THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1856, 17 June 1887, Page 28

THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

NOTES BY SCAEPAX.

MelbouUne, June 6.

A bitter cold' night,- the wind tearing round the gables of the house and- making weird music. amid .the poplar ahd\pines,

while the' rain and -sleet pour- slantwafd iri> ,sharp and gusiy showers 1 . •" A bid'* night 1 io' ,be at; sea; ja'^ad night 1 to (be^popr'ajadj houseless. , We have jumped well into winter . this^ day, and' wefeel it keenly. I have' just' received % letter from a' good friend of niinei " a, chief ' officer in one of. ,your coasting steamers,, and from what , he says I,' gather you are having some assorted specimen's of weather over your way. For, my, part, I enjoy, ."winter. : , -;'•*. f) ':, r - " . . ;- . ''•Alone in London"' still holds the boards at r the Theatre ' Royal, where, its popularity shbwsjno sign^of ■ diminishment. The suffer-" ings ' of Miss Kate, t Bishop 1 excite - the ( ' "sym : pathies'of the " audience 'as- usual }^ and the drolleries of Mr Bland' Holt" iorni' an' agreeable corrective. Every^hing^ 'works with the smoothness, consequent' upon .a' 'long* run. Mr Holt's season up to present writing has been successful in.; every way. ', The Opera; House .management.! returned to Boucicaultian drama on Saturday, .when ♦• Arrah-na-Pogue " replaced "Youth." Mr Phil Day I'was1 'was entrusted > with the >part of^ Shaun, and we could have * wished' a wiser' selection. ,'Mr Phil Day is an excellent comedian within -certain lines; but Shauri was not. included in the list on Saturday. There , were interpolations in the, text,' and there was a hesitancy about the words. I always thought! everyone knew;, the' air of "The wearin' of the green " ; but Mr Day did not. Perhaps he was nervous. Dot Boucicault played Mike Feeney in his usual .careful manner ; while Miss Nina Boucicault essayed the part of Arrah, the part she played when her- father appeared at the Royal. Miss^ Fitzroy was a' cold 'and unsympathetic 1 Fanny Power. She never appears to get any feeling into either manner or voice. ' l Mr Alex. Mayne, the' treasurer of the theatre, made his first appearance as .the O'Grady ; and Mr G., L. Gordon made Major Coffin a 'stiff and supercilious officer. The scenery, was worthy of Mr Spong. The audience was large and. sympathetic. One lady near rue fainted,' and her two male friends, instead of carrying her out, dragged her out 'by the shoulders, and fell down a 1 flight of steps trying to walk backwards, which just' served them right. ' :': ' ' '" A' Night Off " continues its hilarious .course at, the Princess Theatre. "Dandy' Dick," a comedy by Mr Walter Pinero is in rehearsal, and can be produced whenever it, may be desired. During the jubilee holi- j days the.management propose to inaugurate' a series of revivals of > the great sucpesses in comedy and drama of the past decade or two, just.to enable us to form comparisons between, the stage of to-day and that of the 60s. The idea is an excellent one, and deserves every support. " The Two Orphans " will lead the van. Every attention will be paid to acting and staging each' piece, even if it only runs a few nights. Mr Musgrove has ' engaged several new stars in London for the comic opera season which is to follow. "Princess Ida," the only Gilbert and Sullivan opera, except " Euddigore," we have not yet seen, will be the initial opera. Mr George Leitch's comedy -drama " Wanda " is in' its second week at the Bijou Theatre. ,On Tuesday last the .Governor and suite were present, and his Excellency personally congratulated Mr Leitch upon his work. No change of bill is announced yet, and, none is at present required. The Victoria Hall and St. George's Hall are still occupied by Mr Frank Clark's company and Hudson's Surprise Party respectively. Mr Hudson gives an entire change ( of programme this week, which includes some startling novelties. The Cottier Family have found the Nugget Theatre a very mild bonanza, and have closed up. Mr Walter Cottier has joined the Victoria Hall-com-pany. Mr Garner indignantly denies the rumour I mentioned " some weeks ago to the effect that Messrs R. Stewart and George Coppin would shortly take over the lease of the Theatre Eoyal. He states that the triumvirates' lease does noj; expire until about 1890, ' and jihat the firm has no intention of giving it up before tiien. Furthermore, Mr ( Stewart says hp would not, attempt the' management of the theatre now. Miss Ethel Harcourt, a young lady,, who made her first appearance ■at -the Opera House last year - during the Melville opera season, was married at Newcastle, New South Wales, on May 21, to Herbert Justin M'Carthy, a Sydney solicitor.' Miss Harcourt was a bright little figure upon the stage, but she never woujd have achieved any artistic prominence upon it. The Misses Joran are on tour in the interior of South Australia, and are making their way down to Adelaide to be in time ,fqr the opening of the exhibition. ; I understand that ' these young , ladies were going J>o. Europe. to study upon the proceeds of , their' benefit concert at ihe Athenaeum Hall. Perhaps the proceeds .lid not run to it, or may be the trip is defei red. Miss Amy -Sherwin, who is Mrs Hugo Gorlitz— another idol' shattered — will open her concert season at the Town Hall on Satur,day next with considerable eclat! ' The Australian Natives Association .have taken lier -up as a colonial artiste, and will, patronise her. ' She will be assisted by Herr Johann Ehodes, a violin virtuoso; Mr Stockwell, .your New Zealand tenor; and: the Zerbini quartette. .' '• s > ■ >' • ' " Les Cloches de Cprneville'- was Saturday's 1 bill at the Alexandra Theatre. Several special ' engagements have' been made, including Mr E; Kelly, 1 for Gaspard,and Mr C. ;H. Templeton^fof'the '.Marquis. It is some years since.iar Teinpleton sang in Melbourne,' but in the operatic days of our- Opera House his name was constantly in the bilk . W,hefe are they all now, I -wonder !, 'Mr Beaumont has retired,! and Mr Templeton has., just, come out,.*; o£ his retirement. >,'Mr G. B. Allen, the. one time conductor, -has /,' just returned to us, iand advertises <"■■ himself as- " the composer "; and Mr 35. Farley is^ somewhere in- New 'South Wales, ' But where isMiss Alice May,' Miss Lambert, Mr Johnson, and all the others of,, the old school? ' Seat r tered far and wide, I fear, J and some, probably,, .deadi \ " " .. ' '"/ ".' The, Sydney friends of the lateMrW.J!. Sheridan, tragedian and good iellow, propose ito erect, a memorial stone over- his graye.and solicit the subscriptions, of aU friends and,

