THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 39

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By Pasquw. | i

Tuesday, June 30. 0. • Bernard's Circus has been performing in (be Princess Theatre during the week, the stage being transformed into a ring of the orthodox size and pattern; 'The combination' with- ' out a doubb is an excellent one, and it is hardly necessary to point out that it can be witnessed seated in a theatre with a much greater degree -of comfort than in a draughty tenfc. Some clever riding and bounding feats are performed 'by Mr Hogan. The little trapeze artiste Ethel - excites the greatest astonishment by her marvellons mid-air feats of strength. She is only nine ye»rs of age, yeff performs the most daring acts,on » trapeze suspended from the roof. Ethel is a r&ther fragile-looking little girl, small perhaps for her ag§>, who ascends to a trapeze , somewhere about the roof. When she is there one observes- that the musoles of her arms stand ' out like cords, and she executes a number of . awkward-looking twists and turns that demon* '. strata her ability as a trapeze performer and Indicate the possession of a degree-of strength far nfore than commensurate with her years. The climax is reached when she performs what is described as a "doable dislocation"— executed by making two somersaults forwards : without removing her hands from the bar and then similarly making the reverie somersaults, • 16 is claimed that she is the only female in the world who performs this feat, and only a few males arc credited with being able to perform it. It is not an agreeable thing to watch, though many will probably find a fascination about it, but it 10 very remarkable, and when, the reverse operation safely over, Ethel dives down into the guard-net which is spread over the stage she is received with boisterous applause. The clever balancing by the Japanese Kadamo, the tiding act of Miss St. Leon, the tumbling feats, the trained dogs, and the_ performing ponies are all attractions worth seeing. . * Mr W., Holtom, advance agent for the Lawton Novelty Company, has arrived to make arrangements for a season of nine nights in the City Hall, commencing on Saturday next. The ■ company have been very successful in the north. The trapeze, &o. for Ouda, termed the «'flying tntteor," is now being placed in position, and as there is always a belief that there is some mechanical device in connection with it, anyone desiring to inspect it can do so after Wednesday. ' \ •. ■ Mr I. Hill, formerly assistant stage manager with Pollard's company, who recently arrived from Melbourne, is endeavouring to arrange with Dunedin amateurs for the production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera " Ruddigore." , . ' .'.' Captain Fred Thomas has returned to Dunodin after a tour of the goldfield townships. He is thinking now of visiting the towns on the line between Dunedin and Christchuroh. *. • At the conclusion of the tour of the Royal Comic Opera Company in New Zealand Miss Florence Seymour proposes to organise a comedy company with which to visit this colony. *. • Mr Scot Inglis has had a souvenir card printed containing the press notices —in all cases extremly complimentary-—of his performance a» Wilfred Denver in Mr Westmacott's production of " The Silver King " at the Theatre Royal in Melbourne, ' c.»Mr Probasco, formerly of Filz_jerald Bros.' Circus, but now settled at Gore, suffered" a"" severe loss by the death early on Saturday morning, from inflammation, of his white pony Snowflake, which he was training as a talking horse, and which gave every indication of beating the celebrated Mahomet, also trained by Mr Probasco, shown in 'Fitzgerald Bros.' Circus here a few ' months-ago. • That the loss to Mr Probasco is a heavy one is shown by the fact that £700 Would not have purchased Snowflake. •. • The ex-Duuedin siDger, Miss Colborne Baber, reoeived a ehtque for £230, the result oE her complimentary benefityn Sydney. She s&ili with her husband immediately for' London. ' *.- After singing a song at Melbourne Town , Hall tha other week .nervous Miss Nagel went , clown into the artists' room and wept profusely, - Sometimes she is half afraid to give utterance -to " Ben Bolt" behind the scenes. *. * It is said that Ao tor-author- Darrell has just been married to a very pwbty and moneyed JSydney fticj. Thin ia George's third "wife.. He Elided &a Qobog && over 20 y«w »go;

