Music and the Drama.

Otago Witness, Issue 1582, 18 March 1882, Page 19

Music and the Drama.

For I am nothing, if not critical. Tbo man that hath not music in himself,

Led no such man be trusted.

— Shakknpharh.

TH33ATEIOAL & MUSICAL &OTES.

By PdOK.

[Contributions from the Profession chronicling their movements and doings are respectfully invited.\

Interprovincial.

"Patience" was withdrawn in the height of its popularity. " Pirateß " was given on Monday night with the cast mentioned by me last week, and will be played till further notice. The Austrian Band have not been anything near so successful at Christchurch as they were at Dunedin.

Wilkinson's Burlesque and Comedy company are flying at higher game. Tho other day at Wanganui they gave "Caste" with this cast : -Goorge D'Alroy, Mr Jewett ; Capt. Hawtrey, Mr R. W. Rede ; Eccles, Mr Geo. Herbert ; Sam Qerridge, Mr Briggs ; Esther Eecles, Miss Lizzie Lawrence; Polly Eccles, Miss Jennie Nye ; the Marquise, Miss Lena Wyatt. The Montague-Tumor opera season in Christohurch was nothing nearly so successful as at Dunedin. The only really good house was on Friday, when Mr Turner took a benefit, and then ouly the downstairs parts were well attended. The season closed on Saturday, but on Monday evening the company gave M." Caron'B prize cantata. They give a couple of conceits at Invercargill before proceeding to Melbourne.

Mr J. P. Hydes* benefit at Invercargill last week was a failure financially— scarcely anybody there ;' but those who attended were vastly amused by the senior butterfly's account of his " upsand-downß " in the profession. Ho informed them that it was intedded he should be, as his father before him was, a combination of brewer and farmer ; but tho strolling "show" having come by the home of the Hydes, he wife find by a restless ambition to become an actor, so 1 he made a bolt of it, and joined this travelling company. Playing at Liverpool, who should he espy among the audience but his father.' Of course there was au interview. " Had my father," says Mr Hyd"S, " been harsh with mo, had he taken me by tho collar and given me a sound thrashing with the stick he carried, and made me go home and follow the ulough, the chances are that I might have been a man instead of being a strolling vagabond as I am now." ' Instead of that the pater said : " Come, .addi-, beant thee tired of this ? There's the mother wants to see theo at home." So the young prodigal returned, and the fatted calf was killed. His father sot him up in the wine and spirit business, which for nine months he followed diligently ; but then hiu tate overlook him in the shape of a dramatic company, with some roembtrs of which he ultimately weut to America. lie visited the principal parts of that Continent, and then went to Sydney, where ho joined "a stock company, any one of whose members could assume a wide range of characters. It was v. company alter tho good old style such companies >vere not to be found nowadays. Tho profession had now come to upholstery and wardrobe- acting was a list consideration. 'The stage had, in fact, simply < ome to scenery, upholstery, ' legs,' and good-looking » omen. He was sorry to have to say so, but it was rile. In these days young people, nfter being on the •tage two or three months, ÜBually discoverei that ihfty had a 'specialty;' then they rushed off to a lithographer or photographer, and were paraded before the public in half-a-dozen, different characters ;hat they could never assume ; their name was printed in large letters as that of So-and-so, the great specialty »utor. So the young men of the present da,? became 'pecialty peoplo and stars, and were no longer actors." After describing his experiences in Sydney, Mr Hydes massed on to speak of Melbourne in 1852 and 1853, the ■ iide of the gold fever. He entered iuto partnership «i(ih Charles Young in running a theatre. Those wore tho days when 8s was charged for admission to tho dre«s circle, and 5s to tho pit, *nd the audiences were very select— they drank ..harapagne and porter, and smoked, with heir legs dangling over the dress circle. If Ir. Voun^; appealed to them to stop these thinus they ould bay " All right Charley ; have a drink, old un.ii." 'ihon Mr Hydes would try his persuasive ■owera, with the result that'sonv body would ll r >wer a •ottle i f brandy on to the shuc, ;<cc' mpanied by the uHiee, "Hip yoursof, Johnny." Air Hyde*, next .'aye some «t iking inmncen of th« rcekiens way in vhjch money wa< spent in thoue days, and mentioned 'hat when he visited Melbourne some years ago a t-.nner money-taker of his came up to him ojid said— " &o you see that row of houses in that street ? They A'i'ro all built with the over-change that I got when moiiey-taker." In bringing his remarks to a close, U.-j Hydes said that being new to the business of lecturer he had been obliged to condense more than n-.h&A anticipated, but ho might make up for this at «onae future tin-e. The Southland News, to which I *mj indebted for tho foroftoing, says that there was more humour in some parts of tho address than is to bo jfound n many discourses introduced to the public with a much greater flourish of trumpets I hope that I shall be about when the versatile J. P.' H. continues his narrative.

