WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2390, 21 December 1899, Page 51

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Xt P. Komptrr. BOOKINGS. OT?EBA HOUSE. Fabian. Dramatic Club, in "Caste," 21st and 22nd December. Pollaid Opera Company, 20th December to Bth Januury, 1900. Williamson and Musgrove, 9th to 23rd January. Choral Hail, Fuller's Waxv.-oi.-ks and VaudeM'le Company, 23rcl December, for three months. Xorlhcote'3 Kinematograph , from 13th December, at the Exchange Hall. December 15. Dear Pasquin,— Still the Bland Holt Company occupy the dpeva House board. They have been giving us "Woman and Wine" throughout the week to good business. Tomorrow night "How London Lives" is to be shown us, and after four nights of that the present season closes. Christie Simonsen left for the north yesteiday. Nothing venture, nothing win! In response tars,pecial requests, Mr Bland Holt has promised to open the new Opera House at Wanganui with a .season dming which hia dramatic organisation will produce "The White Heather" and probably "Sporting Life." and "Woman and Wine." The dates booked are from the 9th to the 15th February. The Mayor of Wanganui and Mr Charles Voss, manager of the Opera House, have been anxious to have tho theatre opened under the best auspices — and they've got holt of one. ot the best ! I told you last week that the Gaiety Company would come back hooii. It is reported now that the combine will take up its permanent quarters in the Exchange Hall some time in January. The Fabian Dramatic Club, which recently produced "Conn the Shaughraun" at the Opera Houpc, is to give "Caste" in tho same place on the 21st and 22nd iiist. The season is to hi given in aid of the furnishing of tho new Catholic Cathedral. On Monday and Tuesday next the Choral Hall will he occupied by Professor T. W. Driver and Nellie Driver, who will renew their acquaintance with Wellington playgoers after an absence of ten years, during which time they have been giving their- magical and anti-spiri-lual entertainments all over Australia and the East and before the Victorian and South Australian Governors. On this occasion their daughter, Ida Louise, will make her first appearance in. her native city in the illusion "Evanishment," as well as assist in the spiritualistic seances. % Baritone John Prouse is back again, after his Australian lour with Mdllc. Trebelli. He sans last night at Robert Parker's twenty-first annual concert in the Choral Hall. So friend Bis left the Georgia, Magnet at Christchurch. It seems a pity that ho should have dropped what appeared to be a good thing especially as he had been a succes3 in advance of the snow.

Yesterday I met A. Cowan, the young man from Christchurch who had been the advance agent for the unfortunate Dante. Mr Cowan's engagement having ceased with the death of his principal, He has come home to spend a few weeks' ho'iday, but he tells me that he will be prettj well engaged next year. Daddy Lohr sends regards to Maoriland pressmen and friends, as also does Edwin Geacli. As I anticipated, it is likely that Dante's -brother (Eliason) will take \ip the dazzler's business. There's no reason why there shouldn't be two Dantes when you take 'em from the same fanu'v.

'I he Wellington Amateur Operatic Society is the most enterprising of all colonial kindred bodies. It was the first to produce "Kiidcligore," and had a payable season of that poor thing. It produced an original two-act comic opera, "The Monarch of Utopia," written by a local journalist (Heibert Bridge), the music by Fred W/yune Jones, not unknown in Sydney. The society has now decided to give "The Grand Duke," written by Gilbert and Sullivan, and produced in the Savoy in 18S7, but never yet presented in the colonies. The libretto 33 in Mr W. S. Gilbert's best style when working in the sphere of topsy-turveydom, and Sir Arthur Sullivan has written in a bright and tuneful vein. It was for a Wellington musical society also that ATthur Adams (author of Maoriland and Other Verses") and Alfred Hill composed their tuneful operetta "Hinemoa."

The leg-puller is still abroad. During Bland Holt's season in one of our cities recently the editor of one of the papers received the following query: "Could you tell me through your paper if Mr Bland Holt has a cork hand. Some friends of mine say he has, and I will not believe it, for I have seen him act time after time, and have watched his hand 3 closely. Could you please enlighten us? It wa-s supposed to have been blown off through a gun accident a few years ago, and was so badly shattered that Mr Holt had to have his hand — which one I cannot say — amputated from the wrist." A woman, of course.