THE GHOST WALK.

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 60

THE GHOST WALK.

General manager Ben Fuller has gone to Auckland. Miss Kitty Lenton is now showing at Melbourne Gaiety. May Moore Duprez at the Hippodrome, Brighton (Eng.). Miss Alice Lethbridge was at latest at the pavilion, Glasgow. The Dunedin Operatic Society has 8 chorus of 100 picked voices. The Five ©elevmes were at latest at the Empire Palace, Sheffield. Australian Hilda Spong is at the Madison Square Theatre, New York. Paiil Cinquevalli was at the Empire Palace, Birmingham, when the mail left. Miss Nanco O'Neil, albeit a Californian, has made a beautiful summer home in Boston. Albert Lucas is now a member of Sanford'3 American Company, showing in Melbourne. Kyrle Bellew is playing in "She Stoops to Conquer" at the New Amsterdam, New York. Mr George Barnes, tho well-known theatrical I representative, has just recovered from an lll- ! ness. Q-. S. Titheradg© is in tha cast of "The Freedom of Suzanne" at the Empire, New York. Stated that Mrs Langtry will probably take "The Walls of Jericho" on tour in South. Af ri ca. The ruling craze. Conversationalist: "Ho you play 'Pit'?" Actor: "No; I play, Eoineo." Mr George Stillwell, the clever conjurer, is now showing with the Fullers at His Majesty's, Wellington. Johnny Fuller, jun., now in Australia, has secured several novel attractions for the New Zealand circuit. Mrs Brown Potter may go to America before long to appear in vaudeville. She has received several tempting offers. Charles Warner will return to America next season under Charles Frohman's management, and play "The Cavalier." Bland Holt is producing "Sporting Life" ti the Theatre Royal, Melbourne. All the old favourites ure in the caste. Musgrove's "Sweet Nell" Company, having terminated a successf al season in Auckland, is working south on a return tour. "I'm afraid," said the actor when a cabbage came within an inch of his nose, "that some* i bod; va tho audience lias lost his head."

"You have a fin© piano," said the musician, | "Yes," was the answer. "It must be pretty j ■well built or it couldn't stand what is done to it." Friend : "Is your part very difficult to play ?" Barnstormer: "Well, rather! I'm living on one meal a day, and playing the role of a man with, the gout!" M.~ Paderewski's recent illness has left him in -a state of extreme nervous exhaustion, and Be -will need a long rest before he will be able to -resume bis public work. Mis Sprigley: "In the first part of the act the "villain's bead -was cloven." Mrs Sportleigh: "I missed that. My husband cam© in just then ■with, his breath cloven." Like another great actress, Miss Kanco O'N-eil is fond of animals, and carries a small menagerie en. tour. A Persian cat named Magda has travelled the world three times. Mr George Alexander has been engaged to play the leading part in Mr Hall Caine's ; "Prodigal Sou" in its forthcoming production at Drury Lane, at the enormous salary of £250 j a week. * i She : "We Tiad some fine music at tlie con- j cert last night." He : "I thought you didn't j enjoy first-class music." She: "I didn't en- | joy it; that's why I know it must have been I high-class music." Miss Nance O'Neil was accorded a great reception on her re-appearance at Her Majesty's, Melbourne, in Sudermann's "Magda." Mr M'Kee- Bankia's Colonel Schwartze is said to j have been a fine study. George Schilling, the one-armed man who is walking round the world rfor a wager, and whose skeleton was alleged 4o have been found in~S'Africa some time ago, is now appearing at % London music hall. - Performers "I defy anyone in this audience to mention a single action that I can do with ; my right hand and aiot equally well 'with my j left." Voice from the gallery: "Put yer left hand in yer right-hand trousers pocket!" j Miss Alice Hollander is now on the bill at j -London Tivoli. The Australian vocalist sings j -two songs nightly, and both are well received. Of her appearance one paper says : "She is » restful harmony in white -and mauve." In Shakespeare's day The stage wao bare, But actor folk Had clothes to wear. In Shakespeare's day. By means of an electrical apparatus con* nected with the stage of a New York theatre 50 entirely deaf people were enabled to hear the performance of a musical comedy. It is added that the hard-of-hearing folk did' not •ppear to" be greatly amused. The lease of the Waldorl Theatre in New York is -held by Mr Sam S. Shubert for 21 years «t £8900 a year, which is about £171 a week, and am additional sum of £76 a year as a contribution towards cost of insurance. The theatre has been valuade ai £75,000. It is calcalated in a I/ondon paper that up to date Franz yon V«csey, th© 12-year-old violinist, must have earned something like '£20,000. This certainly beat* the record" of the traditional millionaire who began life with ■Hie customary half-crown in his pocket. 7*Mr John JProuse, the baritone vocalist, Mrs Prouse, aaid those .members of the" family who have been visiting London have altefed_ their return" arrangements; and are now- coming to New Zealand by way of America. They axe due to arrive in Auckland by the Sierra early in August. - ■ Mr B. S. Smythe sailed for England by the Blue Anchor liner, the Oeelong, on June 15. This is the first time he has gone by the way of South Africa, where before either gold or diamonds were discovered he made an. extensive -tour. He waa the first manager to cross the Orange Biver. v Mr Alfred Daanpier's many friends will be pleased to hear (says a- Sydney paper) that the reports concerning his health have been grea-tIT exaggerated. The popular actormamager is only Testing at his home through a nervous trouble, and has not -even had occasion to call in medical attendance. There was great enthusiasm on the closing night of "The Cingalee" at Her Majesty's, Sydney. As usual, the comedians were "let loose/, and introduced all sorts of business not in the usual performances. Mr Lauri, Mr Percy, and Miss Thomas, as weH as others of the company, were accorded ovations. Says the New York Dramatic Mirror : "The Bessie JUfCoy who is attracting considerable titantion at the Hippodrome is one of the clever M'Goy Sisters. Nellie M'Coy, the other sister, appeared reoently with* Lillian Russell in lady Teaxle.* " The clever girls were in : Australia and New Zealand with the "Trip to j Chinatown" Company. A quaint performance of "Romeo and Juliet" -was .given recently at the Royalty Theatre, London. The actors wore the costume of the period when the ylay was written. Juliet was in a hoop skirt and a tall hat. There were no scenes ; a pair of curtains j formed the background for most of the acts, j The programmes were printed in old-fashioned j type, with old spelling. ! The world's tenor of to-day is said to be J Caruso. Hi 3 voice is of the most pleasing quality, with all the freshness and purity of youth, but he has -enormous power, and his . Toic© Tings liie a trumpet in the climaxes, so that he is easily heard above an entire chorus. , Caruso was a poor lad—his mother a street herbseller in Milan, — and he had a sad, sour . time in his early musical studies. ! Mr Clement L. Wragge, late of the Queensland Weather Bureau, who recently toured. New Zealand, is lecturing on astronomy and weather in a small hall at the Crystal Palace Exhibition, London. The hall is described on the programme as "Electrique Palais de l'.Optique .and Temple of Urania," and visitors are invited to "come and behold the glories of the universe and the majesty of creation!" In connection with the present " Shakespearean movement " in London theatres, it is recalled that a similar movement was in progress when Sir Henry Irving first produced ■"The Merchant of Venice" at the Lyceum, and on the same night "Henry V" was produced with great splendour at Drury Lane, with Mr George Rignold, "a handsome actor, wiht » robust style and a splendid voice," in the part of the King. Miss Jessie Maclachlan, after giving three farewell concerts at the Sydney Town Hall, will then tour Queensland, and later New Zealand. Considering how very Scotch Dun■edin, Napier, -and other Maoriland citios are, 4ha visit should prove financially successful. Miss^Maciaehlan has such a genial, magnetic personality that she will probably have a warm zeoeption in Maoriland, quite apart from the ■^excellence of her singing. <■ . A concert was held in a suburb, and one of Jthe performers was a- man who had a higher -opinion of his voice than other people had. To procure applause, therefore, he placed his *ix little children in different parts of the •Schoolroom, and gave them instructions to clap their hands most vigorous^ 1 -, and cry "Bravo!" The song was duly given, and at the finish six small pairs of hands applauded, <*a& six little voices cried out, "Bravo, papa! Bravo, papa!" Some persons become celebrated after taking » deal of trouble to achieve fame, some get it whether they like It or not. Of the latter class (says Sydney Referee) is obviously Miss Nan Patterson, the "Florodora" chorus girl, who was tried for murder in New York recently. Owing to tho publicity given to the trial in *b.« papers, extraordinary, interest has heen !

