THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1543, 4 June 1881, Page 20

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

By Puck.

Business at the Princess during the week has been fair downstairs. "The Danites" is in active rehearsal, and Mr Willis is painting new Eoenery for itThe changes at the Queen's have been numerous during the week, but the audiences were sparse. The Harts are in South Canterbury. On the Queen's Birthday "Withered Leaves " and " The Romantic Family " were played by the Cardens to a crowded house. The Christchurch papers endorse the verdict of their Dunedin contemporaries that both comedies aio capitally played. "School " has been produced, but the cast is said to have been a somewhat uneven one. Miss Watt-Tanner waa out of it, owing to illness. . Cary's juveniles are performing at Wanganuu The Clutsarn family are on their way out to Dunedin. Signor Morley's first concert in Chriatchnrch was a decided success, musically and otherwise. The local papers congratulated him very heartily on the progress ahown by his pupils The Sinionaens havo been doing very fair business in Wellington. On the 25fch nit. " Faust " waß produced for Signor Paladini's benefit. I do not hear that Mr R. W Cavy baa made much progress towards organising his " Pirates of Penzance" Troupe, though his chorus, being drilled by Mr S. Wolff*, are formed. Among the through passengers by the San Francisco mail steamer was the agent of Madame Welohins, a violinist, who is to visit the Colonies vf>ry shortly. | "WH.W.," of the Canterbury Times, has been informed by Mr H. P. Lyons (who will be remembered w Blondin's agent in the Colony) that he b*s organised, ft party, to be known wj

" Lyons' Tourists or Pleasure Party," for a New Zealand tour. They are to leave Sydney for Auckland on June, 15th, and commence operations there. The names given are Miss Amy Horton, Miss Jessie Lean, Onzalo, the brothers Wvburd, Nina Tulloch, Emily Fox, Master M'Lean, Master Parlato (late of M'Lean's Juvenile , Troubadours), with Mr Bartlett as, pianist, Miss Christian's concert in the Melbourne Town Hall on the Queen's Birthday was crowded.

The "Pirates of Penzroce" was first performed in Melbourne by the Williamson Company on May 23rd, and up to the date of the Bingaiooma's departure had been witnessed by very large audiences. On the first night, according to the Age, " the audienoe were somewhat capricious, muoh of the beßt musio being allowed to pass without a hand, whilst other portions decidedly inferior were heartily received." The "Antony and Cleopatra" revival is fixed for May 28th, Mr W. J. Holloway playiag Antony to Miss Pomeroy's Cleopatra. As a counterpois the management of the Bijou Theatre announced a, double bill— Fred Marshall in " The Unole" and "The Old Story," In the "Twelfth Night," at the Melbourne Royal, Mr Herbert Fleming played Sebastian with much acceptance. ,This young actor is evidently pushing his way to the front. On May 14th a matinee was given at the Royal, Melbourne, for the benefit of the widow of the late Fred Ooppin, who had been left in indifferent oircumstanoes j Mrs, Marcus Clarke, Mrs G. B. Lewis, Miss Pomeroy, Miss Clara Stephenson, Miss Roeina Carandini, Mrs R. S. Smythe, M. Kowalski, Messrs Wybert Reeve, Sylvester, Laoy, Carey, H- E. Walton, Zelmau, and. the Australian Band assisted } and the net result of their efforts was the handing over of the handsome sum of £145 to Mrs Coppin.

