THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1900, 3 July 1890, Page 32

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Contributions from the Profession chronicling their movements and doings wo Invited. All communications to bo addressed to " Pisquin," Otago Witness Office.

Mr B. Brskino Scott, the agent tor the Saint Maur dramatic company, arrived in Dunedin last evening to make arrangements for the season here, which opens at the Princess Theatre next week. The piece selected for the opening is "Jim the Penman," in which the members of the company are seen to advantage. Mr D. Christie Murray's new play " Chums " will be produced daring the season. The tickets for the complimentary benefit to be given to Mr J. S. Willis on Friday evening have sold so well that a large attendance on the occasion may be confidently expected. "The Octoroon," by one of the strongest casts of amateurs seen on a Duuedin stage, will form the bill of fare for the evening. The " Onslow waltz," by Mr Harry Rossiter, dedicated by permission to the Countess of Onslow, which has just been published, comprises an introduction, four waltzes, and a finale, all of considerable merit aud moderattly difficult. In view of so much that is commonplace, it is refrebhing to find a waltz in which bright and pleasing melodies are combined with gooa harmonies throughout, and which is never monotonous. The composer has been happy in h'B themes in each number, aud his waltz cannot fail to be highly appreciated; and if Mr Rossiter continues as he has begun he should have a career before him. The lithographing has been executed in first-class style by Mr Hawcridge, of Messrs Wilkie and Co. The design on the cover represents the Onslow coat-of-arms, decorated with the order of St. Michael and Sb. George, with a spray of English oak and acorns, the whole surmounted by an earl's coronet. Miss Solange Novaro (Mrs Digby), well known in New Zealand, is now playing the important part of Mary Langle.y with Mr Wilson Barrett's English Provincial Company in " Good Old Times." Mrs Kendal will soon outrival Mr Gladstone himself in the number of her speeches. I fancy the cunning Yankees have been "drawing her a little. Her last is a " short informal speech " at a reception given to her by a number of 'soubrettcs' in New York. The model matron said :— " I would advise you all, in fact, I advise all aotressos to marry actors. Don't go outside of the profession to look for husbands. If you do, you will not be happy. If you marry outside the profession, you will probably give up the stage, only to return to it in a short time. Then you will be happy." The oratorio " Saint Francis of Aasisi," by Edgar Tinel, is written to a Flemish libretto De Toninck, successively showing St. Francis, amidst the gaiety of life, enjoying in their fulness the pleasures of song and the dance, followed by his "call," his preaching, his " Hymn of the Sun and Moon," and finally his death. The tenor ballad of "Poverty," tlia hymn aforesaid, and the scene in which St. Francis rebukes his thoughtless companions, form the only important solos in the work, which is otherwise for chorus throughout. _ Emily Soldene is at present at San Francisco. Sho received qnite an ovation on her appearance in " The Drum Major's Daughter," after an absence of nine years. Theatrical managers in America are greatly : disturbed by the ruling of the Inter-state •Commerce Commission, which compels all railroad companies to exact full passenger rates from all theatrical combinations. This interpretation of the law will have the effect of lowering the standard of theatrical entertainments, and will make it necessary for all travelling managers to reduce the numerical strength of their companies. "The Long Strike," a drama in five acts, of to-day and for today, by Dion Bouoicault, recently produced at the Alcazar Thaatre, San Fcancieco, pourtrays scenes which occurred during the terrible Manchester (England) cotton spinnerß' strike, when upwards of 1,000,000 men were thrown out of employment. It is said that the Frecch Government have finally decided to interdict the production of M. de Bornier's "Mahomat" at the Frangaia, bo as to avoid wounding the religious susceptibilities of the Sultan and his subjects. The Turkish Ambassador was instructed to make strong remonstrances on the subject, and by all accounts these remonstrances have prevailed. The Mahommedans not only object to see Mahomet on the stage, but also to allow any pictorial representation of his face. Amongst a remarkable collection of piotures and illustra'ed books by Indian artißts— some of them 400 years old— in the possession of Colonel Hanua, which will shortly be exhibited at Dewdeswell's, there are many piotures of Mahomet, but invariably, save in one instance, with his faco concealed by a veil. The musical world was in a feverish state of activity last week, (says a London paper) and performances of all kinds were very numerous. The North of London possesses several large choral societies, one of them being the Highbruy Philharmonic, which haa the well-known violinist Mr G. H. Betjemann, as conductor. On Monday his eon, Mr G. R. Betjemann, directed a remarkably epirited work from his own pen, called " The Song of the Weitorn Men," the subject bsing tho rising of the Cornell lads wh°n the odious cocond James imprisoned Sir James Trelawney. This is just tha sort of work to interest your enthusiastic amateur, aud it iB comu-end^bly brief. The.di-cussiou which 13 going on at Home m roforonoe to the value of musical drgreoa suggasta the story which in told of Handel when he was offered tho honorary degree of musical doctor by the Oxford University. When tho great master was approached on tho subj'-cfc, horoplied in his blunt; manaer; "No; what for I ue made a doctor ? " Tho paragraph now going the rounds that Mad.iine Patti is building at Onug-y-Nos Castlo a thoatre at a cost of £12,000, and that if; will be inaugurated in tho autumn by Mr Irving, must ba received with a very large pinch of salt. What Madame Patti really is building is a conservatory and v/mter garden, aad even if a stage be ereoted it will hardly m.iko this glass and iron erection a thoatre. Thu sum of £12,000 referred to is, of course, uoiisonsa. Ony ttuth of that amount would be n?nrar Iho mark.

