THE GHOST WALK

Otago Witness, Issue 2664, 5 April 1905, Page 61

THE GHOST WALK

Miss Ada Crossley's wedding is set down for April 11.

Wirth's Circus commenced a season in Auckland on Saturday last. London's comedian, Little Tich, has fairly caught on at Sydney Tivoli. Miss Lulu Eugene has made her reappearance at Dunedin Alhambra. Charles Holloway commences a season of orama in Dunedin on June 24. Mr Georg« Buller is the representative of JWx^Harry Rickards's Company in New Zea-

" Ida Roslyn and Jack Kearns are with Kickardss Company in Melbourne Opera House.

Mrs Van Biens, wife of the famous actormusician, does the stage managing for her Imsband. She: "What makes you so confident she has a future on the stage?" He: "Because she has a past." .There is talk (says "Critic") of William Anderson forming a permanent musical comedy company. ~~ v W. F. Hawtrey and Miss Winifred Austin •re appearing in comedietta with Rickards' s Company in Adelaide. A company under the management of Mr Harry Riekards commenced a New Zealand tour at Auckland on Monday night: 3£r John Doran, a London light-comedy actor, has heen engaged for " The Cingalee," to be produced in Sydney at Easter time. • The Club Professional : " Sometimes I run across a poor lot of sticks." The Popular A-chcess: "So do I. And isn't it a bore?" Frank Yorke, of the big voice, who has been a popular comedian with Bain's Entertainers in Hobart, rejoins Rickards's Sydney Company. Sanford's American Players were doing good business with melodrama at Melbourne Bijou at latest. Miss Tilly Dunbar is with this company.

Bain, th« "lion comique," has completed a two-years' tenure as manager of Hobart Temperance Hall, where his Gaiety Entertainers hold forth. In consequence of the remarkable success so lately achieved at London AUiambra by Violet Elliott, the charming Australian lady - bass, she has been re-engaged. No more charming play has been seen in Dunedin for a decade than "Old Heidelberg," staged at the Princess Theatre by Mnsgrove's Dramatic Company. The seventeenth century plays included in Lord Anglesey's library, which were ex- _ pected to realise high prices at the sale, fetched only a few pounds apiece. The report of the London "Pavilion for 1904 states that the gross receipts for the year amounted to J655.093, and the outgoings to ±•40,362, leaving a net profit of £14,731. Wilfred Draycott and Florence Hamer (now playing in "The Duke of Killiecrankie " at Melbourne Princess) were at one time members of the late Marquis of Anglesey's company. At the Adelaide Royal Mr Harry Rickards tas opened a short season with Madame Marzella, the Fernandez May Trio, Mr W. F. Hawtrey and Miss W. Austin, Gregson and Goodfellow. " The Lady of Leads " is the title of a new— farcical romance by Captain Hebert Marshall running at Wyndham's Theatre. Mr Weedon Grossrnith is amusing as an exwaiter disguised as a grand duke. The Knight-Jeffries season in Her Majesty's, Melbourne, is drawing to a close. The company produce " The Sign of the Cross " this evening, to be followed by " Pygmalion and Galatea " and " The Lady of Lyons." A cable message states that Madame Melba has just concluded a successful series of concerts in Canada and the United States, and that the members of her concert company have presented her with a gold and silver laurel wreath.

The early arrival of Andrew Mack, the comedian of Irish character, who is under engagement to Mr Williamson, is announced. He is already on his way, ij.nd will open in Melbourne this month. His singing is a special feature of his impersonations. Mr J. C. Williamson has secured the Australian rights of "My Lady Madcap," now being performed in London by Mr G. P. Huntley, Mr Maurice Farkoa, and Miss Delia Mason. The musical play is one of the most popular attractions in London. Mr I. Zangwill's sentimental comedy "Merely Mary Ann," which was very successful during last year's dramatic season in London, is shortly to be put in rehearsal. In the title role Miss Tittell Brune will have an opportunity of displaying her comedy powers.

.An Australian writer says: "After her present tour in Western Australia, Miss Tittell Brune pays a return visit to New Zealand, where last year she made a most favourable impression." I was not aware that Miss Tittell Brune had previously visited New Zealand. ' Mr Henry Ludlow, who is leading man for Auguste van Biene, was last seen in Australia some five years ago, starring with Miss Jennie Maynard's Comedy Company. Since then Mr Ludlow has supported Mr Kyrle Bellew (in America), Sir Charles Wyndham iftnd Mr George Alexander (in London). "I met Miss Gertie Campion in the city

