STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2320, 18 August 1898, Page 39

STAGE GOSSIP.

(Specially Compiled for the Otago Witness.)

Dear Pasquin,— The Alva-Verne Concert; Party, imported by Flautist John Lemmone, is drawing fairly well under vice-regal patronage at Sydney Town Hall, and if the show doesn't make money it will not be the fault of the artists, for the party is as chockfull of talent as it is possible to be. Apropos the success and failure of various musical stars that have visited the colonies, a Sunday Times writer says:—" Madame Alva being the star of tho company, it was in tiie nature of things that she, with her golden voice and impressive stylo would be warmly welcomed m Sydney. Our public dearly loves a singer, especially one with an English or foreign reputation —even Antoinette Sterling was accepted in a spirit of Christian kindness quite heroic in its way. An instrumentalist, the pianist, being handicapped heaviest, has, as a rule, to command the admiration and to extort the praises of tho public by performances of great attractiveness and convincing merit. Henri Ketton and Sir Charles and Lady Halle are not cases here in point ; it was the correct thing to hear them— besides it was fashionable. Wilhelmj Camilla Urso (her last tour), Ovide Musm, Rhodes, and John Kruse, as violinists, lost money here concert-giving. Wilhelmj, one of the three great violinists of the age, took scarcely enough to pay his gas bill. Kemenyi succeeded mainly because he was a trickster who thought more of his pocket than he did of his art. As pianists, Kowalski (who was disgracefully treated when he first came tc Sydney), Madeline Schiller, and Miss Menk Meyer (to mention only a few names) received but little public support. Mark Hambourg, who failed to draw to any extent when appearing with the company of which Evangeline Florence (most charming of sirgera) was the star, subsequently had the luck to be 'adopted' by the yovng and middle-aged women of Sydney, and by them elevated to the absurdest pinnacle of hero-worship." Altro the juggler and Amy Thornton, who •were through Maoriland with Hudson's Surprise Party, are with Harry Cogill's No. 2 company in. Tasmania. Boy singer Charles Norwood, May Arlea, Milford Haven (all three ar* known your way), Harvey and Franks, Bellman and Moore, and "Will Wallace are with the 3ame show. "Little Lord Fauntleroy" is still gomg strong in the English provinces. By tho way, Frances Hodgson Burnett recently secured a divorce from her hubby.

Maude Diston, the female baritone, is an attraction at the Empire Palace, Edinburgh. Edward Sass, through Maoriland with Myra Kemblo, was recently tendered a complimentary benefit at Croydon, England, on his leturning fiom his managership (for George £d.w»xdi») of $b.G Grand* Op.ora House. Mr

and Mrs Sasa (Emma Gwynne) wcro at latest playing with Charles Arnold in " W T hat Hap< pened to Jones." Brown Potter and Kyrle Bellow were at latest ir Dublin.

George Leitch is playing Rushey Platfc ia " Love in Idleness " — a comedy specially writi ten for Edward Terry — at the Grand, London,

The escape of tho herD on a motor car is ontf of a scries of sensational incidents of "4j Guilty Mother" at the Surrey Theatre.

In " When London Sleeps," now being played at the West London Theatre, the heroine Queenie Canuthers is an interesting young slack-wire walker, who is sought in honourablo marriage by David Engleheart, an athlete* In one act, the villain having been driven froni tho heroine's room with a revolver, sets fira to tho house, but the heroine brings professional skill into play, walking across a telegraph wire, carrying with her the female vilhan's child.

"Proof; or, A Celebrated Case," is running at London Pavilion. F. C. Burnand's adaptiiition of tho " Cause Celebro " of MM. D'Enncry and Cormann was first staged in London' at the Adelphi Theatre, on Saturday, April 2fi f 187S, with Mr Bandmann as Lorance, Mr Arthur Sterling as Lazarc, Mr S. Emery aa Chamboran, and Miss Bella Pateman a* Adrienne.

Miss Kate Bishop (Mrs L. J. Lohr) is residing at 10 St. Peter's square, Ravenscouri Park, W.

Mrs Bancltnann Palmer is touring the pro vinces for the ninth year with her own com*

pan} . f "My Friend from India" Harry Panlton i 3 disengaged.

An Era error! "Owing to an error" the demise of Miss Lizzie Boone (Mrs P.L. Rose); was announced in the obituary column of a recent Era Almanack. But Mi«s Boone is still very much alive and kicking in the Little Village.

Miss Davies Webster, a rising star, is tha daughter of that fine poetess Augusta Webster

Baritone Arthur Royd. along with Hudson's Surprise Party, is making himself known in London. Fred Walton is touring the provinces with"

Skipped by the Light of the Moon."

The latest in human freaks is General Pedex, the Australian mite, now on exhibitim in Sydney. Pedex, who was born without arms 30 years back at Sofala, near Bathurst, N.S.W., is only 2ft 9in in height (3in taller than the Green Island, Dunedin, Maoriland, midget, William Edward Jackson, who waa a head smaller than General Tom Thumb) : one leg is only 12in long, without any kneajoint and with only four toes on the foot. Although without arms and hands, ho can shave himself, thread a needle, light a pipe, play the mandoline, tivcl wiites legibly, which' calls to mind iho following lines penned bj the armless Lady, Ann E. Leak Thomson 1 , on an autograph photo I have in my collection:

I write poetry and prose Holding the pen between rry toes! So you perceive it's really true^ — When hands are lacking, toes will do,

Mrs Anna Longshore Potts is lecturing ia the English provinces.

Some pictures of performing pigs in London Sketch, writes " H," a correspondent to a Sydney print, makes me think of Miss Leak, the Armless Lady, with Cooper and Bailey's Circur in Australia. Her published autobiography was very naive. She detailed her marridge with Mr Thomson (which "H " sx)ell3 with a p, but the lady writes it without), an engineer, but most of her solicitude was bestowed on Bismarck the Learned Pig, which' was her property. The Armless Lady with -her hiisband and child and Bismarck the Learned Pig were through Maoriland 1881-2, during which time they held receptions at the big exhibition in Christchurch. After the close of the exhibition they were for some time showing m a shop in the Cathedral City, where poor Bismarck met his fate one night in a fire at the corner of High and Manchester streets, and it was said you coiild smell roast pig for weeks afterwards (methinks I sniff it now!). Bismarck, who was a beautiful specimen of his kin(e)d, was the learned pig of all performing porkers. The last I heard of the Armless Lads; was from Philadelphia in February 1891, when sho very kindly sent me two autograph photos — one of herself sitting on a table holding a scissors with the big and third and fourth toes of her left foot, the writing on back of which, besides the lines above, tells me that the sender is " Ann E. Leak Thomson, born with out arms at Georgia, December 23, 1839." Thu second photo is of the son, a native of Australia (a splendidly built young fellow, by the way, and in face the picture of his mother), William George Thomson, who was born at Richmond, Victoria, where he saw the light of this world February 18, 1878. In speech, manners, and kindness the Armless Lady was superior to many with arms and education.— Yours truly, Bis.