THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4295, 2 March 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

THEATRICAL GOSSIP.

(BY "LORGNETTE”) The management at Dix’s show (Theatre Royal) provides the patrons of that popular house with a capital bill this week. Mr Frank Clark proves again what a good stage manager lie is. The performance runs without a hitch. The Brothers Patterson meet with quite an ovation nightly in their triple horizontal bar act. They make their last appearance to-night, by the way. Mr Frank Clark is very amusing in all lie does, his Timothv Mud in the sketch entitled

“School’’ being conceived in a vein of genuine humour. While on the stage lie manages to keep the audience in a simmer of merriment. Mr Joe Cowan is really funny-—and to be abk( to be really funny is a rare gift—in one of his songs. That Miss Olive Lenten has improved vastly cannot fail to strike the habitues of this house. Little Eileen Boyd is as huge a favourite as ever, and met with . warm welcome on her re-appearance on Tuesday night. Mr Arthur Hahn’s singing in ‘‘ln a Cellar Cool” and other ballads is one of tho most pleasing features of the peirforraance. The management is to bo congratulated on its very efficient orchestra, which, under the direction of Mr AT 7 , Smith kept tho indispensable musical part of the entertainment at a high level throughout the entire performance. The cornet solo was a most popular item-

The “Indian Daily News.” in referring to the opening of the Brough season in Calcutta, says: —‘•“Any feeling of uncertainty which may have existed was soon dispelled, for the first act had not proceeded far before the audience realised that they had before! them absolutely the best all-round comedy company wliich has visited the city."’ . , The current number of the “Minim ’ contains the photographs and interesting- sketches of two Australian favourites, Madame Adcy Brunei and dir Mandeno Jackson, the'Now Zealand tenor.

As an indication of the prevailing American taste in music it may bs mentioned that the works which proved most successful during the English season in New York were "The Mikado,” “H.M.S. ■Pinafore,” “Aida,” “Pagliacci” and “Carmeitt”

“The Nativity,” a now oratorio by Father Lorenzo Pern,si, of which great things are expected, will be! snug ill Horae during the present month. The composer will conduct the performance. For some months past little has been heard of the reverend musician, but he has not by any means been idle. Amongst the works which he has almost concluded is an oratorio on the theme of “Moses in Egypt,” which Rossini has used before him. Professor Petersen, the new Ormond Professor of Music at the Melbourne University, is due in Melbourne by an early boat. ■ , , Mr E. T.' Code, of Melbourne, who has been appointed judga«for.Ahe North Island Brass Band,;o3ppt at Wanganui this month, has been Ivory successful at the Ballarat band won the contest and two or its members carried oft the solo competitions. Among the actresses who will figure conspicuously in the first portion of this century’s history Mrs Pat. Campbell occurs first, while from Miss violet Vanbrugh, Miss Maude Jeffries (Australian), Miss Winifred Rmetry and Miss Lily Hanhury, much may be hoped. As yet •Nance O’Neil (Gertrude Lampson) is an “unknown quantity.” Her performance at the Opera House cannot be called anything more than interesting Her experience and intelligence enabled her to illustrate the text eloquently and picturesquely, although the general effect of all that she did seemed extravagant and excessively theatrical. Nance O’Neil is naturally a woman of overwhelming force of character and intelligence, and is bound to make a great impression wherever she appears. Yet theie was nothing in what I saw of her so-call-ed creations of the exquisite grace and haunting pathos which one is wont to associate with a great actress and the recollection she leaves behind her. Those who went to see Pepper’s Ghost as it is exhibited at the .Opera House in the hope of reviving a.much-cherished illusion of their vanished youth must, 1 think, have been Disappointed, to say the least of it. The apparatus employed is painfully inadequate to support the i.Ulusion in such a large house, nor is the mounting of either of the pieces performed sufficiently artistic to make amends for other shortcomings. The variety business included in me programme, however, is not amiss. Mr Tom Pollard was in this city last week. In an interview with a “Star’ (Auckland) representative he said of his company’s Australian experiences : /—“The papers were pretty rough on us. Thcotad some cause, perhaps, because vith the sudden experience of an exceedingly hot climate our people were by no moans in their ordinary pood form. Federation, too was in the air, and anything from New Zealand was not looked upon with much favour —that is a fact—and wa were recognised as a New Zealand organisation.” My readers will be surprised to learn in view of the fact tiiat the company left us for some two years that thoy will open a Now Zealand ‘our at Dunedin in August. Pollard’s Opera Company will vise; Hobart, March 4 to. 15; Launceston, March 18 to April 1; Brisbane, April 6 to May 6; Rockhampton, May 8 to 18; Townsville, May 21 to 28; Charters Towers, May 29 to June 17. Referring to the production 'of the new musical play, “The Thirty Thieves ’ at Terry’s Theatre, Loudon, th© “Daily Mail” remarks : A graceful, vivacious and sweet-voiced heroine is found in Miss Florence Perry, who proves herself a charming burlesque actress. Miss Pattie Browne and Mr Shirley arc unsuired to this class of entertainment.”

The part of the little beggar girl in “A Message from Mars” at the London Avenue is being taken by Miss Dorothy O’Connoll-Clark, a very clever child of 11, who, with her parents, was formerly very well known in Western Australia. She was given her first, engagement last year by Mr Forbes Robertson and Mrs Patrick Campbell. On New Year’s Eve, Mrs Singer, the wife of the well-known millionaire, gave a musical evening at her residenen. Hove, Brighton (Eng.). Among the artists engaged was Miss Ada Crosslpv. who, as the new century was u-herod in, donned the presentation aederil badge of her native Australia. Those who did the finest work :n “Djin-Djin” wore Mr E. Fitts, Miss Maud Beattie, Mr W. S. Percy and Mr Queaiy. —Svdnev “Referee.”

