THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 36

THEATRICAL & MUSICAL NOTES.

GoctrlkntUni ftom tht ProftMlon ohronlollng their moTementt ltri dolnrt art Inrltol. All eommuuloaUoiM to be *44t«Mtd ti "ruquln," OtkfO WltMfi OHM.

The Howe- Spong season promises to be an eminently successful one. Good houses have been the rule so far, and for the remainder of the week "standing room only" should be the order of the night. A detailed accouut of the company's initial performance appears below. The Lyons Operatic Burlesque Company, who have juefc concluded a successful tour of the North Island, are working their way Dunediuwards, with the intention of doing a goldfields tour prior to making their appearance here. The company have been in the colony since November last, and have met with a favourable reception wherever they have appeared. The company includes Messrs Percy Clifton, Joe Stark, C Brown, and Misses Addie Towers, Jessie Lsod, Violet Bertram, and Blanche Young, the last-named being the danseuse of the company and Miss Bertram the cautatrice. •' Tbe Isle of Beauty, or the Pretty Persians " affords ample opportunity for comic song, funny business, graceful danciug, and other variety accessories, of which the various members of the company are facile priaceps. Mr H. P. Lyons is thfi business minager. Miss Jeanne Ramsay, the well-kuown and popular soprano of Melbourne, where she holds a loading position in musical circles, is at present in Duuediu for tho benefits of her health, and it is hoped that before she leaves the colony tihe may bo induced to give a concoct iv this city. Mibs Ramsay i& a bister ot Mrs Wakeliuldlloluies, the local contralto. The Kennedy-Duering Dramatic aud Comedy Company woro to produce " Litt'o LOIU I'uuntleroy " at tho Chri3lchurch Royal on Wednesday night with Miss Ruby Kennedy ia tlio title rale. She ba3 now represented the character ovor 100 tini'.n. The World's Trio open at fcho Tuaui street Theatre, Chriitehurcb, on Thursday night alter doing a successful tour of tho North Island. Tho company is uuder the management of Mr Walter Pric*. The Payne Family will bo with us shortly again. The membera of tho family have made considerable progress iv tho bell-ringing part of their performance. They recently obtained a Beb o£ 75 bells from Warner and Son, London, thq music of which is arranged by Miss Lizzie Payne from popular airß of the day. The Hellers have continued to bo well received in the Otago country districts during tha wtek. T.tpanui and Knifcaogata correspondents wiite me ia glowing terms of the entertainment at those places. Hayes's Circus has continued to do good business at million prices in Dunedin during the week. Tho time-honoured •' Dick Turptn's Ride to York" was tho attraction for Wednesday night. "Spark" has a word to say about tho dancing prodigy, little D^ra Taylor, aged fiva years, who is at present receiving considerable attention in Melbourne. "She is a little wonder. She goes through all the performance known as the 'toe bolo' opera dancing which has made Madame D'Argo so famous here. She does all sorts of movements and Bteps right on the tips of her toes, exactly like madame herself, and is evidently a born genius in this respecb. Should she fulfil her present promise the colonies will in due time have the credit of turning out a second Taglioni. D'Ensem is at present at Albury with the Austral Opera Company, and ia being well received. The Sunday Smoke Concerts at the Rotunda have been put a stop to. We are not quite so far advanced as Sydney yet. The panto, at the Princess i 9 still running to crowded houses. That at the Royal has been withdrawn, but good business was done up to the last. A novel arrangement here on special nights for conveying floral baskets to the stage. A wire runs from the front of the dress circle, ju&fc reaching over the footlights. The flowers are attached to a. hoop v,nd drawn to tbe stage by means of a fine wire, the flowers swinging gently to the artiste's feet, and when she has lifted them up goes tha wire to the dress circle ready for another floral tribute. A pleasant afternoon tea was partaken of in the green room of the Royal on Saturday afternoon last by the members of the " Electric United Club." Miss Georgie Smithson presided, admirably supported by Miss Bdla Perman and Miss Isabel Wtbster. Thus the "wait" between the afternoon performance and that of the eveniDg was pleasantly and profitably passed. Dear Pasquin, — I wish to say a few words on several matters referred to by " 8.5." in his " Australian Stage Gossip." In the first place, your contributor says the song "Ward M'Atlister" which I am singing with the ' ' World's Trio " at present on tour in New Zealand was sung by Franks and Lyndon, with the Emerson and Wood's Minstrels in New Zealand | No such thing : the song is my sole property, and has never been published. I have never given a copy of ib to anyone. The writer also informs you that only ono World's Trio cama out — v,z., Queen, Stowe, ar,d Ryder. That is not so ; tbe world's trio mentioned dissolved partnership in America. I have had (several partners, and have always called them the "World's Trio," which title I use when producing my acts entitled "Confusion"' and "Sam Kee's Laundry." My two partners in Australia were Tom Queen and Will Barvey. I was engaged by Mr Martin Simousen iv San Francisco for an Australian tour with Emerson and Wood's Minsfcrelß. Tha company disbindod in Adelaide, after which I played several engagements iv Melbourne and Sydney. Mv two partners at present are Harry Crawford and James Mooney, and we organised in Melbourne for a Ntw Zealand-Queensland tour to produce my own original acts " Sam Kee's Laundry " and "Confusion." lam an originator aud not an imitator. The company will be down your way shortly, and I shall be pleased to see you, and give you the names of the artists that have worked with me in America and different parts of the world in the above acts. — Yours raibhfullv. Edward Stowe " B S." has a few words to say in reply to Mr Stowe elsewhere in this issue. Mr J. F. Sheridan and Miss Gracie Whiteford are now playing at the Lyric Theatre, London, with Mr E. J. Lonnen and Miss May Yohe in " Little Christopher Columbus." After witnessing the 50th performance of " Little Christopher Columbus," the Prince of Wales personally expressed to Miss May Yohe the enjoyment 113 had derived from her impersonation. "What did I think of him? Most nice and scrumptious. Not only a prince, but a gentleman. 1 guesa you'd have to go far to find a better talker than he. Auri I also guess he'll know me again. I should like to act before him every night, for hs does understand acting righb down. Not that English audiences are s iii p id— far from it. I think tbey are the nicest io the world, only they have not had all the experiences tbe Prince has enjoyed." Now let us hope we shall some day learn what the other person iv this interesting interview thought of the fa3cinatiEg May Yohe, with the deep strange voice.

