NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1403, 19 January 1899, Page 15

NOTES BY LORGNETTE.

COMING EVENTS. Opkj*a House. December 26th to January 21st.—The Firm's Dramatic Co. January 25th to 31st.-Dante. February Bth.—Eickards Variety Co. , February 27th to March llth.-Maggie ATootq kpril 3rd'to 22nd.—Pollard's Opera ComAugust y 29th to September 12th.-Brough Comedy Company. "The Royal Divorce" has drawn largo audiences at the Opera House and was succeeded on Wednesday night by Bulwer Lytton's famous play, "The Lady of Lyons," Mr Julius Knight of course playing " Claude Melnotte," and Miss Ferrar the title role. For Thursday, Friday and Saturday "The Prisoner of Zenda was announced, the season closing on Monday next, when Gilbert's charming play "Pygmalion and Galatea" is to be staged. , Mr Joe St. Clair, business agent with the Knight-Ferrar Company, has been laid up for a fortnight with a severe attack of inflammation of the bowels. He was out for the first time on Monday last and has now left for Auckland to arrange for the company's sason in that pity. " Good' old Wellington, the dandy showtown of New Zealand." Enthusiastic euloguim from Mr Pete Hughes. I don t wonder at it, for business has certainly been splendid all through the season. What promises to be an exceedingly novel and interesting entertainment is to be given at the HaU on Saturday next, when Hamilton's Klondike Company commence a short season. A series of splendid views of British Columbia, /Alaska, and she Klondyke goldfields will be exhibited and,a, novelty in connection with the jShow; will be a lady lecturer. A strong musical programme is included, and as the exhibition will be of an educative as well, as entertaining character, the attendance should be good. '. ; ■. When Bland Holt finds the "New Babylon" receipts falling off he is to produce "White Heather," the big Drury Lane success, at Melbourne Royal. Mascagni's three children, two boys and a girl, all study music. The eldest a boy of eight, serious-, and with th< sir of a veteran, already takes his place in the orchestra as violinist. Mascagni has lately taken up the cause of an Italian boy, Orlando Salvatore, an orchestral player, who, at the age of eleven, has composed a symphony. Wilson Barrett returns to Australia in June, opening at Melbourne. It is Sossible that he may be tempted to pay few Zealand a visit. VLohengrini" wad lately performed for the four hundredth time in Berlin." According to Melbourne " Critic," the Knight-Ferrar Company will be disbanded after the present New Zealand tour. •' « • • Mascagni, the composer of "Cavalliet», W( has' produced his new opera, "Iris," wiih great success at Rome. "Iris" contains many delicate melodies, but it is doubtful if it will become popular, owing to the questionable milieu of the drama. Mascagni rgays his opera is based upon human •egotism, or, to be precise, the egotism -or men conspiring against an innocent; creature, whose fife is one continual ' aspiration towards Light. " Iri§ "

is Japanese, and will be produced in London shortly. Mme. Frances Saville left Vienna at the end of November to join Maurice Grau's Company in New York, where she will first appear as Manon. To within a few days of her departure the Australian prima donna was singing Ncdda and Marguerite in the Austrian capital. The Eroughs open their Sydney season on Easter Monday. Mme. ; Amy Sherwin took with her a fine kangaroo and its baby to London. Pending an establishment for these pets being specially constructed for them in Mme. Sherwin's garden, they have been temporarily lodged in the " Zoo." Miss Elliott Page, who was here with the first "Sign of the Cross" Company, has been apoaring in the farce, "On and Off," at the London Vaudeville. Barcelona, Spain, with 500,000 inhabitants, has eleven theatres and half-a-dozen music halls, all of which were crowded nightly in spite of the late war. Many Wellingtonian playgoers, who have pleasant memories of Miss Flora Graupner, formerly of the Royal Comic 1 Opera Company, will regret to hear that ! she was, when the last mail left, an inmate of a private hospital in Germany, suffering from nerve collapse. A speedy recovery is, however, reassured. /Dramatist lladdon Chambers is quite an identity amongst English "sports," and spends most of his leisure in shooting, boxing, sailing, riding, drivivg, swimming, fencing, and billiards. He belongs to six clubs, is still a bachelor at 37, and has expressed his intention of remaining one. Fitzgeralds' Circus has been doing really tremendous business at Melbourne. "Madame Sans Gene" is, I hear, doing but vory poor business at Melbourne Bijou. This must be a very serious business for Brough, who, it is now notorious, has done wretchedly almost since the very beginning of the season. A Melbourne correspondent a Wellington journalist says that "The Happy Life." Brough's last production before the Napoleonic play, was staged several nights to £lO houses. Mighty "Unhappy Life" it must have been for poor Brough. It is said that the real secret of the failure of the season lies in the fact, or alleged fact, that the imported artistes are, most of them at any rate, a terribly weak crowd. The leading man is perfectly inadequate—-oh, for Titheradge—and good as Mr and Mrs Brough are, they can't pull a show through on their own merits alone. Brough, in "Madame Sans Gene," is far from being up to the mark, adds this candid correspondent. I am sorry to hear all this, but experience of many imported artistes tends to show that better men can be found in the ranks of colonial actors.

