NOTES BY PASQUIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1861, 22 July 1887, Page 28

NOTES BY PASQUIN.

The Mammoth Minstrels closed a very successful season in Dunedin on Tuesday night and have flitted northwards. The last week of their stay was illumined by touches of Mr Ashton's old ingenuity in the contrivance of amateur dancing competitions, presentations to footballers, and the like. The management made money here, or I am much mistaken.

Mr Wybert Reeve's contemplated visit to New Zealand is likely to be postponed for a while, notwithstanding that dates had been booked in Dunedin and elsewhere. But though he may tarry long, he may be relied upon to come at last.

Miss Minnie Palmer, who has just left Sydney and sped back to America, announces her intention of returning across the ocean expressly for the purpose of brightening up New Zealanders with a few performances of "My Sweetheart." We all hope devoutly that that she will ; but will she ?

From a correspondent I learn that Mr Bland Holt opened in Sydney in " A Run of luck" to a £417 house, and that as similar houses have since been the rule, he is in passable spirits, and wants to make the season nine weeks instead of seven. No wonder.

The other shows in Sydney (says my correspondent) are doing fairly well. B. N. Jones is at the Opera House in " Sentenced to Death." Mrs B. N. J. (New Zealand's favourite, she is called on the bills) is in the cast, and makes her first appearance in Sydney. Dampier is doing " Never Too Late to Mend " at the Royal Standard, but he frequently changes the bill. John Gourley is playing a farcical comedy called "Kindred Souls" at the Criterion. A juvenile •'Fun on the Bristol "company is at the Academy of Music ; Annette Ivanova and George Dean and Verdi are going to try their luck (under Johnny Solomon's management) at the Gaiety with operas like "Cloches," "Boccaccio," &c; F. M. Smith's nigger show still " bumms " along at the Alhambra ; and Locke Richardson advertises his last week at the V.M.C.A. Hall. By the bye, L. R. is managed by L. J: Lohr, once manager for George Rex — I mean Rignold.

Mr W. Seagrave, who will be remembered in Dunedin, is piloting Mr s Bland Holt's company at present in Sydney. Our old friend Mr H. Norman is also a member of the same company.

The following improvement upon Lord Byron was offered to Madame Patti at the most recent of her farewell performances in New York : — Fare the well ! and if another Chance I get to fare the well, Nicolini's qualms I'll smother And gaily face the chestnut bell ! Fare the well, boys with high collars ! Wheresoe'er my voice shall roam, I shan't forget the triple dollars You paid to hear my " Home.Sweefc Home." Fare the well ! and this fond linnet Wishes here the truth to tell ; That every time there's money in it She'll come again and fare the well ! However, Madame Patti does not sing again in New York just yet, as she is booked for South America next summer.

Miss Floren«e Warden, the actress and novelist (author of "The House on the Marsh "), has been married in London to a Mr Geo. E. James. The announcement was unnoticed for a time, as the lady was not recognised by her real maiden name — Miss Price.

Everything is adapted for the stage nowadays, even such a seemingly impracticable production as Mr Stevenson's weird concert "The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde." This has been mounted at the Boston Museum with Mr Richard Mansfield in the dual character. The novel has been considerably departed from, and a young lady is introduced The last act witnesses the agony of Jeykll, who sees a permanent transformation into Hyde imminent. Agnes, the herione, out of pity, returns with Lanyon only to find the miserable Jekyll writhing in mental anguish prior to undergoing the fearful alteration, when he falls dead at her feet.

A rumour crediting Mr and Mrs Bancroft with the intention of resuming the management of the Haymarket^has been circulated and denied.

