WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 69

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS.

By P. Soiwtek. June 16.

Deal Ea-squin,— : On the tip-toe of expectation actually 'a"nd accurately expresses the attitude .of Wellington playgoers regarding the coming of..Tittell Brune, the young American actress, who opened her season with the Williamson Dramatic Company in our Opera House last night. Miss Brune, who arrived from Sydney on Wednesday, was given a reception in the Town Hall yesterday afternoon, which, was largely attended by many leading citizens, who found the visitor a charming woman,. In the Opera House at night there waa a very large gathering, and before the five acts of the lengthy "L'Aglion" (the Eaglet) were completed, Miss Brune had established her fame in Wellington as one of the finest tragediennes ever seen on the boards of this city. # The play carries a very heavy cast, and in the accompanying list of Miss Brune and her supporters you will recognise many old friends of the Australian stage: — The Duke of Reichstadt Miss Tittell Brune (Son of Napoleon I and Marie Louise) Flambeau ■Mr Eoy Redgrave Prince Metternich Mr J. B. Atholwood The Emperor of Austria Mr Albert Gran Count Prokesch Mr A. E. Greenaway Baron Yon G-entz Mr Maurice DudleyAttache of the French Embassy Mr T. W. Lloyd The Tailor Mr Paul Scardon Baron Yon Obenaus Mr Geo. Majeroni Count Yon Dietrichstein Mr Fred Patey Count Seidlinski Mr Ronald Staveley Marquis Bombelles , Mr Harry Sweeney Tiburtius' de Loget Mr Stanley Walpole Lord Cowley Mr F. Harcourt General Hartman Mr Charles Lawrence Captain Foresti Mr Dale Revenal An Austrian Sergeant Mr F. Phillips Thalberg Mr Redge Carey Marie Louise Miss Loris Bingham Archduchess Sophia Miss Lillian. Meyers Theresa de Loget Misis Beatrice Usher Countess Camera ta Miss H. Fergusgon Fanny Ellsler Miss Florence Gleeson Scarampi v Miss Yivienne Noel Lady Cowley Miss Nellie Calvin Peasant Woman Miss Clara Stephenson In its story of the play this morning, the Times says : — The drama is clever in conception, and, being to a large extent historically correct, brings clearly to the minds of those who still take interest in the multifarious vicissitudes of the Buonapartists the scenes which were enacted, but which at the time were unseen by the "hoi polloi," and indeed unknown to many persons who had access to the Courts of Europe, and were supposed to be well apprised of their inner workings. The unfortunate son of Napoleon and Marie Louise waa brought up at the Austrian Court at Vienna, and although his grandfather, the Emperor of Austria, was devotedly attached to him, from the point of view of blood kindred, the youth's aspirations to the throne of France were designedly thwarted in every way that was possible. To such degree did the •irksomeness of L'Aiglon's position bring him that eventually lie spurned the thraldom of his mother's tutelage, which was entirely Austrian in interest, and frivolous and foolish, to say the least. His ideal was his father, and he longed to know all of his father's doings, and to understand why the glory of his father's deeds had departed and had been forgotten. The teachers appointed to instruct him in all the duties of the "complete gentleman" had in the course of his studies to tell him of the doings of the European world in the early part of last century. As the play puts it, there was no difficulty, and the young Napoleon was an apt pupil until they came to the year 1805 — just a century ago. "What happened then?" L'Aiglon cries, and when he is answered, ."Oh, nothing but the Restoration of the calendar," the spirit of his father seems to re-animate him,, and he bursts forth in a torrent of words enumerating the deeds of the great Napoleon, demanding to know more of him, aaid less of historical platitudes. In many aspects of the play it is very sad. The hero is presented as a high-spirited boy, holding in reverence the name of his father, and having high hopes of emulating his doings, and again becoming L'Ernpereiy: of France. But Nature, as much as the machinations of the (astute and unrelenting Chancellor of Austria (Prince Metternich), warred against him. He was ,a consumptive, and his best and noblest mental efforts were far too severe a strain upon his enfeebled body. The end comes on the field of Wagram — a direful climax. The Wellington Choral Society, which was organised only some eight or nine months ago, made its first apearance in public in the Town Hall last Txiesday evening, and scored a great sticcess. The society is fortunate in having Mr Maughan Barnett for its conductor, and he had his forces in admirable control. The first part of the programme consisted of Niels Gade's cantata, "The Crusaders," a beautiful and melodious composition, the solos in which were sung by Miss Amy Murphy, of^your city ; Mr Frank Graham, one time of Carl Rosa's company, London, latterly of Auckland, and now of Christchurch ; and Mr A. S. Ballance, of Wellington. The society introduced us to the latest thing in mtisic, the song cycle. "In a Persian Garden" is an excellent type of this vehicle for tone expression, and Liza Lehmann has been wonderfully successful with the composition. It is written for four voices and the piano, and the words were taken from "The Rubaiyat" of the old-time Persian poet, Omar Khayyam, whose works are very much in vogue in literary circles nowadays. The interpreters of the cycle were Miss Amy Murphy (soprano), Miss Lloyd Hassell (contralto), Mr Frank Graham (tenor), and Mr -4-JJ. jßallance (bass). Th,e keynote of Omar's

