THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2674, 14 June 1905, Page 60

THEATRICAL AND MUSICAL NOTES.

j Bt Pasqtjik. TUESDAY, June 13, 1905. Numerous complaints of overcrowding at one of our local theatres having got abroad, the matter was broiight up a meeting of the City Council last .week. Cr Walker told , the General Committee that it was time steps were taken to prevent tlie overcrowdt ing of theatres, and instanced the "paekt ing" that had taken place at His Majesty's during the past week. One wonders how , long the council will deliberate over this | important question before making a move | in the matter. It is understood that the St. Joseph's ( Dramatic Society purpose producing at an [ -early date that charming comedy drama "My Sweetheart." A special cast is to bo found for the production, which will be under the stage management of Mr Percy James. On the termination of the New Zealand season of the Repertoire Company at Timaru, Mr Richard Stewart, the business manager, proceeds to Wellington to meet the Tittell Brune Company, in which he takes up a similar position. Williamson's Dramatic Company, at the head of which is the young American tragedienne Miss Tittell Brune, will arrive in Wellington to-day (Wednesday), commencing a season in the Empire City on the following evening, opening with Rostand's great Napoleonic play "L'Aiglon,"' in which Miss Brune achieved such success on the Australian side. The Tittell Brune Company are due at Hi 9 Majesty's in this city next month. I am indebted to Mr Richard Stewart for the complete list of th© com- , pany : Misses Tittell Brune, Ferguson, Gleeson, Bingam, Stephenson, TTssher, Meyers, R. Baxter, E. Baxter, Noel, and Calvin ; Messrs Roy Redgrave, Gran, Greenaway, Atholwood, Staveley, Majeroni, Lloyd, Patey, Scardon, Phillips, Sweeney, Lawrence. Harcourt, Rivenhall, and Walpole. Mr Havslitt is the stage manager, and Reg. Carey assistant. Mr George Hall is the conductor of the orchestra. Something of a record was put up by th 9 management of the Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company on the New Zealand tour which is just concluding. Since the company's arrival in New Zealand to their departure, 84 performances have been given in various towns in New Zealand, two nights only being missed. When it is considered that the company left Auckland on a Saturday night after the performance, caught the steamer at Onehunga for New Plymouth, entrained there, and opened at' Gisborne on the Monday evening, it will be readily understood how the tour, on the whole, was managed. To the chorus charmers missing a night's performance sneans the loss of a night's salary, so that the management is to be congratulated quite apart from th& businese viewpoint en the achievement. The well-known American actress Miss Nance O'Neil and the theatrical company which is to support her on the approaching tour of Australasia passed through Auckland last week en route to Sydney. Miss Nance O'Neill will visit New Zealand in due course. The Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company terminated a phenomenally successful season at His Majesty's Theatre last evening, producing for the last time "H.M.SL Pinafore." The season has been an artistic success. While all the operas in the repertoire were capably treated by the company, specially good work was introduced into "lolanthe," ''"Mikado," and "The Yeoman of the Guard." The latter piece drew the biggjsst houses of the eieason, and the management might well have considered it worthy of an extra night. This (Wednesday) morning the Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company, which has been holding forth at His Majesty's for the past fortnight, depart by early express for Timaru, where a short season of two nights will be played, commencing on Wednesday evening. As soon as the box plan was open a rush was made for the seats in the circle, which were all booked up at 6s in a very short space of time. On Friday the company pass through Christchurch en rout© for Wellington, there to catch the steamer for Sydney, where an extended season will be played. The opening opera in the big Australian capital will be "The Mikado." The piece is to be followed by the "Gondoliers," which has been in active rehearsal by the company for some weeiks. j The death of M. Leon Caron, known throughout Australia for the past 17 years as the conductor of the Royal Comic Opera Company, took place in Sydney. M. Caron, who died at the age of 55, was a native of Boulogne, and completed his musical education under the best Parisian masters. Prior to leaving for Australia, 27 years ago, he played in the principal orchestras of Paris and London. On his arrival in Australia he immediately took front rank among local musicians, and in a competition for music for the opening of the Melbourne International Exhibition of 1380, his composition, was easily first. He was a profound believer in the genius of Sir Arthur Suilivan, and might well have claimed to be the foster-parent in Australia of Gilbert and Sullivan's operas. He married Miss Eliza &horwin, professionally known as Madame Tasma Sjherwin. She and her daughter, Irma, survive the musician, whoso death was duo to dropsy, sunerveniug upon cirrhosis of the liver. A