Thompson's Zulu War Panorama was < at Garner's Theatre, Adelaide, on May 25thThe Hyperion Company have done immense business in Western Australia with "Pinafore-" ' Prior to thair departure for the OW Country per Orient steamer Liguria, Mr F- Thome was presented by his admirers with a silver-mounted emu egg-stand, and Mrs Thome with a diamond ring. The canse is not explained, but the fact is that " La Fille dv Tambour Major " has not hit the tastes of the Adeladians. It had reached its twentieth night in that city on May 25th, but the attendances have not been over large. And it would appear that it will be withdrawn early, as the Register informs me that Mr Allison, the lessee of the Royal, is in Melbourne, l organising a dramatic company to support Mr W. H. Leake at his house. The Montagu-Turner Opera company are carrying everything before them at Sydney. " Trovatore" has been nearly as big a, success as " Maritana," In the oast are Miss Marie St. Clair, whose Azuoena is highly praised ; and a Mr Gordon, the possessor of " a fine, stolid bass," Mr Turner promises to produoe Thomas's " Mignon " before the Beason closes. J. L Hall has played "Rip Van Winkle" nearly 3000 times. The Town and Country (Sydney) is my authority for stating that Si*n<->r P. Giozza has been engaged by Mr J. O. Williams, to act as musical conductor of his " Pirates of Penzanoe " company, who are to make a tour of^ the Colonies, proceeding thence to England. Signor Giozza having resigned his position of organist of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sydney, it may be assumed that the information is oorreot. Offenbach's " Margot " was to have been pro duoed at the Globe Theatre, London, on April' 16 th. " Michael Strogoff " continues to attract crowd* to the Adelphi. In the new operetta " Jeanne, Jeanette, and Janneton," at the Alhambra, Miss Alioe May, plays one of the principal parts. The mrisic is very bright and pretty ; the piece is well mounted and oast, and is likely to have a &ood run. Misa Alice Burnett, the Sydney pianist, has given a very successful concert at Birmingham. Mr Riohard L,ee's new five aot piece "Branded" was favourably received at the Princess', London, on April 2acL The chief honours are scored by Miss Caroline Hill and Mr Henry Neville. " Olivette," at the Strand, is doing splendid business.

Modjeska's *' Juliet" is procounced a failure. " She did not look the part, nor did she aot it. Her acting was oold, artificial, unelegant, destitute of grace, and faught with no true passion." Such is the verdiot of tbe Home News. The Romeo of Forbes Robertson and the Meroutio o£ Wilson Barrett are, however, highly praised. It is definitely arranged that a short season of German opera shall be given at Drury Lane ia May and June, 1882, under the direotion of Herr Riohter. Wagner's " Tristan and Isolde " and " Die Meister'singer " and Beethoven's " Fidelio " will be given.

Mr Gye's season of Italian opera was commenoed on April i9th. His conductors are Burgnani and Dupont ; his prime donne include Patti, Sembrich, Albani, Valleria; his contralti — Soalohi, Ghiotti, and Paequa j his tenors are beaded by Niocolini and G-ayarre ; and among the baritones and basses are the familiar names of Laasalle, Agetti, Cotogni, Ciampie, and de Refzke His first appearances include de Reszke, Fursch • Madier, Warnota, and Guercia, soprani ; Mierwinsky, Labatt, Verctnet, and Perugini, tenors ; Sante-Athes and Bulss, baritones; Dauphin, Grease, and Griffen, baseeß, The last named is said to be an English basso pro/undo of remarkable qualities. Rubenßtein's •' Demon," Mozart's " Seraglio," and revivals of " Otello" and < " Mefistofele " are promised during the season. Shakesperian students should read Lady Martini's (Helen Fauci t) letters "on some of Shakespeare's Female Characters' by oue who has personated them," now going through Blaokwood. They are simply delightful reading. Can any reader oblige me with a few days' perusal of the April number of " The Theatre P" " The World," in the heyday of its popularity, ia to be transferred to the Surrey, to allow John M'Oullough to appear at Drury Lane on April 26th.

Mr Creswick has just commenced an engagement at the London Standard, where he appeared as Hamlet. Mr A. Dampipr is still at the Surrey, playinsr Jean "Vuljean"m his own version of "Lbs Miaerables," and is a great favourite with the south Londoners.

"The Upper Crust " has been played at the London Folly for over 350 nights, and is as popular as ever. Mr Toole talks of reviving Recce's " Wizard of the Wilderness." in which will be introduced now developments of the mysteries of clairvoyance and spiritualism. There is some reason for thinking that A.. E. Sothern's will will not after all be contested in the courts. Mrs Cowan has informed the New York solicitors of her late brother's widow that she has every whh to arrange matters amicably. R )Be Chborne is still in 'Frieco.

E. T. Stetson's projected visit to Australia has been abandoned, a hitch having occurred in bis negotiations with George Ooppin. If Soldene does como puttetho Colonel it

will he with a somewhat different organisation to that which she at present heads. Rose Stella is likely to sojourn in the Eastern States for a time. Maggie Duggan is the high kickist of the company. The Golonieß may look out for another visit ere long from Emily Melville. Wonld that she would not overlook New Zealand in that caße.

