THEATRICAL AND ffIU&ICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 39

THEATRICAL AND ffIU&ICAL NOTES.

By Pasquin.

Tuesday, April 28. •. • The fstiry extravagauza, " Dick Whittington and his Cat," was produced for the first jjtime at the Princess Theatre on Saturday night by the Royal Burltsque and Gaiety Company. There was a very good attendance upon the occasion, the audience being the largest one that the company have had during the ' present season. Th« piece, although showing » few signs of insufficient rehearsal, went off remarkably well, on the whole, and proved highly diverting; the company being accorded » most cordial reception. What was described as "a sacred and sentimental concert" was given to a large audience on Sunday night. '.' The Pollard Opera Company open their Chrietcburoh season at the Theatre Koyal on Saturday evening with " Paul Jones."

.• . • Mr R. E. Bannister, pf ihe Evening Post, has been appointed New Zealand agent for ' Messrs Williamson and Miisgi-ove, in succession to the late Mr E. T. Gillon. ■. r . • Peroy Brongh is playing Taffy in "Trilby" at the Melbourne Princess, while his father, Lionel Brougb, is playing the Laird in the same play at tho London Haymarket.

' . ' Collet Dobgon is leading man in Dan Barry 'b company at the Melbourne Alexandra.

*. 'Bland Holt's usual luck accompanied himtoSydmy. He opened to an overflowing house, and has continued to do good biz since. Among the attractions of the opening night were four Highland pipers in &U their glory. •.* Fitzgerald's Circus has beeu doing Tasmania, and has, needless to say, been received with open arms by our cousins acrons the Tas-

nan Ssa. The local Mail gives an excellent por-

trait of handsome Tom Fi'zgerald in > late iosne. From the accompanying interview, I learn lh»t the brothers have blue blood in their veins. In reference to their recent visit to the

Old World, Mr Tom Fitzgerald said :— " I saw

everything I could manage to see with limited time -in Ireland. One visit we paid was especially memorable to myself and my brother. That was to Glin Castle, near Foyues, County Limerick, the seat of the Knight of Glin, one of the head* of the historic Fitzgerald family — the j Duke of Leirtßter being chief."— "A reUtiva of yonw, possibly ? " asked the invcr viewer. — " My father was a nephew of Sir Gerald Fitzgerald, the father of the knight whose acquaintance I made. The latter we found a magnificent specimen of ' a rale old Irish geutlemau,' 6ft 4in in height, but somewhat broken in health and fortune of late year's. He received us most affectionately. I regret to say he has since died." . • | * . • The Welliogton Opera House Company | pave a dividend of 4 per cent. ' j • . 'Dot Boaclcault gays hs is tired oF contra- ■ dieting- the rumour th&t he is going to '© Jon to marry Ps.tt.iß Brown. Rumour ha? ng the amiable Dot to every unmarried lcuaale membar of his company, past or preseit. j * . • In connection with^the production of "Trilby" in Australia, a curiosity is that seven nations are represented in the cast — England by Messrs Brenton Thorpe, George Trader* and othera ; America by Miss E lith Cr&ne, Messrs Keubea Fax and Hubett Carr; Germany by Miss Reiffattb ; France, by M. Lucien Vanood ; Italy by Mr Mario Majeroni ; Australia by Mr H. R. Htrffood ; and New Zealand by Mr Barry Hill. Miss Edith Crane, who plays the part of Trilby, is described as one of the most besutiful women ever seen on the Australian stage. She wears her bare feet in the first act.

• . • A concert at the Melbourne Exhibition -Building last week included amongst the performers Madame Schrieder, " the Simonseus' " second daughter, Martina, who was understood to have made a good matoh some years ago after a very short time of public singing, but has now had to return to the concert platform, Her voice, it is said, partakes largely of the family "twang," from which even the more famous sister, Frances Saville, is not pirfectly free. Old Martin Simonsen, looking quite reverend in silvery locks, may be iean any day cunning himself on the Melbourne "Block." Madame Simonsen, who has worked hard all her life, itill teaches away in the same city. • . - Madame Melba's visit to New York has been a great success. After the curtain had fallen, on the occasion of her last appearauce, in the role of Marguerite, the vast audience-re-fused to quit the building, and called for Madame Melba. She responded by coming beJore the curtain. Then the audience clamoured for a long. To this request Madams Melba 'bowed assent. A piano was rolled on from behind the curtain, and, with M. Jean de Reske to pl»y the aooompuniment, she sang " Home, Sweet home." When the audienoa had stopped »p»l*udiug, Madame Melba was presented with i aatftef akmondi utf ptiub bj nms ndcakon

amrng the stockholders. Afterwards she shook hands with some 300 of th« poople who regukrly occupy stalls and boses during the sess.m, these worshippers leaving their places and passiug in live past the corner of the stage where she stood.