1 am given to underhand that the statement made by^me last week that Mr Alfred Israel, formerly of •u'nedin, was connected with a troupe of juveniles in Victoria, is incorrect. That gentleman is at present in Launeeston. Some one was good enough to send a marked pipes', and I came to a rash conclusion. t fervently pray that this paragraph (from the Can r.i>»bury Times last week) may catch the eyes of those wtfo have tho ordering of things in the Dunedin Mieatr ?• : "By the Rotomahana on her next trip Mr Beattie wid ro :eivo a new aefc-drop for the Royal. It has been minted by Mr George Gordon, the wellk own vielbourno scenic artist, and by those who have been favoured with a view, is pronounced one of the finest bits of theatrical painting in tho Southern hemisphere." The Canterbury Times informs me that Messrs J. C. Williamson and Lyons met accidentally th? other day, when semi(! shar|> words passed rospeoiiiifr the right of Lyons' Tourists to play " Struck Oil " Mr Williamhon threatens legal proceedings. My Christchmch confrere also informs me: That Charles Turner, of opera fame, was for 10 yearn in the burnt cork business. That Lyons and his tourists tco to IndU shortly. That next nummer, Gaylord and Fryer's menagerie and circus will visit Now Zealand from America Mr Gaylord was general agent for Col^'ij circus when it made a tour of this Colony in lhßo, and therefore has a good idea of what will suit the tastes of the public. The show will not be on such an extensive scale as Cole's, yet it will be far from a small one, and everythiner iv it will be of the first order of merit. The show will, according to present arrangements, arrive at Auckland about November, and will not confine its performances to the principal townß of the Colony. That Gerald Dillon is about to abandon the profession and study law in Auckland. That Mrs Stammers joins the ReeveHarkins' company in Melbourne, and has been cast as Lady T»mpklns in " Tho Colonel."

Tho Austrian Band havo got as far as Wellington,

The performance of M. Gwon's cantata at Christchurch on Monday night was disappointing, on account of the very limited preparation and i.npcrfent means at command for representation. The choruses were, of course, wretchedly weak. Tho Prc^s regrets that the com p my took leave of Christchurch except in opora. Not that M. Leon Caron's cantata is devoid of merit, but the performers seemed to bo ill at case in ordinary evening costume, and one could hardly recognise them after so long an acquaintance in stage dressos. As a whole, tho cantata went well, though, for a proper rendition of the work, so as to brine out fully the ideas of the compoaor, a far stronger body of vocalists than was engaged lnsfi night waa ru cessa'-y. For instance, the chorus of nymphs was sung b. four ladie«, who, though doin.- their utmost, and that most gallantly, yet, as a necessity, failed to develop the full idi'a'l of the composer. There was also a misc Ilaneous concert.

The Williamson Beacon at Wellington was announced to fini«h on March 15th. "Snowball" was much liked.

On Friday last Mr Gary g.ivo a benefit to the mcm I em of his juvenile troupe, the gratuitous use of the the;itrc having bucn given by Mr Williamson for the purjioßo.

Australiar.

"Olivette" lias been able to hold i<s own against all comers at Adelaide. Pivnty Laverne is uoii-g over to 'Frisco to "star." " Thu Professor" bids fair to havo a groat run at th« Mcll'onii'C Princess.

llosUiiH iuul Konx'ily have Lccu doing -'The Two Dromios" at frtflarat.

The " V tjjtLli-,11 V new rl'.V o'HiHorl " \'o Mercy "' was piotlu'oil h.\ (lie iMtm !•!■■. !\< i!io jilityGaiuty on March ir.li, ami *as vm.'l! r- oiivo'l.

