AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2206, 11 June 1896, Page 39

AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

(Specially Written for the Otago Witness.) Dear Pasquin.-sMods Emile Lazern, Maoriland's awn prestidigiateur, and Chailes Dftlton, the cabinet marvel, have gone to London. Before leaving the professor told me he had am original illusion, "Trilby," of his own, which, he says, will be a big sensation. Since their return from Maoriland, besides playing four weeks at Sydney Music Hall (during which the ghost walked every week), they were on tour with Ed. M'Lean's G-»iety Company, which also included Wall Rockley, Aniy and Will GourJay, and Hynian, the contortionist. They go Home with the titl<*, "The Australian Myßtifiers, Society Wonder- workers, and Deception ists : M. Emil Lazern, illusionist and prestidigidteur par. excellence ; Mr Charles Dalton, the cabinet marvel." I wish them every success. " Only one thing stopped me" is Charles BiscneH's latest success. Bickaids's Company at Adelaide Royal includes J. W. Winton, George and Lydia Cosman, Brothers Lenton, Johnny Tudor, Jake Friedman, James Harvey, Le^ie Brothers, Wallace King, P. Yosephs, Harry Riekardß, Hetty and Flo Crossley, Ada Colley, Ada Baker, Millie Herbert, Daisy Chaid, and Will Crackles. Sophie Harris is at the Empire, Sheffield. James Norrie, recently out here, has been interviewed by a London paper. He says it is curious that the very first thing he did in his life almost was to become a stowaway, and now at. London Oxford he is working in a sketch called " The Stowaway." At the end of 1885 he was in Melbourne, Australia, and seeing an advertisement for a tenor he applied, and after hearing him sing Messrs Leon and Gush man engaged him at once. He next joined Bi'ly Emerson's Minstrels, with whom he worked four month* in 'Frisco. Then followed engagements with Thatcher, Primrose, and West's Minstrels, and with Haverley's, and he was aftenvards leading tenor for four years with " The Old Homestead " Company. It was at this time heniet, in New York, R. W. Knowles, who advised Norrie to try the London halls, where he was sure James N. would be a success. Since then he has never looked back. Syria Lamonte has gone to Londing. At the termination of his engagement with the firm's " Tiilby" Company, Harry Hill takes up a six months' engagement with Brough's Company. Elsa May, billed as " the Australian prima donna," is playing in " The White Lidy of Avenei " with W. J. Turner's Opera Company at the Melville Theatre, London. Messrs Ste.ens, Basse, and Howell's English Concert Company opened its Australian tour at Adelaide Town Hall on May 28. Principals : Miss Iliudicum (soprano), Miss Marian M'Kenzie (contralto), Edward Brauscotnbe (tenor), Douglas Powell (baritone). Heleu.e Norrie, a sister of James Norrie (" the Australian tenor "), is to open in July at London Tivoli and Pavilion. The Broush-Boucicault partnership expires on June 19 Mr D. G. Boucicaultis to take a farewell benefit at Sydney Criterion on June 20. • The reorganised Brouah Comedy Company will include Miss Lily Titheradge, Mitra Hope Mayno, Mit>B Emma Temple, Miss Katherine Hardy, Mrs Robert Brough, M>isrs Brough, Titheradge, Ward, Carey, and M'lntyre. The new company will commence their tour in a fortnight at Brisbane Over» House, afterwards going right through Queensland. Repertoire :— "A Woman's Reason," by Charles Brookfield and F. C. Phillips ; " Mrs Othello," farcicil comedy, by Mr Shirley and the late Fred Leslie ; " The Romance of a Shopwalker," by Hobert Buchanan ; " Mrs Ponderbwy'B Past" adapted from the French by Mr Burnand; "The Late Mr Uasrello," by Sydney Gruudy; "A M.ithec of Three," "Dandy Dick, 1 "Niobe," "The Notorious Mis Ebbsmith," "The Pasr,port," "Thoroughbred," "The Second Mrs Taiiqueray," "The_Village Priest," and "The Importance of Being Earnest." Popular prod.' proper Inames :— Mabel LynnEthel Waller; Olive Delroy— Lydia Breakwell; liae Cowan— Rae Cohen ; Priscilla Verne—Priscilia Jones ; La Belle Male— May Waters. Brown, Newlatid, and Le Clerc, one of the cleverest teams at the halls, are at the Palace Thi atre of Varieties, Manchester. Both Brown and Newland were through the colonies with the Mamoth Minstrels in 1879, when J. H. Cheevers made up the trio. A Melbourne writer gushes over Miss Frances Ro3i«, "a very charming little girl" in Blaud Holt's company, who is "the possessor of a wonderfully lovely head of reddish-golden hair, which she wears a la Blanche Massey." A. W. Pinoro's last comedy, " The Benefit of the Doubt," was produced for the fifat time in Australia at Sydney Criterion by the Brough-Bouci-cault Company, Saturday, June 2nd, with the following cast : — Theophila Eraser ... Mrs Brough Oliv,e Allingham ' Miss Beryl Faber Mrs Kmptage Miss Kate Bishop Sir Fletcher Bortwood, M.P. ... Mr R. Brough. Jack Ailinjrham... ... ... Mr Titheradge Alexander Fraser Mr C, Ward ".The Derby Winner" was produced for the first time in Australia by the Bland Holt Company at Sydney Royal, Saturday, June 2. I Hilda Spong sails for England this month. Boucicmlt goes 'Ome about the same time. Miss Jenny Valmore, one of the leading lights in the English vaudeville profesßloa, has her picture in the Variety Stare. Mips Vahn&re made her first appearance at the age of nine at the Queen's Theatre, Manchester, as Mab in " Jack the Giant Killer." Mi«s Nellie Farren was ; Jack. While playing in panto at the Grand, Birmingham, Miss Vslmore was the recipient of A prize given annually to the handsomest lady in the pantomime by the proprietors of a local paper,

