THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1827, 26 November 1886, Page 28

THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

NOTES BY SOALFAX.

Melbourne, November 16.

Home again, after a prolonged tussle with a S.W. gale, and glad to get amongst theatres of some pretensions. Miss Minnie Palmer occupied my attention first at the Bijou Theatre. Public opinion is divided as to Miss Palmer's merits, some praise her loudly, and others go ho far as to say that they are dissatisfied. It is the natural consequence of the extraordinary preliminary puffing she received. Too much was expected of her, and a clever performance does nob receive that amount of praise it would havo done had she been le9s outrageously heralded. We are not used to the American style of ((advertising, and are too apt to believe in it. I have a budget of news to work off this week, and cannot go into any details of "My Sweetheart." Miss Palmer is a pretty, bright little woman of ceaseless activity and short as to dress, who sings like a bird, and acts the romping, good-hearted, free-and-easy girl in a style which is peculiarly her own and inimitable. She has been compared to Maggie Moore, but a comparison between them is hardly fair, as their methorlfi are different, but if comparisons must bo drawn I think the verdict would be in favour of Mrs Williamson. Miss Palmer wears diamonds in tho second act. which ought to make every woman in the theatre mad with envy. In Mr R. A. Roberts she has a moat able supporter, and his Tony Faust deserves irreat prtu>>e. His singing is ck-ar and unforced. Mr T. J. Hawkins has a gond character part as Jop, Shotwc-11, and Miss Jano Grey was srpowerful Dame Hafz 11 Miss Ada Murray, as Louisa Fleeter, the female villain, gets heartily hissed by the gallery :so I suppose she is pleased. The remainder of the cast is filled by local actors. Mr-i Willie Fxeear is not of tho compiny. The plot of "My Sweetheart " is weak and tho dialogue uneven. The attendance is good. Considerable dissatisfaction wasexpressod by the general public, who found that, when the box plan was opened gar her fif«t fierformanco, most, of the seats tad been marked, off

the day before. It is now generally said that Minnie Palmer is her manager's wife, and the argumentive Rogers does not contradict it. " Human Nature " is doing excellent business at the Theatre Royal, which is almost crowded every night. The great battle and proce&sion scenes are the talk of theatrical circles. No change will be likely to take place until Christmas, when " Robinson Grußoe" will be produced on a scale of super-extraordinary splendour. The transformation scene is ready, and much of the hceuery is far advanced. Beveral new faces will appear in it. Lady readers may be interested in knowing that Mrs Arthur Garner has got a very young baby girl, the second. Ladies are always iuterested iv babies. I really do not know why. "Our Regiment," the new comedy at the Opera House, is only new in a certain sense. On April 28, 1883, Mr Wybert Reeve opened at the Bijou Theatre for a comedy season with an adaptation, " The Passing Regiment," from Herr Moser's German comedy, from which " Our Regiment " is taken. Herr Moser is the author of "Der Bibliothekar," from whi«*h "The Private Secretary " was adapted. The plot is simple. Some military officers are quartered in a family which is much divided on the subject of soldiers, and in which there are some pretty girls. After the usual comedy adventures the officers become engaged to the girla Very simple, isn't it? Messrs Robert Brough and Walter Everard are the officers, and Misses Nina Boucicault, Florence Trevalyan, and Rita Wyndale are the susceptible ladies. Mr Dion Boucicault, jun., gives an amusing rendering of the part of a young clergyman who hates hiß calling, and wants to be a soldier. Miss Wyndale made her first appearance in this comedy, and leaves a favourable impression from what little she ha 6to do. The scenery is remarkably good, and I am told that the artist was called befere the curtain ou the opening night. The attendance has been equal to the merits of the company. •• Silver Guilt," an excellent extravaganza, and " Vice Versa " farm next Saturday night's bill.

The Alexandra Theatre has come to utter smash, Captain de Burgh closing the season on Friday la-»t. Yesterday h* 1 . filed his schedule in the Insolvent Court, his liabilities amounting to £1510 23 3il, £200 of which is secured. Hi* assets are £161 13^ 6d, leaving a deficiency of £13 18 8s 9d. The cause of his failure is said to be losses to the extent of £1650 in managing the Alexandra Theatre from 3rd September to 16th November, and a loss of £150 in projecting the Sporting Times newspaper in Sydney. The inevitable Jewish money lender figures in the schedule, aud ie, of course, secured. When I find one of that class unsecured in an insolvent state I am going to gaze upon that insolvent with a calm and religious awe Amongst the creditors are — M. Joubert £150; Marshall, the printer, £71 2s 6d ; Roff and Co., billpo-ters, £38 ; Clauscen and Foley, upholsterers, £32 lSs 6d ; Jerome, restaurant keeper, £23 ; (wonder of that is fo bunches " stuck up" ?) The Age newspaper, £ 15 , The Argus, £8 2s 6d ; and a host of others Messrs Keogh and Hansen opened a season at cheap prioes on Monday last with the wretched melodrama " Mad, or, Quits at Last," with Miss Marion Willis as the heroine. On Saturday next the theatre descends one 6tep lower*in the scale, as a wrestling match will take place on the stage in the afternoon. Its life has been remarkably short as a select theatre.

