AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2232, 10 December 1896, Page 39

AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

(Speciamy Written for she Otago Witness.) Dear Pasquin,— I saw Miss May Glendinning in Sydney last week. She had only just returned from Queensland. Mi»s Glendinning was a great favourite round your way in 1887, when a member of Smith and Perman's /Eola Combination. Good old Lackie M Gowan was business ma ager ; Bob Und'-rwcod was in advaace ; Cteorge Mitchell musical conductor ; performers — th« Porman family (5), Miss Laura Eoberts (Miss Dufard in "The Debutante") Messrs George Harrison, the gaffers, Johnny Collins and Gus Lynch (who died in India in '94). and others. Mr Will Crackles, comedian and dancer, should know hi* business a little better than to accept free accommodation at an amateur show and then openly sueer and jeer at the whole pOTformauce. If Mr Will Cracklos ware severely criticised— but that ia another *tory. — Quiz. John F. Forde, well known throughout Maoriland, made his first appearance at Melbourne Royal in a company managed by Messrs Harwood, Stewart, Hennings, and Coppin. His sister and brother (Anna ang Martin Forde) were members of the same company. His first part was in apiece called "Snare." Miss .Bra-done, an, English actress, who subsequently played Joan of Arc, waa in this production. He next appeared a« Pantaloon m tk panto staged by the same firm, and in which Martin Forde and George Leopold were the clowns, Mw Harry Leopold (Fraulein F*nny) the Columbine, and Harry Leopold Harlequin. After a country tour John I\ Forde joined W. S. Lyster's Opera Company, playing tho bass part ia " Chilperic." When this piece was. withdrawn, Mr Forde, not being a success in the' part, was put into the chorus. In "Petit Faust," a song ung by Mr Fo de wai the success of the piece. Miss Clara Thompson (Mrs Bracy) played Faust in this production. Johu F. Forde ia the original of the following: — DrDaly in ".The Sorcerer" Mikado , "The Mikado" Captain Corcoran... „ "H M.S. Pinafore" i The following are a few other parts played by Mr Forde :— , j Mourzouk... ...in "Gtrofle Girofla ' Agamemnon ... , "La Belle Helens" C.imno Mio ....... "Crown Diamonds " Corrtgan „ ... "The Lily of Killarcey" Maior-zeneral ...„,.. " Pirates of Pen'zauce" General Kalbach "Falka" Devilshoof. "The Bohemian Girl" King „ "Maritana" Colonel Ollendorf „ ... "The Beggar Student" Ciptam Sneak ....... "The Sultan of Mocha" Allessio , "La Somnamhula" j John Stofel . ... „ "Stiuck Oil." J Mrs Scott Siddon?, whose death was recorded | by cable on the 21st, visited the colonies in 1876, [ and those who remember her visit-and witnessed I her Shakespearian imversonationa can hardly fail to give her the pride of plsce upon the stage, second only to Madame Ristori. Her stylo was simple, natural, and graceful, entirely free from mannerisms and affectation. In fact, she-exer-cised a fascinating influence upon all who came within the scope of her meutal and physical cbarias and of which sho seamed utterly uuconsc'ous. She had much of the beauty and genius of the Kemble family, with which she claimed "kindred She was the granddaughter of the great Mra Siddons, who from 1755 till 1818 held unchallenged the position of Queen of Tragedy on the British stage, dying peacefully in retirement in 1831. Old Rof,er Kemble, the father of John Philip and Oharlas Kemble an<i Mis Siddon3, had II cu.il.dren. Mrs Siddons h;id three sons, one of whom, George, held a high civil appointment in India. His son, Cintun WilJiatn Siddonw, of the 35th Beagal Ka tiv o lufainnr. n^vi-ied tUe daughter

