NOTES BY PASQUIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1672, 8 December 1883, Page 23

NOTES BY PASQUIN.

toZZbiZddreisedto "Pasquin," Otago Witness Ofllce.} "•'

Wqodyear'a circus, which opened in Dunedin last week, has been very well patronised. The Japanese Como is certainly the most clever artist of the troupe. In vaulting, balancing, and in his swinging bamboo act he succeeds m astonishintr the spectators; and Mr J. ai oot ShiSds is also exceptionally good in his bare, backed riding. The company, however, lack goldfields district en route. Tnnopents Mr Pickergill's panorama, Ihe Innocents Abroad "was last shown in Invercargill and tAe proprietor and lecturer is at present in Dunedin arranging for its exhibition at the Q SsP T ome a roy dosed her season in Christchurch wiS <JAJ A Winter's Tale." The company opened m Wellington last Monday night accompanied by Miss Louise Beaudet, arrived in New Zealand by the . Wairarapa last Monday. They have proceeded to .Auckland, where they will appear, supported M y T a he°FreemKSi' Dramatic Company play > " Hamlet" at the Princess Theatre on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of this week. Mr Barrett, as before, assumes the part of the Danish prince. , , An Aucklander complains that at a concert up North he was involuntarily iitilised as a •4ower chucker." "Scarcely," he remarks "had I seated myself when I was interviewed by a matron who was laden with beautiful bouquets of most lovely flowers. Imagining that talent and genius were about to be rewarded in a country which was not the prophet's own, I allowed a smile to grace my classic and intellectual features, and prepared for the ovation. But I was disappointed. The lady certainly did present me with a lovely bouquet, but with the request- that 1 would throw it to her accomplished daughter, who would shortly appear on the stage, and who would be annoyed if some flowers were not thrown to her.'.' The victim weakly assented, and afterwards found that a' number of others had permitted themselves to be similarly utilised, so that the maiden had the satisfaction of standing amidst a pile of floral offerings. „ , , Miss Jennie Nye is in Australia, and has been engaged for the.Geelong pantomime at Christmas. ,„ .... . Strange to say, Mr George Coppm s attempt to renew bis old stage triumphs has been a lamentable failure. His performances at the Adelaide Theatre Royal drew miserable attendances, nutwithstanding special invitations which he issued to the volunteers as a mark of his appreciation of their skill as soldiers." Mr Coppin was to be followed by Miss Jennie Lee, who revives " Jo. The ventriloquist, Mr Fred. Milhs, who has lately been performing in Australia, has led to the altar Miss Fox, a well known operatic vocalist. , ... „ A youngster recently raised a cry of- nre in the Sydney Theatre Royal, and caused a slight panic. . The result was an eminently satisfactory one— seven days' imprisonment. Signor Majeroni has scored a success over that lugubrious play " East Lynne." Miss Alice Rees and Mr Armes Beaumont will Bins? at the next concert of the Melbourne Leidertafel. The first act of Wagner's " Lohengrin," will then be performed. -This was announced last time, but was not given, owing to the non-arrival of the orchestral parts. The Montague-Turner Opera Company have closed their Adelaide season. One of the last productions was Balfe's "Rose of Castile, and this opera, it is said, was performed by Miss Anniß Montague, who not only did her own work but acted throughout as stagemanager and prompter to the company. The other performers took no notice of such dry details as music and business. Mr Charles Turner has had a lawsuit with a Mr St. Clair, in Adelaide, being, sued by the latter for breach of contract. He was engaged, but as the Company went to Melbourne, where his services were not required, he reseived four weeks' salary as compensation. Mr Turner further contended that he was incompetent. St. Clair got judgment for another two weeks' salary. During the hearing of this case Mr Turner made an extraordinary statement upon oath to the effect that he cared nothing for dramatic criticisms a3 he " knew how tbey were got." The sore subject of the recent Musical Festival in Melbourne has been revived by the publication of the report and balance-sheet. The most extraordinary feature about these is that the composers who contributed works for performance have been passed over without a word as to their valuable services, and it is moreover seen by the balance-sheet that these *"* gentlemen received no payment whatever. Miss Martina Simonsen, after making considerable advance in her profession in Melbourne, has left for Sydney, en route for America, where she will try to obtain an engagement. Her mother, Mdme Simonsen, still remains in Melbourne. "The Grasshopper" is being played at Ballarafc by Miss Jennie Lee, supported by Mr Burnett, her sister, Miss Ada Lee, and a