John E. Owens, tbe American comedian, would have been in the Colonies , last summer, only he fell into tbe hands of some Fhillistines in San Fr&noisoo, who fleeced him to the tund of about £9000 of our money. He is now out East trj ing to recuperate hia fortunes. - , The Bernhardt played for Mr Abbey the last two weeks of bis leseeeebip of Booth's Theatre, New York. Immediately after her last night she left for France. It is estimated ' that she took away with her L 30.000. J. K. Emmet waß to Bail for England on April 16th. . . Haverly and Gilmour will spend LSOOO on " Michael Strogoff " before the ourtain of Niblo's rises on it. ■ • '" ' Miss Genevieve Ward has again triumphed in the matter of her lawsuit against Messrs Wallaok and Moss, to prevent them playing " Forget-me-not'! iri'New York. ' It will be rer colleofced by readers of my jottings 'that when the case came before ■ Judge Truaoe,' he temporarily restrained the performance, but allowed Wallaok and Moss time in which to procure rebutting affidavits from England. These came from Herman Merivale and Miss drove, the authors of the piece, who averred that in selling it to Miss Ward they had no thought of Amerioa, and . did not intend that that country should be included in the transaction. Another judge' has how made the injunction perpetual, holding that what was intentionally transferred by ■ tbe authors- to Miss Ward was "a right to produce > the play on the stage without thereby publishing ;it ,80 that others might use it,'* and having so conveyed the right it was beyond their, power to question what might be done with it." Other parts of the agreement Bhowed that there was no intent to reserve the right to produce in the United States. This decision gives Miss Ward the sole right to " Forget-me-not," and is wortE (says the Dramatic News) not less than L 20.000 to her. No one questions the honesty of Wallaok and Moss in their business ;• they were i deceived by the authors. 1 . The impressario, Ji. Strakoach, 1 who has just been severely burnt at Nice, is the man who first of all discovered Patti, k She was then, a little girl in a village in America} he heard her sing by accident, took 'charge of her, brought her up, had her taught, and then brought her out. He and his brother Max 'are amongst tha two most enterprising of their class. The latter has only just left England for America, haying gone there with the idea of bringing { ou(i all Wagner's operas in London. He will'probably return with some new scheme in a few months. In connection with this fatal fire the news comes by the mail this week that among those whoperished were three children. r of .Mr "David Kennedy, the Scottish vocalist, who made so many warm friends during his visit to 'New I Zealand a few years ago, and whose return among us was being looked forward to with 1 very pleasurable feelings. Concerning the heavy bereavement sustained by Mr David Kennedy, the London correspondent of the Adelaide Register writes :— >" The shook has been bo hard upon him that he announces' he -will not sing' again in Scotland for eighteen months,' Last year the family had a very successful tour in South Af rica> and they gave a few concerts in Edinburgh and Glasgow >to bring opt two of the younger daughters. Kate and Alice had not much more than left school, but they were promising singers. The' two sons/ Robert and James, who ' had ' travelled most with their father,, wished to 'study for the opera, and it was arranged, that the girls should accompany them to Italy. They began at the Conservatory in Milan, and after spending some time there, the younger son, James, aged' twenty-five years, and , the, two girls--Alice, eighteen ; and Kate, twenty-two— pro* ceaded to Nice to place themselves tinder .a master there. All three of them were in the Opera House when it bursb into flames,' and, being ill acquainted with the intricate passages, they were caught in the crush of the .panicstricken crowd, and all perished. , Robert wad telegraphed for to Milan, and went down: Ere he arrived the bodies had been recovered, and he could recognise them beyond doubt. ' They had been suffooated, and were not much burned. The English residents at Nice followed them to the grave in the English cemetery outside the town, and Robert has returned to Scotland with all the relics of them he could save. It appearsthat a very large proportion of the loss of life in connection with the above calamity is attributable to the serious error in construct ing the theatre of having omitted to provide sufficient facilities for the egress of a ■ large audience. Those who were in the stalls and in two or three lower tiers of the boxes were able to escape, but the more numerous crowd who had occupied the upper tiers and the galleries were hopelessly jammed on the stairs and in the doorways, where the darkness increased their alarm. On the stairs leading from the galleries some persons fell down, and were themselves fallen over by others ere long j so that those who were trying to make their way down it in total darkness found it barred by a human wall, while soon the smoke reaching the place added the dangers of immediate suffocation to those already apparent. ■' Some few jumped out of window to meet death in their fall, and two or three others were seriously hurt by jumping over into the hall below. When the firemen, the sailors of the squadron in harbour, and the soldiers arrived, they had to take the lamps from carriages outside in order to see their way up this staircase through the smoke. On the upper landings they found complete barriere of human bodies, from which it was only with the greatest difficulty that a few were extricated. Most of them were dead either from the pressure of the crowd or suffocation from the smoke, A very few were restored to life after much care and exertion. Madame Bianca Donadio, the prima donna in whose honour ' Lucia di Lammermoor ' was being sung, had just left the stage when the explosion took place. She did not know her way about the theatre, but surprised in the dark by the first rush of affrighted chorassingers, she was literally carried out into the street before she knew where she was. The basso Oottini's body has been identified, and fears are entertained that the tenor has shared the same fate. Signor Oottini was a young and promising singer. It was not the first time he had been under fire, for he was very Dearly burned to death at the conflagration at the Theatre dcs Arts at Ruuen. He was to have taken the part of the Ghost in * Hamlet ' on that occasion, and he was compelled in his full suit of armour to jump from a second-floor window into the street. He was caught on some mattresses, but he was so much hurt and shaken that very slight hopes were entertained of his recovery. He did get well, but fate appears to havo marked him out as the viotim of the devouring element, for, after escaping at Rouen, he has now been burnt to death at Nice."