admirjers: Mr J. H.,gainf ord is,thertreasurer, and airy subscriptioris^can besent So 'him. W. J. Holloway.has *cdhcl'uded a short season in Brisbane, and has" gone 1 tip t6 'Maryborough, intending' to play af f Gympie afterwards. Simonsen's Italian' Opera Company opened I ; 'last' ■ Tuesday j?at jjhis/ .theatre, .the .Ejoyal, in Brisbane. >„ Mr.HollQwayy'bn.his return, to Brisbane, will^operl _in' "Hoodman Blind." Signpr -Agrati Duncan M'Callum have taken the ; Walhalla Bros, circus to Noumea ; and, according to the Sign or, are doing' immense business t .They propose touring all the South Sea Islands, ahd'g'oirig l from thence*' to South .America,and'the' Southern* states of'North'Am'ericai ? Last l Thursday '.Wjeek ; the"Sydney divorce : "case.of 'Towrie v. Towne was finally settled, a ruie nisi} being granted "with costs against 1 v the respondent.' ' r The' petitioner Was ,Lucy ; Mary' Towne; whose, ,'maiden u name J was Cottieri-^one of ' ( tlig dojitieYfamilyr— and the respondent was Francis Bevefley Tpwriefstage name Beverley-T-^to ,whom she was married in October- 1880^ at, Sydney. They lived together until December. 1883, ,when Towne went to Newcastle; and deserted -her. It was proved in evidence 1 that the respon: dent had been living since' 1883- with one Beatrice Lyster. ' 'Both 'Towne and -Lyster have been acting'.-recenily'in this' city; '•■ ' -„ Miss ,J. G-/ Oliver Advertises that she has the j Australian^.and New Zealand' rights of the following .plays, amongst" others':—" First' Class,",. «,', -Inside Track," " Keep to the. Eight," •? Eags and Bones," [" Nat'urels Nobleman," "Dad," and "Life worth t Living." Applications to perform must be made to her at the -Yorick Club Hotel in this city. .

If anyone wants to buy the above dramas and does not know where to ' produce them, he might turn his .eyes to our Alexandra Theatre., "It is the market, and in the hands of a manager who knew how to cater for, the-mass,' might -be made to pay' fairly well. It ought to go cheap. . " Human Nature " has not proved such a trump card in < Adelaide ■ as 1 was expected. The previous glories of " Harbour Lights " had caused the gentle public to • expect too much, and they were disappointed. ' •

' In response to repeated requests our German friends havd' J deoided to repeat "Zar und Zimmermann " at the Alexandra Theatre ' on Tuesday, Jufie,l4. The- performance is ,annou|riced'as being " By special desire of Sir .Henry Loch," arid will be under his patronag. i Sydney news this, week is not of special imi'p'ortance., " ; Little,'. Jack .Sheppard," at the Theatre Eoyalj is as great, a success as it was > here, and Miss Fanny < Eobina charms all hearts. " Current Coin " still is going at the* Opera House; Miss Minnie Palmer is play- '< ing "Pert" at the Criterion, and the other houses are playing their usual specialties.