scratch company. Mr John L. Hall is in a trying position juat •now, stagemanaging D tuning's Opera Company in Melbourne and trying to learn opera at the same time. " Manola "is now in active rehearsal to follow " Boccaccio," and the conductor Mr Van Ghele has all his work cut put in attempting to coach the unmusical " Johnny " Hall. Both teacher and pupil begin to recognise that it is a mistake for a low comedian to take to opera bouff c. Grattan Riggs has opened at the Bijou Theatre, Melbourne, in "The Shanghraun." The piece was evidently only intended to run a week, and was doing as much bnsiness as it deserved. " Shin Fane " was to be the next production. „ „ The popularity of "The Silver King" in Melbourne is not yet exhausted. The business now begins to falls off slightly in the middle of the week, but three nights of the six the attendance is excellent, and there will be no change until Christmas. Mr George Leitch has produced his original piece " Coining Home ; or, Sithors to Grind, in Melbourne, but it can only be described as a complete failure. The nightly receipts have not averaged more than £10. Mr Fleming Ktorton, another of Mr Garner's recent im-

after the drama. Leitch is next to appear in " Ruth's Romance," another very eld piece. On December 1, Mr Harry Taylor, late of the Surrey Theatre, waa to open at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne, as Bile 3, in "Miriam's Cruise." This is a very rusty old three- act drama. His principal support is Miss Amelia Herbert, an American actress. Mr H. li. Jbwett, who id well known in Dunedin, is now playing in Melbourne under engagement to the triumvirate. He is spoken of as a promising actor, who will get on if he works hard enough and overcomes a. few natural or acquired peculiarities. Mr Pollard, of Pollard's Juvenile Opera Company, is reported to have committed suicide in India. The most clever facial contortionist that has appeared in England for many years is Mr Ohas. Dv Val ? now performing in England. Mdme. Christine Nilsson has been treating New Yorkers to what is vulgarly known as "toffee." She dec'ared to au interviewer that it would require an extraordinary inducement to cause her to re- visit Kurope, aud tbaf. she should in all probability spend the rest of her days in " dear America." "A Sailor and His Lass" is the title of the ultra-sensational drama with which Mr Augustus Harris has supplemented " Freedom "at Drury lane. It is not au unqualified success. The earlier scenes are occupied by Mr Harris' struggles with a gang of ruffians who constitute a society of English "Invincibles," and the most pleasant feature of the play is Mr Harry Jackson's lifelike study of a four-wheel cab driver. When Mdlle Dudley, the famous young Parisian tragedienne, made her debut, ib was found that owing to her peculiar dentition she could not master certain natural defects iv pronunciation. It says much for her pluck and nerve that she underwent the terrible ordeal of having seven or eight teeth extracted and instantly replaced in a slightly different position. The result was that after five months of suffering in addition to the agony of the operation, she was able to enunciate every word with facility and success. The fortunate author ot "Patience," " lolanthe," "Pinafore," &c, has built himself a residence in Harrington Gardens, South Kensington, upon which £30,000 has been expended. Mr Gilbert himself designed the interior decorations. Mr Irving stipulated that on his arrival at New York there should be no bands of music and hired crowds, although he was, of course, compelled to receive the usual boatful of interviewers. The first appearance of the actor was to a crowded house, but telegraphic news says that the critics were very severe upon his mannerisms. Mdme oara Bernhardt's autobiography will "include, it is said, " les scenes de la, vieprive'e." Young Bernhardt is also fired with literary ambition, and has written a play, the chief part in which hi« mother is expected to " create " in London next season. Mr Dion liouuicault's published opinion of the great English tragedian is very neat and concise. "Irving," he said, "was like many alcoholic drinks, very distasteful when first taken, but after becoming familiar, very 1-iard to get along without. Mr Irving was preceded to America by a shipful of 26 actors, 16 actresses, six property men, two dressers, three wardrobe women, a wigmaker, musical conductor, librarian and two prompters. There also preceded him his scenery and properties, which were insured for £25,000, besides 10,000 medallions of the actor, and 360,000 photographs of Mr Irving in " The Bells," taken by the London Stereoscopic Company. It is reported that the young American vocalist, Miss Lilian Russell, has been engaged for the principal part in Gilbert and Sullivan's next opera. " lolanthe " will probably be taken off the boards now very shortly. Mdme Tua, mother of the distinguished young violinist Teresina Tua, who made a great sensation in London laat summer, has committed suicide under very horrible circumstances. She appears to have been very unhappy in her domestic life, and in the tern porary absence of her husband she deliberately burnt herself to death. Mdme Rose Hersde has been singing a good deal in London lately. Her last engagements were for the principal parts of "The May Queen," and " Graziella " at the Crystal Palace. Mdme Peralta, once a popular^Bndon opera singer, has just died of fever in^H|co. An extra Inman steamer was^^Rn to convey the bulk of tha Irving V^Rany from Liverpool to New York. The members of the company, that^^B> say, the tragedian himself, with Miss jß^H Terry and Mr Terriss, left by another v October Mr Oscar Wilde has beenJHßing on his personal impressions of AmcfllßßL' These are said not to be very f avourabl^a^«i;he lainentahle collapse of his great play/ 4 v&fiSra " in New The Americans appear to ibe QQgerly on the look-out for some real or fancied slight offered to American artists in London. • They have discovered a conspiracy existed against Miss Mary Anderson on her first appearance in "Ingomar" at the Lyceum j This is the more singular, as on the occasion io question Miss Anderson was warmly applauded after every act, and at the final fall of the curtain was called to the front five times), amidst a scene of absolute enthusiasm. ,N, N ' , An extraordinary comedy by Mr H. P. Grattan, called " Ye Legende " was lately produced at the Imperial Theatjfe, London. The piece is f ounded_ on a monkish tradition that the spirits of living persons wpb are destined to die in the course of the ensuing year visit the grave on St. Mark's eve. "?^"e Legende "is clumsily constructed and feebly written, aud as the audience persisted in* laughing at Mr Grattan's moat serious situations, and as 'the scone in the graveyard was received with general hilarity, the piece was, of course, doomed. Mr Chas. Mapleson has been making some startling statements to a New York interviewer. One concerns his father! Colonel J. H. Mapleson, who, when he startea the new opera house scheme in London, thought it would be advisable for him to report himself at court, and did so. Mr Mapleson relates how " directly the , Prince of Wales saw the ' governor,' he stepped down from the throne, and passing by a whole lot of yellow- faced Indian generals, shook him warmly by the hand." The incident, added Mr Mapleson, " created quite a sensation at court." At a recent dinner party in Manchester telephone wires were connected from the diningroom to the theatre two miles away. The guests heard the whole performance, and Mr Carl Rosa, v/ho waa present, offered one or two suggestions to the conductor during the first act. Mr Harry Morgan, an actor, met hia death at tho burning of the Winter Garden, San Francisco. Mdme Albani recently lunched with the Queen at Windsor Castle. The two third share", hold by the late Mr Ashton Dilke, in that well known dramatic tftytt the Itefereiev has tefco e*#J Wfte etiiw*