aroused in the young lady. Already certain theatrical and music-hall managers are beseeching her to appear at their places of entertainment, one of them offering her £200 a week to do so.

According to a. writer in the London Era the late Joseph Jefferson was an amusing raconteur. Amongst his stories was one the repetition of which comes strangely in connection with his death. At a certain theatre the actor had for some years taken friendly notice of an old stage carpenter and sceneishifter named Jackson. The time came when Jeffcrsou looked for his old acquaintance in vain. At last lie sent for the master carpenter, and asked Jiim where Jackson was. The man fust answered the question with a sorrowful look upwards, »nd then said sadly, "I guess he's shifting clouds!" One often hears of the huge amounts paid to other operatic artists for their few hours' work at Covent Garden. Little thought, however, is given to the immense amount of study and training that has to be gone through before a. singer is able to command even a small fee, and the length of the professional career is very uncertain, for an ordinary cold sometimes ruins a voice, and the easiest place to catch a, cold is on the stage. The amount paid to Melba every time she sings is said to l>e £300, and Caruso receives nearly as much. But they deserve every penny, says a London mUsical journal, because their magnificent voices attract p crowded audience.

Lawrence D'Orsay, the central figure in Augustas Thomas's new comedy, "The Earl of Pawtucket," cites the following, which he considers such a " good wheeze " that »he promptly sent it over to dear old London. D'Orsay, the morning after "The Earl of Pawtucket" opened in New York, was entering the- Lambs' Club just as George Broadhurst, the playwright, was leaving. "Well, D'Orsay," said" Broadhurst, "I see you are getting up in the world. Allow me to congratulate you on your success." To which D'Orsay replied : "Ah, thanks old chap; ya-as, I'm getting to the top of the heap at least, I fawncy." "Yes," said Broadhurst, pointing across the street to a halfsheet poster bearing D'Orsay's name, "I see your name posted on the ash barrels." D'Orsay's English sense of humour struggled with th® remark for a moment. Then he murmured, "Ash barrel — top of heap — aw, ya-as, I see. Ha ha! Good wheeze, old chap. 1 shall have to write that home."