THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1853, 27 May 1887, Page 28

THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

NOTES BY SCALFAX.

Melbourne, May 16.

A cold, rainy, unpleasant Saturday ushered in the new pieces at the various theatres. " Alone in London " was the principal attraction of the evening, the Theatre Royal being crowded to the doors. This drama, the joint work of Mr Roberb Buchanan and Miss Harriet Jay, both known in the literary world of London, was originally produced at the Olympic Theatre on November 2, 1885, and was only a partial success. It is somewhat too wordy, and the action drags at times in consequence. Five solid acts of sensation were doled out' to us, the performance not concluding till close upon 12. The plot is somewhat difficult to boil down to an understandable resume without the sacrifice of much space, but I will make the best effort I can. Annie Meadows (Miss Kate Bishop) is the unsuspecting heroine, who is loved by a worthy miller, John Biddlecomb by name (Mr W. Howe), and Riohard Redcliffe (Mr H. Flemming), a very remarkable scoundrel. She marries the villain, as a matter of course, and has an all-round bad time. We find her after six years have passed, with a basket of flowers and a son on Westminster bridge, and at once know what has happened. Her husband ill-treats her, and lives upon her earnings. He is also the cheerful president of a gang of thieves, and one of Annie's greatest fears is that her son will be brought up to the profession. A charitable banker, who wanders round London by night giving poor people £5 notes, Mr Barnaby (Mr A. Glover), befriends her, and the money is at oiico seized by the brutal husband. Annie lias another protector in Gipsy Tom (Miss Kate Douglas), who gets .Redcliffe arrested on a charge of forgery. The Barnabys take Annie into their service, but the husband returns frornimprisonmentandcausesher dismissal, lledcliffe then tries to carry off the .child, and, to facilitate matters, ties the mother up to the old sluicegate, where she can comfortably drown when the water rises. Her old lover, the miller, manages, however, to be handy, and rescues her just in time for her to- rush to Barnaby's bank and prevent a burglary planned by her husband. Redcliffe attempts to shoot his wife as a solatium for his' failure, and gets stabbed by Gipsy Tom, who is always on hand when he is wanted. The main share of the- work falls upon Miss Kate Bishop, who acted in her usal effective manner. Mr Flemming as Redcliffe earned the hearty contempt of the gallery, and is, doubtless, .proud of it. Mr- Bland Holt as Jenkinson a minor villian, kept the drama from a too dreadful depth of melancholy. The scenery deserves every praise, a view of Westminster Bridge being singled out for particular applause. The mechanical work is very heavy in this drama, the last act having five changes of scene. Pressure of other news prevents my going any further into the details this week.

"The Colleen Bawn" has proved sufficiently satisfactory at the Opera House to be tried another week in place of " Turned Up," which was due last Saturday. On the 21st; cst. Mr Geo. Rignold returns to' the scene of

his former triumphs, and will.. revive the ; military drama " Youth " on the same , scale of magnificence, as before. , Mrs.Bignold will sustain her old role of Willie Spratley. , Mr Craven's new comedy, " Hide and Seek," was performed for the first time in this city at the Bijou, Theatre on Saturday. ,As the mail closes a day earlier. than usual, I have not been able to see, it before writing this. One critic suggests , that it should be renamed "La Rechauffe; or the Pirates, of the Stage," which is very, unkind. Three couples, who are running from various people for various reasons, pu,t up at the same hotel, and all assume the t alias pi Jones. These, with their pursuers and a black baby, appear, to cause all the fun. .The comedy is .spoken of as highly diverting, made up, of familiar incidents, and sadly in want of compression. Mr John Gourlay, as M'Gilliouddy, a hottempered Scotchman in search of his eloped wife, is very favourably criticised.

The Silk . Stocking Minstrels concluded their first year at the Victoria Hall on Saturday evening. Every visitor to the front seats was presented with a photograph of the company. The Cottier Family at the Nugget Theatre - have increased their company by engaging E. A. Hart, the Gregory Brothers, and Eugene the trapezist. . The Hugos, at St. George's Hall, have also added the trapeze to their list of novelties, and are particularly proud of an eminent Japanese juggler, who answers to the name of Joe Kitohie, when he thinks of it. " Hazel Kirke " was unexpectedly substituted for." A Night Off " at the Princess Theatre on Saturday, owing to the sudden and severe illness of Miss Jenny WattTanner. Augustin Daly's comedy will not be played before the 21st as arrangements at present stand. The cast of '• Hazel Kirke " is identical with that you saw in Dunedin a few weeks ago. .Mr Anson has improved, if anything, in his acting as Dunstan Kirke.

