THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2529, 3 September 1902, Page 57

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES .

By Pasqiix. TUESDAY, September 2

Wirth'a Circus and Menagerie i» again on the move for the Eummer campaign, and n>ay be expected to ieaeh Dunedin about the end of the year. The brothers el-aim to have this year a stronger combination than they have ever introduced to the New Zealand public.

Mr Charles Holloway, of the Holloway Dramatic Company, has booked> four weeks ut the Princess Theatre, commencing Saturday. February 14. This means tliat there are only four vacant nights at tlm theatra from October 25, 1902, until March 13, 1903.

Reynolds Dennis ton, of thia city, a onctiine mcinlier of the local Garnet Club, is at present doing a tour of South Africa with Marsh's Comedy Company. The tour will last for five montlis, at the end of which Mr Denniston leaves for London to join Wilson Barrett's company. Bounding bilTiard-table artist Ashby, late of World's- Entertainers, who is now out on the North Island roads with a company of his own, has secured his old-time partner to replace acrobat Kelly, at present vrith Dix Gaiety Company, Christchurch. Tlie new-old acrobat who turns somersaults off the billiard table is none other than elowa Joe Morris, of Fitzgerald's Circus.

Alf. Stephens, one o! Tom Pollisrd's prilicipal grown-up liliputians, who !>as beea. seriously indisposed fCr some week?, is at present staying with his sister. Mrs Ernest Schatze, at her residence in Hoily road, Ohristcn-urch. Alf S. is improving, and hopes to rejoin the company at an early date. By the way, hi« young brother Dick, who was- for some time junior electrician for Pollard's Compaaay, and" later with Tnriitmll and Jones, has given up the electric business for the dispensarr. When last heard of, Eddie Nable, late of Tom Pollard's Company, was at Bulawayo, South Africa, with his comedy company. The one-time Pollard juvenile reports excellant business. He speaks of a New Zealand tour shortly. Baritone Ernest FittE, late stage manager of Dix Gaiety Company, Auckland, has been transferred to the Dix house in Ohristchurch. The one-time portly singer is not now so portly, having come down from 17st to 15st, anainly by reason of much exercise, consisting of extensive* walking tours before and after meals.

The well-known Black Family of Muei- ~ cians,_ who are always welcome in the country districts of Otago, go out on the road again, commencing ax Wa.ita.huna on September 10. Miss Nellie Black has added trick violin playing to her already numerous accomplishments, and Mtsb Elsie Black flute playing. Mr J. A. Macdonald is in advance.

• Mira Amy Castles, who has about completed her provincial tour, now possesses a very substantial bank balance. She is to spend threo weeks recruiting with her parents at' Bendigo, ' and then it is understood ghe will proceed to London, via the United State*

Mrs Norman Mcnzies (Mis 3 Dorothy Vane) recently wrote to Mr Harry Rickards, stating that she would like to do something in aid of the Mount Kembla sufferers, and »aid that if the entrepreneur had an opening she would appear for a week and hand over her salary to the fund. The remuneration was l«''t entirely to Mr Rickards, who

pay Mips A T aue £50 for the week. Miss Vane opened on Saturday, and «ing "The earth entombed miner." which has been sneciaily written for h«=r by Mr George Darreli.

From an official statement lately published, it appears that the Grand Upera House, Paris, employs the enormous number of 1530 persons, of whom ouly 55 are singers, whose names appear en the prcg-jamniP. There is a chorus of 165, ami a baud of 109, with a ballet of 217. besides 277 supers. Then there aro 250 machinists, or stage hands, an enormous number, that seems to suggest that some of the latest labour-saving machinery is not in use at this famous theatrp. It takes 38 men to look afcer the electric Lghts, and costumes, etc., lequira the sen ices of S2 assistants of both sexes. The ushers number 37, and there are 17 clerks in the office, and 28 firemen to look after the safety of the building.

At one of Mr Philip Nowbury's Saturday night concerts in Sydney a novelty appeared, in M. Marius Reboul, a man with a soprano voice. M. Reboul eahily reaches the high soprano B and C in alt. singing these notes softly or with a fortissimo of immense power Shut your eyos (says a Sydney paper) and j-ou would believe it was a woman singing. 11. Reboul, who is o\er 30 years of age, Pang as a tenor when oetwe-e-n the years of 16 and 23. He i? an astonishing vocal paradox. His speaking voice is that of the normal adult.

