PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVII, Issue 2536, 15 June 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

PLAYS AND PLAYERS.

Ttie Gourlay S tikes Company were at Rcoftou last wetk, and this week give the Nelsonians a treat. Blenheim to follow, and then Wellington.

The Kennedy Lucas Company continue to diaw good downstairs audiences at the Opera House. “ Fighting Fortune " was produced on Saturday and Monday last, and on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings the double bill, “ Snowball " and “ O’Callaghan on His Last Logs,” was staged. Miss Wilde and Mr Lucas have each made a hit, and Mr Kennedy is the good all-round actor ho always was. At cheap prices the venture ought to pay well.

The Rev. H. R. Haweis commenced his Wellington season on Tuesday night, his lecture on “ Music and Morals ” proving a great treat. In spite of the awful weather there was a good house. On Wednesday the rev. gentleman lectured on “ Tennyson," and other lectures wore to follow.

Mr Kyrle (“ Curly ”) Bellow and Mrs Brown Potter (Gown Trotter the irreverent Bulletin calls her) are said to be arranging another tour of Aua ralia.

The rumour goes that Sir Henry Irving leaves the stage next year. Another good man spoilt by these trumpery “ geo gaws " of knighthoods.

A well-known Hutt gentleman, who is a most enthusiastic patron of the drama, has written to thank me for having given “ a really honest and obtspoken criticism " on the recent performance of ‘'The Guv’uor." Another reader of this column writes to ask mo if Lokoseiib will be “ equally outspoken when ho criticises the forthcoming performances of the Dramatic Students ?” To which the reply is, “ Certainly !”

A writer in the Ola/jn Witness points out that “Life for Life,” a piece now played iu Now Zealand by Mr George Dancll, is identical with “The Pakoha, or the Dumb Witness," produced for the first time on any stage at the Opera House, Wellington, on January 6, 1890.

The late Mr Pigott, who for many years was Examiner of Plays, was interviewed a short time before his death by a representative of chat smart weekly, The Bcalm. “I am growing old," he said ; “ ‘ King Aether ’ may be the Nunc Bimittis of my worl at the reading of plays, but I am glad that I have had the chance of reading it. When our greatest actor sees his way to produce a romantic drama, there is no reason to despair of the English stage. The day of the problem play and of the frayed skirt, with all their borrowed and commonplace vulgarities, will soon, I believe, be a thing of the past. The English stage will resume the position it has lost; it will become the great educational factor it has long been in Germany, no longer playing Pandarus to the prnnent inanity of our dtCiidenls, This generation,” ho continued, after a pause. “ will never know the deb 1 , it owes to Mr Irving. He has dune more for English dramatic art than any man of tbo century. He has educated bis audience and his stage. We have men now, such as Charles Wj milium, George Alexander, and Forbes Robertson, who have a high idea of the duly they owe to art. A cleaner, higher spirit is coming on our English stage. I have watched its approach, and I believe that (ho hour is come.”

Bland H ilt’s new production at Melbourne Royal is “ The Union Jack." “The Span of Life” ran seven weeks, and even Ihe “Gaiety Girl” show didn’t bring down the receipts. Bland will be with us in November.

At Dunedin the Moslyn-Dalziel Comhave been producing sensational dramas at the Princess Theatre, and will be followed by ti e George Darrell Company which has done good business at Napier,—At the City Hall the Tivoli Variety hold the fort, and at the Choral Hall the Gwen Davies Concert and Sketch Company have been giving entertain ments, the a-a?ou closing last Monday.— The Haunted Swing is also in the Southern capital just now.

Pollard's Lilipatiana commenced a short season as Auckland Opera House on Saturday last. “ Uncle Tom a Cabin was the opening production. At the City Hall, where popular entertainments are being given by Mr John Birob, an

original one-act play, “ Paul Darvon," was to be prudiccdon Monday last, with Mr F. Alexander, recently hero, in tho title r 6 e.

Charlie Berkley, onco well known on this side, is now a member of Mr William Elton's Comedy Company in Australia. I hear, by the way, that Mr Elton may probably bring his company over to Now Zealand before very long.

Mr Phil Stuart passed through .Wellington last week on his his way to Dunedin whore bo was going to arrange for the Darrell season. Mr Stuart, who looks as jaunty and well groomed as ever tolls mo that if dates cm possibly bo arranged, Mr Darrell will certainly visit Wellington later on.

Mr G. B. W. Lewis, who recently took the title idle in “ Hamlet" on the other aide, is said to be coming to New Zealand with a company of her own in November next.

An amateur dramatic co. gave tho tearstained “ East Lynne " down Brunswick (Vic.) way tho other evening - The local paper said it was a moat enjoyable performance, and “sent tho house home in a good humour." “ East Lynne " and good humour !— Bulletin.

Heller's Bonanza Coterie have finished their tour of Western Australia and sailed for London. Mr Heller writes mo to say ho hopes to bo back again in New Zealand in eighteen months time with a host of new illusions and come now people.

