THE GHOST WALK

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

THE GHOST WALK

May- Moore .Ditprez has arrived! in America. The, late Dan- Leno'tf life -was insured for £10,000. Another new theatre- in Sydney is at present muchly spoken of. Madame Marsella, the "Bird Queen," is now appearing at Sydney Tivoli. " Miss Florence Young departs for America this month en route to London. Miss Nellie Stewart and Co. are at present in Sydney producing "Pretty Peggy." Tom Pollard's Opera. Co. produced a pantomime in Perth during Christmas and New Year. Claude Whaite is piloting the Turner Operatic and .Concert Company, through* maniaAnderson's Dramatic Company will probably visit Invercargill after the present Dunedin season. Taylor-Carrington Co. are still in Southland district, where they are doing 'satisfactory ~ business. At Newcastle the Maityn Hagan and Lucy Fraser concerts are just now the only public attraction. The De Wynne Bros., who forwaid copy of 'roster, wore at latest appearing at London Hippodrome. Miss Alexia Baßsian, the new prima donna under engagement to Mr J. C. Williamson, is a. Roumanian by birth. Sanfoard's American players will shortly pay a return visit to New Zealand. The company is at present in Tasmania. Comedian Fred Graham is playing old woman character in Andersen's panto "Sinbad the Sailor" in Melbourne. Charles AxnoH. who recently announced his retirement from the stage, s&ortly starts a tour of South Africa, it is st»t«cl. W. T- Lovell, here with the Broughs, is with Miss Olga Nethersole's Company at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Mr Alfred Hill, the .well-known composer of "Hinemoa" and "Tapu," has been elected conductor of the Auckland Liedertafel. The Knight-Jeffries Company are adding ' If I Were King" to their repertoire, and will play the same on their return to Australia.

