Dramatic and Musical.

Otago Witness, Issue 1418, 25 January 1879, Page 18

Dramatic and Musical.

» THE THEATRES, &c After an exceedingly good season, the Kelly and Leon Minstrels vacated bhe Princess Theatre last Monday, and opened in Oamaru the following night. From Oamaru they proceed to Timaru, and thence to Christchurch in order to join the return steamer to Melbourne I hear that Surridge, one of the leading members of the company, will forsake the minstrels at Melbourne wibh a view of returning to S»n Francisco, and that Miss Eva Davenport, who severed her copnection with the Sherwin Concert Combination in Dunedin some weeks ago will fill his place* The Uncle Tom's Cabin Company opened at the Princess Theatre on Wednesday. They will remain here 10 days. Messrs Nicholson and Ascherberg, of Melbourne, have been entrusted, for publication with the M.S. of a new, and what promises to be a valuable work on music. The author is the Rev. Father O'Malley, S. J., whose idea is to place before the reader in a single volume all that can be known concerning the science of music. The work is divided into three parts. The first treats of the theory of sound, the second of the theory of music, and the third gives a practical method of teaching children sight-singing and harmony. I should be extremely sorry if the publication were to fall through for lack of subscribers. Mr G. R. West, of Prince 3 street, has been appointed to receive subscriptions. Rign old's "Henry the Fifth " Company made their dibut at Ohristchurch on Tuesday, and were welcomed by a jammed house. The local critics say that the play is produced on a scale of magnificence never before seen there. The company will next visit Dunedin. The dramatic criticisms in the Australasian having ceased to be signed by the well-known nom deplume of " Tahite," it is only reasonable to conclude that Dr Neild, who, as I need not tell my readers, used to contribute these articles, has at length severed hia literary connection with that paper. No doubt the expose to which he has recently been subjected ab the hands of Mr Morbon Tavares, in the Age newspaper, has a good deal to do wibh this state of things. However severely he may have treated many of the deserving actors and actresses who have appeared from time to time on bhe Melbourne boards, and however partial he may have appeared to be to others, there are few, ev<n among actors themselves, who will not miss Irs pungent and searching criticisms. Dr Neild has been before bhe public as a dramatic critic aince the year 1856. He was the " Christopher Sly" of My Note Book, the Examiner, and the Australasian, and subsequently the " Jacques" and " Tahite" of the last-named journal. Thepantominesin Melbourne have been well patronised during the Christmas holidays. The felondinette iLady Minstrel Troupe at St. George's Hall, who have also attracted a good deal of curiosity, will arrive in New Zealand shortly. At the Princess Theatre the emotional drama of " East Lynne" has met with some degree of success, but the cast was not a very strong one. The Monday " Pops" at the Melbourne Town Hall do not pay, and are to be abandoned. Madame Tasca's performances have been the chief feature of the concerts. The Cagli Operatic Troupe is expected to arrive in Australia from India in the course of a week or two. Those great favourites, the Coys, are included in the company, who, it is said, will revise several old operas during their colonial bour. The Figaro says :— The bouquet dodge has been played oub, and ib has been succeeded by the " blind bouquet" dodge. Miss Fanny Davenpors and Miss Genevieve Ward have tried it very successfully recently ab Booth's Theabre. After Miss Davenport had given her performance of " Rosalind," and had sung the " Cuckoo song" without obtaining the traditional encore, she was called before the curbaiu oub of compliment to her charitable participation in a benefit for a good cause. When she came forward a basket of flowers was sbretched out by the leader of the orchestra, but she didn't see it — no, phe didn't see it at all. " Poor Fanny must be blind," said somo one. All this time the flowers awaited her acceptance, but she bowed herself off without being able— poor blind girl — to see them. Of course tbe audience got up a uufficient applause to summon her back to take the basket. She gave such a start of surprise when she saw them — "where could her eyes have been all the time ?" Ge"nevie\e Ward is stone blind, too, The other night, after " Queen Katharine had died. Miss Ward had to reappeaty and though she looked straight at the J

floral tributes, she didn't see them either, and had to be brought out a second time before they were apparent to her defective vision. When audiences find out this little trick, they will allow the flowers to be sent round to the stage door. FITZEKIC._