Re the Brough season, " Silas Snell," writes to the "Bulletin" as follows: It should be evident now to the most hopeful that Melbourne does not want good plays well played. I find the Royal crowded night after night, and the Bijou almost desolate. At the Royal, Bland Holt is producing "Now Babylon " ; at the Bijou, Robert Brough supplies "Madame Sans Gene." Blanc Holt produces the drama splendidly; Robert Brough's treatment of the drama is susceptible of many improvements. And yet at the best the melodrama is only the same old garish, bald and awful rushing to literary extremes, and the drama at its worst is a good play, fairly artistic and full of incident. The theatres are not 50 yards apart, the prices to the popular quarters are >ractically the same, and yet the old. familiar setting of the old, familiar incidents and the crude contrasts of unmitigated virtue and perfect vice .draw . nthusiastic pushes, and at the Bijou he voice of Sardou is the voice of oiu crying in tho wilderness. The Melbourne playgoer declares he wants to be amused. Plays like "The Liars,'' 'Lord and Lady Algy," and "Sans Gene" should amuse him iinmense'y ind do not; plays like " New Babvlon ' should not amuse him and do. Then is the problem. "Teach the playgoe; better," says somebody. Humph i That is how fortunes are lost. Teaching the public better is about the most hopeless, heart-breaking, and thankless task ever undertaken by man, and the teacher always dies before his pupils discover what the deuce he is doing. Try to teach the public by giving it better ! —better give it best.

Letter recently received by a Melbourne manager :—"Deer sir, just a few lines to ask you if any time you vont girls for to learn to go on the itage I would be very pleased if you jould give mo work as I fancy I would 'ike to go on but I have never been or he stage before and also my friend vould like to go on the stage to & if you think you could give us work you might let lis no by doing so you ■will greatly oblige miss Jones send \n ancer Please to this adress 59 street. This is my Friends name miss A. Smith."

One of the most interesting events if the New Year season to old London playgoers was to have been a Robertson revival. Mr John Hare, on his f&m !« tys jss! Theatre was to

produce " School," a play which has furnished him with one of the two best comedy parts in his repertoire. Mr Hai's Beau Farintosh, in " School," and his Sam Gerridge, in " Caste," are not likely to be forgotten in this generation.

Caleb Porter, who played Nero n " Tho Sign of the Cross" on the first visit of the Knight-Ferrar Company, is now a member of Wilson Barrett's Company in England, and plays the same part.

The stately Alma Stanley, here with Harry Paulton, has ben playing in a comedy called "Two Little Maids from School," at the Camberwell Theatre. London. An "all very fine and large" lady like the fair Alma would be rather a grandiose "Little Maid."

A cablegram to the "Melbourne Ago," dated London 29th December, runs as folows: —There are now five Australian actresses playing leading parts in Christmas pantomimes in England. Miss Nellie Stewart, at Drury Lane, and Miss Florence Young, at the Fulham Grand, have both achieved popular success. Miss Ethel Haydon has made a great hit in tho pantomime at the Manchester Theatre. Miss Sophie Harr's, formerly of Mr Henry Bracy's Opera Company, and Miss Florrie Forde, formerly of the Melbourne Opera House, are sustaining with success the " principal boy" parts in pantomimes at the Kennington and Clapham Theatres respectively.

Carl Hertz was, at latest advices, in San Francisco, of which citv he is a native. His late agent, Mr Edwin Geach, is running the Flying Jordans in India. The Calcutta season was a great success. At the close of their Indian tour the Jordans will, I understand, return to Australia.

Miss Cecilia Staunton (Madrnne Goldedstedt) will play Carmen, Azncena (in "II Trovatore"), and Oxtud (in " Lohengrin") with the newly-formed National Opera Company. The exAuckland er( we notice she h described in tho "Sydney Mornina: Herald" as an Australian) is described by a London journal as possessing an exceptionally rich mezzo-soprano. Mv Hedmont, the Canadian tenor, and Mr W. Walsho, the Australian tenor, formerly wellknown in New Zealand, are also engaged. The tour was to open at Dublin on January 9th, with "11 Trovatore."

Dampier, who has had a seven weeks' run with "Robbery Under Anns" in Sydney, is now producing "His Natural Life."

