THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2427, 19 September 1900, Page 54

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

By Pasqtjtn,

TUESDAY, September 18. The Sydney Telegraph reports the death of Mr Alfred Wyburd, who was well known in Dunodin some years since. An Englishman Ivy; -birth, lie came to Australia as a trick cyclist ond skate:', and then visited New Zealand. In Dunedin ho was publisher for ?ome year* of the Guardian newt^aper. He then took to theatrical management, and toured the colony w ith a company which included the late John L. Hall and George Carey. As occasion aro<-e, Mr Wybuid played comedy parts or porfci-med a roller-skating "act," ;>nd at niaJil he put on overall* and posted idllf. Thi't venture being p. failure, he short ed a panorama with much Riccess. Returning to Sydney, he conducted skating rinlv°, vi as in charge of the Botany Ploasuie grounds, and ecntrolledjhe Bontli Aquarium. T3e tlifi liecr.nit licea=;ee of a King street hotel, and alter wardd of the ];adcii Baden Hotel at Coogee, \\ hero he died of pneumonia. Mr i.yburd was married to a Dunedin lady, and leaves several children. Our contemporary states that Wyburd was universally liked for his geniality, his ln^incible optimism, hio ine\hauatible resource, and his honourablene.-- 1 .

It has Lfe?:i finally decided thai the Pollard Opera Company will lid again visit thitj cily until aficr tlioii- Australia 1 ! tour.

Miss Zoe liarkoek is reported as the next fc\-:»i c !nl)er of Pollar.l Opora Compjny to rejoiii pi, an Ci\rl,y datf.

Mr Will- IJjairojif!, Uip clccr .s<.cuic M-tis 1 wiU) Mr r.eii. FuJi'-i', lut-, 7i.'in.ed a :nv ' x'tsl part" 'r-e'o enlit'.fM '"•Jo'ijiy .lapa«>.'" 'i'uo paiiitiii^r i & .fvo oi v. ilo-i -,u 1. Mr Will. Po-cf. of Polla'-d On^ra inu -. Mi'o'i Minid 3Jc.'tty"(Mrs Milburn), v,] o lias ariived in Xcw Zealand io rejoin the PoL-ir.i Opera Company, lias beon spending a i-'w dayj at lier o]d home in Chi-istchui-ch. A) aad made her reappearance in Neli-on, Xow Zealand, in "Paul Jones," last evening.

A letter received irom. Mi^s Maud Mow sen, of thi^ eicy, and an ex-member of ths; Pollard Opera Company, inform. jr_e that she has gone out to Western Ausli-ali.i v i'"i Raphael's Pantomime and Burlesque Company.

The many Z\cw Zealand iru-iit.- of dointy Lily (Ci^sy) Stephens, of ihe >'')ilar<l Opna Company, -will lvgrei i" le'iin ili.fu ever ?;u< p the "Dmicdin . cascu ol ?no cc:ovjt:y .hf* I;'^ been laid wo in C'!ii*i e f'3mreli vnrh t>. teriom illnepa. Uvcrv.-or'k is ve&puiijiMc tn a very great oxieiiL lur !scr rTudicioji, v.'hk-h 1 am plen.,-( d to learn irom so.neonp deeply inteleoiod is inrprovino-. Mi=s Stephens has been giDnted two monihs' l^ave. Oiantji blo^onn aco announced in connection •>\:lh :-j popular little Jady of Pollard's Oo"\a Company and a Yveli-known Vv'tllingti n tra^ p ll"-. Smcoro congratulatiend to bopi. ilr Cl'av'c: Fauv-'nj; ami Mi=s George Devoo re-join the Bijou Company under Ben Fuller's manpgement at the Alhambra next we?k.

