WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2356, 20 April 1899, Page 47

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Bt P. Kompteo.

April 14. Dear Pasquin, — The Pollards are still with us, and ihe business doing is astonishing. Two nights of " The Gaiety Girl," and when I looked into the Opera House the dress circle and stalls were full. This was the first time we had had ihe " G. O-." since the Royal Comics brought her round three years ago, and she certainly caught on. To-night the " Girl " steps down after four appearances and makes way for " La Mascotte," quite a different sort of girt, and to-morrow night " Paul Jones " will do his brief strut, for on Monday we are to have a new setting of onr familiar " Blackeyed Susan," under the title of '' Saucy Susie." During the eight years that the Pollard Juveniles have grown up into maturity in this colony they have given us no less than 36 operas, burlesques, comedies, and dramas. Next Monday the company will show what it can do in creating parts. "Saucy Susio" has been written nnd adapted by Mr Bert Royle, who has been responsible for the " books," of moat of the successful Australian pantomimes of the last 10 years, among others " Red Riding Hood," " The Hoxise that Jack Built," etc., besides being part author of the two great modern successes " Djin-Djin " and "' Mvitsa." The music has been composed, arranged, and selected by Mr H. T. Harrison, Mr Pollard's musical director, and consists of over 40 numbers, mostly new to a New Zealand audience. The marches, dances, situations, groupings, etc., have been invented by Mr Tom Pollard, whose experienced hand will guide the entire production. The scenery has been specially designed and painted by Mr E. L. Williams, the scenic artist of the company, and we are assured that the dresses and properties will be of unusual magnificence and originality. Everything pertaining to the production has been made in Wellington, at a cost of considerably over £600. Thq^piece has been in rehearsal for months.

Wednesday's Post tells us thai an application wna made on that day to his Honor the Chief Justice by Mi Wilford on behalf of Messrs Williamson and Musgrove for an injunction restraining a nondescript theatrical company from playing

" The Sign of the Cross " at Palmerston North to-morrow night. Mr Wilford said the company in question was not known, but were advertising now to produce " The Sign of the Cross " as played in the Australasian colonies. His Honor said he had only ex parte statement l>efore him. Mr Wilford said that the company had been notified of the application. His Honor then decided to deal with the matter in Chambers, the result being that an injunction v/as granted enjoining Messr3 Marriott, Leighton, and Dalgleish from performing, or cai'sing to be performed, a "dramatic piece" called " The Sign of the Cross," and piohibitmg them from publishing, 01 causing to be- published, any advertisement of such dramatic piece, such injunction to remain in force until further order. His Honor further ordered that the injunction could be served by telegram by the plaintiffs'.

Napoleonic plays and literature are the ■fashion of late, and "The Gift of Bonaparte" is the latest novel in which the Little Corporal plays prominently. The book is by Robert Shortz, who is quite new to me, though I see that he is the author of another book, "A Passing Emperor." However, I shall be pleased to read more Shortz stories, and the longer be the Shortz stories the better I shall enjoy the hours spent in reading them. " The Gift of Napoleon" is a rattling good yarn of 250page length, dealing with exciting episodes during the campaign of General Bonaparte's Army in Italy, in which a young French aristocrat, a private in the ranks of ? crack cavalry regiment, is the hero, his stirring feats by flood and field making the blood run quick. The book is essentially a man's book, and the Little Corporal's treatment of the fair sox will astonish some people whe have hitherto gone Nap on the Corsican. How th young cavalryman wins a proud Italian countess as a gift from Napoleon in exchange for the affections

of La Favourita, a Milanese dancer, makes part of the love episodes of a book which I heartily recommend to readers of this note. It is published in Routledge's Colonial Library, and is just out.