Anew comic opera, "The Pyramid," by Mr Charles Pruerner, the conductor of the orchestra .. ooff f the Fifth Avenue Theatre, is about to be produced at the Star Theatre. New, York.. The^libretto of • The Pyramid," which is by M-r Pruerner and Mr Caryl Florio, says the Herald, relates the ' adventures of two young -American tourists,' known respectively as Albert Leroy and William Dodge, who 1 journey into the land of the, Pharaohs. These two young , men fall asleep at the foot of one of the , pyramids, and during their dreams the mummies, who have been "keeping' house in the interior for many moons," come out, headed by King 'Rameses XXVII 1 , and all sorts of adventures ensue. The, King .has a- pretty 'daughter called Rhea; MissTaiis her companion ; there is an, elderly : Egyptian maiden ? Natasau by name ; a high priest, who rejoices in the title of Sabako, and everal other mummies of more or less importance. The tourists, the King, and the Princess Rhea have a very jolly time of it. inside the pyramid and on the banks of the Nile by the light of the moon, to music that, although Amerioan, is said to be thoroughly Egyptian in style. ' Opera' houffe is now practically nonexistent on the, London stage, and several performers who have so long waited in vain , for engagements are • practically giving up the job in despair. Some of them are gradually recruiting the ranks of the drama and English opera, while others will probably return ;o the music halls. " The truth is," says a London paper, " that opera bouffe has been killed partly by its own inanity, partly by the exorbitant pretensions of the so-called artists. For the vast majority of them a salary of £5 per week would be higher than was warranted by any talent they possessed, and when they began to ask £10 to £15, or even more, weekly, the thing became absurd.

Opera bouffe is likely to be succeeded by genuine English comedy opera,, such as " Dorothy "and the Sullivan-Gilbert repertory. Even in Paris, which was its cradle, and will probably be its grave, opera bouffe is in a weakly condition." In spite of all' this Planquette is at present inLondon, and it is said that a new opera bouffe from his pen will be tried at the Avenue in the autumn. ;

The once famous tenor, Gaetano Fraschini has just died at Padua, at the age of 72. Fraschini was educated for a medical career, but as far back as 1837 he made his debut as tenor in the cathedral of his native city, Pa via, and until his retirement about 20 years ago he was one of the most popular vocalists at the Italian Opera, Paris, and in various theatres in Italy. The death is also announced,' at the age of 73, of M. Poultier, who made his English debut at Her Majesty's in 1851, and was for many years a popular tenor in France.

A monument to Haydn has just been unveiled at. Vienna on the 78th anniversary of the great composer's death.' The Emperor and the Crown Prince were both present. The monument is of pure Carrara marble, and represents Haydn holding in his left hand a roll of music with the first bars of the Austrian Hymn in gold characters. ,

Mr Irving's revival of Byron's " Werner " at the Lyceum, although at present only for one night, is being done on a scale of the most gorgeous extravagance. Immense expense and trouble has been gone to to obtain costumes harmonious, picturesque, and archseologically correct, and Mr Seymour Lucas, one of the most conscientious authorities on costume in or out of the Royal Academy, has been entrusted with this department. The dressing of such a piece is virgin ground to theatrical costumiers, as the action takes place in Silesia and Bohemia just at the close of the 30 years' war. Hence we find an altogether Eastern magnificence of costume ; gorgeous materials — damasks and brocades ; costly furs, both for cloaks and caps, aigrettes and and jewels, armour and weapons — all quaint and curious and picturesque. Firearms were not yet in anything like general use — the national feeling was against them — but no spark or gentleman would walk abroad without his sword, shaped like a scimitar, or his martel de fer in his hand — a formidable weapon designed chiefly for the crushing in of an adversary's armour. Another feature is the bow-sheath for the strung bow, and quiver for the full sheaf of arrows, which were slung on corresponding sides of the person. The dresses themselves are principally distinguished by the amount of fur employed, which was used both as lie ing and as outside covering, and in its adaptation to caps it imparted to them, with the aigrettes and strings of jewels, much of the appearance of the Oriental turban. For his authority in all matters of detail Mr Lucas, it is understood, has gone to the etchings of Stefano Delia Bella representing the entry into Rome of the Polish Embassy in 1630. In any case, from these he has manifestly obtained the particulars of the arms and embellishments, the patterns of the materials, and the varieties of the furs. Guided by his authorities he has designed 20 dresses in all, 14 for the men and six for the ladies, of which there are two changes for Mr Irving as Werner, and three for Mr Alexander as Ulric ; while Miss Terry as 'Josephine and Miss Winifred Emery as Ida Stralenheim have two each. Most of the accessories, down to the quaintly-shaped buttons, have been made in Paris, under the superintendence of Madame Auguste.

M. Nichols telegraphed to M, Carvalho, offering the Empire Theatre for two months' gratis, in order that the burnt-out artists of the Paris Opera Comique .might play for two months for the benefit of the sufferers.