the audience being the judges. In November, after her return from New York, Mies Valmore is booked for the Empire, Johannesburg. In ons .engagement at the Pavilion Miss Valmore ap-' peared nightly for 12 months, not missing a uin£ie perfortuancs. which is a record engagement. " All the blessed lot of us " is Miss Jennie Val« ru ore's latest. W. H. Downes, the coloured tenor, who left Australia at the oad of 1893, is at the Empire, Hull The Snkers are »t the Empire, Cardiff. " 1 hey will soon begin to photograph the money that you owe " is the latest hit. James Norrie, "the Australian tenor," is ap* gearing in a new musical sketch entitled " The Little Stowaway " at the Oxford. "Michael lost his angel— somewhere near the Strand." Harry Rickards's last season in Adelaide, four yeirs ago, was a freezer. I hope he will meet with better luck on his present visit. Jenuie Reiffarth, of the "Trilby" Company, and Maggie Moore played together years ago » the States. Miss Helty Holroyd, a Sydney young lady, has joined tbe Royal Comic Opera Company. Sht made her first appearance with them as Phyllis in " Dorothy " at Adelaide Royal. Maud Leamington, Eva Leek, the M'Dougal Sisters, Jules Simonsen (Marasquln in "Girofl* Girofla" with Emma Waneenheim's Princess Opera Company, '93), Monty Browne, and Henry Hawkins, RiA.M, fill in Sunday at Coogee Aquavii.m. The Dunedin Troupe of Australian Bicyclists, the Donegan Family (who also do a clever pedestal Bkate dance), was at latest at the People's Palace, Cardiff. Writing of Rickards's «how at Adelaide Royal " Quiz " says :— " The Crossley Sister* have not co far struck the multitude with as much sensation as would be caused by the heaving of a brick; and a similar remark will apply to the Cosman couple." 1 ' * Willie Bernard, a Melbourne boy, is playing juvenile lead in Roland Reed's comedy company in the States. Daisy Chard, who rides a bike, whistles better than she sings. — Yours truly, Poverty Point, May 30. Bis. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE. The annual meeting of the Oanedin branch of the Otago Educational Institute was held ia the Normal School on Saturday morning. Me W. Davidson oscupied the ohair, and there was a fair attendance. The Secbbtaby (Mr Barrett) read the annual report, the principal clauses of which wete as follow : — ' Your committee regret to record the frequency with which meetings have been postponed durinj the session. In vievr of the meagra attendance at some of the meetings, it is suggested that the branch take into consideration the advisability of holding the meetings on Friday evenings instead of Saturday mornin«s. The list of members, shows a decrease to 43, while the average attendance has beeu 15 Your committee regret to report the departure of its president (Mr Johnson), whose services to the branch can ill be spared. The thanks of the branch are due to the press for regularly reporting the meetings. ' The balance sheet showed a credit balance of, £1 89. The report was adopted. Mr J. M.' E. Garrow was unanimously elected president, and Mr C O. Lillie seoretary. On the motion of Mr Reid, seconded by Hr Eudet, the SBoretarjr was instructed to take itepi to ascertain the advisability or otherwise of holding the monthly meetiugs on Friday evenings instead of on Saturday mornings as here* . tofore.