j FicxGei aids' Circus has left on an ex ' tended tour of the East. It comprises 53 performers, horses, camels, elephants, etc., | and will meet the show which has been wintering at Batavia. Performances will be given at Thursday Island (June 9 and 10), Port Darwin (June 14), and Batavia (where the two shows will be combined) on June 24-. Calcutta will be visited at Christmas, after which the company may go through China before returning to Australia. Mr Dan FitzGerald will remain in Australia, and will devote his time to training animals for next season. At a meeting of the Christchurch City Council recently the By-laws Committee recommended that the proprietors of the Theatre Royal should b» informed that the time was rapidly agroaching when, in the interests of the public, the council would cb compelled to refuse to renew the license for the existing building, and that the proprietors should be advised to give the question serious consideration. Councillor Loughnan eaid that the eommtitee thought that the council should take official cognisance of the fact that the theatre was not a desirable building. Councilor OLley said that the desire of the committee had been merely to warn the owners of the theatre that they must not expect a license for the old building for an indefinite number of years. The report was adopted. Whereabouts of some people we know : Juggler Cinqueyalli ("Le Incomparable") is at London Hippodrome; Cyril Keightly is disengaged in the bis city, Charles War- ; ' ncr is in the cast of "Leah Kleshcna" at the New Theatre, London. The Cragg i Family of acrobats are at the Canterbury i Hall, London ; Jake Fiedman and Cora ' Casselli at the Empire, Dublin. At the monthly meeting of the Gaelic Society, the Chief (Mr D. M'Pherson), in the course of his address, said that at the date of last meeting he was in Sydney, where ■ the Scottish societies were at the time taking steps to amalgamate. Mise Jessie Maelaehlan, the renowned singer, had just arrived in Sydney, and he had the pleasure of a shori interview with her. Her appearances in Sydney were greeted with unprecedented enthusiasm ; the halh were crowded, and numbers were unable to gain admittance. The Highland Society of Sydney gave a conversazione in her honour on her arrival, and her graces of manner and speech in Gaelic and English captivated all hearts. She was expected in Dunedin about the end of June or beginning of July, and it was intended that the Scottish societies here should give her a fitting reception in this Scottish community. From Mr George Stephenson comes to hand a batch of press notices of the newmusical extravaganza 'TBill Adams," produced by his musical comedy company at Sydney Criterion a few eveniners before the mail left. One criticism : "The extravaganza which Mr George Stephenson produced at the Criterion Theatre on Saturday night in the presence of a crowded house is happily conceived and smartly interpreted. There is a bright vein of humour running through it, and the exquisite trifliftg which it contains is agreeably interspersed with gay ballets and eccentric dancing. In short, there is everything in it to gratify the eye, tickle the ear. and vivify the fancy." Silver Kings in the order of their accession run thus:— G. S. Titheradge (1884-, 1885. 1886), Lawrence Cautley, George Rignold, Edward Sass (who also played the Spider in one revival), Walter Bentlev. Scot Inelis, King Hedley, and Witeon Barrett (1898 and December, 1901). On every occasion there has been a new Jaikes, and during one long run two, so that this longer list includes the following names : Phil Day, H. H. Vincent. G. W. Anson. J. R. Greville. Sterliner Whyte. Bland Holt, Laehlan M'Gowan. William Elton, Harry R. Roberts, D'Arcv Stanfield, Horace Hodge (1898 and 190l)r Miss Nance O'Neil and her comwany are now well on their way to Australia. Mr M'Kee Rankin is. of course, accompanying her, and among her supporters are Mrs Henry Bracy. who. it will be remembered, played with her during her former season