of Lieutenant--olouel Earle. and of this marriage vfas born Ma-y Frances Siddons, the mibjectof this notice, in 1844, in India. She evinced from early childhood a. taste for dramatic recitations. Upon tha death of her father her mother »otiirned to England, and then proceeded to Germany for the education of her daughters. Here Miss Siddons attracted a good deal of notice by her precocious i performance of small parts. Afterwards she | appeared in the plays of Schiller, Moliere, Racine, j and Corneille, and especially as the youth Mortimer in Marie Ntuart. She had a year's experience in the English provinces prior to appearing at the Haymarket Theatre, London, in April 1867. j By this time she had essayed her histrionic stiength in many Shakesperian characters, notably Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Viola, and others ; and in all she manifested an intelligence and power that gave ptomise of even greater things. She was an undeniable success on the occasion of her first season in London, as indicated by the criticisms of her actiag in the London Times and Daily Telegraph. Subsequently she wept to America, and there also she was received with plaudits. In 1876' she visited Australia, commencing- in Melbourne a tour that lasted nearly two years and embraced almost every centre of population. Like Macready, Mrs Scott Siddons was an artiste, and never cared to ba worried by the trouble and anxieties of management. She detested the petty details of business and shrank in horror from compkints about money matters. A contretemps in Malbourae almost drove her to relinquish th-- srage. She had fibfohed a, successful season, aad was about proceeding with her company to BallaraS by special train. The principals were se..ted with her in one carriage, and the rank and file filled two others. Everything was ready for the start, but Mr Chanter, Mrs Scott Siddons's husband j and general manager, had not srrivad, $nd «ome ( delay was caused. The train was about to proceed without him when he strolled on ths platform very leisurely. He was immediately bailed ; with uncomplimentary epithets from the supernumeraries and small fry generally, who j demauded payment of arrears of wages, with the threat of refusing to leave the station. An altercation ensued, and several of the company called on the stalionreustar to order the doers to be reopened. Mrs Scott Siddons was informed of what had occurred, and her feelings can batter be imagine J than described. She ordered the men to be paid at once, and the train proceeded oa its way. But tho lady's trouble* and humiliations were eot all professional. Unfortunately during her stay in the colonies Mr Chanter manifested symptoms of that malady to which he Afterwards fell a victim. A separation ensued, and before returning to Europe the lady settled upon her husband a small but valuable estate which she had purchased in New Zealand, and upon which *he might have lived comfortably for lifd had ho Bho*n a disposition to prudence. The unhappy man is at present a harmless inmate of a lunatic asylum. A Melbourne young lady the other day tried to emulate Blondin, with the result that she is now in the hospital. Herr Bernhard Wenlandt last week gave an address on German song-writers at Melbourne Athanreura. Madame Eli*e Wiedernmnn Madame Fanny Br stow, Herr Rudolf Himmei, and Herr Ernst Eartung x»ve illustrations of compositions by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Franz, Liszr, Eubinstein, Mendelssohn, and others. P. C Josephs (through Maonland with Charles Godfrey) is now at Melbourne Opera House. Jake Friedman, G. Austin, C. Pope, I. Saylea, W. Akarman, Will Wbitburn, Edie and Maude Martin* z, Crossley Sisters, La Belle Maie, Florrie Ford«, Fred and Minnie Durham, and the Frantz Family are at Melbourne Opera House. The father of GuorgQ H. Chirgwin, the Whiteeyed Kaffir, was well known in England as -a member of the spangles and sawdust profession. "The White-eyed Kaffir" was born in London. There were three brothers, who were known in the London halls first as the Chirgwin Family, and afterwards as the Brothers Obirgwin. They were taught by the best professors of music and singing. Ooliuetti was one of their masters. George was only six when he first appeared in public at the Swallow Rooms, Piccadilly. His first regular appearance wai at the Middlesex a3 one of the Chirgwin Family 31 years ago. The three boys used then to black up and give a sort of Christy minstrel show, the eldest brother being the middle man Nineteen years ago, when playing at a fefcs and gala near Gloucester, George was made up as a nigger, and the wind being high and the dust plentiful, some of it got into his eye. It was painful, and he^ rubbed it, which caused a white, or partially white, patch to come around the eye. This so amused the audience that Chirgwin has never appeared on the stage without it since. Chirgwin is a master of instrument playing.— Yours truly, Poverty Point, November 25. Bis.