philosophy of life was dealt with as a duet for tenor and soprano: "A book of verses underneath the bough, A jug of wine, a loat of bread — and thou Beside me in the wilderness — Ah, ■wilderness were i>aradise enow!" Miss Murphy had a fine song per medium of this bit of Khayyam's theology: "I sent my soul through the invisible, Some secret of that after-life to spell, And by-and-bye my soul returned to me And answered, I myself am heaven and hell. Heav'n but the vision of fiilfilled desire, And hell the shadow from a soul on fire, Cast on the darkness into which ourselves So late emerged from, shall so scon expire." And she sang delightfully a pretty little song set to these words: "Each :r>orn a thousand roses brings, you say ; Yes, — but where leaves the rose of yesterday? And this first summer month that brings the Shall take Janishyd and Kaikobad away." The following three verses, sung as a quartet, were given a quaint musical setting, with a chorus (the first verse) that I liken more to a vocal cakewalk than any other simile that I can recall : "They say the Lion and the Lizard keep The courts where Jamshyd gloried and drank deep, And Bahroni, that wild hunter, — the wild ass Stamps o'er his head, but cannot break his sleep. "Lo, some we lov'd, the loveliest and best That from his vintage rolling time has prest, Have drunk their cup a round or two before, And one by one crept silently to rest. "Strange, is it not, that of the myriads who Before us passed the Door of Darkness through, Not one returns lo tell us of the road Which to discover we must travel too." A quartet also closes the cycle, which is written in the minor key, and finishes with the pathetic note : "Alas that spring should vanish with the rose, That youth's sweet-scented manuscript should close ! The nightingale that in the branches sang, Ah, whence and whether flown again, who knows?" Last night the society gave a miscellaneous concert, ''The Garden" being repeated, and the same soloists, plus Herr Max Hoppe (violinist), also contributed to the second portion of the programme. Watkin Mills and his Concert Party have "In a Persian Garden" on their repertoire for the coming tour of the colonies. Our older body, the Musical Union, is to give Gounod's "Faust" and a miscellaneous concert in the Town Hall next Thursday and Friday, under the baton of Mr Robert Parker. Report up here has it that "Jimmy M'Mahon, who is well known in theatrical circles, and who is at present running rollerskating at the Elite Rink, has organised a syndicate which has purchased land for an amusement resort at Island Bay. The extension of the -electric tramway system will take Wellington folks right out to the beach, and James has taken advantage of an excellent opportunity. Dixs Gaiety Company is doing pretty well, thank you. •'Also, the same may be said of Fuller's Entertainers.