here, and Messrs John Glendenning and Charles Milward, both of whom will be cast for leading parts. Miss Nance O'Neil's stay in Australia will be of necessity a . short, one. as she is. of course, desirous of i catching in the United States the tide of prosperity which haw already beerun to lead her on to histrionic fortune. The Melbourne season will be limited to seven weeks and Sydney and Brisbane will in all probability be the only other Australian towns visited. But for even that short period Mis-? O'N^il brings a heavy repertoire, including "The Fires of St. John." "Medea." "Justice," "The Sorceress," and among tho old favourites, "Maeda," "Elizabeth," "Fedda. Gabbler," and "La Tosca." Of all the plays mentioned in the iorp(?oing paragraph, "The Fires of St. John" is the one most likely to attract the enduring _ attention of Australian playgoers. The name of its author, Surlermann, is sufficient to guarantee its excellence among those who remember "Masrda," and in his later effort the dramatist has allowed more play to his poetic fancy. It is the study of two people both hemmed in with social obligations and conventional rules, but who nevertheless fall victim, each of them, to the blind emotion of passion which sways them hitKer and thither until the final note of Iraoredy is struck in their parting. In it Miss Nance O'Neil as the elemental strong- ' souled woman impressed Boston as it had never been impressed before, and for weeks evety class of publication in that hypercritical city was loud in praise of the young actress. Editors sought opinions not only from their reeo<jnised critics, But also from dozens of the most experienced playgoers of the town, and there was not one of them but had the warmest praise for her work, not only in Sudsr-n inn's tragedy, but also in every other role she undertook. ' Mr J. C. Williamson is certainly experiencing a run of bad luck in Sydney just at present. First, Mr ' Julius Knieht is incapacitated by a severe attack of typhoid, and then Miss Rose Muserove is comoelled to give up her part in "The Cingalee" because of the same dkease. The former misfortune has resulted in a disorganisation of the KnisrM-Jeffries <-ea=;on. for tboug-h Mr Harry Pljmmev is playing Mr Knight's parts, and playing them well, fh© personal equation has to be considered, and there is no doubt of the latter aetov's groat popularity with the playgoing public. The company i will remain some three weeks longer in ' Sydney, but the Brisbane visit has had to be abandoned. Tt is hoped that Mr Knight will nave sufficiently recovered to resume his place for the Adelaide and West Australia tour. Miss Musgrove's part in. "The Cingalee" is beiAff placed & Miss I

Connie Milne, who made so favourable an impression as Thisbe in "The Orchid." A meeting was held at Her Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, recently to make the preliminary arrangements with regard to the complimentary benefit to b© given to Mr and Mrs G. B. W. Lewis on June. 8. There was a large attendance, including representatives of all the leading theatrical organisations in Australia. Mr J. 0. Williamson referred to the old friendship existing between himself and Mr and Mrs Lewis, and deplored the circumstances that after a long and succesful professional career, during which those two well-known theatricals had amassed a competence, l-ocro-time difficulties had brought them 10 scans. Mr 6. B. W. Lewis was a very old man, 87 years of age, but always cheerful and bright. As in London when any special appeal was made, managers woxild come forward, and the profesion nobly responded. In this case Mr Lewis had made no appeal. The movement came spontaneously from the profession. Mr R. S. Smythe, in speaking, gave the interesting reminiscence that he had written the first notice of ?>lrs lewis (Miss Edouin), and had predicted l.cf success, which prophecy had been fulfilled. By cable news received in Auckland today Mr Jt. B. Young informs me that Howard Thurston, illusionist and 1 magician, lately appearing throughout Europe and. America with enormous oiecess, arrives in Auckland from 'Frisco by the incoming mail l.oat, openings in His Majesty's Theatre on the Bth of July next. Howard Thurston comes undeir the management of Mr M. B. Curtis, of America, and well known throughout' Australasia, having introduced the late Dante the- Great to colonial playgoers By American and Continental press notices the entertainment is set upon sin elaborate scale, the finest, and much the oleverest of its kind ever witnessed. Dear Pasquin, — Since I last saw you in Dunodin I have played almost every town in Southland, and