Some modifications having been introduced into tho Austrian National Hymn sb porfcrmed by military band?, the original composition of H:iydn ifi to bs restored throughout the empire. Two yoars ago tho camo step wag tskan in Franco in regard to tho '"MareoiUaiee." Ab a matter of duty (writoo a Home dramatic critic) I went to tbe wildn of Kilburn rocently to bear a new comic opera, arA I tayed a3 a matter of pleasuro. The pieco was " Gninovere ; or Love Laughs at Law," written by Mr Stauloy Steven?, with mudc by Dr Pringuer. The b >ok is a skit on the mania for competitive examinations, everything in the domain of King Litfclogf\ even to tho awarding of his daughter's hand, being decided by "exam." Prince Lionel, of a neighbouring kingdom, has no chance whatever, bo ehß pretends to fly with him, and as the only mean.a

of inducing her to come back the king revokes the law concerning universal examinations. There are some amusing episodes, in which the ! board of examiners, a terrible blue stocking, and another pair of lovers figure. Dr Pringuer's^musio is excellent, fresh, vigorous, and put together in a workmanlike manner. What a thing it is to be an all-round person, Mrs Kendal not only rubs along very nicely on the stage and in society, but also in the hospital and the sickroom. It seems that Mrs Kendal has a friend in Amertca, a Mrs Blame, an ex-actress. -Well, Mrs Blaitie being laid up with a stiffened knee-joint, Mrs Kendal Galled upon her, arrayed herself in a hospital apron, did an hour or two's massaging of the afflicted part, and finally finished up with tho outward application of some mysterious oil ot magioally healing qualities, the seoret of which, it is to be presumed, was confided to her by a fairy godmother. It appears from American accounts that Mrs Kendal goes in for this sort of thing a good deal in London hospitals, and that she always takes on the incurables, Cannot Mrs Kendal see how much the insertion of such stories into newspapers looks like advertisement, and request her friends to be a little less ready with their pens, as the employment of them tends not infrequently to make her appear ridioulous ? Mr Tamagno sang Otello in New York for the last time early in April, and sailed for Havre on the Normandie with his brother, who is a chorus singer in tho Bamo company. His departure for Europe would seem to put an end to the report that Tagmano could not visit England this summer because he had accepted an engagement (at I forget how many millions of pounds sterling per night) for South America. The Desdemona in "Ofcello" was Madame Nordica. The Patti season of Italian opera in New York continues, notwithstanding thedeparture of Tagmano, and Madame Patti is drawing large* houeei in Delibe's "Lakmd," and other parts. Iho following from the New York World is descriptive of the latest idea with regard to stage mechanism :—" Neil Burgess' bone race is a revelation in stage mechanism. He is the sole inventor and patentee in this country and Europe of this wonderful effect. The horses have to gallop to retain their position, for the track flies away from undor them. Each horse has a revolving seotion of the stage under his immediate control, made of compreesed paper, and the speed ef the same is regulated so as to bring the favourite in first. Each of theße sections weighs a ton and a-half, and they are so constructed that they resist a striking power of almoßt four [tons. Two three- horse- power electric motors propel the whole of the machinery. The race is so exciting and the sympathies of the audience have been so worked up by what has gone before that man rise up in their seats and encourage the favourite by cheering, while the ladies Boream, wave their handkerchiefs, and applaud furiously." ,