WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2263, 15 July 1897, Page 47

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

By P. Romftsk.

July 8. Dear Pasquin,— The 'Tafels gave the first of the season's geimschter abends last Friday, under the conductorship of Mr Robert Parker. There wasn't that Suish aud musicianliness about the whole programme which should be conspicuous in things bearing Germanic suggestion. One of the be3t bits on the programme whs an original composition by Mr Liwrenne Watkins, '" All Hail tho Glorious Reiga " — just as if rain wasn't enough, without calling for hail ! and we have had no droueht up this way. However, it was a fine night, and I .suppose the gracious reigner felt none the worse for the bit of compo. placed to her memory, it beiug tuneful and forceful, and just vigorous enough to keep indoors. It was low down on the composer, however, thai the following item should prove to be " Home they brought her warrior dead" (usually when he is on "a bend" the warriorcomes " dead — druuk upon a shutter"). Items were rendered by Messrs D juglas Jackson, J. Whictall, J. Murrell, Mac Duff, Boyd (violin), and L Cohen (.flute). In connection, with the recent edict of The Firm against the production of its old operas by amateur societies, the reason for which was stated to be that aniateur3 cut the prices, it is strikingly noticeable during the Ma'sa Vaudeville Company'a toue how empty are the seats in the d.c— all on account of the 5i tariff. The people who at 4s sit in the circle go down to the stalls, the stallers go up to the f jmily circles, and the family folks rufeh through their evening meal and get down to the pit door parly— sending the "nvssus" upstuts 1o tta<" f.c. All on account of the ss, 4s, aud 3s New Zealand society is not at all on the same liae a3 Australian, and there is not ilia money to keep up the style. The 5s tariff is too heavy for our playgoers. We learn, says the Times, that the difference between the proprietary of the Napier The±tro Royal and the firm of Messrs Williamson and Musgrove ha* been amicably settled. It will be remembered that the action taken against Mr Tom Pollard by the Napier Theatre proprietors created a great deal of friction, and The Firm declared that thereafter cot only would they not book Napier for their companies, but would refuse consent to any of the plays or operas of which they hold the copyright being performed in the northern town. Negotations have been, for some time ia progress, with the result that the prohibition has been removed by Messrs Williamson and Miusgrove, and that in the future Napier will be placea on an equal footing with other provincial towns. Apparently the above item is a kind of prologue to this bit of court news :— Napier news bring 3 a theatrical item concerning someone you and I know, and bearing upon two points of law which is taking a little finding out as to which isn't t'other. It appears that some time ago Mr V. Brown, the owner of the Theatre Royal, Naoier, sued Mr Tom Pollard, the wellknown operatic manager, for rent of the theatre, which bad baen engaged for January, when, however, the dat«s were not taken up. The magistrate gave judgment against Mr Pollard, who appealed, and argument was heard yesterday. Mr Menteath, of Wellington, who appeared for Mr Pollard, contended that the alleged agreement to lease the theatre was void under the fourth section of tlie >t.itute of Frauds, not bsing in writing. Mr Sainsbury, for the plaintiff, argued that the lease was good under " The Property Law Consolidation Act, J895." Hi-3 Honor (Judge ifidwariis) said the point had never been raised in New Zealand before, and as it was one of considerable importance he would reserve his decision. So The Firm, has climbed down from its firm attitude, and withdrawn its interdict against our amateurs. And being- much obliged, the amateurs haven't yet quite made up their mind where the whoop conies in ; for, you see, whereas it was given out that The Firm stood fur the maintaining cf rop prices of admission, it now appears that the top pr.c3 wlil be £5 5s per night per opera. A stiff ft-e ceri.iinly, but not prohibitive — and well tbe Kirmery know this. With the fee- nobody ran heckle, bus iba fonnar total prohibition waa ;t different matter - r and all sorts of vague rumours aiosie as to setting to windward of W. and M. ' J'vraa whispi'i-iid that the 1500 operatic societies in Nev/ »al.iur! sent delegates to the hanks of the W.ukaremoana (on an alleged ilshiri? eyr l r=ion) to debate the question. of rti<»^ in avi iteur ointments, and every ils!ejr.ite brought down a resolution, which, when ltfe.-tdd to thi; Reference Com., were all found to riri iv the sume tenor voice : to the effect that a delesauoa should be sent to Gibb. and Sulli., ask i.ht v lot- the exact terms of their agreement with Wiiliaia.-.on aud Mu-grove, see whether Guam ii mentioned, and if uot, to change the name of New Zealand to Guam. During the debate it ia sud to have come out that it was the easiest thing ia the vrorld to give the G. and S. operas without fee or permit. Said the Kaivrarra delegate : "We once gave 'TheMtk' under tbe style of ' A Pied Lot of Pinafore?,' dressed the characters to match the title, aad invited The Firm's agent to come up to Sinellborou^h and enjoy himself— and he did. We stuck literally io the 'script and the music (and the cash), and he said, it was the cleverest parody he'd ever heard ! " The strange part of all tbe Waikarernoana conference, however, was (as;ain it is averred, and events appear to bear this out) that a travelling St. of Thespia happened along at tha Besut'ful Lake at the time of meeting:, and being a privileged and muchtravelled deadhead, he nodded to the out-in-the-air guardian, walked inside (the lake is an opeaair'd one), made ;v quick calculation, of the house, asked what time the show was gaing to st^rt and who Wis behind it, and " he was travelling for Matsa, himself" — or, for the matsa of that — but here the chairman startod to read the 1500 resolutions, and the St. claired out at orrce, aaked for the nearest cible sfcatior, was recommended to tiy Wakapuaka, to which he must have tramped | that night, the edicVum was lifted— and that's | bow it comes about that our opera societies need | not now disband j Mr and Mra Robert Brough and their famous comedy company, at present saying good-bye to ! Australia, will pay their last visit to New Zealand ! next month. The company, as my head-lines ia Bookings havcsnowo, will aopear at the Wellington Opera House on Friday, August 20. Theopeuing piece probably will be Oscar Wilde's play " A , Woman of No Importance," which will be foli lowed durinc the 17-nisfhts season by " Nancy and 1 C 0.," "The Notorious Airs Ebbsnaith," " The Solicitor," " Fedora," " A Pair of Spectacles," " A Village Priest," " Niobe," and " Dandy Dick." The Record Reign Week season of our Dramatic Students is likaly to give a net return to the operating theatre fund of oui hospital of £200, which, with the Government subßidy of 24s to