The Vaudeville Theatre is to be elaborately re-decorated under the superintendence of the Hon. Lewis Wingfield.

On Jubilee Day 2000 ragged children were bidden by Mr Irving to the Lyceum to witness a performance of "The Merchant of Venice." The criticism of such an audience upon such a play would be worth preserving among the curiosities of literature;

In a paper on playgoing contributed to " The Young Man," Mr Irving says : — " It seems to me that the stage, being undeniably an institution which you cannot destroy, should commend itself to all reasonable people as an instrument of judicious recreation and as an educational influence. There is no difference in principle between studying human nature in the theatre and studying it in the pages of fiction, and when I. am told that there are evil influences in the drama and that this or that entertainment is inmoral, I can only say that there are a good many novels which are injurious to morals, but that their existence is no reason why the young should not read Scott, Thackery, George Eliot, and Dickens."

Miss Leonora Braham, a favourite of the Savoy audiences, for whom " Patience " and other of Gilbert's leading parts were written, was to leave . for Australia in June, under engagement to Messrs Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove. She is accompanied by her husband, Mr Duncan Young, late leading tenor of the German Reed company.

Another celebrity who has been engaged by the enterprising Australian managers, is Miss Mary Anderson, who is just at present entering upon a new engagement at the Lyceum in London. The triumvirate bid for Henry Irving and Sarah Bernhardt, but their terms were considered too high.

Madame Bernhardt,' by the way, has been simply' fascinating her San Francisco audiences, and one of the soundest .critics exclaimed enthusiastically : " If .ever there was a perfect actress Bernhardt is the one."

Sardou makes an interesting contribution to the discussion as to the origin of " Fedora." He says :—": — " I owe the first idea of Fedora to history. I was one day reading ' about quarrels of Philip II and his • secretary, Antonio Perez. The adventure is" well known. Perez had caused the death of Escovedo and fled to Pau. • Agents' after agents were despatched to /seize the fugitive,' or, to surprise and kill him. ' Perez was^on' his guard. All efforts to secure him were abortive.,. It was then that the king conceived a tricky the curious . details of which' • Perez ' ftas[ transmitted'to us in his' memoirs; ''♦ They, found,' he says,; ' a very beautiful lady, amiable; "and above all, a woman in- every^ense' of the word, and offered her 10,000 crpwns andrsix fine" Spanish horses on condition that 1 she should go to Pau, ensnare Perez, entice him

to her house,' and there surrender him during the night. The lady accepted the bargain and went to Pau, conducting the affair very speedily. But suddenly the lady was seized with a grand passion for her victim, and at the moment .when she was to, deliver him to the fellows lying in ambush; she revealed to Perez the whole affair, and made her house his asylum.' I found in this an excellent subject for a play, except for the degradation of the heroine, who, for hire, was going to hand over a man to the executioner. But if that woman, instead ot being a spy, were an avenger, trie sister, the wife, or the betrothed of Escovedo, it would put a different face on the whole matter. That is the source of Fedpra. It is safe to wager now that I shall be accused of having plagiarised history." This story, told in the memoirs of Antonio Perez, furnished Tom Taylor with the plot of his play of Plot and Passion. A professorship is about to be founded at Amherst College, U.S., in honour' of the Rev. Henry Ward Beeoher, who was an alumnus of the institution. It has been suggested that the new chair should . be one of hygiene and physical culture, a subject in which Mr Beecher took a great interest. At Messrs Puttock and Simpson's saleroom, on April 19, a folio edition of Shakespeare of 1623 was offered, and excited aya v spirited competition. It was sold to Mr Toovey, of Piccadilly, for £255. The title is Wanting, and the leaf opposite is mutilated, but 10 lines by Ben Johnson are intact. The volume remains in the original leather binding, with buck bands.

The library of Canterbury Cathedral has been enriched by the addition of about 10,000 volumes, bequeathed to the dean and chapter by the late Archdeacon Harrison. Included in this number is tl>e library of Archbishop Howley, which was left by that prelate to the late Archdeacon.

Mr R. Oocks, the . oldest music publisher in England, and probably in the world, has just died, in his 90th year. He was entirely aselfmade man. His firm's catalogue at the time of his death exceeded 18,000 publications.

Mr »Spencer Walpole has undertaken to write the life of the late Earl Russell, from documents now in the possession of the family.