"Aniony aiM cleop<tt»a,"at the tjjducy l.'oyal, is haying a profitable run, The local paper says that J f

B. Steele is showing more of his old form that' ho has exhlbittd for some time past. Power's party of Esthetes appear not to hit the tastes of the Invercargillites. Mr*T. P. Hill, widow of the late T. P. Hill, the well-known elocutionist , has returned to Melbourne from England and tho Continent, and is about to give lectures. , „ Mr and Mrs George Rignold arrived at Melbourne this week by tho John Elder. He produces "Youth and the "Lights of London," and Palgraves baithful Heart," under the auspices of tho Royal management. Mr Leonard B">yne has b^en engaged for the principal parts, and will act as stage manager. MrM'Fadyen, who recently appeared as a star _at the Bijou, Melbourne, waa lately charged with threatening the life of his wife, who i- the v/eA known actress, Miss Carrie NelsOD. The lady in question stated that during the whole of her married life, which has lasted over 10 years, her husband had oe«-n almost continuously drunk, in which condition he was very violent. Failing to find sureties for his good behaviour for six months, he was sent to gaol. Another family of bellringers, styled the Walkew, are performing at St. George's Hall, Melbourne. The deaths are announced of Henry Cox (comedian), who in his youth wain unapproachable at a stepdancer, and of the widow of Sothern, the comedian, after & long and painful illness, bntne with oxamplary fortitude and resignation. She leaves four children, threo of whom have adopted their father's profession.

Home and Foreign.

Mr Toole and his Folly Company recently pet* formed "Tho Steeplechase," " Our Clerks," and " Ic 1 on,Parle Francais" at Sandringham, before the Prince and Princess of Wales. Sims' " Halfway House" reached its century at the London Vaudeville on January 26th. Mrs Stirling is to play the Nurse, and Mr Fernandez tho Friar in the Lyceum representation of "Borneo and Juliet."

Madame Modjeska received quite an ovation from her countrymen and countrywomen at Warsaw, in January. She played in the drama "Anglo Malifieri," and was received with the utmost enthusiasm. The telegrams nay that' she was recalled " more than 40 times" during the performance. The trial of Ling Look, the Chinese wizard, and his wife, for tho manslaughter of a boy, who was killed byUhe dischargo of a cannon Look was using in the course of a peiformaneo at the Brighton (England) M'istc Hall, resulted in their acquittal. The bill against tho hall proprictresi was thrown out. Madame Galli-Marie appear* to have been born under an uniucky star ; four times lias she been injured when playing Carmen, which is her favourite role. At the Opera Comique the tenor Lhevic wounded her in the chest ; at Geneva tho tenor Valdejo wounded her in the neck ; aud at Barcelona an artist almost, killed her with a dagger La'ely she' was playing Carmen at Genoa when the tenor, who was armed with an enormous butcher's knife, pierced her cheek; the wound was so severe that she waß obliged to go to the hospital to have it dressed. There must be gross carelessness in playing with such sharp tools. Tho gifted prima donna will do well in future to provide her own blunt instruments. One of the special effects of the pantomime of "Sinbad the Sailor "at the Standard Theatre, London, is the appearance on the staire of a full-sized paddle-wheel steamor, 50ft long by 18ft wide, and managed by a crow of 50. The steamer in question comes on tho i-tage, turns round, picks up the survivors of the wreck, and steams off again. Seven years ago there was but ono Sunday concert by Pasdoloup given in Paris ; now there are four. Then the conductor nearly cau-cd a riot by endeavouring to introduce Wagner into his programme ; now the better part of all tho programmes are given up to tho Beyreuth maestro. On December 29th Mm F. M. Bates was married at Chicago to Mr Charles Lord, of San Francisco. According to the New York papers, Mrs Langtry's firafc appearance iv America will be made in the production of " Youth."

The original of Bunthornc wan a sorry failure in No\v York. Thus wrote one of the 'ocal papers concerning him :—" Why Mr Oscar Wilde did not dre*s as gentlemen usually dross in the evening it is hard to but no doubt the agtmt who is running the show had his reasons. However, tho American audience tittered at Mr Wilde's legs (encased i.i knee brdoches and silk stocking*) and then they tittered at MriWilde's lecture, very much as an English audience would Jprobably have done. His delivery was a droning monotone, not once varied for two hours. The audience listened quietly for a short time, and then bu^an to show signs of wcarines*, and during the last hour talked among thomsolves, paying little attention to him. Many went out. He did not seem to have anything to say that anybody w anted to hear, and this is unfortunate in a lecturer, parlicularly when he Bays it badly," ft. i« now denied that Henry Irving goes to America this year. Abbey pays Edwin Booth £800 a week. Tho eminent tragedian did immonso business at Bo»ton. 'fTho World" has been well received in California.