am pleared to tell you business has been very good, especially on the AVaimea line, Lumsden being a record. Golao and Fortro?e were ako good. I will be very glad to leave this anta-rctie part of New Zealand. I have felt one or two snaps down here that are no relat r on *o India. — Yourif faithfully. Feed. Foley (Zamoni), Edendale, June 10. Some days ago, while dinner was being served at Miss Nellie Stewart's hotel at Auckland, a .thief entered her room by the fire escape and seized a quantity of jewels valued at £50. He was interrupted before getting posse- mou of those remaining, which were valui 1 at a great deal more. The loss was wot discovered till much later. A guarded advertisement was inserted by Miss Stewart in the following day's papers for tha return of certain valuable paper? which had been purloined. This drew an unsigned letter from the burglar in which he regretted the; theft and stated he would not have taken the jewels if he had known they were Misa Ste.wart's. He concluded with information as to where the papers had been planted for her on the Queen street wharf. The detectives got the letters eafely, but it is believed not the jewels. The police have not yet effected any arrest. On being interviewed regarding the reported robbery of some of her jewellery, Mits Nellie Stewart said it was quite true. "Do you know," she added, "I think it is part of the plot that was started in Sydney." "Oh! so they've followed you over, you think?" "I feel certain it is a continuation of the plot. Yon see I used to walk home from the theatre in Sydney with my jewels in my possession, but the detectives told me I was being watched*, and instructed me not to do it any more, so I got a boy, and he uoed to carry my jewels in a bag. and- they got to know about the boy. However (with an air of relief) they didn't succeed in robbing- me." "And" about this recent robbery?" "I believe the man enly came to take his bearings," replied Miss Stewart. "Thero is no doubt he was under the bed and saw where I put my trinkets, for I had never put them in that place before. Then you see he took those and Ipft things of fai more value." "I boliev© the burglar dropped you a little note." "Yes: it was a most affectionaus note," ?aid Miss Stewart, with, a smile. "It came before my advertisement appeared' in print, you know." "How was it couched?" "It ran something like this: — 'Dear Miss Stewart.— The boarders whose rooms I tfsited will find their keys and papers buried,' and ho named a spot near the wharf 'I nm very sorry to find' I was in Miss Stewart's room, because she has always been good to. my follow oreatuies.' I The note, which, by the way, was veiy grammatically written, was signed 'One who is not so ba-d as lie is painted, Bill Sikes.' " "And you received your property?" "Only thei satchel and papers. ~Th© police found them at the place described by 'Bill Sikes.' I am satisfied he was no oidinary robber. Why, the chatelaine itself, if melted, would have been worth five guineas." "Did you ever have a similar experience previously?" "No, I always laughed nt the urea of anyone robbing me," replied Iha people's favourite. "Oh. by the way, once in Adelaide, when I was playing 'Dorothy,' I was staying with my mother there, and they took a whole trunk out of the hotel, but (with a merry smile) it was mother's trunk, and there was no jewellery in it, anyway." Mr Lewis was born in London on the 19th November, 1818, and entered the equestrian profession as a boy of 14. By hard work and daring he soon achieved a prominent position, and during the years between 1849 and 1851 travelled the Continent of Europe, performing, in all the large cities and throughout Siberia. At the great carnival in Eom^ he received £100 a night for his act, which only lasted 15 minutes, tins fee being considered an enormous retamer in those days. Perhaps the most travelled manager in the world 10-day and probably the oldest, Mr Lewis is full of interesting reminiscences. H© came to Australia in 1854 with a fortune of £30 000 He at one© set to work, and built the' old Princess 3 Theatre (soys Melbourne Leader), then a circus, at a time when a common labourer received 22s a day. He imported expensive talent, and engaged artists on the spot as they came along. He offered the great singer Catherine Haves £400 a night, which she refuse! He also engaged the famous clown Barry who packed the theatre for weeks Everything was done on such a lavish scale that it was impossible to recoup, and at the. end of a year Mr Lewis paid 20s in the pound, and left the place with the worldly possession of 8s 6d to start life afresh. After travelling- through the colonies for some time, he conceived the idea of trying China a/} a field t and started for th« East y>i£k

