WELLLNGTON WING WHISPERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2523, 23 July 1902, Page 61

WELLLNGTON WING WHISPERS

Br P. Ruumm.

July 18.

Dear Pasquin, — Dixs Gaiety Company in still in possession of the whole Wellington stage of entertainment, and business has been booming at the Royal. Geiger, the violent vio* linist — and the talented musician — has shared^ the plaudits of the week with Lizzie Kirk and Adele Libra. One of Geiger's cleverest feats with the violin and bow is an illustration o{ a. duet on two violins. (Just yon try and sa£ whether you can duet l ) The next attraction at the Eoyal is to be Kelly, late of the World* Entertainers.

Clifford Walker gave me a call this weeK on arriving back in town from his Australasian rambles. He had seen you on his way ug from the south, and consequently tluae is no need to tell you here how fit he .was looking and what Wrs movements arc to be. Suffice i\ to say that he has. taken our Opera House for a season of three night next week, and is ta entertain Wellingtonians with recitals. It i$ two years since C. W. last appeared before a Wellington audience.

A deljghfcinl pianoforte recital ■was given by Maughan Barnott in. the Sydney Street School, room last Tuesday night. The hall was filled with a fashionablo and a music-loving audience, which included Lady Eanhirly and a party from Government House. Personally t I would rather henr M. B. in recitals such aa that given on Tuesday than s-pend an e-veni ing with "mixed" musicians, for he is delightful at the keyboard, and the variety of his playing is infiuits. The classic "Sonata Pathe» tiquo" of Beethoven, Schumann's delightful "Nachstuck in F," and Rubinstein's "Etude iv C-major " wore all admirably played, aa were also several choica examples of Chopin* -well-known compositions. These formed strikingly effective contrast to the beautifully solemn-toned chords of Fumagolh's "A te o Cara." The "Berceuse" and "Air de Ballet" (Mr Barnett'a own composition) were so well played as to win an encore. Sch.ubert'i "Serenade, ' as arranged by Liszt, and Liszt'f' "Ehapßodie Hongroise" wers brilliantly performed, and a portion of the last-named had ii be repeated, so, delighted were those vrha heard it.

In a recent budget I s f -ated that Professoi Powell, who came through recently with th« AVorld's Entertainers, would leave the company at Auckland and go back to Australia to complete the term of Lis engagement. In a farewell letter written from Auckland ha tells mo that he was to leave to-day with the rest of the company for America by tin 'Frisco mail. I gather from h's letter thai Lee and Rial have not been as successful in Australia as they anticipated. The Professoi concludes his letter by saying that he hope* to return to the colonies with his own comparjy.

The Gaiety Company is not to have the vaudeville stage all to itself. A company, which has taken the -ambitious title of Matzt^ is to open in the Federal Theatre to- morrow evening, at the usual low-cut rates. Tho rostei contains the names of the Lurlines, Lilh« Smith, Sheldon, R*xo, Fxeddy Garnett, and Frank Reid — all of whom are mote or lesa known to us.

The Post tells U3 that the financial result* of the recent season of "The Yeomen of the Guard" by the Amateur Operatic Society did not come up to expectations, owing clue-fly to the postponement of the Coronation festivities fixed for about the same time and the continuous spell of wet weather, only one night bemg fine during the whole season. The &x* penses connected with the production alsf| proved heavier than was estimated. It has beenfound on balancing up accounts that the opera will only just about pay for its production, but it lias meant the redistribution of some £600 odd amongst various business people. The society has, however, a balance lo credit from previous seasons sufficient to enable it to embark on the production of another opera next year.

it is whispered that "Tho Yeomen of fcht Guard" may be given by tho L) lined in a ma* teurs-, with Miss Murphy in the part she »p« peared in during the Wellington season. II it be so, you will enjoy it.

Two residents of Palmerston North offere^ the Borough Council a site upon which tha town should build a municipal Opera Houses but the offer was declined. No go! The Marist Brothers' O'd Boys' Dramatio C^ub gave two very creditable performances of "The Wearin' o' the Green" thia week in their schoolroom, in aid of the organ fund o! tho Sacred Heart Basilica. The principal characters were well sustained by Misses Ruddy and Roberts, and Messrs Gamble, Kelly, Gibbs, Sievers, T. Marshall, Liar-deb, M'Rae, and M'Grath. A feature of the programme was an Iri»h jig neatly dance-d by Miss Foley and Mr D. M'Phee. Dwring th* progress of the drama. Bonga were sung. l>y, Messrs Liardet, Sievers, and Gamble. The duties oi secretary and stage manager were performed by Messrs Gamble and Kelly respectively. Mr S. Cimino conducted the or-. chost ra-

I wonder who the Free Lance is getting at ia, this week's issue in the following Entre Nous: "The wily entrepreneur who left a dramatic company in Christchurch a few weeks ago lamenting hia absence has just repeated the seme performance here in Wellington, where he has left a newly-formed dramatic company to mourn his pudden disappearance. The gentleman, who, by the way, rej'oioes in anothet name in 'Australia, made money on the other side with suburban dramatic shows and adinMsiori by silvri coin. But he disappeared (mm Australia jU3t aa mysteriously as he vanished from Chri=tchurch, and more lately frnm Wellinftorj. In each instance, the companies he left behind him are anxious to know his whereabouts, njid many and freqviont ar« the inquiries for Mr Blank, alias Dash, alias Hyphen, etc., etc., theatrical manager and commercial traveller. Tho crudest point of this gentleman's latest lark is the fact that h( scut for a lady and gentleman from Christchurch to piny leading parts m the company he formed here. The two artistes left good business in Christchurch, and now find themselves branded in a strange city. It is about time a stop was put to this smart gentleman's theatrical enterprises.

The Ottoman Bank has agreed to advance £110.000 to enable tho Turkish Gcvernnifnt to pay a month's arrears of official salaiiei

Several of the men on the Admiralty steamer Mercede3 who had signed articles for a.° far as Now Zealand left the vessel at Westport, and intend to try their luck on the coa.st.

For some months past (jrrites a Taranaki correspondent to the Wairarapa Daily Times), we have at long intervals heard a prolonged rumbling noise, commencing loud and gradually decreasing in volume until it dies away. It has a muffled sound, and suggests a subterranean explosion. Very, little notice was taken of the occurrence until last Friday, when it was exceedingly, loud, much more so than on previous occa« sions, and was sufficiently startling to give rise to wonderment. We axe anxious to know whether Egmont is preparing to treat us io a second edition of the Martinique disaster.