Theatrical and musical Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 2651, 4 January 1905, Page 60

Theatrical and musical Notes.

Bt Pasqtjin. TUESDAY, January Zi

fePlay bills .to hand by last mail from j Charlie "Faning in London -indicate that the j jSopular comedian ia ttill recognised as e> j first-class . performer» j W Michael Joseph, 'or some other equally responsible person in Melbourne forwards posters of melodrama "Between Two Woken" and pantomime "Sinbad the Sailor," «s performed by Mr Anderson's companies [in the Victorian capital. j -40** C« Wynne Bcfls. *dvi§e xne pi .their j

■- : , I . Whereabouts- by poster to hand, which sets forth in ,big -letters' their appearance at |tne Empire Talaoe- Theatre, Birmingham. '-The .popular balancers are I>illed as the Refined Athletes. 1 Dear. Easquin,— After a successful season ip Victoria, we- opened here on Boxing- Night, -and after a tour- of Tasmania we return to •yiotoria, working overland -to Sydney, and) from there to New Zealand. Kindest re--gards from s Geo. Oallendeb, Zeehan, Tasmania,' December 20, 1904. On Monday night the Anderson Dramatic .Company put up a record at Dunedin Princess, the theatre being filled at 7.30, and at "early door" prices. Hundreds were un- . able~ to gain admission. • Mr - Fred Henningham, , representing Mr , Wm. Anderson's - Dramatic Company in Dunedin,- informs me that on the opening i night of "Sinbad th© Sailor", in Melbourne j all the circle and stalls were booked' up at | 8s each. . , j More seasonable greetings ,to hand_ from i Miss Phylis -Mitchell, , George Stephenson j Company,-- Auckland ; Bert Royle, Harold Ashton- and - Dick Stewart, Knight-Jeffries Company,- Wellington; ."Drama," Grey- , mouth ; Herbert Flemming, Aden ; Alec. Mid- , dleton, Calcutta; George -Barnes, Auckland; 'George Callender, manager Heller's -Company; George and, Philip WirtK, Sydney, and Mr and , Mrs Wm. Anderson, Melbourne. The^gpod. wishes are sincerely and heartily reciprocated. .Mr', Fred Dawson, representative of the Fiek Jubilee Smgers, left for "the north on Thursday lest. The -Fisiks will appear at • Waimate, .Thursday, January 5; -Temuka,, •Jartuary 6^,>Geraldin©j January 7 ; ' JLshbur-'.-ton r January 9, and 10 ;'*and Theatre. Royal, ' Cmristohurch, Thursday, -Fridk-y; and-'. Saturday, Jahuai^fv 12,^ 13, and 14. Open' in Wellington \Town" Hall, - Wednesday,' January" 18, 'for jfive \iighte. - , \ '. ' ~ . ' * - -A The death-, of. Mr- &' J. Lpudin is -/announced as Waving taken , place x»n November10, "at his."ljom&.',in Ohio.,'. He wiu"b*\best' remembered here a& the leader' and^ principal 1 bass of theFisk Jubilee' "Singers. The first theatrical performance in - Aue-" ; tralia was given by convicts on June 1 . 4", 1789, to celebrate the King's Birthday.' The play was "The Recruiting Officer." That- Dunedin dearly Moves its -melodrama is evidenced by the crowds which have~been \ flocking to the Princess Theatre since tbe opening of the Anderson Dramatic Com- ] pany's season. First- night of "A Sailor's Sweetheart" . saw the theatre packed to 'the | doors and hundreds turned away.- Over j £180 was taken at 3s, 2s, and Is. i The proceeds of the theatrical carnival i in* aid of the Gertie Campion Fund given' in Dunedin recently, after , all expenses have been paid, amounts to £100. , Ihe total subscriptions and donations to the fund will amount to close upon £600. Miss Campion had another relapse recently, and last advices ' regarding -her -state of health go to show' that, it will be impossible to remove her from South Africa to this colony before February next at" the earliest. " ' Herr Slapoffski has gone to America to rejoin his wife, Maldame Slapoffski, who has" scored a . .distinct -success in the land of trusts. and combines. • . The juvenile "Dartos,", Eddie and Decima TVl'Lean, clever" children of Ed. M'Lean, Australia's premier ballet master, will make their appearance, in London next year, engagements having, been booked for them in the Big Smoke , by^Mr •J. C . William : ; eon, under .. whose management, the little McLeans have- been .showing in. Australia. .London's- voiced is; loudi-and 4 persuasive, judging *by the' number of colonial artists who answer the call. Latest to speafe of ■ going, to the tmetropolis. is Miss Celia Ghilo'ni, •remehVberecll round, these parts with the- Royal Comic, Opera Company last year. , "The American Travesty, at present concluding a season in Sydney, will not now visit New Zealand as intended, but will return <to America by the 'Frieco steamer. Edwin Geach is mentioned! in connection with the management of *he New Zealand tour of the Flying Jordans. ' Playgoers in Auckland have been struck severely in the pocket- by -George Stephenson's Musical Comedy Co. First night (Christmas Eve, when most people were impersonating Santa Claus), receipts amounted to within a pound or two of £200. Actual , figures are supprcesed out of consideration for the management, who> might he accused of making too much money. Second night Aucklanders were reckjess, and dissipated in circle, stalls, and ,pit, money to the amount of nearly - £250, and the third night fell short of that amount by a Jew pounds only. So that the prospects of the company in Auckland are sufficiently bright to cause the management to buy its j own Christmas Box with a merry heart. i The famous Flying Jordans are due for j a tour of Maoriland next month. Past recollections of these flying wonders should ensure big business on the coming tour. More deflections from the ranks of Pollard's Opera Co. This time Charlie Albert, comedian, whose Insect in "Paul Jones" some years ago, bespoke for him a promising future. Chas:~ Albert has joined Anderson's Sifibad the Sailor Pantomime Co., .playing Harlequin in that Christmas production- in- Melbourne. Theatrical depression in the English pro>inces continue* to be noted. Theatres cannot compete with the enterprise shown by music-hall managers, who in better and cleaner' buildinge give brighter and more attractive shows. For touring companies the takings are divided between the touring manager and the resident manager in the jwracortion of 65 or 70 per cent, to 3§ or 30