The billet; drees in " Olivette," at tbe Fifth Avenue, consists eimply of a skin-olose Jersey and a pair of silk tights, with a narrow sash coveting the junction aorosa the hips. A con reepopcfont P»ys l-~" I have neve? feign wo

anything so closely simulating entire nudity on the We. Nor does Stella Boniface afford material for emulation in " Where's the Cat ? at Wallach's. She is a most demure young creature, and iv this play personates a guile. lesß simperer, sticking far out of her muslin frock at both ends. In one scene she sits on a iock half way up to the flies. An importunate lover pTrsue? be", and she suddenly goes scoot down a plane at an angle sixty degrees to the stage. The incline is made of smooth boards, and she slides with a celerity that (possibly) orevents the astounded audience from profiting by the exposure of her legs. Then she runs merrily off, and, maybe, picks splinters out of herself." „ ' . ■, c Jeanie Widston is still pnma donna of Mahon's Opera Company, and was last heard or Adelina Patti has been offered £500 a night to go to New York for bix weeks. This ib £100 more ,tban Bhe ever reoeived, even in St. ■'. Joe Jefferson and Mrs Drew will endeavour to tout up "The Rivals" for a long run in JNew York next season. At Louis, Miss., he played the ever-weloomß Rip arid Sheridan's comedy to Immense business, his shares of the week s profits being £450. Thirty-seven years ago he played at the aame house, the Olympio, at a salary of a guinea a week. . • Jantf Ooonibeß, who was a perfect fizale m the colonies, ,bas turned up in Tiffin, Ohio,, where "the theatrical critics gave her a very and Henry Gates have given their 650fch consecutive performance of Eogliah opera and opera bbuffe at the Tivoh, San Francisco, .They fairly wiped out the Soldenea. Colonial managers,, what are you thinking.of ? Charleß Eeade has ceassed his connection with the combinations ' playing his pieces in the English provinces, and announced his deterjnination to contribute no m(>re literature to the stage. «.-,," V i, Madame. Gester, one of Mapleson's pnma donnas, enjoya a salary of LBOO a month, and Oamrianini, his first tenor, L6OO. ' Yon Bulow intends training hw Meiningen orchestra to play WithoUc notes. Here is the Abbe Liszt's opinion of the doctor, commumoated in February last to Herr Pazmandz :— t* You would like to know what impression the Bulow concert has made on me. It canbe Bummed up in two words— Marvel ! Inspiration ! Twenty-five years ago Bulow was my trapil in music, as twenty-five years before I waslhe pupil of my highly-esteemed and, dear master, Czerny. But.it has been given to Bulow to Bucceed better than I have done. His magnificent edition of Beethoven is dedicated to me as the fruit of my teaching. Bat here the teacher has to learn from the pupil, fend Bulow teaches the world as well through his astounding virtuosity as pianoforte-player as through bis supreme musical knowledge, and now also through his peerless conducting of the orchestra at Meinengen. In this you have, the whole musical improvement of our . Forepaugb, of New York, has selected his ten thousand dollar beauty. Annie Pauline Scott, of Monotogahela City, Pa., carried off the prize. She will travel with his circus, and be 'exhibited as the handsomest woman in Amerioa. Miss Scott was a poor girl before she wob the prize. ' 'Edwin Booth narrates ss f ollpws the manner in which he came to effect an arrangement to play with Henry Irving:-" Mr Irving asked we to luncheon or to sup with him, and I was to name the day, I played at a matinee recently for the benefit of Mr Chatterton, at the requeßt of 'some good people. 