about 14 years back he married pretty Ceissie Peachey, who died five years ago in South Africa. The name of the new Mrs D. hasn't transpired. •.•Miss Mwie Carandini, the Australian soprano, ono of" MadameV gifted daughters, who married Mr " Bob " Wilson, Queensland stock and station agent, recently made a successful. appearance in therdleof "Dorothy" in aperfoimance of the opera at Barfch. * . • Miss Nellie Si/ew&rt's sympathetic re- 1 membrance of the late Miss Violet Varley ! (Mrs Joseph Taplay) came as a great surprise j to both Mrs Varluy and Miss Tapley. The latter went out to the grave early on the anniversary of the little artist's death, and found a beautiful white cross already there—" In loving memory of my little friend, Violet Varley— from Nellie StewaFt." Mrs Varlay was quite overcome with emotion at the kind thought. During the day sovoral wreaths were placed on the gravefrom other old friends. • . ' Advice has been reoeived by cable of the death of Sir Auguttas Glossop Harrier, theatrical manager and dramatist. He was born in 1852, and had been lessee of Drury Lane Theatre since 1879. Rising first to municipal honours by being made a member of the London County Council, he became sheriff oS the City in 1891, 'and then deputy-lieutenant of the City. Tlio honour of knighthood was conferred on him after the visit of the German Emperor in 1891. • . • Mr Aubrey Boucicault, who left England some years ago, and has been playing in the .United States ever since, has commissioned C*tulle Mendes to make a tranblafcion of " The Shaughraun," in which Bouoicaujt and his company will probably appear in Paris. • , • Mr Albert Chevalier's . succssb in New York has been instantaneous and terrific •• Knocked 'em ia the' old Kent road " is their favourite song in Mb repertoire. This is the more remarkable, as the knowledge of the average American of the locality and customs of the old Kent road must be severely limited. " Chevalier ! Chevalier 1 and no one but Chevalier ! If New York went mad over Yyette Guilberb it has gone doubly so— stark, staring mad— over the only Albert. His success was instantaneous, and he frankly says that he has never had such a welcome as he received from the Gothamites^ He was .at first intensely nervous, and was only half cheered up when M'Connell, the big stage manager, patted him on the baok, and said : ' Don't worry, old man ; there are 10,000 men in front who went to sohool with you ! ' and surely the subsequent enthusiasm warranted bis speech" Thus a transatlantic critic tells of the. lateßt triumph of the coster Laureate. He has already studied the New York equivalent to % " coster," the " Bowery boy," and is writing a song around him, called "Dab's straight," of which the following is the first rerse :— When fust I come acrost the sea, my breaf was took away ; I left my 'ome, in Mile End road, for Noo York, U.S;A. I dodged them-flyin' cable cars, an* trottln' dahn the street, I met a cove, a Bow'ry cove, an' 'c was just a' treat. • Chorus. Is langwidge it was ch'ice ; Sez 'c, " It cuts no ics, Hully Gee, but oucet the Bow'ry Boy was great." .Then .the tears come in 'is eyes, . As F e whispered, " All the guys Is gottin* toa respectable— dats straight 1" ' . * Mrs Katherine Fisk, the beautiful and talented American contralto, who is now one of the leading favourites on English concert platforms, has recently scored another great success with the Philharmonic Society. Mrs Fisk first came to England in 1892. Mi\ Daniel Mayer heard her sing, and abjonce atked her to sign a three yeara' contraot with him. She made her de*but in Sfc James's Hall the follow ing November, with immediate success,, ' .'. ' There was an exciting scene at the Chicago Auditorium the other night when the oper* "Romeo and Juliet" was being played with De Rsszke* and Melba in the cast. A madman jumped across the footlights on to the stage, and began' to harangue the audience. The stage manager ran oub from the wings, and deinauded, " What do you waut ? " " Doa't touch me," cried the man, "or it will be worse for you." De Reszke prepared tp draw bin sword, and many people withdrew in haute, fearing that a bomb might be thrown. Melba peered anxiously from the lattice, while the ohorus in the wings stampeded. . The curtain was lowered, two policemen, captured themaniao, and the performance went on. * . ■ When Madame Minnie Hauk, the original Carmen in' London, returned the other day from Egypt to Rome, she found a pretty present awaiting her from the Italian Queen. It was a portrait of her Majesty set in diamonds, and was intended as a souvenir of a late soiree &t the quirinal, when the singing of Madame { JH&uk was a feature of the evening. • . ' It is, .typical of Bsrnhardt'a wayward, restless spirit that, after having moved heaven j and e»rth to be elected a societaire of the Fraingais, sho suddenly became impressed with the irrevocableness of the deed, feeling pretty . Bare that she would some day break the oontrw^ eeJUßQuti of faoti eb» did. So oft Ifefc

went to Dumas to tell him, first of her election, and then of her disinclination to'validate it by putting her signature to the necessary documents. " Don't sign, my dear child," was his characteristic advice; "your hair curls too crisply. People whose hair ourls like this— and he seized a lock of his own — should never put their names to contracts for life ! " ' . • Miss Olga Nethersole has been telling some folk of Philadelphia what she thinks or the New Woman.- She says :— " I was born ia London, of English-Spanish parentage. In early youth my father died. My dear mother educated me exaotly as she educated my brother, irrespective of our sex. As I passed through girlhood I struggled to gain my niche in the world. I did not know that it was thestage I wanted ; I only knew I had an intense longing to express my feelings and my impressions of different types of women. The result of my training is that I have been able to win my way in the world by sheer force of endeavor and eduoatsd intellect, as men do. To my mind women are as capable as men if they are given the same ohanoe in life by education. The New Woman is to my thinking the American woman, who has every advantage given her, and to whom every impression is open. She is the same old woman, full of heart and gentleness, bat with her glorious intellect developed." ' , ' Mrs Bernard Beore, had her husband, Mr Dering, now Veen living, would on April 1 have become Lady Dering, ef Surrenden Dering, A'hford, Kent. Oa that day died Sir Edward Cho.'meley Dering, Bart. Mrs Beere's husband was Sir Edward's eldest son. The family dates back to the year 880, and trices its desoent to Ethelward, King of Dsira. There is no oheap modernity about this sort of thing. "* . •' The Anti-High Hat Bill has become law in Cleveland. One manager has the act pnntad in large type and displayed in a prominent place in the lobby, and also has it printad on cards, which will be handed by the ushers to persons complained of. Others simply have a notico in the programme. The act provides that whenever any person or persons are allowed to wear at any theatre, hall, or v place of amusement a hat that will obstruct the view of the person or persons behind, the proprietor of the place shall be fined upop .conviction from eight to 40 shillings. The wearing of the obstructing hat is. made a separate misdemeanour.