and part proprietor who writes under the norn de plume of " Pendragon." It may not be generally known that Jumus Brutus Booth, father of Kdwin Booth, married as his second wile Harriet Mace, a relative of the famous pugilist. Mr W. H. Vanderbilt is responsible for an offer of £2000 per annum made to Miss Emma Thru.sby to sing on Sundays in the choir of St. Bartholomew's Church, New York. _ Miss King, an actress, brought a libel action agaiust the Nashville American for a criticism in which she was described as a " small lady with a very big nose, and ugly." The suit failed.

The members of Mr Abbey's opera company have sailed for New York, where the season waa to commence at the end of last month. Mesdames Nilsson, Lablache, Sembrich, Scalchi, Trebelli, and Valeria are members of the company. , A grand festival is to be given to the Abbe Liszt at Cologne, and amongst other things it is proposed to give a stage performance of his oratorio, "Tho Legend of St. Elizabeth." ! In his farewell speech at Liverpool, Mr Irving said he had many memories of that town. One waa of a time 18 years ago, when he stood upon the steps of the Princess' Theatre, without an engagement, and wondered what on earth he should do next Before his departure for America Irving visited Earl Derby at Knowsley, where he was to meet Mr Gladstone. • The ballad "Auld Robin Gray" has beon dramatised, and is described as " the dreariest theatrical exhibition of the year." " Pocahontas " is to be the title of Edward Solomon's next opera. His latest " The Bold Buccaneer," is a failure. Twenty-two theatres in Italy are now open for opera. The popular dramatic author, Mr G. R. Sims, is said to receive no less than £200 per week in royalties for " The Lights o' London," " Romany Rye," and his other successes. A fortunate ballet girl, Mdlle Lobsteim, has been the recipient of £20,000 by the death of relatives at the I? hia earthquake. The largest receipts ever taken at a matinee were realised when Mr Irving played Shylock, in Liverpool. Every part of the auditorium, from boxes to gallery, was packed, and the receipts reaches! £ 460.