Owir.o- tn tie theatre being booked by anotbei" ro'iipair, Mi P. R. Dix will, on the rxpiiation of lih dales ai tho Princess, take lm rompany into ihe Choral Hall. Th* nicnbpjn of P. .R. Dixs company arrived by the express from ihe north last cveniii;j,\ iSoveral of the company were ''in front at the Alhambra Irue in the evening. The company, with hon eonuque .limmy Bain at the head, open for a iive-^eek»' teabon at the Princeis Theatre on Wednesday night. The British Biosrraph exhibited it? genuine war and peace pictures for the last time at the Garrison Kail on Saturday night. All the films, especially "The Xiauncliing of the Oceanic," "'A Tug-boat in a Heavy Sea," "Schooling Recruits at Aldershot," "A Railway Journey Through Derbyshire," and '"Little Bugler Dunne," who shot three Boer.-s with lilf- little revolver, came in for a share of the applause. The Biograph appeared at Oamaru last night to a ciowded house. The Fuller programme at th? Albambra is good enough to attract a crowded house every night in the week. The Flying Jorclans are the big draw, and deservedly so. Ne^ct comes Miss Lily De Vere, Miss Polly Robertson, Johnny Tudor, of "Tin-pot Band" fame, who was last through this city with the clever Valdare? a few months ago ; Will. Diamond, and Sid Luella. Mr Fuller is importing several star artists from the other side, including "scarecrow" Johnny Colemon and Miss Lottie Lome. With the ariay of talent arriving and to arrive, Mr Fuller will ha\e a big tay in the shillings and sixpences which xnight otherwise go to the rival show. Miss Jennie Opie is playing Queen of the Fpiries (massively) in "lolanthe" at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.

Mr Bland Holt has withdrawn the very spectaculai "drammer" "The AbEcnt-minded Beggar" from the boards of the Theatre Royal, Sydney, replacing it with "How London Lives." Biz. is big, writes a correspondent. The Brough Company having concluded only a fairly successful season in Melbourne, left last week for Wes-tralia, playing a seaton in Perth prior to India and China. A Sydney exchange says that genial L. J. Lohr intends trying his luck as an hotel proprietor.

Mrs Walter Bentley has jtist concluded at Brighton, England, a 17 weeks' engagement with Mi&b Mauls ty's "New Magdalen" Company. Mr Harry Rickards has received a cable informing him that Miss Lottie Collins has loft for Australia. Mr Christie Simonsens celebrated a double event on Thursday, 6th inst. — a birthday and the tenth anniversary of his association with Mr Bland Holt. Many happy return? of both. A! M9L£9i!£lufeioa_ fif jM_ grand opera sea-