Rather a curious misad\p:>turo i* reported to have befallen an actor at one of the Parisian theatre- the other day. He. was playing the part of a certain Merry Monarchfamous in history, and in the course of one of his escapades ha had to hide m a barrel. On the ii'ght in question Jig duly ''congealed" himself, as those one& famous humourist?*, fie Two" Macs would 'ay. Scarcely had he settled himself, howeveg" when an overpowering odour of sulphur and. phosphoius arose, ueaily choking him. This was followed by a good d ft al of smoke, which added to* the choking Fina-lly, a distinct, feeling of heat, as unus.ual aa it was <Ii?tressing. made itself perceptible in the neighbourhood of tho tails of the player's fullbottomed The situation was critical. The imprisoned man could not jump out without ruining the scone ; on the other iiand, if he rama:ned in his prison, he stood an excellent chance of being first a&phyxinted, and then roasted. Fortunately his pickle wa-, observed from the wings, tha curtain was lowered, and the unfuitunate man, who had nearly fallen a -. :<-tim to his zeal for dramatic art. was rescued with a box of matches ablaze m las coat-tai! pocket v. .Signor Arturo Steffam writes Sydney Sunday Times to say thai Clat-a Butt is the only coiicert singer in England whose glorious voice can fill the Albert Hall, and that ''she is probably the only singer to whom a manager' may pay a big fee :tud bo certain ot getting his money back and something more." She is for some reason disliked .by the pre.-*?, and has gained her popularity in spUe cf iis persistent belittling. Signor Stoffani says that the bafso profundo app&ars to be almost extinct — Moiis Delmas. of the Pari* opera, is almcwt the only fine living example of tins \oico. Kteffani docs not appear to think much of some Australian silvers of rrront liOndon appearance.

Oharl«"a RoMoway. on provincial acting in linglaiid : — '"Tawdry ecenery. ill-dieted actors and actresses, viemg with each other as to who-' can shout the loudeet, nearly all with cracked voices, through the horrible provincial system ef shouting everything; some playing two or thre 1 © parts in the ?ame play, with but little attempt at disguising their faces, and none whatever at disguising thi ir voico. At a fashionable walnvmpplaco in England I taw a man play threo : parts in one piece. He was a handsome ; young spendthrift in act 1, in act 2 ho »a» a reverend father, and afterwards a low- - comedy burglar, and, excepting for tho ' change in dress, he was exactly the same in all three, and dirt> ai that " In the King^'b Bench Dhision of the High Court of Justice (Loudon)-, before Mr Justice Ridley and a .'pccial jury, an action was commenced on Monday, July 7, by Augustus Martin Moore, a dramatic author, against Edward Ledger, proprietor, and F. H. Pedgrift. pub'i-'iier of tho London Kia vknown to the theatrical profession as the ''Actors' Bible") to recover damages for alleged libel. The action was brought by plaintiff in respect to- a passage contained in a leading ar title in th** issue^of the Era . for September 21. of last year reflecting on f him in respect to his play, "The Giddy , Goat," produced 'at Terry's Theatre on August 22 last year. The passage com- j plained of ran: — "But the enemies of^hei statre will say, ' Lock ut Terry's ! How can you defend a piece like "The Giddy Goat?" ' , We have never attempted to defend either ! it or its like. Not the strictest Puritan could ( feel more disgust than wo do for surh stuff But it is frequently better policy to avoid , violent denunciation, which ouly advertisrs an enormity. We can no more help such j liroductious than the clergy can help a cer- j tain percentage of drunkards and criminals taking orders. But what a small propor- j tion of evil is reprpsented by this wretthetl i piece, taking into consideration the large > number of good and pure plays which we | have reckoned up." The evidence disclosed that the piece was of an objectionable character adapted from the French. Counsel for defendants said the rifrhts of the papers were to criticise public men and their works represented publicly. Tho question wns what were th<> limits within which they mitjht lawfully do that. If the critic did not exceed the limit's of fair criticism lie w&a w.i&m Uia ughte-. As haii iiahsc

indicated, if it was no more than fair, honest, independent, bold, even exaggerated, criticism, then the \erdict must be for the defendants. Mere exaggeration, even gross exaggeration, would not make the comment unfair. Tlie jury, after 30 minutes' deliberation, found for the plaintiff with one farthing damages. An application that plaintiff be deprived of costs was granted by Mr Justice Ridley, who observed that the action should not ha\e been brought before the court.