The Maggie Moore Dramatic Company produced “Killarney’ 1 at the Victoria Theatre, Newcastle, recently; The popular actress received a heart}' welcome on her reappearance in Australia.

The "Wellington .Madrigal Society commenced practice on Monday. . ~ Tire "Wellington Liedertalol is m run swing again, a correspondent- tells meA number of new part songs brougut from England by Mr Robert, Parker were practised last Fridav (22ud) cvoiung. Mr IMcnteith E-endal, speaking at a Society cf Music’s recent coufereaico, said that- a prominent cause of vocal decadence was the modern curse of eterna. vibrato. The shutting out of young women from the sanctuary was anoth:v cause. - Manv of cur noblest singers hua been fostered by the Church of Rome, which always gave an impetus to the studv of the earnest singer. Now there had 'been substituted a pretty little boy and a pretty little procession, and, irom the vocal point oi view, vocalisation had deteriorated. , . Dix’s Gaiety Companies in Wellington, Auckland. Christchurch and Dunedin’continue to meet with success. Tho sr-me may be said of Fuller’s companies playing nightly in the same cities, millers’, by the bye, are' to open their new house iu Sydney’ shortly. It was rather curious that not so long after Williamson altered the name ot The Alexandra to Her Majesty s. Alexandra, Princess of W ales, should uecou.e Her Majesty.—“ The Critic. ’

Thirty-throe pantomincs were produced in London last Boxing Daj. Mr Brosou Howard's drama, Shenandoah,” which has been running continuously in the United States with marked success during the past eleven years, has been re-written, with the view ot rendering it suitable to the English stage. To effect this he has transferre t the action of the story to South Africa, and substituted tho struggle m oho Transvaal for the American civil war. Among “Tho Stage’s” variety show professional cards appear the following. —The Baroness Christine Valmar. u;r Comic Opera. Coronet Theatre, Countess Russell, fur Musical Comedy and Halls- Address —Bray Lawn, Bray, B The doctors appointed to the Different theatres in Paris are petitidmng the Government to insist upon a . special bureau, or room, being fitted up w eventheatre for their use m case ot illness overtaking either the artists or the spectators. , . , , uVK„ Mr Zangwill. m his lecture on Iho Drama as a Fine Art,’ observes-. J.m Greek stage asked only two Hoards and •i passion; the English stage wants two sticks and a wardrobe.” In the same lecture he says-.-“lhe actor thinks t m part is greater than the whole. 11m modern receipt for successful nl ay is a paying compound ot snivel, dm el and devil” Mr Zangwill’s dictum may also he quoted -.— “The best two plays sniea Shakespeare are “The School for i-can-Mai” and “She Stoops.to Conquer. Discussing the subject-of singiiw -m----fore tho Incorporated Society of Musicians Mr J. Roekel, the write* of .ullad music, said-.-“ What was termed the music-hall system of singing could not fail to vitiate the taste of the irequenters of those place*? ot amusement, and as a great proportion of pleasure seekers would continue to frequent such places till the millennium of cheap opera came, it stood to reason that ks ntlnence upon the vocal art must he distinctly bad, inasmuch as, in spite of the-laudable but intermittent efforts ot some managers, the general characte t the singing in these places remained essentially vulgar. Billy Emerson, the prince of comedians/used to tell a story of how the passengers on an Atlantic Ener killed time on the voyage. In order to keep tho fun at top, each passenger had to do a “turn.” There was no , As each turn was gone through amid much laughter. Billy would imitate the mirformer All the passengers had performed except one; this was a young Irishman, making his first could do nothing, he said, aksoiutely no thing But the mid-ocean audien e would not be denied-he must lo se fViimr even if it were standing on his Ef’on the rolling deck Driven to desneration, the man Tvpiand written large all ovei luo uce, s c/ “Fmth, bhoys: look , nlavin’ man, nor , a smgiri man , a Matin or a recitin’ man, hut a foigh -in man, ami just, to keep the fiame go.n Oi’il. woipe the flure win any n<»n...iv ‘ °“«an Tr,v,” “The Greek Slave,” and “The Runaway Girl” will possibly be include'- in the Pollard’s repertoire in theri forthcoming New Zealand tour when Mr Pollard promises that we shall last reached Australia he was giving describes himself as still co’rtinmng his Si^l^S t ic ot S' style won him so many admirers on s: i. w. sfss; foldX; letter that little Fntz Mueller, t'-m --oung Melbourne pianist, was likely I “ i „ Mark Hambourg was Uo m to the fore in Berlin, and talked of paying h£ thbd visit to’Australia during the present year. The .revival of “Djin-Djin,” by the Pollard Opera Company, is favourably com located on by th© “Sydney Mormng aid” “As for the acting, Miss xviaua Beattie was quite,as effective as; need be in the part of Pnnce Eucalyptus, and Miss Gertie Campion and Mug Eiiy O’Sullivan as Princess Ins and kheckee vci-npctively and Miss May Beattie Dede also did good work, and l°«k e dP£fir’esavo and graceful. Miss Rubj ring portrayed the Fairy Queen ontradirional lines', and tbe Misses Blanche Wallorn Flrie Moore, Mane Metcane, naa Page and L. Ericsott looked gorgeous as the foreign suitors for the hand of Prm ceXlris. and spoke their lines well. Mr TTi,rv On pal v was unquestionably ■ good ho 'in make-up and acting as Okiaraa, the Daimio’s maiden ef uncertain age Mr W. S. Percy as Tom M Mlabv, Mr B. Noble as the Daimio, Mr Alfred Stephens as the Grand Vizier, and Mr E. Fitts as the wicked D.jin Djm materially a-sisted in keening the audience amused.