THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2201, 7 May 1896, Page 39

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Bt Pasqtjin.

TOB3DAY, May 5.

".' The change of programing Made at the Princes* Theatre on Saturday night, when the Royal Burle'-q-to nod Gaiety Company pre- . stilted " Fra Dmvolo," attracted, notwitheUndiDg the disagreeable weather, a very large audience, both the circle and the dowiisUirg Beats being crowded. There was tv very slight plot running tbrough the entett»iuiuent, which" ran on lines v«ty similar to those followed in the previous bills presented by the company, ■ and was received with repeated and unmistakable demonstrations of approval. Mr Will Stevens, as in the previous performances, scored a gre&t soccehs with his vocal turns, his contributions including " The hypochondriac," "The cat c»ue back,",, and "The waiter." He was genuinely funny aa a particularly heavy ruffian, his imperfcOu.Uion vi the part evoking roars of laughter, and he was ably assisted by Mr Fred Cambourne, who, as a promising jouDg bandit, was responsible for a great de*l of rne.riminfc. The latter tang fcae lolo' "When we've g6t tho ships" to the tableau with which the ficsb act was concluded. Miss Ada Lexnpri«re acted and danced txcexd- . ingly well and her vocal items were *lso very acceptable, and Mis • Bel Pocsonby, who aWayi playa her psut with, at alleveota, anappe*raqce of «njoj meat th>t is quite ref renhiug, equally pleased the hojike. Hi»» Blanche Wilmot's ballad singing was an attractive feature of the entertainment, and for each of her solos—" Bid me to love" and "Look back" — ihe received the compliment of an encore. Little Addie FJivaxfc, ia a groom'n dr*Bs, brought down tha house with her admirable singing of "Polly on the gee > gee," »nd on reappearing gave a dance, while later in the evening ohe danced a sailor* hornpipe in capital style. Misses Howard and Fiulay'n song and dance, " Up and down," so hit the taste of the audience that it was redemanded. Mis* Emma Markham and Mr Percy St. John both rendered g od service, and the other parts in the production were suitably played.

• . * Th« Boy»l Burlesque Company intended to have given a sacred coucarfc on Sunday evening, bub, in consequence of a notice baring been aei ved at a l*te hour on Saturday on Mr E. C. R*) uolds (representing the owner of the building) thab if the concert were proceeded with Bttpi would be taken to recover a penalty, it xr«.s dsdded to abandon the piwyoeed Sunday entertainment. • . • Professor W. A. and Madame Si*l!a Dj. vi», of Spookland fame, who lately visited the Or i t-rrbury district, doing exceptionally good bu.-i/>es«, returned aonth this week, where they iuteud to visit all towns in Southland, ao«d will then tour through Otago districts. • . • The Tom P^lfacd Oper* Company open in Duuedtn on May 23, '• Paul Jones" teing the initial' piece. Mr Fred Duv*l will be down shortly to make arrangements for the season opei ing here after their Christchuroh fixture is tliiough. • . • Messrs Williamsoß and MuFgrove purpor eluding three companies on flying vi«tß to New Zealand during the winter monfehfl. Mrs Tv\ v aud Mr Kyrle Bellew will be r-t the h^ad ot oii^s of tha or^ariieationfi, and ano'.h<js will pn.'->-<blj be Hoyte'a American Musical Coaiedy C- m^iuny or " Trilby." Tha X)pera Company, 70 atrong, commence a three weeks' season at Wellington on Boxing Night, and are due in Dnuedin for the February race meetings. •. • Blr P. icy St. Joho, who tiled his ■chedule iv Duaedin last week, took that step in const quence o£ the ifsue of a writ for a debt contracted in Cbristchurch two "years ago. The party fcuking out the writ alleged that Mr Sb. John was about to quit the colony. • . ' Mr Harry ftfekards has secured the Danedin Princess for a season in September. • . • The,re was a somewhat meagre attendance at the City Hall on Saturday night, owiog no doubt to the bad weather, when The Trilby Minfctrel and Specialty Compauy gave a farewell performance. The entertainment wt?s on the same Jiaes ss these previously g-iren. The opening portion was devoted to vocal items (comic and sentimental),, freely interspersed with the orthodox string of jokes and funny dialogue. In the latter portion of the evening specialties, descriptive songs, and dances were introduced, and all were received with marks of approval, encores during the evening be^ng frequent.

■ . • Music lovero will be pleased to let.ru (hat Mdlle. Trebelli purposes giving two more concerts in Danedin before leaving for Melbourne. On Monday night the company appeared at Ashburton, on Wednesday night at Timtru, Friday, night they appear at Oamaru, while on the following Monday and Tuesday, the 11th and 12tb mat., they appear in punedin. * . * The youthful pianist Joseph Hoffmann bM bad a mccwi ia St. Fefcnbarg oakoetrn

since th>) dajs of Rubinstein in his prime. He I has already given five concerts, and is engaged for Ihretf mor« during the Carnival. • . • Divfe's reasons for insittifg on her nuoagera oarieting Chicago from her American tour : have uever been properly explained. It is gnur■lly supposed than it is because when she last played there her receipts were very low. But it lis not only th»t. Dase is a woman of strange i moods ; she it iwpul»ive, and, like mo*t highlyf atrui'g per«ou<, she has Atrong likas *nd dislikes She disliked Chicago intensely the first day she s*t eyes on *he city. While she was bhere it was wet and foggy and the Windy City, never very be*uHf ul under the best of eondition»,looked its worst. She thought it dirty aud noisy, and ebe quickly formed the idea that such a place must be antagonistic to art. Before she left Chicago, and at » meeting with her manager, Bhe S"»ore on the crueifU — which she held to her lips — that she would never return to that oif/y, and many weeks I»t3r, while vi«iting Niagara Fulls, sha repeated her oath ia the presenoe of • witnesses whom she summoned. j ' . • Miss M»ud Rene, pupil aud wife &f our great tetsor, SimsfUeves, h** followed inherhuabaud'a footsteps andf*ced a music-hall audience. Mrs Sims Rtevos ia of French extraction, though ehe has lived ia England moit of her Jif*\ She studied first as a pianint, but waa | advised to train her voice, which is ef exoaptionftl quality. Her early training as a vcc»list was obtained in North Germany, near Hanover, where she stayed for three years, and developed a tremolo On her return to London, som? five years ago, she was articled for seven je*rs to Mr Sims Reeves. Tho tremolo took , eight mouths' constant practice to get rid of, . and then she began to enjoy tha tuition of her great master. Her voice rapidly developed : I she acquired the uwrff cted, sympathetic style I that does not depend upon any mannerism. Sims i Reeves and Miss Rene sang together iv duets, and, bo*tver preseed for time he might bo, her , lessons were Defer Deglecled. ' • . •Mr ArUiur Roberto's invitation to c ibmen to witness the performance of •-* Gentleman Joe" recently met with an extraordinary response Three thousand seven hundred cabdrivers applied for teats for themselves and and families. One applicant wanted 23 seats, 1 another 17, and so on. There were scores of requests for 10 seats, and hundreds for seven, eight", and nine.

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