Mr F. Marion Crawford, the novelist and dramatist who wrote "Francesca da Rimini" for Madame Sarah Bernhardt, aid who has dram&tised several of his many novels, contrary to the general impression, does most of hia work in America — in a room fitted up for him in the Macmillan Buildings in New Yorl.-. and takes his vacations with his family ac his Tta'ian home in Sorrento. He has, however, .1 "work den" of a curious sort in Italy. It is an oid watch lower on the rugged Calafnian eoa&t, two days' sail from •Soiu-nto, ;md consists only of a dungeon si nd an old keep, and the latter Air Crawford has made habitable. There he lives for weeks at a time on an ascetic's diet, while his schooner and his sailors wait in the harboui. The novelist has sailed his boat across the Atlantic, and is a master mariner, holding a captain's licens". H& is now seriously devoting himself to play-writing. Miss Al£c« Hollander forwards me programme of hey fif3t appearance in, London. Era cays.: — Th» new contralto is fully realising the promise of her earlier concert. The one efiven at St. James'o Hall on Tuesday was a genuine success, the fine quality of her voice being universally recognised in "ily hoart is weary" from- Goriwg Thomas's "Ifadeshda." iii Gounod's "There's is a green hill far away," and ''O Divine Redeemer." Miss Hollander was assisted by the Australian soprano Miss Kate Trail!, who in airs of Mozart and others proved her capacity. Mr Frederick Ranalow also sang extremely well, and solos for pianoforte, violin, and organ were> given by Miss Vera Margolic3. M. Louis Peokai, and Mr Herbert Hickox. Mr George Grossmith also gave a musical sketoh.

Some mv.sic publishers' agents have visited Liverpool, and, acting on information received, hare raided a shop and "apprehended" ev»ry scrap of copyright music. As they wer*- coining oat they met a man going in, and, on asking him what he had in the bundle, he re-plied "Music." They took the paicel from him, examined it. and, -finding it contained what they were looking for, confiscated it. Then they called a. cab, put the parcels into it, and drove away. Before leaving the '"bosV gave the man a card containing 1 a name and address in London, teHinsr him at the fame time "he could tako whal'-'xc-r proc2edins j = lie likied." !Mes-,rs Fitzgerald Bros., of circus fame, aiv aboub to extend their operations in providing for the people of Australasia ou a much raor n extensive scale, and with that end in view they despatched Mr Harold George, th°ir well-known, ayent. ro America by the R.M.S. Aorang?. Mr (ieorge will proceed lo Chicago, direct from Vancouver, and- there et-tuJUi&h a worm nent agency to supply novelties and performers for Australia. Mr G-?orgc has been with the 'Fitzgprald Bros, for so long, and his instructions and plans are so complete and well la ; d, out by the brothers, that it may be anticipated that 1 the very be«fc of circus talent to bp had in America will be sent to Australia. Mr Georo;p will travel through ■ev<=rv State m the Union and see all shows uo.=s:blo to be seen • will then procped to London from New York, should he deem it noc<^»arv. and also throughout- the Conrineiit of Europe. In the meantime, ir is the intention, of the Fitzgerald Bros, to erect pcimanent circus buildings in Adelaide, Sydney, and Brisbane cv exactly similar lines to then huge ( irci's amphitheatre op St. Kil'la road. Molbournr. which is nndonbtecllv the grpatost biulding of its kind in Aintralip. and is .said to be laxijer and better arrar.e^d than many of the old-world circus hii'lding". Messrs Fitzgerald are even now endeavouring to arrange for a site for the erection of their Brisbane house. Mr George ha X instructions to negotiate with such men a* .lame-s A. Bailv. of the Boriuim «how. Nat Saubbury, of Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and Imra Kiralfy, for the i-"prodilotioii of BO>ne of their spectacular successes: also Bush and Stentz, of Hamburc and Berliu : al«o arranjiempnts are ahready made with Heir Carl Hageubeck, of Hamburg, for the buuply of animal act^. Tliey iatend, if possible, to induce the greatest nerformers in the circus world to \i"it Australia, and expect to be able to s-unply the latest novelties, nvikiug a tour of Australia and New Zealand about evevy fouv months, with an entirely new show, thus one company to romp m at Townsville, Queensland. and finish the whole of the States and New Zealand, and go back to Europe from West Anst'-aha. Another new batch of foreign perioiuurs will meet the brothers and tonr throughout the States, and go out via Townsv illo.