every pound, will mean the swelling of tna fund by £540. Good enough ! After an Australasian tour of 18 months, which started from Auckland, the Fitzgerald Bros, have put their circus and inenaperie into wirfter quarters on a farm near— of all places in the world — Albany, Westralia. I have just had a line from Frank Jones — you remember Frank, of course — telling me all about how the brothers have bought a bit of land for the purpose, how there is plenty of sport in the shape of fishing, shooting, boating, •fee, with hard work in keeping the business up to break the lazimonotony. Frank also encloses a clipping from, the Albany 'Tiser detailing the brothers' programme for the coming season. The last few month* have bspn spent in a tour of Western Australia, ranging from Fremantle to Goolgardie, Kalgoorlie, Bulong, Kanowna, Broad Arrow, thence to the Murchiion, Cue, Mount Magnet, the intervening towns being visited with undoubted success. After the winter spell is over (about the end of August) the new tour will open under Mr Tom Fitz.'s direction and supervision, and right from now the small boys of Australasia will begin saving up their pennies 'gainst the day of the uprearinjc of the teuts and the lions' stories— l mean tails. Herr Yon Der Mehden is just now giving hia crack cornet plenty of lip, to fcave cricked lips ; Jack Morris is daily poring over the bilh he is to paint cities, towns, villages, and telegraph poles with ; Frank ,Tone 3is looking over his family album (J J. Miller's diary) to renew his acquaintance with those fellows on the press, you know ; and over all, on top of three bales of coloured streamers, sits Tom himself, smoking a fat have-one-youraelf, and cogitating, whether he could hire the Sultan of Turkey from, the Powers for his next tour. Says he : " Juafc fancy Abdul th« Damned in a cage ! " I must not omit mention of Mr Brother Dan, who is again doing the grand European tour, having left A'banv on A"pril 14, and landing at Naples (where he didn't stop, though tempted to engasje for their season a lamp- of Napleß ethereal sky ! for therein the wind bloweth only sometimes) on May 14. After that he proceeded to Vienna ami Berlin, where he ia at present located, and where ho is advertising throughout Germany and the Continent for talent. Hiu intentions art to engage nothing but the very best for tho forthcoming Australasian tour. Fioin Berlin he wil next proceed to Copenhagen, jfarii, Belgium, Spain, and locating for a time in Madrid, later on will travel through Barcelona, Valencia, &c. In lact, wherever a performance of any description is going on, whether circus theatre, continental or outdoor inhibitions, Mr Dan will be on the spot looking for attractions. From there he will proceed to England, travelling the provinces, Scotland and Ireland, then back to London. Fuom here he will send to Australia the pick of English, and continental artist* ; and should he succeed in perfecting hia pl*ns, he may also send performiug elephants and other animals, which he thinks he may be able to secure from Haughenbeck, of Hamburg. The whole of the combination will first arrive in Albany, where a general reorganisation will take place, and the initial bow to the people of Australia will be made. The Biograph is still at the G;i., and the management expect by next week's mail one of the FiTzsimmons-Corbett records. Mr Sinim, secretary of our Dramatic Students, left yesterday for a trip to the old couatree t have not heard that he has been commissioned to instruct Mr Gmndy Pinero Sullivan Gilbert to write a problem play for our players. They call themselves the M*scotte Novelty Company, and last uight opened in the Exchange Hall to a good house. I recognise several old i'lentiti^a in the big V. business. There is Harry Thomas (who has bsea with us long, aud came originally with that great combination the HicksSawyer Minstrels), thu acrobatic Oomiorßrothers (2), yodeller Charles Naylor, and among others are Di Levy and George Hewson.