THE GHOST WALE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2660, 8 March 1905, Page 68

THE GHOST WALE.

Running a panto, at Drury Lane costs £4000 a week.

Pollard's Opera Company may probably visit New -Zealand shortly.

A French version of "The Geisha" was recently produced in Monte Carlo.

Frank Yorke, of the big voice, is with Bain's Gaiety Entertainers in Hobart.

Mfiss Adai Crossley made her Dresden. She received 10 recalls.

debut at

It is reported that Mr George Musgrove has purchased the Lyceum Theatre, Sydney. The Lynch Family of Bellringers are playing~in the outlying districts of Victoria.

Comedian Fred Graham is reported to be taking out a company of his own at Easter.

Miss Maud Beatty was a passenger for Wellington by the Mosraki, which arrived last week.

Mark Hambourg recently appeared at Warsaw, and is reported to have been recalled 28 times.

Tenor Kenningham will visit New Zealand with Williamson's Opera Company this month.

Reported that George Stephenson's Company may probably visit India after the Sydney season. Miss Celia' Ghiloni comes to New .Zealand with the Gilbert and Sullivan RevivaiSlpera Company. — -^

Miss Nellie Stewart will make her appearance in New Zealand at Dunedin Princess on. March 18.

The Gotham quartet have joined Pollard's Opera Company for the panto, of "The Forty Thieves," in Adelaide.

London comedian Little Tich, who is no-w-in Australia under Rickards's management, will not visit New Zealand.

Miss Nina Rochester, well kno-wn in New Zealand, is playing in Anderson's "Sinbad the Sailor panto., now in Adelaide.

During their present Sydney season tha Royal Comics will produce a new musical comedy, entitled "The Cingalee." The Knight-Jeffries Company, .which did such wonderful business in this city, revived "A Royal Divorce" in Melbourne, to big business.

Tait, of Melbourne, has arranged for Knbelik, ths violinist, to give 30 concerts in Australia and New Zealand. He opens in Melbourne in. September.

Miss Josephine Stanton and Mr Hallam recentlygave a, trial turn at the Oxford Music Hall, J-iondon, in a musical sketch, and scored successfully.

A daughter of the late Mr Rignokl is a member of the August van Biene Company, which has just recently commenced an Australian season.

Miss Dolly Castles, v.-lio comes to aNTe-w Zealand as prima donna of the Gilbert and Sullivan Revival Company, is said to bs only years of age. One of the Japanese wrestlers attached to Fitzgerald Bros.' Circus was charged at Greymouth on "Wednesday last with cruelly mtttilatmg a dog, and was fined 20s.

Ada Crossley was recently the recipient of a diamond and sapphire ring, given her as "a souvenir of tha many happy occasions in whii.h we have been artistically associated together " by Madame Patti.

Lennon, Hymari, and Lennon have go^e to the East, having organised a company of their own. V\ alter Melrose, the descriptive vocalist who recently concluded a dramatic enga^anienfc in Aew South Wales, is one of the narly. Mr John Fuller was snxious to on^a^* "VL=s Yivie Keeling (Mrs J. P. Knowles) for" a New Zealand tour (says "Jacques"). This talontccl lady is now enjoying a rest from professional woik at, her nice little homo near the Crse'de" flobart. " ' "'

Recently at Her Majesty's Theatre*, Mel-boiu-ne, during a performance of "Cousin Kale," the storm scene in the second act was enacted by the elements outside so vigorously that the performers had difficulty in niakm<* themselves heard. °

Mr Hawtrey is said to hive cleared over £100,000 by means of tha popular play, "Tha Prhate SecretarjV' while Mr W. S. Penley'g receipts from "Charley's Aunt" run this pretty close.. Mr Brandon. Tiiaaias* the auihtte o%

the famous farce, had his banking account in- ' creased by more than £40,000 from this pls>y alone.

Mr J. C Williamson has received information that "The Duchess of Dantzie" has been a great success in America under Mr George Edwardes's management. "The Duchess of Dantzie" is one of the musical pieces secured ior the Royal Comic Opera Company, but the date of its presentation in Australia is uncertain.

London Telegraph recounts a daring abduction in Berlin. "While a soubrette of striking beauty was doing her turn at a music-hall there a young man from the body of the hall sprang on to the stage, seized the lady, and, with the help of two of his friends, bore her swiftly away before the audience could interfere to a carriage waiting outside. A ballot taken in an English theatre on the question of revival of Gilbert-Sullivan operas placed their popularity in the following order: — "Yeoman of the Guard," 938 votes; "Mikado," 846; -'Gondoliers," 817; "Patience," SOI ; "Princess Ida, ' 524 ; "lolanthe," 518 ; - "Pinafore," 508; "Pirates of Penzance," 462; "Utopia," 262; and "Trial by Jury," 81. A writer in Munsey's magazine calls attention to a fact in theatrical production which is ■worth noting — viz., "There is no fixed relation between cost and selling price," and he in- j stances "Sunday," with its cast of 11 and two sets of scenery, and "Humpty Dumpty," with 12 scenes- and over 100 people in it. Yet the prices of admission are the same.

