THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Otago Witness, Issue 1893, 2 March 1888, Page 28

THE STAGE IN AUSTRALIA.

Notes by Soalfax. Melbourne, February 20.

The event of the week has been the production of the late Charles Reade's drama " Drink " at the Theatre Royal, with Mr Charles Warner as Coupeau. The theatre was crammed to its utmost in every part, all seats occupied, and people standing in hundreds, despite objections of the Board of Health. The day had been warm, and that packed house was as hot as a furnace. It was a glorious welcome for Mr Warner, and it gladdened the heart of the lessee of the theatre bars. "Drink" was first produced at the Princess Theatre, London, on Whit Monday, June 2, 1879; and is, as my readers probably are aware, Jan adaptation from MM. Busnach and Gatineau's dramatisation of M. Zola's powerful novel " L'Assomoir," originally produced at the Ambigu, Paris, on January 19, 1879. The success of the piece was so great that the Ambigu managers raised the price to all parts of the house, and people crowded the theatre bureaux for months to secure places. It attracted immediate attention in London, where many efforts were made to obtain it, but the Princess management finally secured it, aud gave forth strong hints as to the kind of fortune literary Jpirates would fall into. The English version follows the Frenchjrather closely, merely some changes having been made in parts of the dialogue which were too sultry for English audiences. Zola's novel " L'Assomoir," though not so brutally coarse as his later works, is not the kind of reading people of decent minds care to indulge in, and there is a tendency of late years in Parisian dramatists to call a spade by a more offensive name than "an agricultural implement." The Athenfeum of June 7, 1879, in speakiug f o£ the drama says : — " It may be remarked of ' Drink ' that it contains no scene that has not its fair vindication in the motives of the piece. The baneful effects of drunkenness cannot, of course, be set forth without some details that are painful and offensive, but these are no further exhibited than the necessary connection between cause and consequence makes inevitable." I presume there is no necessity to waste much space on the description of a plot which must be well known to all theatre-goers and readers of the theatrical press. Coupeau is a jovial, hard-working young plumber, who likes a drink now and then, but never makes a practice of regular intoxication. He marries the wife of a friend of his, who is supposed to be dead, and gets drunk on his wedding day. You all know that the great scene is the fall from a scaffold, where lie is plumbing, and after his recovery his brain is weak. He is induced to drink again by enemies of himself and wife, and finally sinks to the lowest stages in life, dying at last raving mad from the cursed effects of brandy. Of Mr Warner I can speak in terms of the highest praise. From first to last he holds the audience at his will ; his style is easy aud natural, his appearance taking ; you can see that he has his whole heart in the part. He is an emotional actor of the class we have not seen here for some years ; he comes to us with a snbdued yet varied manner that is infinitely refreshing. His closing scene, the death iv ddiriuin tremenx, was repellant, but natural ; it kept the audience in a state of breathless silence until the fall of the body showed that all was over. It was my impression that Mr Warner would be a certain success, and I am glad that the public opinion on Saturday was in the same groove as mine. He and Miss Isabel Morris — who was a most admirable Gervaise — were recalled act after act, and applauded as our audiences can applaud when they lay themselves out to do so. The scene in the public wash-house, where Gervaise and VirgiDie (Miss Jenny Watt-Tanner) fling buckets of boiling water over each other, was well managed, and met with the united approval of the gallery and upper circle. The fall from the scaffold was smartly worked. You see Coupeau climb up the ladders with his leads to the 'fourth story of the house, and just as he reaches the top the wood gives way, and down comes a heap of bricks and clay with poor Coupeau's body tumbling in amongst them. Of course it ifc a dummy which falls,

but the exchange is s6 quickly made that very few people notice it> and the effect is often marked by a shriek from some susceptible member of the audience. The scenery is worthy of high praise, and I expect a long run for the drama. Next week I shall have more to say about it ; space is up to-day. The newspaper men of the evening were presented with a welltaken portrait of Mr Warner, marked as a souvenir of his opening night. It was a pleasing little compliment, so I have filed mine away with a collection of many years, which is growing inconveniently large. I think I shall start a picture gallery some day with my old portraits ; would any gentleman like to take shares ? By the way, after " Drink " Mr Warner will appear as Harry Dornton in "The Road to Ruin," which I remember he played at Sadlers' Wells Theatre, London, in November 1880.