a few days ago," writes a Johannesburg correspondent. " She continues to make rapid progress towards recovery, but the doctors tell her that she is not yet strong enough to undertake the long sea voyage necessitated in reaching her home in Melbourne. She has her sister with her at tJUe Sans Souci Sanatorium." Madame Adelina Patti was cited as a witness the other day in a case m which her cook claimed damages from her butler for kissing her against her will, and frona a policeman, who " happened to be there," for not interfering to protect her outraged modesty. The butler had to pay £30 for his indiscreet ardour, and the neutral policeman 10s for his dereliction of duty. Miss Nance O'Neil's second Australian tour will commence in June, and will extend over 14 weeks. The American star will -bring several leading performers with her, and several new plays, the latter including a poetic tragedy, entitled "Judith," which, in main essentials, is the story of Judith as handed down in Biblical tradition. The author is Thomas Bailey Aldrich, and the play was recently produced in New York with much success. Miss Agnes Janson, who was one of the stars of the Musgrove Grand Opera Company . which toured Australia and New Zealand in 1901, gave a recital at the Bechstem Hall last month in conjunction with Miss Nettie Carpenter. ~ The singer's beautiful voice and artistic style were fully appreciated in, songs by Strauss, Saint Saens, Schumann, and Henschel, in Landon Ronald's cycle " Songs of the Hill," and in a group of songs by Sodermann and Grieg, with the Swedish " Necken Polska " to finish up with. Miss. Genevieve G. Haines, an American actress, has issued the following manifesto : — "To the Catholic clergy of New York : Whereas certain critics have condemned my play, ' Once Upon a Time,' as sacrilegious and ridiculing the ceremonies of the Roman Catholic religion, as a communicant, educated in a convent, I respectfully request you to withhold judgment until you have witnessed the play, for which purpose I have arranged that all clergymen shall be admitted free to any performance of my play at the Berkeley Theatre from this date on." Last year was recorded a marriage between, two members of the "In Dahomey " Company, which was solemnised by the clergyman "in full view of the audience," on the stage, after a performance of the piece. Apparently it is an enjoyment common to the coloured members of this company (says an English paper), for at the Grand, Swansea, the experiment was repeated, the happy couple in this instance being Miss Hetty Goff and Mr Will Garland. On this occasion there were six bridesmaids and seven groomsmen. Sarah Bernhardt has returned to Paris after her trip to Constantinople in high dis- ; gust with Sultan Abdul Hamid. "Business ! was excellent," she said, but the Sultan p would not allow me to play anything but ; ' Camille,' ' Frou Frou,' and ' Sapho.' His censor forbade all the newer pieces because the Sultan and I are at outs." The Turkish Ambassador says that Sarah was not " allowed to play " Aiglon " because it abounds in majesties and royal highnesses. Emperors, kings, and even " foreign gods " are not allowed to be presented on the stage in Turkey. Mrs Brown Potter's new venture is Dv Barry, Mr Charles Brookfield's adaptation of M. Jean Richppin's play. The first performance was to take place at the Savoy Theatre about the middle of February. Lavishness and beauty were to characterise •, the production, the period of the play — that i of Louis XV and Louis XVI — offering scenic artists and costume designers ample opportunities for display. Among those engaged to appear with Mrs Brown Potter and Mr Gilbert Hare are Mr W. L. Abingdon, Mr H. B. Warner, Miss Audrey Ford, and Miss Elsie Chester. Rehearsals of "Dv Barry" are proceeding at the Savoy (says a London paper), but the production of the piece may not be expected for another three weeks at the least. Mr Charles Brookfield, who was adapting the play from the French, has retired from the task on a friendly difference with Mrs Brown Potter and Mr Gilbert Hare as to the extent an a-dapter is justified in diverging from the author's original play, and the adapting is now in other hands. " Mr Brookfield's position in the matter is that he could not, with satisfaction to himself, make tho alterations in the play that Mrs Brown Potter and Mr Hare desired, so he decided not to touch the work. G-reegan Macmahon, who played prominently in Hawtrey's company, and figured in tho " Message from Mars," has been engaged (says Adelaide Critic) to join the BroughFlemming Comedy Company. Macrnahon has been running the amateur combination known as " The Players," a sort of theatrical technical school, for some time Ah old identity who has been engaged by Flenirning to figure with Brough is Johnnie Forde, a good broad low comedian, who was lately with Maggie Moore for a long term, and who i once shone in comic opera. His Mikado — i with a, taste of a brogue — was the first ' Mikado seen by the present writer, and it \ left a pleasing impression that still survives. The MacMahon-Darrell Dramatic Company closed their Auckland season with " The Sorrows of Satan," a strong dramatisation, by Mt Darrell, of the well-known novel of Miss Marie Corelli. The production was I an emphatic success. The company are now j making 'a tour of the goldfields to excellent ! business. I