*.' "Dot" Boncioanlt'a baptismal name it nob Dion, but George Darley Boucicttult. The real Dion, jun., was an elder brother, who was killed in »n Englith railway accident in '76. The Edinburgh to London train met with a bad smash in one of the midland counties, and, managing to escape with a slightly injured arm, Bouoicault started to help the more seriously injured passengers out of the wreck. While thus humanely engaged, a second train thundered down into the debris of the first, completing the fearful destruction" and killing Boucicnult outright. George Darley then assumed the nanio of the deceased brother.

' . * The new Gilbert-Sullivan opera will, says I a Home writer, be with us in a few days, and then we will all be able to know if the Babballadist has really gone to Strangelund for his new libretto. It is not generally acoeptec? that almost the entire repertoire of Gilbertian libretti has beeu choseu from Bab-ball ada | inverted' &a& Gilberfced. " Pinafor*," you know, waa our old friend Captain Rueoe, of H. M.S. Mantelpiece, who so loved his crew that A feather bed had every man, Warm slippers and hot-water can, Brown Windsor from the captain's store, A valet, too, to every four. The able seaman— as is wall kaown both in b&U&d and oper* — marr'eii the captain's daughter. The "lolanthe" story comes, of course, fiotn "The Fairy Curate," wherein we were told that Once a fairy, Light and ftiry, Married to a mortal. Men, however, Never, never Pa3B the fairy portal, And la f er on this fairy mother, who never grew old, was caught flirting, so to speak, wjth her own son, whore defence when caught by his bishop (he became a curate) was than explained— ! " Who is this, air. Ballet miss, sir?" Said the bishop coldly. " 'Tia my mother, And_ no other," Qe^rgie answered boldly. The " Prinoess " adaptation is well known, and tha fact th«t> the new opera > is founded on an old burlesque which was before its time, being too intelligent a piece of work for the vacuous-headed brigade who at that time patronised that species of entertainment, is — judged by precedent —to its greater advantage. * . ' Ons of the handsomest girls on the Australian ifc»ge is D*isy Holly, a member of Westmacott's Company at the Melbourne Royal. Daisy made her debut as a dancer with the "Morocco Bounders" a couple of years back, and is a native of Sydney.

r . • Madame Melba's receut concert tour in America was such ah extraordinary financial success that she could, it is said, retiie en the proceeds — a rich woman. She singa in P*ris during May and goes to Eugland in June, the chief pcima donna of the world's greatest operatic organisation.

* . * The distinguished Polish tragedienne, Madame Mol jeeka, who has been touring in the United States, has announoed .her permanent retirement fio.-u the stage. Madame Mcdjeska has been Buffering from ill-health for some time past, and she intends to settle in California, where she recently purchased a ranche, and city property also. . - • . * A N«w York paper writes :— " It was not so very long ago that acbors considered it an essential part of their business to suit themselves to the r6lc3 they were cast for ; but it seems that now there are players who will only accept parts that suit thMn It is said that Mr Faversham, of the Empire Stock Company, pays another actor from his own pocket to act a part for which he was cast, and which he thought might injure hia artistic reputation were he to play it himself. Mr Faversham may have been right in his idea, but what a curious state of affairs the incident discloses ! "

* . * Bernhardt says : "It ia always bad form to kiss on the stage. I never really do it myself. There is so much more in a suggestion than in a cold facb." Kyrle Bellew gays: "In all the 19 years of my experience as a atage lover I have never actually kissed an actress."

' . * The Imperial Theatre, adjoining the Royal Aquarium, was crowded one night last mouth, when (says Westminster) Mr Fricker awoke JohDßon after his 30 days' hypnotic trance. The subject was brought on the atage in a huge box somewhat resembling a coffin. Mr Fricker, addressing the audience, briefly stated that Johnson was placed in the trance on January 21, and had " remained' in the trance room in a deep trance ever since." The trance itself was produced by hypnotism, and though he did not think hft would be successful with everyone, jet he nsiilirtinnk to gbM fe« «at *£ foot

persons in such a state. The average temperature was 97 2, and the pulse about 50. The lowest temperature was 86 4, and the highest 98*8. The man had been watched night and day, and had been subjected to various tests. Johnson', who has been a soldier, had lost about 101b in weight. A gentleman in the stalls, who g*ive his name as Braoklehurat, *aid he was prepared to swear on oath that as Johnson was being put on the stage he opened his eyes and closed them rapidly. No one, replied Mr Fricker, hud seen him do this. during the trance. There was an uproar when another person said he saw the eyes open. Despite the hypnotist's explanation that it was hardly possible, Mr Brccklehurat, amid considerable opposition, declared, "He certainly looked at me and closed them very rapidly." A needle having been placed under one of Johnson's floger nails to show that he was still iosftn»ible to pain, the subject was awakened, but was in too feeble a condition. to raise himself jntil some time had elapsed.

