THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 57

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTE.

Br Pasqtjix. MONDAY, December 22. A Melbourne cablegram announces the death of James F. Cathcart, a well-known actor. He was a brother of Mrs Robert Heir (afterwards well known as Mrs George DarreU), and appeared on several occasions in Dunedin some years ago. Mr and Mrs Trood (Miss Hetty Muret) recently of Williamson's "Runaway Girl" and "San Toy" Company, left Dunedin on Monday by the Warrimoo for Melbourne^ en route to England. Chas. Carter, of Pollard's Opera Company, arrived from the north last night. The P. O. Company give him a benefit ("Maritant") at Dunedin Princess to-morrow (Tuesday) evening. Mr Carter will be 6een in his best part, Don Caesar. ' Boxing Night productions in New Zealand : Auckland — J. C. Williamson's Musical Comedy Company, at His Majesty's ; WiHoughby-Geach Comedy Company at the Opera House. Wellington — Anderson's Dramatic. Company, at the Opera House. Christchurch — Frank Thornton Comedy Company at the Theatre Royal. Dunedin j. C. Williamson's "Sherlock Holmes" Dramatio Company, at the Princess. Invercargill — Pollard Opera Company, at Royal. Mr Marcus, business manager for Rickards's Variety Company, which opens for a short season .in His . Majesty's Theatre on December 30, arrived in town yesterday to make arrangements for the company's appearance. Strongman Saudow is the particular star. ' Elizabeth Fenn, Madame Melba s maid, •who ' has travelled with the' prima donna •11 over the world, died last week, in a private hospital at Woodend (Vie.). . .juggler Ciuquevalh has cabled Jidwin -Vftcb., who it *t present in Auckland, to

arrange an Indian tour for him. Eddie Geach will send a sub. to pilot the Prince of Jugglers through the East. A disquieting rumour is going the rounds concerning Mr Chas. Sweet, the Musical Burglar, who ' was through New Zealand with American Company of World' 6 Entertainers. Rumour hath it that Mr Sweet j died "some six weeks ago. So far I have heard nothing confirming the statement, but have received a letter from South Africa to the effect that Mr Chas. Sweet, the Musical Burglar, is with the World's Entertainers at Durban. I acknowledge Christmas and New Year greetings from Harold Ashton, World's Entertainers, South Africa; Maud Beatty, Drury Lane, London; Miss Nellie Mortyne (late of Hawtrey's Company), London; "The Tramp," Sydney; J. O'Sullivan, Pollard's Opera Company; and "Lorgnette," New Zealand Mail, Wellington. The good wishes are sincerely and heartily reciprocated. To my readers, professional and otherwise, I extend the season's compliments, wishing them joy and prosperity. Madame Slapoffski, who toured New Zealand with the Grand Opera Company, will share with Miss Josephine Santon the ' .principal parts in "The Fortune Teller," the comic opera to be produced in Sydney by Musgrove's Opera Company. Madame . Slapoffski will play Musette, Miss Jose- j phine Stanton Irma, and Miss May Beatty Pompom. In the revival of "Paul Jones"' by Williamson's Royal Comics, Florrie Young played Paul J., making a decided hit in the part. The Royal Comic Opera Company opened in* Sydney on Saturday in "Dorothy" ; also Musgrove's Comic Opera Company opened in "The Thirty Thieves." Portly Allan Hamilton, Brough's man ahead, intends to settle in Australia as a theatrical manager after the Brough Company disband. „ Brough's Comedy Company disband in j Calcutta- on April 4. The revival of the old-time comic operas by Williamson's Royal Comics has been a distinct success. It is to be hoped that the present is. only a forerunner of further revivals of the legitimate comic opera, and j that the days and nights of buffoonery and musical comedy are numbered. A Coincidence — Miss Lulu Evans, late of Tom Pollard's Opera Company, while appearing in Melbourne with the Royal Comics in "The Mikado," was badly burned about the arms and hands through the explosion in her room of a spirit lamp. Here comes the coincidence : Mies Lily Everett, one of Tom Pollard's old-timers, acting as understudy to Miss Evans, played the latter'! part. ; Allan Shaw, "The Coin King," who was 'to have toured New Zealand with the World's Entertainers, but was prevented owing to his serious illness, is, I am pleased to state, rapidly recovering. - Sl\aw is at present in Durban, South Africa, showing with the" World's Entertainers. World-renowned pianist Paderewski, who is coming out to Australia in July, 1904, will probably* visit New Zealand. It is 10 years ! since he first arranged to tour the colonies | under R. S. Smythe. In reply to "Deadhead" (Auckland) : "The amazing bluff and boom of "Chinese Honeymoon" was not carried successfully throughout the whole colony, and did not finish up as strong in Dunedin as it opened (and closed) in Auckland. There were only two towns in New Zealand which took "The Chinese Honeymoon" seriously, and found for it a place in their - besoms — Auckland and Christchurch. Former town accepted the Chinese musical comedy, as it accepts most other things, with a tremendous amount of good faith and very little discretion. Several visits to the "Honeymoon" could not convince Auckland theatregoers that they disliked it — which they did, but rushed it just the same. Christchurch fell over itself to see the "Honeymoon" mainly because its taste lay in that particularly weak direction, and mainly again beoause it knew no better; also Christchurch turned out in fairly substantial •numbers during the short season of four nights because it thought it had been "had" over "Thirty Thieves" — which it hadn't ; but Christchurch didn't know. On a holiday night Dunedin was first introduced to the piece, in which young New Zealand actress May Beatty was alleged to have made "the hit of her life" — of that anon, as the poet, or someone equally as irresponsible, says. The house was full, and some of it went out at the interval and got fuller, and next morning half the town knew that the other half was disappointed. And all that week the public stayed away in largo numbers, so large in fact that Tommy Hudson took back the kind things he had said of Dunedin during the prand opera season. When the pieoe with the unattractive title "The Thirty Thieves," whose other name is "Mariana," was staged, there was a general feeling of rejoicing, and in the morning and evening of tho next day those persons who . had gone to see tho "Chine«e Honeymoon," and had been disappointed, knew ihat their friends who had not eeen tho "Honeymoon," and consequently had not been disappointed, had vitited "The Thirty Thieves," and rejoiced greatly. That section of the great British public in Dunedin went back again and enjoyed itself all the more; not so those who had paid to see May Beatty make "the hit of her lifo"— which she Sidn't. These stayed away, the parting of their several dollars having imprinted with a big imprint the saw: "Once bitten keep off the grass." Coneeauently,. • three- weeks',- season with, two

pieces, one good and the other not 60, washed up without showing much colour.