"Dorothy" is still drawing full houses at the Princess Theatre, and seems likely to run for a few weeks yet. There is a story going round that Miss Nellie Stewarfc objects to the applause and encores Miss Alice Barnett and Mr Elton receive for their song and most amusing dance, and that there is a probability of the popular item being cut out of the opera. Miss Stewart sang Gounod's "Aye Maria" at St. Francis' Cathedral last Sunday. "As You Like It" replaced "Romeo and Juliet " at the Bijou Theatre on Saturday, Miss Essie Jenyns appearing as Rosalind, Mr Holloway as Orlando, Mr R. Stewart as Jaques, Mr Inman as Touchstone, and Miss Nita Steele as Celia. I have no space to give the pastoral comedy this week, and can only say that the house was full and the applause frequent. There is a good deal of overproof praise arising in this town over Miss Jenyns which her true wellwishers do not care to see. The adulation she received in Sydney was enough to turn the head of any actress, young or old, and I am afraid that too much of it cannot but have a weakening effect on her future labours. She is an amiable and clever young lady, but she has much to learn. Of the two Juliets I have lately seen, I should prefer that of Miss Lily Dampier, a young lady who has made wonderful strides in her profession of late years. Both she and Miss Jenyns were playing in Shakespeare at opposition theatres in Sydney about a year ago, and it was Miss Dampier who was engaged for the open air performance of "As You Like It " I mentioned at the time.

The Alexandra Theatre is still given over to " Those Arabian Nights," but its last nights are announced. The manager complains that out of the 300,000 inhabitants of this city, only 15,943 have as yet witnessed the performance. What more does he want?

The Opera House is still occupied by Professor Kennedy with his so-called mesmeric seances. Supposing that his power is real, it seems to me to be degrading to make a laughing stock of it simply for the amusement of a callous crowd and the acquirement of filthy lucre. Kennedy claims to have made £1000 in a fortnight. He opens in Sydney on March 17. Mr George Darrell opens shortly at this house with "Nobly Won."

The minstrel halls are occupied as usual ; and the Nugget Theatre still defies the law and opens on Saturdays and Mondays. Mr Maccabe opens in Geelong to-night, and then makes an overland tour to Adelaido, after which he makes for New Zealand. Pain's fireworks are not so popular as usual, but he still lingers on. Many of my readers will be sorry to learn that Mr J. W. Dodge, a well-known theatrical agent, and the husband of Miss Flora Anstead, shot himself at Stutt's Hotel on Sunday last, February 12. He had suffered for years from consumption, and during the last few months he weakened dreadfully. Tired of pain and agony he fired two shots at himself with a revolver some time on Sunday night, having first locked his door. When the housemaid found the door locked, and no reply made to calls, she informed the landlord and Mr G. P. Carey, and the door was broken open. Mr Dodge me found alive, but unconscious, with blood on the pillow and bed clothes. Dr Neild was called in, and his attention directed to the blood marks. Making only a casual investigation he gave it as his opinion that the sufferer had broken a blood vessel, and the wounds were not discovered until some hours after, when Mrs Dodge was arranging the bed clothes, and also found a six chambered revolver concealed under the mattress. Dr Neild was again called in, and this time discovered the shot wounds. Mr Dodge was speechless and sinking fast, but he lingered on and did not die until a quarter past 9 o'clock on Monday night. An inquest was held next day, but no medical evidence was taken ; and a verdict given that death resulted from a shot wound in the chest inflicted while of unsound mind. It was with|much regret I heard of his death. I knew him for years, and always found him a genial, good natured fellow, of excellent character and morals. He was always weak in the lungs, but hoped to get over it in time. In better days he used to live in our suburb of Clifton Hill, and used to glory in decorating his house and working in his garden in all his spare time. His wife was most attentive to him during his long illness, and his old friend Mr G. P. Carey did all he could to make his passing hours pleasant to him. I have a number of other items ot news, but must cut them short for want of space. The Vivian company open at the Theatre Royal, Brisbane, on the 28th. Mr G. R. Ireland still suffers from the erysipelas in his eye, and intends to sue the medical man who dressed his wound for damages, it being stated that the result is owing to his carelessness. Frank Clarke's American company are doing well at the Brisbane Royal. Amy Sherwin gives two more concerts in Hobart before leaving for New Zealand. Mr Arthur Law, of London, is said to be dramatising Mr Fergus Hume's " Mystery of a Hansom Cab " for the London stage. The Lynch Family of Bellringers open in our Town Hall on Saturday next. Tommy Hudson is stili at Garner's Theatre, Adelaide.

Signor Giovanni Tessero, brother-in-law of Signor Majeroni, is in an unpleasant predicament. J. J. Miller, a printer, has a claim against him aud Signor Agrati for £87 los Bd, for work done. Agrati is out oi the colony, and Tessero, &3 I have already told you, went Home to get a French comedy company. He was arrested on capias when about to sail, and he then paid the full claim, with costs, into the hands of the sheriff. Application was made on Thursday in Chambers to set the writ aside, and the case was decided on Friday, Judge A'Becket refusing to grant the request. Miss Genevieve Ward gave zmatinee in London the other day, appearing in "Incognito" a new play by Hamilton Aide. A friendly correspondent tells us it has the most striking death scene since " Fedora." A young man to avoid dishonour has to shoot himself. He retires behind a curtain and the shot is heard immediately after. The curtain was drawn aside, and the man appears standing upright, pistol in hand. Some one touches him to see if he is really dead, when the body, being overbalanced, falls with a sickening thud an inanimate lump on the stage. How does that strike you for novelty ?

—The single eye-glass is, we suppose, worn by the man who can see more with one eye than he can comprehend.