THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1780, 2 January 1886, Page 22

THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

NOTES BY fccALFAX.

Melboubnb, December 14. rhere was a new and original drama in the courso of performance for the first time at St George's Hall, on Saturday evening It was called " The New Puritans," and is devoted to the glorification of the Salvation Army mnnv of the incidents bemg based on the Pall Mall Gazette revelations. The authors are D'Orsav Ogden and E. C. Martin. • The latter gentle-, man wrote a weird and wondrous melodrama, " Ostracised," on the doings of the notorious | Kelly gang, which was produced at the Princess Theatre a few years ago. The bushrangers were a jolly lot of fellows who kicked everybody, and made wretched puns. I did not see the new drama on Saturday ; one must not take risks with the sun at 142deg in the shade, and the cholera in Queensland. Mr W. G. Carey Mr Ogden, Miss Ellen Fergus,' and Miss Flora Anstead sustain the principal characters. "The Magistrate" is still drawing first-class houses; I believe many of our theatre-goers have seen it a dozen times. It has the extra, ordinary good fortune to please all; no one speaks badly of the piece. No change of bill is contemplated at present, but Sydney Grundy's society comedy, " The Glass^of Fashion." is now in rehearsal. This comedy, you may remember, was written with the intention of showing up society newspapers, and particularly The World, Mr Grundy and the editor, Mr Edmund Yates, being at daggers drawn. The comedy was a failure in London ; and its failure was accounted for by an old theatrical superstition. To break glass especially looking-glass, upon the stage means certain death to some member of the company or the failure of the piece in which it is broken generally the latter. During the first week of "The Glass of Fashion" a mantelpiece with a large pier-glass used in one of the scenes broke from its fastenings and fell bodily on the Btage, narrowly escaping our old friend Alice Dunning Lingard. Everyone knew the piece was doomed af ter that. The old superstitions are dying out lam afraid ; they are by no means so prevalent as they were twenty years ago. The Ipadinff lady does not go. into hysterics now if she sees peacock's feathers on the stage; or receives a bouquet before going oh the stage. The star does not hunt round now to see if there is a black cat in the theatre ; even the ballet do not care if they are thirteen in the dressing-room-All the romance is going out of the profession; the era of machine-made actors who have as little imagination as they have genius is upon us. "Faust" is holding its own at the Opera House, a new and original statement for which you should be sincerely grateful. The wonder is that such an old, threadbare drama should draw at this, of all seasons of the year. Yet when you remember that ererything the devil has a finger in seems to prosper, you will perhaps be not quite so surprised. Of eourae Mr Rignold places it as being due to his excellent acting; so does Mr Brian Darley to his; so does Miss Harwood to here. It may be so, and it may not ; at which, being a fairly safe statement to make, I shall stop. "Henry V" follows "Faust" at Christmas, and the opera season commences with February. I am happy to say that all ' complications between the managements are over for the pre* • sent. You never can tell when a theatrical row is settled; they are like a slow match, everything is going on lovely when suddenly fizz! bang! and all the fat is in the fire, to use a homely expression common in the days of my youth. I have had considerable experience of managers, but I would never be sure that I had cornered ,one— unless he was a callow bird—without I saw him nailed to the floor with railway spikes'. The Federal Minstrels left per Koonoowarra last Tuesday for Sydney. They go direct to Bathnrst, play a short season, and return to the Academy of Music, Sydney, at Christmas. M. Marsartic.the well-known ballet master at our Theatre Royal, died suddenly of iearfc disease on Friday last. He was one of the identities of our stage, and has drilled girls innumerable. He was present at rehearsal on Thursday, where he was seized by a fit. He was immediately taken home, where he died soon after. Mr G. A. Sala left Sydney for Hobart in the steamer Flora last Thursday. Mr Smythe has been over here some time, and went to Hobart more than a week ago. They say that the real reason why Mr Sala did not pay a second visit to Melbourne was on account of that wretched Yorick Club business; that he would have had liis puaco. of mind considerably disturbed had he conn} over. What a chapter we will get in that book. " Marvellous Melbourne " will, I suppose, have a sub-chapter on " Caddish Clubs." Mr O. Peterson is a young man who occupies the arduous post of secretary to the Nugget Theatre. Last Wednesday he had occasion to bring the sister of the caretaker, one Clara. Manning, before the dispensers of wholesale and retail justice in assorted parcels, for assault. The usual story was told ; he never did anything to the girl; could not understand it at all; was standing in the passage-way after the theatre was over, when she came up and hit him, hit him hard. Miss Manning left the courtminus £1 of the money she had brought with her. Mr Frank Weston, the genial and enterprising manager and lessee of the Nugget Theatre, be- ! came involved in an unpleasant action at the District Court to-day. I have mentioned above an incident ia which the caretaker's sister took a prominent part; in this case the caretaker shone as principal. It appears that Mr Leon, the female impersonator, has a female dresser, Mrs Ford, once costumiere to the Bijou Theatre. Mrs Thompson, the wife of the caretaker, last Wednesday went behind the scenes drunk and kicked up such a row with Mrs Ford that the audience could hear it. When Mr Weston went behind the scenes she attempted to tear off on© of those moustaches which adorn the portrait on the bottles of Wizard Oil. Mr Weston naturally resented, arid forcibly removed Mrs Thompson. She felt aggrieved, and brought an action, and Mr Weston brought a counter one. Mr Weston's case was heard, and Mrs Thompson was fined 10s and £1 10s costs. It was said that Mr Weston was in constant fear for the theatre's safety owing to the intemperate habits of the caretaker and his wife. There is a vacancy there now.

I am informed, on most reliable authority, that Miss Jeffreys-Lewis is coming back to Australia shortly. I think I told you this before. The Cogill Brothers, late of Emertoa's Minstrels, join Clark and Rytaan's company, »n4 play with them during.the cornice seasba at <J» Adelaide Academy of Mutfc.