THEATRICAL TALES AND TOPICS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 37

THEATRICAL TALES AND TOPICS.

WING WHISPERS FROM THE WORLD'S STAGE. Collected by P. Rompter. what is it? I'm the stoutest of voices in orchestra heard, And yet in an orchestra never have been. I'm a bird of bright plumage, yet less like a bird Nothing in nature ever was seen. Touching earth I expire, in water I die ; In air I lose breath, yet can swim and can fly. Darkne&s destroys me and light is my death ; You cau't keep me alive without fatoppiug my breath If my name can't be guessed by a boy or a man, By a girl or a woman it certainly can. JULIA MARLOWE'S MILD AMBITION. It is among the modest ambitions of Julia Marlowe to have, before she dice, the mo3t complete Shakesperiana in the world. She already has several of the plays in rare quarto editions,

and a facsimile of the celebrated folio of 1623 She has a model of the house where Shakespeare was born, an exact reproduction of his water jug, a piece of the famous mulberry tree, Souvenir spoons, pen-and*ink sketches, photographs and pictures of all kinds, Every year she makes a pilgrimage to Strat-ford-on-Avon. Last summer she secured a new treasure for her Shakespeare museum. It is an exact copy of his chair. The original is in the possession of Sir Henry Armitage, who lives in the county where Shakespeare was born. Miss Harlowo presented letters to him which induced him to let her see and sit in the sacred chair, and even to have it copied. It is a small, square, stiff, oak armchair, with rude carving on it. THE ACTRESS AND THE COWHIDE^ Miss Maude Buckuer, a pretty actress, has returned to her home in Coving ton after causing a Ecene in Flemingsburg, says an American paper. Miss Buckner cowhided a member of the company with which she was playing because he had circulated the report that she had been kissing some of the actors behind the scenes. The matter was taken up at Flemings* burg by the police authorities, but the young woman was promptly dismissed. Miss Buckner will probably not be troubled in the future by stories concerning her conduct in the wings. HISE OF THE ENGLISH DRAMA. In a recent lecture Mr J. Churton Collins, of Ballio College, Oxford, warned his audience against the common error of supposing that the romantic drama, formulated by Marlowe and : Green and culminating in Shakespeare, sprang from the English or native drama. It sprang directly from tho classical drama, practically through Italian mediums. The lecturer showed how the romantic drama was evolved out of the' classical, and brought the history of the drama to the predecessors of Shakespeare. ADA BEHAN. London Criticisms. — The Times, in its notice of Augustin Daly's production of "The Country Girl," says that Ada Rohan plays such a part well, but her admirers will regret that she is not employed in a robuster style of comedy. f -The_ News says that Miss Rohan's performance*! l should be seen by all who enjoy acting. It is really perfect in its way. The Telegraph gives the highest praise to Mesdames Rehan and Farren, but adds, " Over the rest let ua drop the veil of courteous silence." AN EXPERIENCED PUBLISHER. Publisher < " Good ! That song will take the town and sweep the country. Give me the manuscript, quick ! " Composer : " But it hasn't any words yet." " Weren't you singing words P " " No. I jußt sang ' la-la-lum-tum-fiiddle-dee-la-la,' &c." " Well, they'll do as well as any. Hurry up and write 'em down." MISS IRENE VANBRUGH. There is an adaptability in some persons, says the letterpress accompanying a portrait of Miss Irene Vanbrugh (round with "Jonel" Toole, as "8.5." would say), which enables them to shine in a given sphere without any preparation for it. Miss Vanbrugh stepped on the boards without any previous training. She was born at Heavitree, near Exeter, and is the youngest of three daughters of the Rev. Prebendary Barnes, all of whom have won distinction in the domain of art. In 1888 she was studying, among other things, elocution in Paris ; reciting in French at the age of 14 at Lady Lytton's soirees. In August 1889 she commenced her dramatic career under the auspices of Miss Sarah Thorne a*3 Margate, playing Phcebe in "As You Like It," whilst her sister Violet was Rosalind. Sept amber saw her with Mr Toole, making her first appearance in London in "The Butler." A short tour with J. L. followed, and then came their longer trip, lasting 14 months, through the colonies, Miss Vanbrugh playing juvenile lead. Upon her return to the big village she went on the board to take off Hedda Gabler and Thea Tisman in Barries "Ibsen's Ghost." Another tour with Toole, and back in the city in 1892 she created Belle Golightly in " Walker, London," which ran for over 500 nights. Her country-girl part in ' ' Uncle Silas " at a matinee took the fancy of Mr Beerbohm Tree ; an offer naturally followed, and upon her engagement with J. L. ceasing she ascended to another branch of the tree of ambition, appearing as Lettice in "The Tempter," and her latest part was that of Mabel Seabrook in Haddon Ohambers's " Captain Swift." Miss Vanbrugh is a very accomplished girl, plays and sings charmingly, and is an admirable dancer, having been taught the latter art by Paul Valentin. paddy's practice. Patient perseverance in practice is the only road to excellence in music, as well as in other arts. Some one who occupied a room near tho famous pianist, Paderewski, heard him practising a phrase of two bars, and from curiosity counted the number of times he went over those two bars. It was 873 times without stop or change. FREDDY OEUHARDT. He of Langtry fame will be noticed as conspicuous in a Baltimore telegram of January's mail, thus : — " The engagement was to-day definitely announced of Miss Louis H. Morris, one of the society belles of this city, to Frederick Gebhardt, the New York club man. There have been rumours of an engagement for some time, which were given colour by Mr Gebhardt's frequent visits to this city, but they have always met with emphatic denials at the Morris residence. The announcement is now authentically made. Chicago's liberty bell tour. The travels of the famous Chicago Liberty Bell, as it is known to distinguish it from its more famous Philadelphia prototype, will be far more extensive than have hitherto been mentioned. Nob only will it leave the Grand Central Palace to go to Nashville, New Orleans, Mexico, and the Midwinter Fair at San Francisco, but J. D. Prince, under whose management its extended tour will be made, announces that the bell will be taken to the continent of Europe for a stay of at least a year.

First, ib will go to England, to be rung on the battlefield of Runnymede on June 15, 1894, in a celebration by the English-speaking world cf the anniversary of the signing of the Magna Charta. After that it will be taken to France to participate in anniversaries connected with political freedom, and to Germany for the same purpose, its next destination being St. Petersburg, where it will be rung on the anniversary of the emancipation of the serfs.

Next it will go to Italy and thence to Constantinople, Jerusalem, Cairo, and thence through Australia, India, China, and Japan, back to the Pacific Coast, making virtually a circuit of the world.

Family Herald Supplements. — Messrs W. J. Prictor and Co. send us a copy of the fortythird volume of tho Family Herald Supplements. This old-established publication seems to fully maintain the position ie has long occupied as a provider of light literature with a healthy tone pervading each contribution. The number betore U3 coutains 18 tales all calculated to deeply interest readers of the fair ssx, and a3 it is strongly bound in cloth it is capable of passing through many hands before ib begins to be the worse for wear.