STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2328, 13 October 1898, Page 39

STAGE GOSSIP.

fU'iiciALLt Written ttor the Otago WiTNrs". Dear Pasquin, — On the second day of the sale of Kean relics in London recently a number of interesting articles were disposed of. A yataghan or short, sword, in embossed metal sheath, presented by Lord Byron to Edmund Kean, and worn by the latter and Charles Kean in the part of Othello, fetched £22 10s, the bidding starting at £0. Lot 529 wig a claymore, with an "Andrea Ferrara" blade, with silver basket hilt and iewelled medallion,

in a red velvet scabbard, with engraved silver mount, inscribed "To Edmund Kean, Esq., as a tribute of admiration of his splendid talents, from his friends at Edinburgh, November 1819" ; and also, "This sword was presented to Edmund Kean, Esq., to be worn by him when he appears on the stage as Macbeth, King of Scotland." The bidding started at £5, and reached £36 10s, for which sum the claymore was knocked down. There was a brisk competition for Cardinal Wolsley's large red hat (formerly the property of Horace Walpole, and purchased by Kean at the Strawberry Hill sale, on a glazed gilt and carved pedestal. This hat was found in the great wardrobe by Bishop Burnet when he was clerk of the closet. It was left by his son Judge Bixrnet to his housekeeper, who gave it to the Countess of Albemarle's brother, who gave it to her ladyship, and she gave it to Horace Walpole. The hat was bought for £27, the bidding starting at £5 ss. What were described on the catalogue as Cardinal Wolseley's collax and silk gloves, but which were probably theatre properties, worn by Kean when playing the part, fetched £5 ss". The scales, weights, knife, and sealed narchment bond for the "pound of flesh," which were used by Edmund Kean and Charles Kean successively in the character of Shylock, were sold, after some spirited bidding, for JEI6 10s. A gold-headed walking stick, the knob engraved in panels, with the names and dates, "Donald Fraser," "Charles Kean, ' "San Francisco," January 18, 1860, realised £11 Us; a pair of twin daggers, handsomely decorated with paste jewels, worn by Charles Kean 111 "Sardanapolis," £2 12s; a sword belt worn by Charles Kean in "A Wife's Secret," .£1 8s; a bright steel gorget worn by him in the same play, £1 Is; box of arbutus wood (in book form.) brought from the Killamey Lakes fey Mr 3 Charles Kean, £8; cross hilt sword, with cut steel and coloured ornaments and velvet scabbard, worn by Charles Kean in the part of Hamlet, £10; sword with chased gilt scabbard, hilt enriched by coloiu-ed jewels, worn by Charles Kean in "Sardanapolis,' £1 14s; court sword with cut steel hilt in steel-mounted scabbard, with chains, worn by Charles Kean as Beverley in "The Gamester," £1 10s; highland dirk, engraved "Charles Kean," probably worn by him in the part of Macbeth, in silver-mounted sheath, with attachments, and three cut cairngorms, £12 ss; an oak writing table, lined with leather, with 'border carved with thistles and monograms on spiral standards, with carved rustic sketches, two silver plates let in on the top, inscribed as follows: "This table ib made from the beam that supported the stage of the old Theatre Eoyal of Edinburgh, which was erected a.d. 1768, and purchased by the Government for the purpose of building a new post office, a.d. 1860. The old edifice was pulled down in 1861, and the table was presented to Kean by E. Wyndham, manager of the Queen's Theatre, Edinburgh, in March 1861," £19; impression from a Tripartite seal, once belonging to David Garrick, in mahogony frame, glazed, 12s; Mrs Kean's walking stick, 6s; two flutes and pipes, used by Charles Kean in the ohaiacter of Hamlet, £3 ss; the bunch of kejs worn by C. Kean a3 Shylock, Turkish cap, and two strings of rnon-jy, £2 30s; a mulberry cup, with inscription ?3 follows : "This cup, made of the mulberry tree planted by Shakespeare, and purchased by Garrick at Stratford-on-Avon in the Shakes peare Jubilee, 1769, and also the gift of Mrs Garrick to W. Eaymond, presented to Charles Kean, Esq., by Mr William Baymond, Galus, July 21, 1858," £35 10s ; portrait of Shakespeare as a youth, Tainted by Jenson, "in oils, and given to Charles Kean by Colonel White, £3 3s; pair of large crayon portraits, Mr and Mrs Charles Kean, £1 2s; an original pencil scetch of Charles Kean in a Roman costume, by Eobert Cruikshank, and signed and presented by him in 1850, £5 15s; a pencil and crayon sketch of Edmund Kean as Richard 111, with letter of presentation to Charles Kean, £13; a litho. of Charles Kean as Hamlet, after Chalon, E.A., signed Charles Kean ; a litho-portrait of Mrs Charles Kean as Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing, and signed by her as a present to Francis Hunt; also copy of this plate not signed, £3 ss. Charles T. Aldrich, an "eccentric" juo'erler, at London Alhambra, does a rather good act, in which he uses an old boot thrown up from the foot, a tattered hat, and a cigar. Eventually the cigar is caught in the mouth, the hat goes on the head, and the boot its ra turned to its proper place. The manager of London Pavilion has introduced a new spectacle in the way of a bicycle race, conducted under novel conditions. The bicycles are attached to the cycle home trainer, geared down so that the 15ft course — from one side of '.he stage to the other — covered is the exact eqiiivalent of a mile. The cpec.tators have their senses deluded by scenery revolving at the back, and by rapidly-moving palings in the foreground. The six ( competitors — all ladies — are started in two heats, the two winners and the fastest loser taking part in the final. In order to give a rest to thp lady cyclists between the second and final heats, Mr J. A. Herbert, a professional rider, exhibits his powers, and nightly succeeds in lowering the record of the ladies by several seconds. George "Eobey (coming out shortly), E. G-. Knowles ("On the Benches in the Park"), Cora Cassolli, Tennyson, and O'G-orrnan (out to Rickards), Alexandra Dagmar are at London Halls. Miss Brenda Gibson, at Antrim with the Broughs, is playing Susan Oldfield in Charles Reade's one-act comedy "Nance Oldfield." with Sir Hemy Irving's Company. Ellen Terry plays the name part. Sir Henry Irving has revived "The Bells" at Home. In the present revival the greatest living actor resumes his creation of Mathias, the character that made him famous more than a quarter of a century since, and Miss Dorothea Baird plays Annette. Strange how often the most romantic incidents in melodrama are realised in actual life. When Messrs Seymour Hicks and George Edwardes's drama, "One of the Best," was produced at the Adelphi Theatre in December of 1895, most of us thought the purloining of the plans by the villain of fortifications for a Continental government to be a mere flight of fancy. Yet the pivot of the drama lisa been paralleled by the ex-signalman of the Ganges training ship, who was recently sentenced to 18 months' hard labour for stealing a confidential signal book, which he intended selling to a "foreign power." Emma Gwynne, Edward Sass, and Ada Lee are playing "Wlfat Happened to Jones" with Charles Arnold at London Strand. Bland Holt's latest production at Sydney Eoyal is a four-act drama by Cecil Raleigh and Seymour Hicks, part authors of " The White Heather " and '• One of the Best." Tho piece was staged for the first time in Australasia on the 2ith September with the following cast: — " Spohtin& Life.' 1 Olive de Carteret .. Miss Elizabeth "Watson Norah Cavai.agh .. .. Miss Frances Ross Clara Martin .. .. Mrs Bland Holt Kitty Cavanagh .. Miss Fitzmaurice Gill Jessie Maitin .. .. Miss Adela Kerr John Earl of "Woodstock. .Mr Walter E. Baker Malet de Carteiet .. Mr Arthur Styan Joo Leo Mr Albert Norman Sergeant "O'Dowd .. Mr Charles Brown and Isadore Andread Mr Bland Holt. The task of preparation has been formidable, as tho cast includes no fewer than 43 characters, and the new scenery by Mr John Brunton is vinusually elaborate. The chief tableaux show training stables at Newmarket, Woodr , stock Hall, near Nswmaikot, the Earl's Court