Dr Lynn, the well-known Crystal Palace and Et»yptian Hall illusionist, has removed to the Athenaeum Hall, where he is meeting with much more pitronage and success than at the Freemason's Hall. Dr Lynn was the personal friend of Artemus Ward, and is " the blood-red writist on the arm " mentioned in the great humorist's book on the Mormons. He is a fluent, humorous speaker, who keeps his audience constantly on the simmer. His trickh are, in the main, old-fashioned, but they are done with extraordinary neatness and celerity, and with a total absence of thensual mechanism. His great feats are the vivisection act, in which a man is cut to pieces in full view of the audience, and the vanishing lady. The latter is a truly marvellous deception. Mrs Lynn is placed on the chair, covered with a silken cloth, and you are permitted to speak to her and feel that she is on the chair ; yet when the cloth is removed she has disappeared, although you are standing alongside her and do not notice anything unusual. It does not depend upon trapdoors, as Dr Lynn informs me that he can do it in any room, and expects to make a great hit in India with it, where he proposes to show on tha marble floors of the native rajah's palaces. The lady really gets away, for while we were looking vacantly at the chair she walked in from the other side of the platform, and I can guarantee that it was no " double," but tbe lady I saw put in the chair. How she gets away in a welllighted room, with people standing within a foot of her, beats me. Dr Lynn will "^hortly make an extended tour of New Zealand, when you will b« able to try your hand «t guessing the riddle. The Victoria Hull, with its "Silk Stocking Minstrels," St. G"orge's Hall, with the Federal Minstrels aud RMgway's Circus are all doing fairly W'-U. A new company of jugglers have arrived at tbe Japanese village the admission to which has wisely been reduced to Is. They will be raffling a few of their spare mermaids soon; I suppose.

The Madrigal concerts have been comparatively well patronised at the Atheureum Hall. The Zither Club give their third subscription concert on Tuesday, tho 30th iust., in the same hall. Miss Christie Fuller takes a complimentary concert at the new Masonic Hall on Wednesday, November 24, Mr Locke Richardson commences a series of six recitals in the Prahran Town Hall on the 22nd inst., in the presence of the Governor. Tho charity bazaar at the Exhibition is now really nothing more than a huge varioty show with its clowns, bicycle riders, sword swallowers, fire-eaters, entranced ladies et hoc genus. The management are fully determined that St. Bridgid shall benefit by every penny that can be squeezed out of tho pockets of believer and heretic, alike. Charity covers a multitude of errors of commission in your own creed. I havo received a loug letter from Signor Agrati, now in London securing novelties for his opening at St. George's Hall. He 6ays : "My rompanyisnearly complete. Iwillbringoutabou^ 12 people — all stars in his or her line. Among them I can mention the Egnns, husband and wife, the most elegant and refined song and dance people I have seen ; tbe Heath family, grotesque artists; and Miss Ida Heath, the most accomplished daiMfvse of the London stage " (He uses adjectives with an ea^y freedom. Observe it ) '« Wainratta, who has a European and and American reputation ; the Vanishing Lady" (how glad he will b« to learn that Dr Lynn' is now doing thr>t triolc) ; " tfct- Italian athlete, Sale ; the Italian illusionist, Signer Glamas; in f»ct I shnll have aobs for every taste." He leaves London on October 23, p-nd will arrive here on December 6. I wish him nil the luck he wants.

I also learn thafc Martin Simonsen and his company are now under way to these shores. Hba CQn^pnnyJ comprises :,— Spprani,— signora I piftlu* Cuitt Lazzarini, Angelina TegHava Cerne

and AKcia Rebottaro ; meazo soprano, Signora Giovanninor Cavelleri ; primi tenori, Pasquale Lazzariniand Gui.seppe Sautinelli ; seoundo tenor, Ludovico Benuzzi ; baritoni, E'luardo Cerneand Guiseppi Pimmazzoni ; bassi, Aitilio Buzzi and Thomas de Albra; conductor, Roberto Harzon. If the intelligent compositor sets up these names correctly, I will forgive him muoh. It has been a strain on my attention to decipher and write them. They do not sound very good. The season opens at the Alexandra early in December, and there are a few people who look upon the ret>ult as a foregone conclusion. Mr Ja6. A. Mearte left for London last week, after a few preliminaries not unconnected with raffiiug jewellery. He had left Mr Sheridan's " Fun on the Bristol " Company, but, according to Sh(<ridan, was anxious to rejoin him. It may be considered as a curious coincidence that he booked on the same boat which is taking Mr Sheridan and his company to India. Of course he had great engagements waiting for him in London ; they all have. He was remarkable in being able to get away. There are a few actors here now who envy him.

I have had it whispered to me, with strict instructions to keep it quiet, that Miss Nellie Stewart will probably sing at the Savoy Theatre, London, next year. It is almost certain now that Miss Essie Jenyns will also play a short London season at an early date You will, of course, understand that this is confidential, and strictly cntre nous.