NOTES BY PASQUIN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1928, 2 November 1888, Page 28

NOTES BY PASQUIN.

On Monday next a company humorously described as "a big black boom" make their appearance in Wellington. They are Hicks and Gaylord's Minstrels, who have been lately raking in money very prettily in Sydney. Their peculiarity consists in being black off as well as on the stage— in being, in fact, genuine specimens of the man and brother for whose benefit the Northerners and Southerners fought each other so staunchly in America a quarter of a century ago. Our old friend, Signor Agrati, is with the troupe, who, by the way, will not reach Dunedin till December 22, arriving in time to constitute themselves our Christmas attraction. Miss Yon Finkelstein, after lecturing for one night in Napier, opened in Christcnurch on Tuesday evening with the best of her series of lectures, " Homes and Haunts of Jesus." This lady will be in Dunedin next week, and will, it is safe to prediot, prove a strong " draw." The latest burlesque is " The Real Case of Hide and Seekyll," a humorous musical parody by George Grossnaith, which is to be put on at the Royalty. G. R. Sims, the dramatist, has a kindly side even for the much understood pickpocket, whose sorrows he sings thus in the Referee : — It was night in the month of October, And the stars were alight in the sky, When a genfe as I thought wasn't sober The comer I stood at passed by. I saw that his chain was a gold one ; I guessed that his watch was the same ; And so, as the gent was an old one, I thought him legitimate game. I'd got his gold cha'n in my fingers, And was going to give ib a tug, Whoa whack came a couple of stingers— Two beauties— and right on my lug, Then I'd one that ebruek stars from my peeper, And another thab shifted my. jaw— A regular scnd-yoii'to-sleeper— And that Utho la3b thab I saw. Ihe lasfc that I saw till a peeler, To fill sorrow's cup to the brim, Put my carcass inside a four-wheeler, And enid, " Wliafc a flab to try him ! " " Who is he P " I groaned, as in torturo I nervously felt for my face J And he said, " Well, you tackled a scorcher ; That elderly gent was Jem Maco." * The death of the veteran Barry Sullivan will be regretted by many admirers in the colonies. He worked too hard, and was even said to be contemplating another colonial tour at the time of his death. In fact, although not actually playing he was virtually in harness when he died, as his son Amory was filling dates in the provinces as his substitute. With Lord Alfred Paget just deceased a familiar figure disappears from the green room and the theatrical supper table. He wa« born in 1816, and had many military, political, and courbly experiences, but he delighted far more in the cackle of tho coulisses (and its inevitable accompaniments) than in anything else except perhaps good eating and drinking. An American correspondent commenting on his death says : — " He was a jolly old cock and had a jolly good time. They planted him in Hampton churchyard yesterday. Many lords, admirals, generals, and gentlemen assisted t and ihe profession was represented by one costumer, one musical conductor, one theatrical manager, one variety showman, and one or two ' real ladies.' I dare swear, though, that the professional element were perhaps more sincere in their regrets for the loss of poor old Paget than the swells whom they elbowed." Mr Daniel Bandmann afc the close of his unlucky London season of two nights left most of the company lamenting the failure of the ghost to walk on treasury day. Bandmann, however, is by no means without resources. He owns a fine ranch in Montana, for which he has just been purchasing some expensive stud horses. Isabel Bateman, who when her father was alive was considered good enough to divide the honours at the Lyceum with Mr Irving, is now playing Jane Shore in London. The real Mrs Bandmann (nee Milly Palmer) has fouud it necessary to . deny a statement in the Sunday Mercury to the effect that " Miss Louise Beaudet is Mrs Daniel Bandmann." Madame Blanche Cole, of whom many colonists cherish pleasant memories, has died in London of dropsy at the early age of 36. She first ap« peared at the Crystal Palace in " Somnambula" in 1869, and at once rose to a position of prominence in the English operatic world,'particularly in British works such as " Satanella," " Lurline," " The Puritan's Daughter," " Bohemian Girl," " Maritana," " The Corsair," " Robin Hood." and " Rose of Castille." _ She also appeared and won suscess in English versions of many foreign works, such as " Faust," " Crown Diamonds" (perhaps her best part), " Martha," " Fra Diavolo," " Masaniello," " La Oolombe," " II Barbiere," " L'Elisir," and numerous others. Madame Blanche Cole was never a great concert singer, but both in London and the provinces she was always popular in opera, until, owing to illness, she was obliged to retire a few months before her death. Verdi is said to be engaged on a comic opera. Charles Wyndham is going to make a four months' tour in the States with " David Garrick," playing at New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Boston. Mr Frederick de Belleville, who got on so badly with Mr Garner as a member of the London Comedy Company years ago, is going to be leading man to Miss Clara Morris next season. The veteran New York manager, Lester Wallack, who received a monster benefit on his retirement a few months ago, is dead. He incurred adverse criticism from his countrymen of late years ou account of the preference ho showed for English over American plays. Clement Scott admires the elocutionary style of the two American companies who have lately been playing in London. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he says:—" There is one thing that English actors and actresses might well learn from our American cousins, and that is the art of distinct speaking and clearness of enunciition. Every word spoken on the stage is heard, the sentences are not mumbled, and none of these American artists dceam of dropping the voice at the end of the sentence. It is delightful to hear the text that is put down to be spoken, not slurred, and if the modern English actor and actress could only occasionally listen to their muffled utterances, they would appreciate the rare merit in expression of Mr Daly's aud Mr Mansfield's American companies." The final retirement of Christine Nilsson has led an industrious scribe to compile a list of her principal operatic parts and the number of timos abe has played them. It pans out something as follows: — Madame Nilsson pla3 r ed Violetta in " Traviata " 20 times ; Margherita in " Faust " 7-3; Martha 13; Elvira in " Don Giovanni " 23; Astrafiimmanto in "Flanto Magico" 4; Lucii . in Donizetti's masterpiece 29; Cherubiuo in ''Nozze di Figaro" 11; Ophelia in Thomas' "Hamlet" 8; Alice in "Robert the Devil" 0; Contessa in" Nozze di Figaro "2 ; Desdemona in <«Qthello"9; the title role in « Mignou"l4; Edith

in "liTalismano" 12; Leonora in "II Trovatore" 3; Valentina in "Les Hagenota" 5; Elsa in "Lohengrin" 24; Margherita and Elena 'in "Mefistofele" 12; selections 5; making a total of 279 performances of these big roles in all. Now ib would be interesting to know how much the Swedish nightingale has received for this amount of work. For once a statement that a prima donna had been robbed of her jewels turns out to be fact, not fiction. Madame Marie Roze, while walking with some friends at Aix les Bains, was relieved of a diamond and pearl chatelaine by a lightfiugered Italian lady, who was arrested forthwith. The deliquent hails from Turin, and is said to have been once an operatic prima donna herself. The reason assigned for Xavier Scharwenka, tha pianist and composer, abandoning his trip to the United States is that he could not get his name on the same ship. According to the "Musical Courier," the Mikado of Japan is learning the pianoforteno doubt with the view of running through a few of Mr Gilbert's songs.