“Bis" writes in the fFifmvwW. J. Berrcsford, who was through Maoriland with Vivian Company ISS9 and now stage manager of Billy Ellon’s Company, rceensly took a company to Woslralia with a reportoiro in comedies by Pinero and others. At ouo place an old lady who lent her premises for bill sticking purposes asked, “ How many horses have you got ?" “ Gh, about six," was the reply ; “but we’re strongest in lions and tigers !" “Lord save.ns ! But bow do you show tho lions and tigers in the ball ?" “Ob, we keep them in the back yard, and folks go out to seo them in the intoivals." At Jarrahdalo the people sat out the comedy with perfectly stolid faces, and made invidious remarks about a visit paid by a variety company. To placate them a dance was held at the end of tho performance, and Berrcsford thumped away at the piano until 2 a.m. Tho piano was an oVphiin, and it had to bo carried nearly 200yds to tho hall. It was a very old instrument, and it hud never boon tuned since it had left tho musio emporium. At their next stopping placo tho company, grown wiser, notified that a dance would follow - the dramatic performance. Shades of Pinero I Tho theatre at Coolgardio was a soil of boxing academy by day. Tho dressing-rooms were unique. There was no flooring and woo betifio tho actor who lost his only collar stud in tho dust Prices of admission at Coolgardio wore Ss, 4s and 3s, afterwards reduced to Cs, 3s and 2s, Some variety artists just about this time wore stranded in tho Golden City of the West, and had to proceed southwards by waggon, the coach fire being L 5 and that by waggon about 15s. At Vassc an old lady who bad done some sorvico for the company was offered a complimentary ticket, which she declined. . When tho performance was over Berrcsford saw her, and was thus addressed : “I don’t think much of your show" “But you were not present, madam." “ No; but I listened, and they didn’t make no noise. They was as quiet as tho grave."

The London correspondent of tho Mail, writing on April 26th, says:— Mr G. W. Anson has tho leading male part in Mr G. W. Godfrey’s comedy, “Vanity Fair," duo at tho Court Theatre to-morrow. Mrs John Wood returns to her old house to play a middle-aged lady with pronounced ideas concerning tho rights of her sex, and Arthur Cecil is also in tho oast.

Business has fallen off in the bettor parts of the St. James’ Theatre to nothing since Oscar Wilde’s arrest, and tho last nights of “ Tho Importance of Being Earnest” are consequently announced. XI. A. Jones’ “Tho Triumph of tho Philistines” will take its place on May 11th.

“ Delia Harding,"at the Comedy Theatre, calls for no detailed description, as it is a failure, unworthy alike of Sardou’s genius and Marion Terry’s exquisite art. The plot turns on the hopelessly improbable sacrifice of the horoino, who, to save her brother from imprisonment for shooting a rascally gambler, swears away her own character, declaring it was whilst ho was coming out of her bedroom her brother winged the wretch. Presently, when she loves a young baronet, this idiotic untruth rises up iu judgment against her, and threatens to ruin her life. The brother sho saved is dead, and the villain wants her for himself. Delia pours out a glass of “cold pison,” to end all, but the villain kindly drinks it by accident, and also clears her character. The piece H shocking stuff.

The man with the incurable liver—Goo. E. Sims, I mean—in conjunction with Cecil Raleigh, has brought back old times to the Strand. In place of Scandinavian drama wo have now a rollicking farce, out of which I defy anyone to extract a moral —or an immorality. It is all fun from beginning to end is “ Fanny.” Starting with ready-made complications, the business of the piece is to clear up a mystery instead of to make one. The piece is called “Fanny" after a young person who does not appear, she having ended her mortal career six months prior to the lifting of the curtain. Her sister Flo., however, is masquerading as Fanny for the purpose of drawing an allowance made to -e the departed by Professor Bixley—per his friend Captain O’Brien. Fanny was a barmaid, who married tho Professor, but separated from him when a doubt arose as to whether her first husband was really dead. The Captain who pays the allowance has never seen Fanny, and the Professor is equally ignorant of tho person of sister Flo. You can imagine the upshot when they all meet, the Professor having in the meantime married again. When poor Bixley hears from O'Brien that his first wife still exists and has turned up, his embarrassment takes an incongruously serious turn. But tho comic element speedily supervenes, and the piece bustles merrily along once more. “Fanny,” of course, is bowled out in tho end, but not~ before sho has afforded us a good two ” hours’ pure amusement.

Mr Arthur Laws’ new farce, with which Mr Woedon Grossmith has commenced his managerial, career at the Vaudeville, is an olla podrida of funny ideas. To appreciate “ The Ladies’ Idol,” one has to seo it, for to adequately describe the adventures of the comic singer who is Joseph Wix at - home and Lionel Delamere when in society, mixed up with the search for a missing baby and the pursuit of a disappearing bracelet, and sundry other matters brought into the jumble, is an impossibility. Thu" piece serves its purposes well—that is to say, “ The Ladies’ Idol ” amuses the audience and brings together full houses. Mr Grossmith plays Delamero, the ladies’ idol. He has made bis name and fame by singing comic songs “ with a pathetic touch." For the purposes of his business, ho has to pretend to bo a bachelor, otherwise he would not bo run after; and his wife, who is helping to make a fortune for the baby by “skirt-dancing,” pretends to be a single lady—a deception which encourages many admirers, whoso different methods of paying her court make many laughable scenes. The little misunderstandings arising from the deceptions of Delamero and his wife, however, are better imagined than described. The piece will undoubtedly be “picked up” by ouo or other of the Australasian entrepreneurs before many days arc gone by. —“ Lorgnette-” in N.Z. Main.