Harry Jackson has i>urchased for£Uoothe American right of the Adephi drama, " Taken from Life." It )is understood that ho acts for an Amorican manager. Frank Towers has purchased tho colonial right of Sciidamorc's " Fighting Fortune," and he is organising a sbecial c mpany for it. Says the Era, Mr William Duck, who hai held tho provincial riifht of Mr H. J. Byron's sparkling and unprccedentcdly bue-cessful comedy for a conbidorable time past, has now secured the sole London right, which will extend over some thirty-five years, and has paid what may bo called an enormous sum for the same. The 2000 th performance of " Our Boyß "in tho r>ro»inccs will take placo at Bath on Friday, February 10th.

The National Conservatoire of Music, the committee of which proposed institution is presided over by the Prince of Wales, is gaining many new adherents An Application has been mado to tho Privy Council for a charter, and temporarily a tru>t has been granted in the names of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Christian, the Duke of Wentminster, Sir Richard Wallace, and Lord Charles Bruce to receive subscriptions.

Mr Boucicault has been confiding his troubles to a New York roportor. He says he has two new pieces ready to bring out, oue called " Amardon," a domestic Irish drama of the style of "The Colleen Bawn " the other an Irish political drama, like "The Stnughr>un," but he has no hope that they will be allowed a hearing on the Metropolitan ntauo. This is not beciuse, as he s»ys. " the general theatrical outlook " is "at the lowest intcllecual ebb," but " because nothing Irish is tolerated in London in any fehapc or form. In fact, in London, Irish matter is regarded as a constitutional disease more infectious and more virulent than small-pox."

At Drury Lane in " Robinson Orusie," according to the Hon e News, there is introduced a spectacle so varied and so fanciful that the like of it has seldom if ever been . seen upon the sta^e. Thiß is a clever moving pan< rania which shows both sides of tho river Thames at once. The first introduction of this novelty is the passage of the outward-bound ship containing Crusoe from London —which port in selected for his departure down the Thames into mid-ocean. By a highly ingenious and novel arrangement, the two banks of the river aro shown at once gliding past the vessel, the Tower and JMackwali being contemplated on tho one ba^k, and Greenwich, Giuvobcnd, ami Shecrnes< »n tho other, buring the transit tho sun goes down and the moon rises, large ships loom out or tho darkness and are loft buhind. In the oud the colitai-y sea in which is situated Crusoe's island in reached and thr. shipwreck is shown in effective although comutitional fashion. The effect alono is enough to inaKu i)ie f jrtunc of the pantomime, and puts us very much iv mmd of those beautiful and att active panoramas whiuh C arkson .Stmslield, Dawson, Griuve, and ul.hcr uniinerit scene painters of former years used to pioiiucu for thepanto'nimcs many yars ngo. A scene in tho crU ewes, in the midst of which die yessel has sunk, offers oppr» tunity f or a ballet of silver fish, tho radianca of which is indescribable. Tho invasion of Crusoe's Wand by trn'tavages, led by King H"ity Toity, U a clever bit of business. Here »r<- warr.orson elephants, g'iaffer, cassowaries, and other animals, all »uiitd for purposes of warfare. Bore are arc grimmest spcui iiuiiis of Patagonian and Polynesian giants, nnd succuuling le-amenttt of Amazons in richc-t awl slightest app.Mel ff fuathu-s and gossamer. Apart from the iii'vel'y of thuilrenSL'sand 'JioquaintnosHof themnslis, tho »pi!ttae!e, as t.ho successive binds arrange themsc yea upon the olitfs and among the vegetation of the tropiol islfind, picsents » picture uul >vv with beautiful, fanciful, and hiiru oni'/us colour. A humorous priecttei'ii, in which the roprohentatives of London trades defilo past lloliinson Crusoe after his return, fin 1 his ekvation, JJi- ts hin predecessor, Diuk Whittin.utun, to the highest civic honour-, i-J mirthful ai.d ingeiiio\is. '1%- iransfi>nnat.ion > cone ij also in its ny ,i novt lty. IS dual appearance- is that of a huf.e weu(lein cilc«' wii .iiihuotcil ti^uri'!'. A ttriking effect is pimluwd by Iho ni'v-H of uhuo rtlU-vt d print i pally by i, i«\uiij;!uf Iniye aiul brilii i.r. ImUt rHies. Thoiiiece<aof ilw p:mii.M<iuie nw bi- inferred fium tho fact that the ni.jbr.iy receipts avtiage #&00, and. that ten performances are giver) weekly,