Judge Charles M. "Walker decided on December 29 that the City of Chicago is not liable for damages growing out of the loss of life in the Iroquois fire. Judge "Walker declared the city's position on all opints considered in opposing the litigatiorTin -60 suits is •well' taken. He sustained the city's demurrer in two of the suits at the bar. One of the cases will be taken to the Appellate Court for final decision.

In a recent lecture the Dean of Bristol made sympathetic reference to many actors and actresses who died in 1904. The following were included in his list of distinguished dead for that year: — Wilson Barrett, Nellie Farren, John Coleman, Charles Morton, Dan Leno, Clement -Scott, Herbert Campbell, John HolHngshead, and John Billington. The Dean incidentally alluded to the remarkable power given to one individual to brighten the lives of thousands of others.

The following dates have been booked for the Ifew Zealand tour of the J. C. Williamson's Kepertoire Opera Company: Wellington, March 9to April 1 ; ilasterton, April 3 and 4 ; Napier, April 5 and 6; Palnierston North, April 7 and 8; Wanganui, April 10 and 11; Stratford, April 12; New Plymouth, April 13 and 14; Auckland, April 15 to May 6; G-is-torne, May 8, 9, and 10; Christchurch, May 13 to 26; Dunedin, May 29 to June 10.

Mr Austin Melford, whilst playing Appius Claudius to the^ late Mr Wilson Barrett's "Virginius," in Boston recently, had an amusing conversation at his hotel with a negro ■waiter. It ran as follows: "Say, Mr Melford, will Mr Barrett play—~Virginius ' again this ■week?" "No," replied Mr Melford; "we only do it once a week." "Waal, I'm Teal sorry," said the negro. "I did want to see ' Virginius.' You see, I come from Virginia myself." '

In .the New York Theatre Magazine, Mrs Clara Bloodgood, writing on "The Stage as a Gareer for Young Women," urges sincerity end work and purpose. "Be sincere even if you are sincerely wrong," she says. "Aside from the question of honesty, no work is so tiring as that badly done, and no matter how small a part you have to play, remember that you are supposed to be a real person. Jf you have no lines to say, listen. If you are doing the much despised ensemble work, mean it."

The power of sensationalism to attract a congregation has been tested at Exeter in an amazing manner by the Rev. Charles Croucher, a Nonconformist minister, lately transferred from Bristol. This up-to-date cleric hired Exeter Theatre for his afternoon service recently, secured pantomime artistes to sing, and Limself delivered a serio-comic address on the moral to be drawn from "Robinson Crusoe." A tremendous rush took place for seats, and great hilarity prevailed amongst the crowded sndience.

Miss Alice Hollander, the young Australian contralto, has abandoned the concert platform for the stage. At present she is a-opearing in "Sergeant Brue" at the Strand Theatre, and finds her new work "quite the most exhilarating" she-has yet undertaken. "Strand audiences," she confided to a pressman, "are kind too kind. I came here a tyro in acting, but I am working hard, and they say I am improving. As the follower of Miss Olive Morrell and Miss Madge Liessing, one has a hard task, ■but I have met with real sympathy, and I shall never leave the stage for the concert platform again."

Chas. Bailey has gone ahead of Stephenson's Opera Company, which bright and merry show commenced a season in Brisbane on Saturday. Tall, stylishly-dressed girl to panto. manager: 'Tfou advertised for tall girls for the pantomime; may I be one of them?" "Yes, be here at rehearsal 11 to-morrow." "But Trfiat shall I have to do?" — "I told you be here at 11 to-morrow." — "Bvit I mean, what shall I have to do in the pantomime, and what shall I have to wear?" — "You'll have little to do and less to wear, and heaven help you if you're bandy!" The girl vanished— so did her stage ambition.

Mr Robert Brough and Mr Herbert Flemming asks us to state (says the Era) that Mr (Jcorge S. Titheradge has not been engaged by them for their forthcoming Australian tour. Much as they would have liked to have secured that clever artist, their present scheme of plays doas not offer any adequate opening for S£r Titheradge,, whose London engagement ■sronld also preclude the possibility of his accepting any offer that might have been made to him. Negotiations are, however, pending, which, if broti^ht to a. successful issue, will enable Australian playgoers to renew their acquaintance with iheir old favourite under Messrs Brough and Flemming's management.

By their rush to Paris for a single performance ol "The Admirable Crichton," at the Theatre, last year, Mr Charles S'ronman's company achieved a feat without parallel in theatrical annals. With them went the complete scenic accessories, properties, and electrical effects as used in London. As soon as the performance was concluded on the Saturday evening the scenery and other paraphernalia were, packed, and the whole of the compaly, numbering 75, travelled by a special boat and train as quickly as possible to Paris. But the most remarkable part of the trip was the getting back to London after Monday night's performance, so as to continue the run of the play the very next evening. After a terrible rush this was eventually accomplished.