STAGE GOSSIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2359, 11 May 1899, Page 47

STAGE GOSSIP.

,1 SixciAiJ.i Wklttex soy, the Ota .jo Witsi.io. ,! Dear Pasquin, — Henry Vento (Aylward), who ' died recently in London ; aged 66, was the father of the well-known English ventriloquist^ Hdi ry { Vento (" The Squire of Haslemere "). In hi 3 ( younger days deceased was a well-known draw- j ing-room entertainer and ventriloquist, and this ' talent has descended to his son. Four or five years back some garden ventriloquist or other billed himself in Australia as Vento, the English artist, but was compelled, through the outspokenness of the Melbourne Hawk, to get away to New Zealand, where, on arrival,, he received a warm reception from this paper. Since then I hnve not heard of the impostor. " " The biggest man in England " has recently been buried at 0-uilden Morden, Cambridge- : shire. John Sanderson was 39 years of age, weighed 30st, measured 3ft across the chest and shoulders, and stood sft llin. Some time ago this well-known carrier of Royston (Eng.) visited a show where the " fattest man in Eng- : land " was on view, and created much amusement by showing unmistakably that he was the bigger man of the two. •

Talking about big people reminds me that " the tallest man in the world " is Constantin, a Swiss, now in London. There is nothing abnormal in the height of his parents, and he has brothers and -sisters of quite ordinary growth. Constantin is yet but a mere lanky youth of 19, and still growing, weighs 27st, wears a waistcoat 63in. round the che3t, tops Bft lin in height, possesses a Jiand 27in long, and takes a 17 size boot. A most amusing- feature of a recent performance was the facility with which he handed back a cloak that had been dropped into the stalls by its fair owner seated in the boxes.

The ordinary conjurer, whe shoots watches out of a blunderbuss and extracts pigeons from an old gentleman's hat, has gone the way of the stage coaches and other lumbering conveyances of a past generation, and has been replaced by magicians of a new school. Many of the feats of a Bosco, a Dr Lynn, and even a Maskelyne seem unconvincing when compared with such a, performance as that given by '•' Dante the Great." " Danto " certainly created the conviction that in feats of sleight of hand, as well as in all the other artifices of the conjurer, he far outshines any of the craft who have yet appeared in Melbourne. — Argus.

Hawera, April 30.

Dear Bis, — We had a most successful season in Wanganui, and are still doing good business thiough this district. We are on our way to Auckland, where we open with " The Shamrock nnd Thistle" on May 20 for a seven nights' reason, then do the Thames, and heave-ho for Sydney. That versatile and talented little artist Miss Dora Mostyn joined us at Palmeroton m place of Miss Lillie Mow bray, who rejoined Pollard's Opera Company as ballet mistress. We produce one of Miss Mostyn's pieces, " True Metal," in Auckland, where our bills ure: " Shamrock and Thistle " on May 20-22, " Under Two Flags " on the 23rd, '" Blind Justice " on tho 24th and 25th, and close the season with Miss Mostyn's " True Metal " (not " blue " metal) on the 26th and 27th. In Wanganui 1 mot Mr Jo. Fynney (of the Moore-Roberts Company), and he sends kind remembrance to " Bis." The ex " Sign of the Cross " are dodging about here with " Falsely Accused " and " Life for Life " (which are mighty like " The Vendetta" and "The Land of the Living"). They are doing a perish. The Maggie Moore-H. R. Roberts Company are doing splendid business along this coast. — Yours, "ONE OF THE JAYS," Andy S. Hodge, Henry Dramatic Company. M'Bah, Tweed River, K.S.W., April 22. Dear Bis, — I am away up Queensland border way, a three daya' trip by steamer, and have just finished this trip, and leave by to-morrow afternoon's boat for south again. I open Newcastle next week, Queensland to follow. Best wishes and regards to all friends'. — Yours truly, GEORGE W. HELLER (Heller's Mahatma Company). Tho performance given by " Dante the Great " is ' certainly extraordinary. It is doubtful if ever any conjurer has presented such a procession of marvels, defying the closest watching. Some of Dante's tricks seem like the good things of Messrs Maskelyne 3-nd

