden grief, and could not take her part. She was accordingly hypnotised, and tho operator having suggested that she should proceed to the theatre and go through her part, she did so quite unconsciously, and in such a natural manner that the audienco remained in ignorance of what had taken place.

Tho “ star ” actress never misses a chance of self-advertisement, and Madame Calve must certainly be congratulated upon a novel manner of advertising herself and the operas she is appearing in at New York. Recently she received a letter from a madman, who threatened an assault if she refused to reply to the amorous billets-doux. The result was that she had to secure the services of a little band of detectives, who conducted her to and from the theatre at which she 'was appearing—a trifling annoyance which no doubt New York papers plenty of scope for fine writing.

The salaries paid star variety artists in New York are almost fabulous. About eighteen months ago Yvette Guilbert he French artist, did an eight weeks’ season at Oscar Hammerstein’s Olympia at a salary of £BOO a week. She then visited Paris, and on concluding there was snapped up by Koster and Bials, to return to New York, at a salary of £llOO a week. Yvette Guilbert is a very plain-looking woman, never “makes up,” wears ordinary street dresses while singing, and abhors jewellery.

Walter Bentley produced “ The Ticket of Leave Man ” in Brisbane the other day, playing, of course, Ben Brierley himself, and being supported by the members of his elocution classes. The local press docs not greatly enthuse over the production.

A dramatised version of Mr Thomas Hardy’s “ Tess of the D’Urbervilles ” has been produced in America, and has been a great success, chiefly owing to the acting of Miss Minnie Fiske as Tess and Mr Charles Coghlan as Aleck, the seducer. In the tragic finale the adapter, Mr L. Stoddart, avoids, as was expected, the fearful last chapter, giving a sort of distant view of the execution —the exterior of Winchester Gaol, the black flag, and Angel Clare looking at the sad sight with his sister-in-law clinging to him. The last the audience" sees of Tess is where she stands in the Druidical temple of Stonehenge, with the first rays of the morning sun bathing her in light, whilst the officers of the law stand ready to take her to the gallows. As against this Mr Clement Scott has published his idea of what the stage end should be as follows : —“ Stonehenge, of course ; and equally of course, across the plain the dawn of another accusing day. Tess and Angel Clare have had their last talk, and have slept in one another’s arms. Quietly footing the morning dew, the officers of the law are seen dimly in the background silently asproaching the weary lovers. Nearer and nearer they come, until their footsteps awake Angel Clare. With an uplifted hand he warns them off. The | law is powerless now. Too late ! Tess ! has paid the penalty. She is dead where [ she slept. Surely this is better than any I suggestion of the gallows. No one wants ! Tess to be executed. She has suffered enough, and God has allowed her, on

account of her many sorrows, to die in her sleep in the chill, dread moment that precedes the dawn. The notion of black Hags, ropes, platforms, prison chaplains and tolling bells seems hideous at the end of such a romance of love, such a tale of woman’s helplessness with Fate.”

The Palace Theatre, Sydney, is no longer given up to “variety” business, being now occupied by a company led by John Gourlay and Harry Shine in that old favourite “ Skipped by the Light of the Moon.” After all, “ Skipped” is mainly “variety” business loosely strung together by an impossible plot.

Scot Inglis is touring in New South Wales playing in “The Silver King” under McMahon’s management.

“ The Sign of the Cross,” Wilson Barrett’s bonanza, was produced for the first time in Australia on Saturday last, May Bth, at Her Majesty s Theatre, Sydney. The play is understood to be splendidly mounted, and is played by the same company recently appearing under The Firm’s management in “ The Prisoner of Zenda.”

The Pollard Opera Company open at Adelaide on the 22nd inst. for a six weeks’ season, thence proceeding to Broken Hill.

“ Charley’s Aunt ” still coining money at the Criterion, Sydney. “ Standing room” is the placard nightly exhibited by business manager Lohr.

Bristol’s Equescurriculum is astonishing the Aucklanders just now. The show consists of 30 trained horses, who are described as performing the most astonishing feats ever seen in this line in the Australian colonies. Kennedy the mesmerist has an interest in the venture.

An amusing story is told in connection with Mr Albert Chevalier. During a brief interval between two performances, he good-naturedly agreed to pay a flying visit to a suburban district in order to aid in a friend’s benefit. This left no time for a change of costume, except the addition of a light overcoat, and Mr Chevalier appeared at the railway booking-office in brave coster array, greatly to the admiration of a gentleman of the calling, who was also waiting for a train. Fascinated by the appearance of such an elegant member of the craft, the man followed Mr Chevalier to the ticket-office, and open-mouthed with wonder, heard him him ask for a first-class return to Hammersmith. Recovering a little from his amazement, the coster inquired of the clerk, “ ’Ere, guv’nor, what d’e arskfor ?” and on being answered, “ A first-class ticket t 6 Hammersmith,” replied enthusiastically, “ Then give me a Pullman to Whitechapel, guv’nor I ”

•When the renowned Mrs Siddons was playing in the Theatre Royal, Dublin, she, as Lady Macbeth, came to that part where a drum sounds, and she exclaims, “A drum! a drum! Macbeth doth come!” There was some difficulty or neglect in obtaining the necessary instrument, and to her amazement a trumpet sounded. She immediately saw how absurd it would be to say “ drum” while the well-known sound of the other met the ears of the vast audience. So she said, “A trumpet! a trumpet!” and stopped short, amid breathless silence, not knowing how to rhyme it, when a voice from the gallery called out, “ Macbeth doth stump it I” At which the house broke out into one peal of laughter and applause, and the tragedienne advanced to the footlights and bowed her acknowledgment for the relief.

A writer in a Srn Francisco paper on the subject of the “ dramatic current " between Australasia and California, has some interesting references to the actors who at various times have been borne along with it. He goes back to a pretty early date, as he mentions a Mr James H. M‘Cabe, who ariived in California from New Zealand in 1549, and who brought with him as his wife the daughter of a Maori chief. What Mr M‘Cabe’s histrionic capabilities were he does not say. Among other actors whom Australia sent to the Pacific Slope at a later, but still comparatively early period, the names of Harry Jackson and Harry Edwardes are mentioned. It my be noted, by the way, that when, in due, course, Harry Jackson made his appearance in London, where he became a great favourite, he was described as the “ American comedian." In speaking of the actors who, ou the other hand, visited Australia from California, the writer in the San Francisco ( paper assigns special prominence to Joseph Jefferson, though he incorrectly hints that the financial success of the delineator of “ Rip Van Winkle" was not all that could be desired- Anyhow, Jefferson thought it worth his while to remain in Australia for at least three years. Oddly enough, there is not a word in the article in question with respect to the visit of a player of who, some years atter he was seen in Australia, took the foremost place at a Shakespearian performer on the

———Tl I ■ 11 n American stage. That was Edwin Booth, who, as a young, but very promising actor, was one of a company which toured Australia in 1854.