Exhibition (with a view of the big wheel), thk National Sporting Club (where there is a fight between two noted local lightweight pugilists), and the Epsom Course (with the gx-eat race in which "My .Lady Love " wins). Alfred Rolfe and Lily Dampier are playing in "Honour Bright," a four-act drama, by, Eonald Grahame and E. T. De Bauzie, London. The piece was originally produced at the Theatre Royal, Nuneaton, March 14, 1898. One of the sensations is a scene in which tha heroine is tied to the immense bell in St. Paul's Cathedral, so that at the striking of the hour the great clapper will crush her to death. Mr Arthur Styan, who replaces Mr John Cosgrove with the Bland Holt Company made a remarkably favourable impression as Sir John Harding ("The Idler") and in other characters dxiring Mr Charles Cartwright's resent tour. Although Mr Styan then appeired for the most part in high comedy roles, he is one of those experienced artists who has " played everything." During a career of 12 years he has appeared in melodrama at Covent Garden and at the Adelphi. At the latter theatre he was included with Miss Ada Ferrar in the cast of " Green Bushes," and during part of an 18 months' engagement at the Pavilion he was associated with Mr Julius Knight. For some time he supported Miss Forte3cue in such " legitimate " characters as Tybalt and Beaseant; and he was the original Colonel Chesney in " Charley's Aunt," before Mr Penley had produced that piece ni London. Mr Styan has played low comedy in England, we have seen him here in the character part which he successfully assumed in " The Middleman," and when Mr W. J. Holloway produced "A Day in Paris" at the Duke of York's Theatre, Lcndon, he won acceptance in musical comedy. Mr Styan' s travels have already taken him to the Cape, where he remained 26 weeks with Mr George Edwardes's Comedy Company, which included Mr Edward Sass and Miss Grace Noble. Towards the end of last year Mr Styan was leading man at the Lyric, Hammersmith, after which he joined Mr Charles Caitwright, and played right through the tour until the company was disbanded at Perth last month. Sir Henry Irving's latest Shakespearean revival at London Lyceum, "King Richard II" was first produced in 1596, and published in August in 1597. Edmund Kean, Macready, [ and Charles Kean have boer the most notable exponents of the part, and when Charles Kean revived it at the Princess's Theatre, March 12, 1857, he himself played the King; Mrs Keau, the Queen; Walter Lacy, John of Gaunt; Cooper, the Duke of York; and John Eyder, who created a sensation in the pp.rt of Bolinbroke. Others in the company were Miss Carlotta Leclerq, Eleanor Button, Messrs Harley and Frank Matthews. "Cyrano De Bergerac," a five-act play in verse, by Edrnond Eos band, played for the first time in England by the Port'e-St. Martin ■Company, July 4, contains no less than 64 characters. — Yours truly, Bis. Poverty Point, September 17.