AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2298, 17 March 1898, Page 39

AUSTRALIAN STAGE GOSSIP.

(Specially Wkisten fob the Otago Wixnbss.)

Dear Pasquin', -- Bland Holt's Dramatic Company concludes its present Maoriland tour at Dunedin, and opens the Australian tour at Sydney Royal with " The Cotton King," on Easter Saturday.

The overwhelming success of the recent production of "The Fiench Maid" at Sydney Her Majesty's is Albert Whelan (of Melbourne), who fills the small wrigKlesome character of Alphonse, the Gaul who rushes round with the hot pl.ites and the soup. Alphonse himself doesn't amount to a low of pins, but Wkelan's songs and imitations of well-known actors brought down on him 15 encores in the first two nights. And no spidery young man with a large comedy mouth could make a much bigger hit than that. — Bulletin.

"Jack the Giantkiiler ; or, Harlequin FeeFi Fo Funi, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table " is the full title of the Rickards'B pantomime, shifted from Sydney Palace to Melbourne Opera House, written by T. F. Doyle, "late manager Theatre Royal, Manchester." The local (so far undiscovered) topical illusions and lyrics are said to be by Eimond Finn and Lance Lenton; incidental music by Carl Rietlle ; John Tiller, " of Covent Garden, London," arranged the da c ess of the Tiller quartet ; and the incidental fcouss^ aio " by special permission of 10 London and one Australian song-publishing firms." E. Story Gofton, " the celebrated London stage manager," directs the production. 'I'hs chorus ladies and gentleman are said to be "specially engaged from the principal ceucerfc platforms." Yet out of 13

mentioned on the bill it would be hard to pick six who have appeared on the concert platform. Also " the Opera House ballerinas will include the celebrated London danseuses." Here follow 21 names, of which number it is doubtful if half a dozeu have ever been out of the colontes. For the nrincipals, 12 of whom are " imported," here is the cast : — Ja<?k ... ... Adilie Conyers Pansy Lottie Moore Liza Marietta Nash King Arthur „. Albert Bellman Princess Pretty Pet Rae Cowan Merlyn . . „ ... ... Tom Wootwell Billy Silly Frank Haytor Tom Tucker... , Arthur Haytor FeeFiFoFura Story Gofton Gripper and Gnlphus... Huline Bros. Sir Galahad Miss Edie Haytor Sir Tristan Christine Tennyson Demon Imps C. Lyndon, C. Calvert Will o' the Wisp Ivy Scott Fairy Queen ... „ Nellie Wilson Dame Hubbard Dame Hubbard Harlequinade. Clown Jimmy Huline Harlequin ... ... Clarence Lyndon Policeman ... .. Cecil Calvert Pantaloon Johnny Huline Columbine ~ Goorge Lauri Miss M. Arrowsmith, a talented English singer, actress, and reciter, is bound for Klondyke, where she intends to " work her own claim." Besides being clever on the platform and the sta^e, she is a good shot, a capital horsewoman, and can bo it, drive, and swim. The la f eft recruit to the English stage is an accomplished Polish actress, Madame Gabryela Moi-oka-Poplawska, who, after the fashion of the late Madame Trebelli-Bettini, calls herself professionally Madame Morska tout court. ■ ' She is a native of " th* fair land of Poland," iirst came out as a distinguished amateur at Warsaw, and since then has won success in a variety of roles, light and emotional, to which Polonius's famous classification is almost applicable. Barbara, an ing&nuc part in "Pan Michael," adax)«ed from one of Si<»nkie\vi"z's hiatorical novel" ; Leva in another f-clavonian drama ; Louisa ia Schiller's tragedy '"C-n'iale Had Liebe"; Flipotte in Jules L*maitr.''s comedy of that name ; and Susanne de Villiers in Pailleron's "Le Monde ou Ton s'eunuie"; Trilby and Ophelia — such is a representative selection from the repertory of this versatile and prepossessing actress, who after a lorsg engagement at the Cracow Theatre, together with her husband, nn actor, scholar, and translator of 'Ruglish standard comedies, is now ambitious to ploy in Bluglis-h on the Englishspeaking boards. M<ulinie Aiodjeska and many dramatic critics in Warsaw, Cracow, and St. Petersburg speak highly of Madame Morska'a talents. Grattan liiggs is playing "Conn the Shaughraun" .tt Melbourne Koyal under the management of ilolloway aud Anderson. Alice Deorwyu rlays Moya &ad Charles Ilol'oway Father. .A ccc r-lin£ w th<? Melbourne Argus Wilson Barrett, lias vtnyed the rar'; of Wilfred Denver, in " The Silv-.r King" (first elajjed in 1SS?), "thousands of times I" Dsar IMf, — Mrs Harry Marshall (not Harriet, as a Maoriland p'tper lately christened her), as Folly Eishop in " Person Thorne," has a speech of 102 lines, with thjee si-all -- very small—in-tt-rmpfcions —Jim the Penman. Louise I'oiuerov wss ijliiying Juliet at New Plymouth. The bilcony was l.uili, very low- -so luivtbat Romeo could slmo-.t look «vev it. Oa Juu'.)t utTerinjr th? line, " JKomej, wherefore art thou Uoraeo ? " a, voice from thn pit >"i-ied. " Put yev blanky hand out and yer'll fi'el him." But that was nothing for a New Plymouth pittite, who would ply his mouth for all it was worth — which was mosvly Hirestralian adjective. On account of the insults the received from the pit Louisa bad to close up, as she said they were the strongest she ever nmt. Poverty Poia*, February 28. Bis.