* . * Mr E. J. Malyon has probably the unique distinction among young etnge managers of having put four successes on the London boards within the eu->rt space of one year. Previous to this, Mr Malyou'a experience had bean obiefly gained ia the provinces. Mr Malyon is now stage-managing "AWomin'i Season" at the Shiftesbury Theatre.

• , • " Ah ! " exclaimed Bernhardt recently, " in some previous state of my life my dog has been a groat stage-manager. Don't laugh ; I am in earnest. That's why I bought him. The instant I set eyes on this dog I roalissd that he had the dramatic instinct; to a remarkable degree. To-morrow ry'ghfc, while lam playing, he will lie in tha wings, watohing me furtively. If he wegd bit tail when I come off I shall know that I have given a really great performance. If he growl* — ah ! well, if he growls, then I shall be in despair."

• . • Mr Edward Lloyd, the celebrated singer, invariably practises n new work every morning for at least two or three months, and even then does uofc feel satisfied. Ho first gives hie attention to the notes, then he studies the real meaning of the words.

• . • On April 15 Mr Charles Wyndham completed 20 years at the Criterion. He was to celebrate the evrnt by two benefit performances, the first he h&a ever taken. The proceeds were to be devoted to a oharifcy in which Mr Wyndham take) the greatest interest.

* . * Madame Patti does not lore America. She declared to a Paris interviewer that she had decided never to cross the Atlantic again, and she had refused an offer of £40,000 for 40 concerts. What she now wants to do is to get back to her home at Cr&ig-y-Nos and upend the spring in fishing, of whioh ihe is passionately fond.

' . ' Miss Hannah Jones, the principal W«lsh confcmlfco,, has been eogtged, with Madame Balle Cole, for L'andudno National Eisteddfod iv June next ; also for the WeUh Musical Fi stival to be held io Cardiff the same month. Fn the former she creates the title role in Dr Joseph Parry* new work " Cambria," whilst iv Cardiff Miss Jones'will sing the " Meibiab," Mi»s Ciara Butt being engaged, for .the "Elijah." The ' popularity of tbe Welsh contralto may be imagined from the fact that in one' month alone this seaton she sang the " Messiah " for 17 of the pi inoipal societies in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

* . * Blumenthal, the famous musician, having heard so much of the exquisitely sympathetic manner in which Miss Ada Crossley sings his songs, has written the young Au«tralian a very graceful letter desiring the privilege of her acquaintance. Well done, Australia !

' . * £125 a week for one hour and 45 minutes a day is just now Miss Marie Lloyd's remuneration. She starts at the South London at 8 40, appear* at the Oxford and London Pavilion, and her last turn ia at the Tivoli— lo.4s.

* . ' Madam Aibani received a perfect ovation on her arrival ittQ.iobec. Fully 5000 people had assembled at the station and in its vicinity 'to greet her, and the mayor and Sir Henri Joly met her and welcomed her to Quebec. She was driven to the hotel in a sleigh drawn by four horses, and escorted by 300 snow-shoerd siriging Canadian airs.

• . • In Italy and France no student of singing ie allowed for a year or two to study anything but exorcises and scales ; nor is it deemed advisable under any circumstances to permit them to sing even a song until the voice is placed. By this prohibition the teachers act with cautious discretion ; for many erroneous methods are fostered in the singing of songs whioh it is mont difficult to overcome by subsequent training.

' . ' Four American ladies, under the title of " The Columbians," have appeared in London at a ballad concert, in which plantation song* were the specialty. The four ladies sing, whilst two of them also play the banjo and guitar respectively for accompaniment. Their performance was much admired.

' . ■ During his first 10 concerts in New York, Boston, and Brooklyn, M. Paderewaki, according to the New York Musical Courier, drew over £10.000 ia box office and admission receipts. Oa the authority of this same American gmiodictt], w« mag j*dd thftb ikJadorcwski wa

I paid £600 by the Musical Art Society for tho I performance of his " Polish Fantasia," and that his f«o iov the second New York Jrhilharmonic concert and public rehearsal was £1000. Al«o, that Madame Calve is paid £24,000 by Mesirs Abbey and Grau for the winter opera season.