The Tasma'nian Mail of the lObhinet. says :— ■ "Mr Rignold became 00 exhausted by the anxiety of changing from the pantomime on Friday to the spectacular production of ' True as Steel' on Monday that after successfully finishing the heavy part of John Inglesant he completely lost his voice. Fortuaatoly, 12 hours rest restored him to health. Tho actor-mauager has, however, been made sensible of tho need for recreation and holiday after 12 years' incessant work ia Australia. He accordingly states that duriDg the year it is hia intontion to let Her Majesty's Theatre to suitable tenants, much aa he did in 1892. Mr Rignold works exceedingly hard — too hard, his friend 3 say— and the stop would be a wise one." Till she was 15, Miss Ada Rthan, whose stage talent is cow the talk of the two worlds, felt no craving towards a stage life, and this though two of her sisters had married actors. Miss ltehan is an Irish girl by blood and birth, being born ia Limerick, but taken to America five years afterwards and bred at Brooklyn. Afc the age of 14 she first faced the footlights, taking the place of an invalid actress ia her brother-in-law's company in the part of an old hag. She learnt the lines, covered up her face in a cloak, and got through the part without comment from the audieuc-a. Even this semisuccess did not move nor stagewards. She had apparently no seriuui ambition ia life in those days, loving beat of anything to play and romp with her brothers and her dogs. According to the latest British census there are more actresses than actors in England, the former numbering 3696 and the latter 3625. Thirty-two thousand two hundred and fiftyone holiday-makers patrouisud the opening of " Constantinople" at Olyinpia, iii Loudon, on Boxing Day. I hoar (says a writer iv a Home paper) that a grievous drama, unsuspected by the spectators, took place the other evening at Brussels while tho opera of "Le Prophoe" was being played. Just at the moment when Massmt, the well-kaown teuor, who was taking tho part of Jean do Leydeu, wnn to sing hia adieus to his mother Fides, a messenger came to tell him that his mother, aged 84 years, was dyiug. What should he do r 1 Leave the theatre, or go ou with the scone P Massart observed his professional duty, and when he came to tho part when he was to sing " I wish to see my mother, my darling mother," his anxiety became so great that two tears rolled over bis cheeks, and the spectators, touched by this moviDg expression of filial love, which they considered only acting, broke oufc in long and reiterated applause. When M. Massart returned into tho coitlisses, he was perfectly overcome, and could nob reply to the congratulations on his success which his friends cams immediately afterwards to off< r him. The following ia, of course, quite untrue: — Mr Beerbohm Tree has a four-year-old daughter who has a fondness for snakes. She keeps a pet suake in the house to the intense sorrow of tho maids. Now, however, she wishes to enlarge her dumb retinue by the purchase of a pony. She told her father. " I'm afraid," said that gentleman, " that I can'b afford to give you one just yet." "Then," said the child with great severity, " why don't you act better aud get more money ? "