THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2010, 1 September 1892, Page 35

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Ooatritatt.ai from tht Profenlon chronlotiog their movements »nd dolnfi »rt lnrited. All communlontions to be *ddreij«d It "Fuquin," Ot»ro Witneu Office.

M'Lean's young Australians have been showing at Wellington during the week, the opening piece being "Selimand Zulieku, or the j Corsair's Lair." Tho piece is described as practically devoid of plot, variety business being the, main feature. Miss Bella Adair makes a decided hit' with " Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay," and Miss Breakwell's dancing, is very graceful. The other members are Lillie, Radman, Violet Murray, Frank Lynch, and Arthur Glynn. Lovers' of music aj^d^the drama in Dunedin will be pleased .to learn that the Princess Theatre has been engaged continuously up to ] the 18th January. » Mr Charles Bradley left Dunedin on Monday for Oamaru, en route for Chri6tchurch, to conclude arrangements for Signor Foli's concerts in those places. Mr Charles Holloway who with his wife, Miss Alice Deorwyn, last visited New Zealand with Walter Bentley, and who are 1 two of the most sterling artists that have toured this colony, sail almost immediately with a strong company for Wellington, where they open shortly at tho Opera House. The repertoire will include " The World against Her," "Ring of Iron," "Land of the Living," and "Wages of Sin." Magnificent scenery specially painted will be. carried, and all the. above pieces have a big London reputation. There can be no doubt of the i attraction. The original scores of incidental music will also be included. Each production will be under Mr Charles Holloway 's direction, and as he stage-managed them when played in Melbourne the performances will be similar. The mechanical changes as in Bland Holt's production will bo very effective. The company by the list of names appear powerful, and include Misses Alice and Constance Deorwyn, Lily Hegarty, Edith Jackson, Marion Medway, and Ida Clayton, Messrs Richard Stewart, Henry Willard, Georgo Melville, Harry Hodson, F. Rossmore, Andrew Money, E. J. Laughlan, W. H." Power, and Charles Holloway. The opening date in Dunedin is October 29. Maccahe is back in London after his five years colonial tour. He was to make his reappearance in the beginning of July\ Members of the theatrical profession are ever ready to give their services in relief of the distressed and needy, and Miss Myra K«mble recently nobly maintained the traditions of her profession by giving a performance of "Dr Bill " in the beautiful Centennial Hall, Sydney, in aid of the distressed women and children. The hall was packed in all parts, among those present being the Governor and Lady Jersey, Sir Charles Scotfc, the Chief Justice, &c, and no less a sum than L 330 was netted for the poor people for whose benefifc Miss Kemble inaugurated the performance. Between one of the aebs Mr Murphy, M.L.A., came forward and announced thab bhe takings of bhe night had reached over L 330, and reiterated Miss Myra Kemble's firmlyexpressed intention that her only motive in' coming to the rescue was to see that the pro- ! ceeds of the performance should be dovobed exclusively to aiding the women and children destitute in Sydney. At bhe conclusion of the performance Lord and L-idy Jersey "went behind," and both expressed their thanks personally to Miss Kemble for the very < pleasant; | evening Bha had provided, and their hearty appreciation of her on behalf of the distressed. . . The Lynch Family Bellringers celebrated their 25th year of travel afc the residence of Mr W. W. Lynch, South Yarra, recently. Fancy ! A quarter of a century, and still drawing large audiences, and as popular as ever. Messrs Johnny Sheridan, C. Maomahon, the : " Fighbing Kangaroo," and Misses Fanny Liddiard and Gracie Wbibefoord left for London on the 24th insfc. Mr Sheridan appears at New York as the Widow O'Brien on November 2. ' I

Mrs Langtry must be well armed for the theatrical fray if she has really accepted all the pieces thafc have been mentioned in connection with her summer season ab ,the Haymarkefc. Two new plays by Mr Coghlan— both of them befcter, ifc may be hoped, than " Lady Barter" — a comedy specially -written for her by Mr Haddon Chambers, and a "powerful society drama" by Mr B. Rose— all of these are credibed to her. Between them Mrs Langfcry should be prepared for all possible contingencies of management. In Mr Rose's play she is, ifc is said, to figure as a woman of business, a part which should suit her idiosyncrasy very well indeed.

If the American papers are to be trusted, the original singer of the eternal " Ta-ra»ra-ra-boom-de-ay " has been silenced by death. They assert that Miss Lottie Collins died in Paris on the night of July 11. On Walter Bentley's first appearance in Brisbane he was escorted to the Opera House by six pipers, who came on to the back of the dress circle and regaled the audience with choice selections whilst Rosendorff 's orchestra played away in front. Neither would give in until the signal for "curtain up" was given — the din was terrific. Bentley did enormous biz. The New Yorkers have a queer way of evading the law respecting Sunday performances. Only sacred ones are allowed, so the theatre proprietors advertise sacred skirt dancing, sacred whistling, sacred character songs, &c. The authorities must have a decided tendency to winking the other eye to allow such palpable hoodwinking. Martin Simousen brought down with him by the 'Frisco mail boat from America for Sydney a new minstrel company for a 12 months' season in the colonies. The * combination, which is known as Emerson and Wood's Alabama Minstrels, open in New Zealand shortly after Christmas.

Mr- Labouchere, iv London Truth, states that London managers are planning a simultaneous reduction of high salaries and high prices of reserved seats. Despite the prevailing dulness at Brisbane, Beniliy "scooped the pool" there. In eight nights he took within a fraction of LI4OO, which is simply immense business.