The Maggie Moore-Roberts Company opened at Hobart last week, and soon come on to New Zealand, making an extended tour of the colony. Miss Maggie Corcoran will play seconds to Miss Moore, and will accompany Miss Moore and Mr Roberts to England. It is probable that during the New Zealand tour the Company will produce Mr Lewis Scott's version of "The Silence of Dean Maitland/' of which Mr Roberts has secured the rights for two years.

Miss Ellen Terry has been telling a London pressman an amusing anecdote of an incident in a performance of "A Midsummer's Night Dream," at the Theatre Royal, Manchester: —"It was at the Theatre Royal, Manchester. My sister Kate was playing Titaaia. Up I came—but not quite up. for the men shut the trap-door too soon, and caught my too. I screamed; Kate rushed to me and banged her foot on the stage; but the men closed tho trap tighter, mistaking the signal. >' Oh ! Katie ! Katie !' I cried. 'Oh ! Nelly ! Nelly !' returned my sister. Mrs Charles Kean, who was producing the play, here came rushing on. and made them open the trap. " Finish ..he play, dear,' she whispered, excitedly; ' and I'll double your salary !' Well, there was Kate holding me up on one side and Mrs Kean on the other. But I finished the play. It was something like this:

If we shadows have offended ('Oh, Katie! Katie ! J ) Think but this, and oil is mended (' I hope my poor toe will!') That you have but slumbered here

While these visions did appear (' I can't! I can't!'). And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding than a dream (Oh, dear! oh, dear!' —and a big sob). Tcntles, do not reprehend; If you pardon, we will mend (' Oh, Mrs

'Kean!') And so I got through it, and my salary was doubled. The President of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, who chanced to be in a stall, came round behind the scenes., and put my toe right."

Pollards' Opera Company have been doing exceedingly well in Auckland. "The Gay Parisienne" was a groat success.

Mr J. C. Williamson (says a Sydney paper) has received an interesting letter from Mr H. H. Vincent, who stagemanaged for The Firm in Australia for several years. As an actor he is best remembered here for two very fine impersonations —Colonel Damas in "The Lady of Lyons," and Sir Oliver in "The School for Scandal." Almost ever since his return to England, Mr Vincent has been stage manager, adviser, and right-hand man to Mr George Alexander, at the St. James' Theatre, London, where from time to time he plays the same kind of parts in which he figured during his residence in Sydney. Mr Williamson remembers him gratefully as one of the best managers he ever had. Mr Vincent was a strict

disciplinarian, but at the same time ho was popular with the artists, his system being a judicious co-mingling of the suaviter in modo with the fortitc in re.

Old playgoers will regret to hear cf the recent death at Adelaide of thta sterling actor and vocalist, Mr Edwin Kelly. He originally camo to this country with Kelly and Leon's Miustrels, a combination which had toured England and the United States. Mr Kelly first appeared as the Admiral in "Pinafore." This comedian is chief]/ remembered, however, for the many parts he played with Messrs Williamson and Musgrovo's Royal Comic Opera Company. His Rocco, in "La Mascotte," was an excellent impersonation. Altogether he was connected with tho Australian stage for some 25 years, and at the time of his death, which ensued after 24 hours' illness, during the present Adelaide season of the Myra Kemble Company, he was GO years of age. Some years ago an o d comrade of his, Mr W. H. Leake, was buried at Adelaide, over whose gra.-e Mr J. C. Williamson erected a monument. Mr Williamson has now had this grave opened so that the two friends may sleep side by side, and Mr Wbbe-t Reeve, actor and author, has added a few appropriate words to the former inscription.

• The revival of " Ali Baba" at E'er Majesty's, Sydney,has revived an old theatrical wheeze—old, but good. The story is that an intending visitor to r.n American theatre asked at tho paybox what the name of the play was. "The Forty Thieves," said the moneytaker. " And what's the admission ?" "Three dollars." said the mm. "Thanks; I dont want to see the other thirty-nine," rejoined the applicant, retiring gracefully.

Mr Harry Plimmer, the promising young actor hailing from this city, who is now the leading man of Messrs Williamson and Musgrove's No. 2 Dramatic Company, continues to make rapid strides in his profession. At latest advices the company were performing at Ballarat with phenomenal success, Mr Plimmer appearing in such parts as Marcus in "The Sign of the Cross," Eudolph in "The Prisoner of Zenda," and Claude Melnotte in " The Lady of Lyons." It is not improbable that this company may tour New Zealand shortly, when, in addition to appearing in the four centres, they will play at Palmerston North, Wanganui, New Plymouth, Napier, Timaru, Oamaru and Invercargill.