son on November 26, Miss Nellie Stewart will make her reappearance at the Princess Theatre in comic opera, and the company to support her will include Sir Joseph Tapley, an old Australian favourite; Mis,s Einmi© Owen, a. prima donna from the Savoy Theatre; Miss Eteie Cook, of Daly's Theatre; two new comedians and a new baritone, who have yet to be selected. Comic opera will only be played till Christmas time, when a grand pantomime will be produced, with Miss Nellie Stewart as principal boy. Madame Patti is the best-paid woman worker in. the world, accordIng- to Woman's Weekly. She frequently gets £300 a night, and for manj' years she has declined to sing for a, smaller fee than £600. Melba does nob accept less than £200 either for concert or opera, and she is often paid at a higher late. iVladame Emma Eames and Madame Nordica come next with £150 for operatic singing, and Nordica' s ordinary concert fee is £100. Actor Kingston is hopelessly in love with' his charming little wife, who is to make music in Sydney next month. The girls who have sought an intro. to the actor of the eyebrows are sorry they spoke — so to speak— for the stage lover wearies them with extravagant praise of his dainty and vivacious partner. A littlo while ago the turtle doves tried to part, and Mrs Kingston got as far as Adelaide on her way to England. There - sho disembarked, threw tip ber engagement (nothing else), and rushed back to hubby's arms. — B. Dear Pasquin, — I am pleased to be able lo at last report good news from Mr Northcote, who on Friday cabled that he had secured o complete show, and he had arranged' to leave Liverpool per 'Frkeo mail, September 23. So it will not be many more weeks till we ars on tiie roul again. lam not able at this dote to give particulars of the show secured, but Mi- Northcote describes it in his cable a= "a git up." and he adds he is bringing out stage manager and mechanist. By the bye, 1 came aero-is the enclose! a few day? since. As it i'^ Shakespeare up to date, and, of coin so, deals with affairs in the Trnns\aal. I (••end it along, If suitable for your readable column- you are welcome to it. — Yo'ii-r Mnilinglv, Hav.ry AniiOT":. Wellington, September 8, 1900. KRUGER'S SOLILOQUY. (Enter Kruger as Hamlet.) Kruger : To pc or nod to vo= ? Dot i? tier kvostion, Vecldor 'tis b:c!dei in cler Rand to suffer Dcr check uad bossitg of oudrageous J3n;ain Oi to claki- t;i«n ngaiu&t dor Tonuny^Aokins Und mifc a rifle end hceni. Bnfc ptabs he shoocl He first!, und imt a ckim dum pullet end Uer poll}" achi- tiacl tousand pains und aches Dot 1 vc Fitff >r mit. "i'is yon conclusion Vich I fici't vi&h trcme more. Tc slope — to To ii'-url ujj'J gel ? lickin' — dete's det lup; (io±- it I ni'utl und got me licknd, vy den 1 ?ixi't be j'ie-icieii'. sonic more up here, Yen I »nff Ehufflc oi? ("iis billet, Gout; 1 lipk" io go up 1 cba, der spud and cha=s Ocr pole;.', bob-tailed, cow, cler fig vol sing 3 fioiiU' tenor so I.!1 '.! vi;.i bsco tail he catch lie-3iilo de/ g.ule. 2nc, no, T bear me firsd O")pret=ors' vicii-r-:, the projicl nwn's coa.Uuii-. 1 ;.. To qrtiut a:i>l "=vor.t tuider tier vcaiy hie JJot rcr.k" me t'reti. J ain't dor now To teak der imJibcolTEerod lend wvay, Yerc nippers hatf dor lior-r ior lunch und tea ):) "Ois make us lardec boai cloze ills v> - e ha£E D^.~.l fly to ocTers vol wr knov/' abcud. 1 wnte mo 1o do*- Chamberlain ad voncf, Uii'l say I'm ■ji.'klicd o'or mil- some complaint, U/vJ dot drr llosr will trite some laughing gas, To have hi? ttts-ks csl'.Mclecl by citr .Bull. — IXCOGNITA. Manj- thanks to Friend L. .T-. Loin* for his useful littlo reminder : a pack of cards in a luhat.iuifcial morocco-clasped co-\er, roniindin<; one of a pocket tectament only for the tubt-eription oi "tlonei" and the dedl's playbox within. L. J. L. ha& alwaj-&' been noted foi* hib original ideas in the form of advertising hla principals, and this io quite as cunning a device as any of them. ISlr Beerbolrm Tree is accredited in a London paper with the following rather &marb take-down of a very vain brother actor, who must be nai^cles". "I see you are getting on fairly well,' 7 Tree remarked. ■ "i'airly ! lam getting en very well. I played Hamlet for the first time last night. You can* see by the papers' glowing criticism-- how * well 1 got on!"' ''i have not read them," replied Tree, quietly; "but I was there." "Oh, you were? Well, you noticed how swimmingly everything went off. Of course, I made a bungle of one part by falling into Ophelia's* grave; but I think the audience even appreciated that."' "1 know they did," said Tree, with a slight smile. '"But they * v. era frightfully &oiry when yon got out again." Tho great novelty of "The Casino Girl," the new American musical comedy, is Electric Ballet. Eight girls come on in ordinary dancing frocks to the ankles, and big hats. The lights are lowered v ivitil the stage is in almost total darkness. Suddenly the girlb' faces are lit up by little electric lights secreted in the centre of each low bodice. Next, the faces are further lit by lamps set under the hat-brims just over the foreheads. They begin a slow dance, waving theii skirts, and suddenly, under each translucent gown, there appears, around the hips, a lins of globes of fire. These globes change colour from white to red. Presently, each girl's puffed sleeves are full of fire. Then a "V-shaped decoration of flaming butterflies appears on ihe front of each corsage, and a tiny line of light encircles each waist. The dancing, the changing lights, that shine like jewels in the darkness, the flickering butteiflies chasing over the copages, the fluttering of soft, light draperies (says "M.A.P.") all go to make a quite unforgettable picture. The conclusion is most poetic. When the girls come out in the darkness to bow a farewell to the applauding audience, all the lights in their dresses rre suddenly extinguished,, and a flaming butterfly floats over each hat.' As they retire nothing can be seen but the nicker of the disappearing butterflies. Miss Gertrude Amy Mackenzie, known on the Australian operatic stage as Miss Dorothy Vane, was recently married at the Hotel Australia, Sydney, to Mr Norman H. Menzies, of Melbourne. Mrs Menzies is a daugh-