Christie Murray, when recently heard of theatrically, was playing "The Penitent" (from the French) at Glasgow Royal. The motif is the mysterious disappearance of a girl. Her distracted lover enters the priesthood, and 23 years afterwards a grey-haired man enters his confessional and tells him how he brutally murdered the lost Annette. The priest hears him out, gives him absolution, and having thus provided for tho safety of his soul he jumps on and strangles the penitent. Then he explains that the deceased tried to rob him, and the curtain goes down as the sacristan is busy hauling out the corpse. The Royal English Comic Opera Company, shortly due in New Zealand, are reported to have cleared LIO,OOO out of their Sydney season. The average takings have been L 250 per night. A Liverpool theatrical manager during the Deeming furore wrote a blood-curdling piece entitled "Deeming; or Doomed afc Last," iv five acts, with gore plentifully etrewn about.

knowing that the licenser of plays would never allow it to be staged he produced it without permission, with the result that he had to pay a fine of Ll2, and heavy edsts. Messrs G. Musgrove and J. C. Williamson have again entered into partnership, and will open the new Princess' at Sydney with " The Mountebanks" on Boxing Night, with Miss Nellie Stewart in the principal part. The latest London infant " phenomenon " is Miss Evelyn Hughes, a young lady of eight years, who is at present delighting Londoners with her wonderfully good imitations of Chevalier's celebrated coster songs. Miss Hughes is in addition a graceful little dancer, and has, the critics believe, the makings of a Letty Lind. That most enterprising of ladies' papers, the Home Journal of Philadelphia, recently despatched an emissary into the wilds of Wales to interview the Chatelaine of Craig-y-nos in her mountain fastnesses. Madame Patti proved accommodating, even to the extent of supplying several ." Kodak" pictures taken by her own fair hands to illustrate the article withal. The principal merit of Craig-y-nos, in the eye of the lady interviewer, seems to be that it has been expensive. " Many rich men and women in America," she admits, "possess suburban estates superior to it" ; but, like the fly ia amber, the wonder about it seems to be " how ifc gob there." To make it even " moderately accessible," LSOOO, or thereabouts, had to be spent on a roadway, though the railway station is but four miles distant, and this element of inaccessibility has of cojurse had the desired effect of adding materially to the cost of everything in and about the Castle of the Voice. It is a weakness in Eogland, so we are told, that every country house, whether royalty ever visit it or not, should have its "Royal Rooms." Madame Patti is not superior to this weakness. She has accordingly set apart royal apartments, "luxuriously furnished in olive wood and blue satin damask " ; but as the most exuberant imagination could hardly picture her Majesty in occupation of them, Madame Patti has named those rooms after the Prince and Princess of Wales. With regard to tho Diva's habits aad mode of life in her VVelsh ' castle, they appear to be tinctured with a pleasant and rather sleepy monotony. She retires at 11 p.m., and "it is close U2ion midday before she puts in an appearance among her guests"; bub when one's bedstead is of " solid oxydised silver, with blue satin canopies to match the counterpane, which is embroidered with old lace," it is perhaps excusable to spend 12 hours out of the 24- in retirement. It is pleasant to read that Madame Pafcti's taste in music is ca£holic. Sometimes she sings to her guests, and is obliging enough to give them their choice of music. "If they wanb • Annie Rooney,' she sings ib for them ; and she can sing ifc very charmingly." Whether she ever carries her complaisance far enough to indulge her intimates with "Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay," the deponent sayeth not. At the Alexandra Theatre, Melbourne, Miss Marian Willis has been playing in " Erma the Elf," and comes out in a new light altogether, and cast the slough of sorrow in which she has so often been arrayed, invests himself with thestage attributes of Carrie Swain, Katie Putman, and other popular ladies of that walk in art, with a success that might make them look to their laurels.

There is some talk of turning one of the Melbourne Theatres into a permanent home for circus performances, and equestrian drama, after the manner of the once renounced Asfcley's, London. The celebrated double bass-player, Botfcesini, chose that instrument through an accidental circumstance. When he was admitted to tho conservatory at- Milan there was only one vacancy, and that was the bass ; and he consented to take ifc. Bottesini is said to have practised for from six to nine hours every day, even up to the time of his death. Mr Sims Reeves has joined the teaching staff of the Guildhall School of Music, where his son is already a professor. A writ for L2OOO damages for breach of agreement and slander has been issued by Mr Amory Sullivan, theatrical manager, against Mr George Coppin, M.L.C. Madame Patti somewhat surprised her manager on a recent trip from Louisville to Pifctsburg, when she had a special train, by asking to have the speed slackened, or rather, the train stopped. At that particular time it was making remarkable time. Her request having been complied with, she stepped off the cars and exercised her Skye terrier for 15 minutes and then allowed the journey to be resumed. It is said that one night, afc the Paris Odeon, the audience consisted of one single, lone man. The management decided to give no performance and the solitary auditor was offered his money back, He refused it, and insisted upon his rights that the play should go on. The law was on his side, and the company > was compelled to act. All the artists decided to do their worst, which caused the audience to exercise his right to hiss, and he did so with such vigour that the manager saw his way out of the difficulty. Ho had the man arrested and ejected for disturbing tho performance, and then closed tho doors.

Neil Bryant, one of a once-famous troupe of U.S. minstrels, is a Government clerk at Washington. In this minstral company was Dan Enimetfc, who composed "Dixie." A troop of Cossacks from the Don, under the command of Prince Ivan Makharadze, recently arrived in London to take part in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show at Earl's Court. It is said that this is the first body of Cossacks ever permitted to leave Russia.