The recently-erected Theatre Royal in Melbourne is said to be the equal of any theatre jji Australasia, and absolutely up to date. Miiss Nellie Kelburn, recently through New Zealand under Fuller management, has rejoined Rickards's company at Sydney Tivoli. Stated that; Mr John Hare, the actor, is discussing the question of a tour of Australia with Mr J. C. Williamson's agent in London. Stated that the "star" attraction of Mr Harry Rickards's, next company to tour New Zealand will be Hackenschmidt, the wrestler. The revival of "Patience" by a specially organised co. in Sydney has been a great success. The company will visit New Zealand in due course. The death of Miss Beatlie Smith, which was reported to have taken place in Manila recently, is now denied, a cable having been received to that effect. Mr Walter Whyte, the well-known Auckland tenor singer, has accepted an engagement in comic opera from Mr J. C. Williamson, and has left for Melbourne. iSx Williamson's Dramatic Company will visit New Zealand, where it is expected that Pinero's "Letty," " Second Mrs Tg,nqueray," and "Zaza" will be added. As a successor to the late Dan Leno, Mr Arthur Collins has engaged Mr James Welch for a leading comic part in the Drury Lane pantomime, "The White Cat." The Dashing Elmores are. appearing with Frank Clarke's Gaiety Company in Melbourne. Miss Maudi Beatty is with Rickards's company at Melbourne Opera House. Mr Arthur Garner, of the once well-known firm of Williamson, Garner, and Musgrove, is writing a series of articles for a London paper on the "Stage in Australia." Mr George Dance is the principal organiser of touriKg companies ia. England. He opsrates 12, and has shares in 20 more, of the 400 companies touring" in Great Britain. \ Two musical comedies, "The Isle of Spice." and "The? Royal (Gu->ef," have been utter failures in New York. The public taste for_ plays of a light musical class is decidedly on the wane. The experiment of providing "cheap grand opera." has been niade by - a London daily paper, the Daily Mail. The proprietary leased the Covent Garden Opera> House, and the attempt was a.ttended by such success tt&t it will probably be repeated. Miss Maggie Moore, before her departure for Liverpool to start pantomime reiiearsals, appeared successfully at the London Tivoli ia "Th© Chinese Question." H. R. Roberts played the leading male role. Foi some engagement , Pafcti, while in the zenith of her fame, received as much, as £1000 a night. In the oper* of "Semiramide" it was .computed that she- was paid at the rate of Is Sd for every note that slie sang. Amateur Violoncellist: "What's the next piece in the programme f" Neighbour: "Sousini's orchestral fantasia. 'Night Among the Pyramids.' " A. V. (much taken aback) : "Why, sir. I've just played that! " "A musician out of work, are you ? Well, -' you'll find a few cords in the woodshed. Sup- j pose you favour me, with an obligate"- "Par.don the pronunciation, madam," replied" the tramp, "but .Chopin is not popular with me." ' Madame* Anita Sutherland (wife of MrHaigh--j Jackson, of th "Country Girl" Company) is j a recent addition to the' ranks of Melbourne's professional vocalists. She is the possessor" of : a Highly-trained soprano, and is described as a conscientious hrterp'retei of the (modern 'Ges:--man school. "- ' - '" A wealthy American actress'has made a will in which she bequeaths JE20.000 to be invested in Government Bonds until such time "as a total of £1,000,000 is raised. With this fund a. theatre is to be endowed, but only plays by American authors and Shakespeare's plays lire to be produced in this protected' playhouse. Five monkeyß escaped from Fitzgerald's Circus at Lyttelton about a, fortnight ago, and all but one were .recovered immediately. The absconder turned, up ,the other day in a local foundry, and on' st, chase Joeingorganised, took refuge under the wharves. He was hunted out, however, and finally captured on thesteamer Aotea. The sdmirers of Miss 1 Maggie Moore will be glad to hear (writes a London correspondent) that a, special part has been written for her ' in th© pantomime which is- to be put on at .the Shakespeare Theatre, Liverpool, at Christmas tim«. The part has been written to display her ability ?n interpreting the Irish and Chinese characters. Miss Hilda v Sporg has made another success in New York. She recently returned to London from a. tour 'in the west. Speaking of her reported engagement to Mr A. Higginson, a Boston millionaire, she says: — "The -report is absolutely absurd. I know him. He is a very nice bey, and we are good friends; but I am not engaged to anybody." At .the French penal colony, Noumea, New Caledonia, .the convicts hay© organised a band. The leader ia a. notorious murderer. The cymbal-player killed a subpoana-server, and the drum-player has murdered his I'andlord with » -hammer. The, assistant - bandmaster was ' convicted cf having cut his wife to pieces. One can- hardly imagine the * orchestra being very popular. Sir 'Augustus Harris died a rich man. He bequeathed half di his property, amounting to nearly £100,000, to LaSy Harris, and the other Half to his daughter. Miss -Florence Harris, who became of 'age in October. The widow and . daughter of the rich managerauthor are also interested in the performing rights of many popular operas, such as "Carmen," Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet," and several of Wagner's works. Friend: "Hello. Chaunter, what's up? You look worried." Manager : "The prima donna of my company refuses to sing oftener than twice a week. I am making only hundreds where I ought io make thousands." Friend: "Huh! I'd settle that. If I were you I'd marry her." Same Friend (a year later) : "My gracious! Yon look seedy.' What's happened?" Manager: "I married the prima donna-, and now she won't sing at all." For staging "The Belle of the Orient" s>. stags play, without a. license from the Lord: Chamberlain, the proprietors of the London Oxford have been fined £120. Mr Kennedy eaiet that the penalty in each case at the kind had depended on its own merits. In this instance the proceedings were against a wealthy corporation, and the fine would be fixed at £5 for each day concerned, amounting to an aggregate of £120. Notice of appeal has been, given. Mr Nat Goodwin, the American actor-man-ager, has an original way of "waking up" the absent-minded members of his company." During ft performance of "The Usurper," at Chicago, one of th s actors had a la.pse of memory in the middle of a sentence, which be endeavoured to ewer up by a series of incoherent mumblings. The next sneech, as supplied to Goodwin by -fhe author/was: "Won't you stay and have bieakfast?" which the j comedian promptly supplemented with— "and I look over yoiir lines'" ] Tlie cast' of "Si.>!Mi-3 the S- ; >.v." a< '.lip 3fel- , boitrsie Royal: — Siabsd, Mia? "Claine Ravens- \ berg ; Badora Hiss May Pollard ; Fairy : Queen, Miss Stella Ranger: Zoe, Miss Flo Barnes ; Princess, Miss Nina, Rochester ; ! Harlequina. Miss Maud Oosham ; solo dancer, ] Miss Tillie Woodloek; Mrs Sinbad, Fred j 0 rahani ; Sinbad, Bert Bailey ; King. Victor I Dougall : The Silent Man. C. Bates ; Ben, G. DeMie; the Captain, F. Wentworth ; Dick, F.

Crossley; Hafiz and Harlequin, C. Albert; Demon King, Bert Bradley. A serious panic occurred at Gundagai, New South Wales, on December 14. The concluding items at a concert for children were two tableaux, in one of which powder was made use of. The limelight effects got beyond the control of the operator, and fired up. A ory, of fire was raised, and the whole of the audience was immediately on their feet, making a rush, for the dcor. Women fainted and children were knocked down in the mad stampede. Just then a reassuring cry came from the stage that the fire was out-, and matters quietened 1 down sufficiently to permit of the hall being quickly emptied without undiie crushing.