per cent. ; th© resident manager finds the theatre and staff only. Mr Herbert Waring has become bankrupt. He attributed his failure to the production of an unsuccessful play at the Imperial Theatre, "A Man of His Word," and subsequent litigation as to the rent of the theatre. The Official Receiver suggested that it was in part due to the fact that the debtor had lived beyond his income. "Your income averaged £1000 a year and your expenditure £1500?" Mr Waring: .So it appears. Asked whether he had any engagement at present, the debtor said he was about to appear with Miss Olga Nethersole for the run of a play at a salary of £40 a week. Since the writ was issued he had had 1 an engagement in America at £100 a week with Mrs Patrick Campbell, for 18 weeks; six weeks at the Lyric in "Othello" at £50 a week; 12 weeks at the St. James' in "The Cardinal" ; and 16 weeks at the Haymarket in "Joseph Entangled," at £40 a week, yet ne failed. During the run of "Dearer than Life," Toole and Lionel "Brough betook themselves to a photographer's to be "taken" as .the broken-down brothers in the garret scene. Brough, wonderfully made up, wore the regulation workhouse costume, and! Toole was as shabby as an o'ut-at-e-lbows, insolvent tradesman could weJl be. v While the operator was at work Toole suggested that they should take a stroll in their stage make-up in th© adjacent West-end square. Ttoqle knocked at the door 6f the mansion of a wealthy, purse-proud individual, who, having sprung from nothing-, was notoriously ashamed of his less prosperous relations, and anxious to pose -as the intimate friend of his aristocratic neighbours. The door was opened by a pompous,' powdered, and plushed footman, who locifced in dismay on the disreputable intruders. "Masfeer in?" asked Toole. "No, he is not," said the flunkey. "Not 'in?" said 1 Toole, with an air of disappointment, which was also conveyed by- the by-play of Brough. "Well, when he comes in, young' man, tell ,him as his two brothers from the workhouse called to see him." Mr Balfour, in a letter to the Bishop of Ossory, denounces the production of a nativity at Kilkenny theatres as an unwaranfcable and dangerous liberty with one of th© most sublime mysteries of the Catholic faith. He calls on all Catholics to dissociate themeelves from th© performance. . While a certain dramatic company was playing in a- New Zealand town, says Melbourne Dramatic News, a. visitor to the "stalls insisted upon smoking-, and was violently ejected from the theatre, falling upon his hack on the pavement. After rising to his feet he cogitated- for a minute, looked at, the cigar floating along the gutter, and prese-ntedl himself at the door for readmiseion. "Ticket, please," said -the doorkeeper. "Ticket!" replied the erring one, Y'iicket! vWKy,., they ;never gave me- onewhen I cam© put I" , , „' According to -the Stage, with 'the gradual modernisation of Old Drury, a number of - quaint' ,, oldV 'portions « of tlie > theatre links with the .past, many . of , them celebrated Uy th«ir association with, great actors and •actresses, - hay© r been swept L,away. . The greenroom ,ajs '* 'greenroom exists no - longer, •although* for"- a r time, the traditional green paper and the old-fashioned" clock and busts pi i eminen^ tragedians were kept on the walls. ■ Nine years ago, when the box office was enlarged, a circular staircase hadi to be removed. ' More recently, with th© erection of ' the new offices , over what was once Vinegar Yard,' it . has been found necessary ta transform' one of the anterooms of the boxes into , an entrance to them. ■ This apartment was known "ais Mrs Garrick's, the widow of the great actor having survived him f oi-- -many years, and 1 owned a box on this tier of the present National Theatre. Dear Fasquin, — A few lines re Christchuroh shows. Fullers' Christmas production was "My Sweetheart," and it ie going big. It is , well staged and cast, go 'big houses are the result. Dix« company is at the Theatre Royal. _..The company is the same- as appeared at Dunedin, with the Lund Brothers, acrobats, added. The "Williams Dramatic Company opened here on Thursday, -with "Falsely Accused," to big business. "Eitist Lynne" was played on Friday, "Faleely Accused" on Saturday, and from Boxing Night -onward! "Current Cash." . The company's eeiason has been successful here, and they leave for a "southern town in a week's time. The principals are Mr , George Ooppin, Miss Millie Colliei', Walter Medtas, Chas. "W au cl' Derek Mannersley. Geo. Gonroy, Doris- Maitland. Minnie Lancaster, Sophie Harris, -and Ruth Waud. With besfc- wishes/ 1 am. etc., Alp. James, i Christchurch, December 8.