'Mr Irving also acted. I named the day for the luncheon. > He invited me to his. rooms. We spent quite a long time together, talking of subjects in which we were both' interested. I found him charming and sympathetic. During our conversation I Intimated that I would like to give Borne matinees at hia theatre, engaging my own company, so that I could present to the London public, with satisfaction to myself, some of the bieces in which I had not yet appeared, as well as those in which they bad already seen me. It , has been said so often by the Press, and reiterated to me so much in private letters, that "the company and surroundings at the Princess' haT? been detrimental to the proper production of, 'Shakespeare during my engagement there, that prior to my provincial tour I thought that I would really like to have the satisfaction of appearing in at least one or two good all-round performances. Mr Irving con, sented at once. Soon after I reached my own rooms Mr Irving called. He said that he had been thinking the question of morning perform ances over; the matinee was not popular in London— once a week, not more, could be relied on for large audiences, and that morning (Saturday) was occupied by himself. My idea, of course, was to play on other mornings. ' I cannot advise you,' he said, ' to risk matinees. Suppose you come and play in the evenjj D gg 8 8 — SB y . three nights a week — with me in 1 Othello '?i I replied tthat I should be delighted to do so, and he at once mentioned terms that were moat liberal, and we closed the arrangement." The foreign critics think Minnie Hank the beat Carmen of the day. J; F. Barnett intends to give a performance of "The Building of the Ship " with the Leeds soloists, and probably with the Halle Choir, at St. James' Hall! London, on May 25th. i' Howard Paul is the new manager of the London Alhambra. ' {^Manager Abbey was offered ana declined 32,000 dollars' guarantee to play the Bernhardt in San Francisco fpr fourteen nights. Frank Berger, of the Berger Family, is to marry Etta Morgan. Mr DeLias iB going to introduce the Berger Family to the New Zealanders' notice in the summer. Mrs Scott-Siddons was playing in Brooklyn early in April. Frank Gardiner, an American manager, who has taken the road with a company to play Farjeon's " Grif," has adopted a novel expedient for advertising his advr-nt. To the poor •of the town he is about to vis.t loaves of bread ate distributed gratuitously-each morning, the loaves being Btamped " Poor Grit's Offering." -, .During the' performance, in February, of «;*The Galley Slave" at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham, there occurred one of those unrehearsed scenea which testify so strongly to the hold a piece has on the audience. When in the fourth act the gaoler Carot sternly forbids any conversation between Francesca and Sydney, Noroott, a woman rose from her seat and, screamed out, " Let, 'em talk, can't you !" This convuked the house, and interrupted the action of the play for l w/ or three minutes. Later in the act, Cttn , when after a <t>vere strugle, hurls Francesco prostrato upon the stage, the same lady, creaming ou», "You butcher!" made a determined movement cowards the stage. Laughter loud and lcm g Hgaiu pealed forth, and indeed the incident so diverted the attention of the audience that it ulmont spoilt the very strong situation which brings the act to a close.

At the National Theatre, Bnda-Pesth, lately, in the first act of Wagner's " Lohengrin," while the hero was pouring his romantic adventures into the King's ear, the latter fell fast asleep on his throne, and did not awake until the succeeding chorus. The incident attracted the notice of the. midfonpe, who laughed bcartiJyi