Cook, of the Egyptian Hall; London. — Melbourne Age. . Miss Marie Lloyd has been on the musio hall stage 14 years and 'is still "the leading serio of the variety stage." Her actual dtbufi on the stage was at the Grecian Theatre (London) in 1885. Mr George Belmont's account of her first professional engagement at the Sebright, Hackney road, February 3; 1896, is rather interesting: — Mrs Lloyd came to the stage door of the Sebright one evening and asked me to give her daughter Marie a show. I hesitated a moment, and then consented. When her turn came on I happened to be in front of the house chatting with George Ware, the agept, now gone over tc the majority. We both ol us noticed how well hei first song was received, and the hearty applause it evoked. " Who> is she?" asked Mi Ware. "A show turn," I replied. "Her name is Lloyd. She seems a clever little girl. Come round and have a look at her." " I think I will," answered he, and round we went to the back, and caught her jnst as she was going away with her mother. I introduced her to Ware, and after a cha>t he told me he thought there wa3 a future in front J of her, and that if she liked he would be pleased to act as hei agent. Under his management she. opened with me at £2 a week, and came back twice afterwards, once at £i a 'week and once at £7 a week." Marie Lloyd's earliest success was " Oh, Jeremiah, don't you go to sea," but the first .song that really brought her fame was " Wink the other eyel" Miss Nellie Wilson has made twe trips to Australia, both under Harty Rickards's management, the fir-st in 1885 (it wa3 in 18S6 she came through this colony with Rickards's Bric-a-brac Company), and the second last year. Her father, Mr Tom. Wilson, was director of the bond at Collins's, Islington, where Mia3 Wilson's professional career started about 15 years ago. , Placed second boy to Miss Grace Huntly, at' Brighton, in 18S7. Went to America in 1890 with Leavitt's Burlesque Company, followed by a trip to South Africa under Luscombe Searello's management. Fred Solomon composed her most successful song, " The Soldier " (first sung in this colony by Miss Lydia Breakwell with M'Lean's Young Australians. On her return to London Miss Wilson wt£ booked at the principal hulls. Wirth's Australian Circvis is doing we".l in the English provinces.

Miss Zeala Sampson, the Auckland soprano who toured this colony with Gee's Concert Company, is "looking sweetly pretty a3 Germaine" in " Les Cloches de Corneville," with "WMliaru Hogarth's Opera Company at London suburban theatres. " Miss Sampson sings the numbers allotted to the role with great charm." „ Another old favourite is Mr E. W. Royce ("' Good old Blue3kiu "), " whose Craspard is excellent."

Sydney, April 22. Dear Bis, — We have been up the northern rivers of N.S.W. to satisfactory business. Wa open at Victoria Hall, Newcastle. Monday, May 1, for a .week, then go through Queensland. A few items: — '

Greenwoods doing nothing, excepting the girls, who are still picking 'em. Rignold at present is doing the best business here with " Othello." Verto is over here, and states it is his intention to run a pub.' Lou Lebreton I met last week very smartly dressed, grey {rock coat and belltopper, smoking a cigar. He has left the show business and gone back to his old 'fesh-—commerciaJ traveller. — Yours,

"ONE OF THE JAYS." (George T. Callencier, Heller's Mahatma Comyany.)

The benefit season has started in Sydney. Htfrry Overton took one at the Royal Standard on April* 26, M. Leon Caron received on* at Her Majesty's on the 28th, and Miss Emily Soldene got one at the Criterion on May 2. " Our Boys," which, in spite of its proud boast — " The longest nights' run on record "— shows yet never a sign of approacning age, is being played by five different companies in the English provinces. — Yours truly,