The fashionable matinee announced, for Saturday afternoon at the Princess Theatre had to be postponed in consequence of Miss Watt-Tanner's sudden illness and the recent dreadful railway accident, two of the gentlemen amateurs being concerned in it. The performance of " The Palace of Truth" will, however, take place next Saturday.

To-night the Alexandra is a blaze of light, carriages are rolling up in an apparently ceaseless train, and youth and beauty ornament the marble staircase once again. Lortzuig's German opera " Zar und Zimmermann " is being played by our best German amateurs, and our fashionable people are going there to induce their friends to believe that they are acquainted with the language. Half-an-hour will see me mingling with the giddy throng. I have just sent the boy out to buy a sausage, so that I may have the true flavour about me as I heave the necessary astatic sigh during the emotional parts.

On Saturday next Miss Marion Norman will begin a season of comic opera at the Alexandra Theatre with " The Little Duke," an opera I had fondly hoped never to hear again. I regret to say that Miss Norman's name recalls nothing to my mind, and the names of her company are not given. Signor Gagliardi will act as conductor. An extraordinary misfortune happened recently to this gentleman. He is one of our most accomplished flautists, and has done good service in the days of opera. Somehow his teeth became affected and had to be removed, the consequence being that his occupation was at once taken from him. You may get a nice-looking set of teeth nowadays very cheap, I believe, but you cannot play wind instruments with them unless you fix your teeth in with marine glue — a mode which has its inconveniences.

Most of my readers will remember Mr W. E. Sheridan, whose Lear and Louis XI have not been surpassed in these colonies. His health has been bad of late, the old wound in his arm received in the American war having broken out again. Last Thursday he was standing at the back of the dress circle in the Theatre Royal, Sydney, when he was seized with an apoplectic fit, and now lies in a highly critical condition, never having recovered consciousness. His medical man (Dr Tarrant) has been in close attendance upon him. Mrs Sheridan (Miss Louise Davenport) is coming post haste from Adelaide, where she was playing in "Harbour Lights," to look after him. It is rumoured that at the end of the present lease of the Theatre Royal Messrs Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove will give up possession to Messrs George Coppin and R. Stewart, two of the quartette who used to manage the house in the anti-triumvirate days. Both these gentlemen hold large parcels of the theatre shares. The management of the Bijou Theatre has already been changed, Signor Majeroni being now sole lessee. He will shortly produce an adaption from Ouida's novel "Wanda," the work of Mr George Leitch, who is over here looking as fresh as a new-laid egg.

There has been a battle royal between the Liedertafels and the Philharmonic Society over question of supremacy at the Jubilee Concert to be held in the Exhibition bujllding. The matter has been amicably .settled as follows :— The Philharmonic will give the Jubilee Ode, the Metropolitan Liedertafel will sing the cantata; and the Melbourne Liedertafel will supply the miscellaneous concert. Each society is to be led by its own conductor, and to be at 1 liberty to assist the others if so inclined. Sounds like the rules of a prize fight, doesn't it ? But, you see, where musicians quarrel they take a lot of pacifying.

Mr G. B. Allen, composer of " Castle Grim" and other operas, Bachelor of Music, and husband of Miss Alice May, who will "be remembered as an Australian prima donna of a few years back, arrived in Melbourne last week. It is said that he is casting loving eyes upon the Chair of Music to be created in our University.

The Sydney programmes remain unchanged at the leading houses, Miss Alice Morton is playing "The Two Orphans" at the Standard ; Miss Minnie Palmer follows Miss Carrie Swain at the Criterion, and then leaves for America, being due in San Francisco on August 15.

The theatrical profession in Sydney are organising an immense benefit for Mr George, Darrell as a sort of congratulation upon his recent, happy recovery from his serious

illness. The date has £pt yet been fixed, bu* it' will most likely take place" this 'month.

Miss Amy Sherwin, a gifted Australian — ,or, perhaps, to be very precise, Tasmariian— .songstress, is announcing) a .concert tour .with a strong company to support her. If lam •not mistaken, this young lady is a daughter of Mr Walter Sherwin; who "'used to go touring in China and Japan with the Carandini company! I think it was about* 1880-1 that" I remember him being up'there. , ' , ' By the way, t f Fun on the .Bristol!' Sheridan \ is now in Hongkong on his' way to Yoko-. hama. I wonder what the cheerful Japs will think of the Widow O'Brien. . •' ,t , ,