a small company willing to take the risk; He arrived there during the war, and, money being plentiful, soon compiled another fortune. He continued in this business — returning on and off between the seasons — till 1864-. Ho then determined to relinquish the equestrian profession in favour of the dramatic. He engaged the ! Edouins — Willie and his mother, Lizzie i Naylor, Tilly Earle, and others, and started J for Shanghai, and made money fast again. I Ho married Kate Edotiiu, and made numj bers of trips to India and China. In one season of six months in Calcutta he cleared £5000. During his last trip, which for certain reasons was not so successful financially as before, he negotiated with Mr Aarons for the lesseeship of the Bijou Theatre, at that time perhaps the prettiest playhouse in Australasia; but notwithstanding many successes during his tenancy, such as Fred Marshall, Ores wick, the juvenile "Pina- ! fores," etc., he lost money in this venture. I He then resolved to retire while still posf sessing enough to see him over the winter 1 of his life, but the financial crisis and bank failures deprived him of nearly everything. Mr Andrew Mack's last w?-eks in Melbourne, are going out in a blaze of popularity, and regrets are expressed on all sides i that Mr J. C. Williamson has not been ' able to arrange either an extension of the. most successful season or a- return visit at some time in the near futur^. But Mr Mack must" bo back in San Francisco before the end of October, and before then the other States of Australia and New Zealand must be given a taste of his Q" allt yHis final piece in Melbourne- will bo "Jack Shannon," succeeding a fortnight's run of " Arrah-na-pogue. - The play is a modem one>, in three acts, and { Mr Mack himself plays the name part, a j dashing jovial Irishman such as his soul ' loveth. He is a gentleman's son, but lacks { a gentleman's income, and is therefore en- { gaged as steward by Clifford Sherlock, : whose daughter Moira is in love with him. [ Dark designs against his character in that , capacity form the backbone of the plot, and j an accusation of stealing, made from the. ! mo"?fc unprincipled motives, has to be met and refuted. Naturally all ends happily with the vanquishmeTt of villainy, and thei final curtain leaves the lovers in each other's arms. ! Anticipation ran high in Melbourne regarding Miss Tittell Bruna's assumption of , the part of Paula in "The Second Mrs T.anqueray," and the first night's audienco at the Princess Theatre on Saturday last (27th May) was a large and representative one. Miss B'rune more than fulfilled expectations in the role, which suited her method and temperament most admirably. She completely won over her audience from the first, and each oi the succession of powerful situations .which go to the making of Pinero's strongly emotional play left the favourable impression materially increased. Mr Albert Gran, as Cayley Drummle, and Mr Roy Redgrave also did excellent wort, the former bringing to the character of the kindly worldly-wise old bachelor a finish that had been acquired when he created the part under Pinero's own supervision for the first London production. Miss Tittell Brune leaves for Zealand aftsrwa fortnight of "The Second Mrs Tanqueray," and her repertoire for the tour consists of that play, "La Tosoa," Theodora," "L'Aiglon," "Camille," "Romeo and Juliet," and, most important of all, "Merely Alary Ann." A Sydney season will follow in September. London Daily Chronicle has been investigating the matter of big salaries said to be paid to the star music-hall artistes. Fifteen years ago Marie Lloyd appeared at the Alhambra, and got £4 a week. When she left she was getting £20. Now she gets £60, and may do three or even four halls a night. Years ago Dan Leno, appearing with his father and mother, drew a salary of -65 per week. In Drury Lane panto, afterwards he got £250 a week, and the management declared him cheap at the price. Albert Chevalier, the coster comedian, has received as much as £280 a week, and Loie Fuller drew £150 a week, with a "refresher" for matinees. Cissie Loftus's first vaudeville engagement earned £5 per week for her. Then she developed her groat mimetical powers, and the salary jumped to £100. Recently she was engaged for an extra* special American season at the fabulous sum of £630 a week, ait easy record. Little Tich earns £70 :-er hall per week in London, and comedian R. (t Knowle-3 takes money out of the theatre* treasury at the rate of £4- per minute wLjjst lie is performing.