At Cardiff recently, Mr Sims Reeves tried to sing one song after another, and had finally to withdraw from the hope ess contest between his own voice and the yell of a railway-engine outside.

The opinion of Edwin Booth, the American tragedian, upon Irving as a stage manager is interesting reading. He says :— " Mr Irving possesses more patience than I do, as I frequently noticed during the two weeks we were rehearsing ' Othello ' at the Lyceum, before we played in it together. He is despotic on his stage, commanding all points, with an understanding that his will is absolute law, that it is not to be disputed, whether it concerns the entry of a mere messenger who bears a letter, or whether it is the reading of an important line by Miss Terry. From first to last he rules his stage with an iron will, but as an offset to this he displays a patience that is marvellous. At rehearaal he will sit upon the stage among his players, watching every movement and listening to every word, and instantly stopping anyone — Miss Terry as readily as the messenger — who does not do exactly right. Mr Irving rises, explains the fault acd gives the proper torm, and that part of the scene id immediately repeated. As he is very exact as to every detail, and requires its elaboration to a nicety, you can readily imagine that the scene does not quickly reach perfection^ but his patience holds out against overy test it receives. Over, and over, and over again the line is recited, or the bit of action is done, until all is perfect. At the Lyceum one sees the perfection of stage discipline, aud in Mr Irving the perfection of stage patience." Sir Michael Costa has presented to the Naples Royal College of Music the manuscript score of four operas and four ballets. The operas are "L'lrnagine," "II Sospetto Funesto," "II Delifcto Puuito," and "Don Carlos," of which the first was performed for the first time in 1825 and the second in 1820 by the pupils of the College of St. Sebastian, ihe ballets are "II Castello di Kenilwoitb," "Un Ora a Napoli," "Sir Huou," and "Alma." On the first page of each score (Sir Michael has written, " To the famous archives of the Naples Royal College of Music. In memory of M. Costa. London, Aug. 15, 1883." At the same time theemiuent director presented the b&ton used by him for ten years. It is of ebony, with a coral pummel, and on the tip is an effigy of Garibaldi, alao in coral. In tho opera " Falka," now in rehearsal at the Comedy Theatre, Mr Kelleher will play a female part. Mr Paul ton, Mr Ashley, and Miss Violet Cameron will be assigned leading characters.

Mr Macdermotfc, the music hall singer of " Jingo " fame, has a drama in Mr Augustus Harris' hauds for production at Drury Lane. Air Macdormott is an old melodramatist. He wrote plays for the Britannia, and for Mr Conquest at the Grecian years ago. He was the author of the first piece in which Mr George Conquest performed his spring trap trick, and in a drama called " Brought to book," he was part author with Mi- Henry Pettitt.

By means of an ingenious adaptation of the electric light M. Duboscq has produced the novelty ot a rainbow at the Grand Opera, Paris. The prismatic colours and shape ot the arc are perfectly reproduced. An extraordinary hoax has been played upon a number of English papers which received telegraphic news from the United States of the death of Juniu3 Brutus Booth, father of Edwin Booth. Some of tho best and most carefully edited journals all over the country gravely printed this. The point of the joke is that Junius Brutus Booth died in 1852, and the intelligence thus came to 'hand nearly 31 years late. Miss Mary Anderson, who has refused to be patronised by the Prince of Wales or any of the noble hangers-on of London theatres, has made an exception in favour of the Duke of Westminster, from whom she accepted an invitation to dinner.

The intention of Mr Charles Wyndham is to return to London at the conclusion of his present American tour, in February next. The Criterion Theatre, which haß reverted to him, will, however, probably reopen under his direction in December. Mr Wyndham has been offered a bonus of £GOOO for his site in Northumberland Avenue, and it is likely that he will accept this. The Crystal Palace pantomime "Dick Whittington," will be undertaken by Mr Augustus Harris, who will also have the Drury Lane and Glasgow pantomimes on his hand, A story is told ot a dramatic company visiting Salt Lake City and tempting the Mormons with " The Lady of Lyons," which turned out a disastrous failure. When the manager sought the reason for this he discovered that none of the local playgoers could understand why so much fuaa was made about the marriage of one woman.

Mr H. Bracy, now touring with Miss St. John, is engaged fco return to the Savoy Theatre to play tho principal tenor part io Gilbert and £M4ivßra's usw apeto 1 .