THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, 14 December 1893, Page 37

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Coaiributltni from the Provision chronicling their movement! »nd doings ire invited. All communications to be »idrc»««il ts "Faiquio," Otago Witnesi Office.

Mr Lohr, advance agent for Messrs Brough and Boucicault's Company, arrived at the Bluff on Thursday by the Manapouri, and came on t o Dunedin to make arrangements for opening on Boxing Night at the Princess Theatre. Quick changes are to be the order of the day, no piece being played for more than two evenings. The repertoire is an extensive one, and includes "Sophia" (the opening comedy), "The Idler," "A Village Priest," "Dandy Dick," "Niobe," and " The Amazons." The season will only extend over a fortnight, and the management (despite the fact that the company is a particularly strong onp, being identical with that which Messrs B. and B. have recently played highly lucrative seasons with in Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne) have wisely determined to play at the ordinary prices of admission. The company includes Mrs Brougb, Miss Temple, Mi?s Romer, Miss Mayor, Messrs Brough, Boucicault-, Titheradge, and Cecil Ward. Should a guarantee be forthcoming 1 , a two or three nights' season will be given in Invercargill.

The high wind which prevailed at Invercargill on Saturday prevented Fillis's Circus from giving their first performance, but the opening performance on Monday is announced as being very successful. Of the nsw features in the show, the Age says the Feeley family figure promicently individually and collectively. Mr Dan Feeley gives a wonderful exhibition of high vaulting, his feat of sprir-ging over five elephants standing on tubs with a couple of men kneeling one on the other on the backs of the animals being. a particularly fine display. Master Dick Feeley doe 3 some surprising double somersaults, dives from the roof of the building into a net, and, in conjunction with his sister Amelia, does some startling trapeze evolutions in midair. Two of the brothers go through absurd antics on a rolling globe and on stilts, and the whole family do some difficult acrobatic performances. Lazel, a young lady from Paris, after performing cleverly on the trapeze, is fired from a cannon suspended in mid-air, and is caught by Miss Alexander, who is hanging from a trapeze by her legs. Mr A. Burns has five well-trained elephants, aDd M. Soqiuthis a couple of knowiDg bears. Mr John Cox is still in charge of the lions.

The Palmer- Beaumont Concert Company have met with such an amount of success on the West Coast that they have found it worth while to considerably extend their season. They will, however, appear in Christchurch on Thursday evening next, and will £,ive a series of high-class popular concerts extending over the New Year and into January.

The Lcola Family of Acrobats are doing the goldfields with considerable success. The Company comprise Madame Leola, whose feats of strength ?nd aerial nights formed one of the chief attractions of Hayes's Circus during its visit to Dunedin last year ; Frank Leolaj the contortionist : Floi, the lady ventriloquist and conjurer ; and Fred Leola, eccentric comedian. The company have appeared in the various centres in Lake County, and Cromwell, Clyde, Lawrence, &c, Bre to follow.

Oc Mr J. W. Foley's Widow O'Brien, in "Fun on the Bristol," the Tuapeka Times says: — "We have seen the same character under circumstances much more favourable for its successful rendering and in far more pretentious hands, too ; but have seldom seen it so well presented or more naturally or realistically handled. It was a capital blending of humour, ignorant, bub

still good-natured, artless and amusing pomposit}—in fact, the 'Widow O'Brien' was presented in all her native splendour of manner and magnificence of brogue. Was it any wonder that the laughter and applause were hearty and uproarious ?"

My good-natured friend Mr Allan Hamilton had to submit to the wiles of the übiquitous interviewer at Wanganui. DuriDg the course of the interview Mr Hamilton told a good one about deadheads. " Talking of experiences," he said, "a curious thing happened the other night in a certain southern town. We were playing ' The Profligate,' and an occupant of the dress circle, finding that the piece was a trifle beyond the entertainment he was accustomed to, went to sleep, and while asleep dreamt the dream of the just ; but, instead of silently dreaming, he gave vent to his feelings by loudly proclaiming, ' Leave my shop ! ' ' Leave my shop, you dead beat ! ' He was promptly 'brought to' by the usher in attendance, to whom the old gentleman confided that he had been much worried that day by those • cus3ed ' commercial travellers, and he supposed they were running in his mind in the same way as they ran into hi 3 shop. The gentleman was in the ' fancy line,' bub on thi3 occasion the audience didn't 'fancy ' him much. The professional deadhead — the man who prides himself on having the entree to every theatre in the universe free, gratis, and for nothing — is a gentleman who causes us infinite amusement. I remember being connected with Imre Kiralfy at Niblo's Theatre, New York, when a deadhead friend approached him ' for the courtesy extended him on a previous visit.' 'I don't know you,' Kiralfy replied. ' No, but your brother and I are intimate friends.' ' All right,' quietly replied Kiralry ; ' you musb see my brother.' Delighted at the idea of soon securing the coveted 'order for two,' the deadhead fiend promptly answered, • Certainly, Mr Kiralfy ; where shall I find him ? ' ' He's in Europe ! ' replied the little man, and the crushed wouldbs deadhead stole silently away. Show me a regular deadhead and I will sho w you the most unforgiving critic in the theatre, and a king of nuisances ! "

Madame Bahnson, the well-known contralto, has decided to revisib New Zea'and. She is to arrive in Dunedin about Christmas time, and will probably give one or two concerts. It is understood that she will remain here for 801113 two or three months.

Madame Pafcti was taken seriously ill at New York on November 12, and was unable to sing at the Music Hall concert. Her indisposition resulted from a cold and seasickoess contracted on board the steamship Lueania on her voyage to the United States. It is thought that her American tour will have to be abandoned, or at least postponed. The cable also reports that Mr R. S. Smythe, who has been suffering from a bronchial affection in London, is now convalescent.

There is a sort of superstition among Parisian managers that no one can possibly want to go home before midnight, so that, however short the piece or pieces to be given, the curtain must not be finally rung down until that time. A writer in the Debats calculates that the actual performances last from one hour and 45 minutes to two hours and a- quarter, but that to see them the spectator must sit in his place for four hours and a-half, duritsg about one-half of which time he is assailed with noisy and monotonous cries of vendors of liquid and solid refreshments.

The faith of managers in light opera is (says a writer in a Home paper) more touching than ever. At the time of writing, we have only "LaFille de Madame Angofc" at theCiiterion, but the coming list includes " Peterkin " at the Royalty, " Mam'zelle Nitoache " at the Trafalgar square, "La Mascotte" at the Gaiety, Messrs Sims and Raleigh's " Little Christopher Columbus" at the Lyric, "Miami" at the Princess's, and the new Gilbert and Sullivan opera at the Savoy. I should Bay that the supply of pretty chorus girls will not be in excess of the demand.