WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 61

WELLINGTON WING WHISPERS

"■* Bt P. Xourrxfc.

June 30. Dear Pasquin.—Another we-ek that has witnessed continued prosperity for the treasury of J. C. "Williamson's Dramatic Company at the Opera House, and furthtsr additions to th© laurels won by Mks Tittell Bi-une. Large attendances of patrons have greeted the uprising of tho curtain every night, and tho nicre our piavgoers and critics have seen of the ycung Ameiicainne's actirg tho more they have become enamoured of her. As i have already intimated, that she is an actress with rare talent and exceptional versatility ia. undoubted We have now seal her a3 a boy in "L'Aiglon," as Juliet in Shake&pears's nasterpiece of tragic love, and ps Sunday, the Blet Harteian heroine of a mining camp, arid on each, tippearatic© she lias been equally successful. "Sanday," the comedy drama produced sines- last I wrote you, is a. powerful play, with much dramatic action in it, stirring scenes, a great blend of laughter and tears, and a quartet of characters which might easily have stepped out. of TSret Harte's very best works, with all the originality and vigour of the heroes of a Roaiing Camp. Last night w# hadl a further change of bill, Miss Bruiie appealing sis Theodore, -Empress of the East, m <* play "bearing th*t title. 33Je<re, again, the young artiste .scowd n triumphant success, and the tragedy, which had 1 never before been piayed in our city, was full of all the colour and glamour of the gorgeous East. W* have had something- in the nature of a sensation in musical circles during *he week, owing to an incident which was for a. few days the talk of the town. The story in brief "is ihat ilr A. S. Ballance. a young Wellingtonian, who has a very promising baritone voice, was engaged to ping the part of Mephistcplicles in the Musical Union's production of "Falist" in th« Town Hall last week. He did his, work exceptionally well. The union, at sh^rt notice, decided to repeat "Faust" on Monday night owing to the great success of its first- production.. When Mr B-allance was communicated with regarding the ]&petition, he informed the secretary that it was his intention to charge double tho amount of his fe/> paid lot the first production (sgs). The secretary replied ihat Mr Frank Graham {Faust) _ and Miss Eosina, Buckman flttaxgharita) were einging at the repetition, for half the fee charged originally. Mr Ballance replied that they could do so if they liked— that was their business —but he had mo intention of singing fox less than lOgs. The t-xecu'tive of the union heid a special meeting to consider this development, and decided that, rather than pay Mr Bailance what they considered an exorbitant fee, they would cancel the engagement. So "Faust" was not repeated on Monday night, and young Bsl.'ance. who was indebted mainly to Mr Robert Parker (the union's conductor) fcr his '^bringing- out" a® a soloist, was probably the rucst surprised mtui in Wellington when he btard th& executive's decision. There was some newspaper correspondence on the subject, Mir BaJlance declaring that it was a matter of principle, not principal, that induced him to take the stand he took. He objected to sing for a mere sgs when Mir Graham leceived 30gs. The retort of the union's secretary (Mr A. M. Lewis) •was that lUr Ballance, who is an amateur pure and simple, nxed his own fee ai sg», and that Mi- Graham' aaid Miss Buckm&D were professionals, who depended upon their,, earnings as musicians for their living, and had to pay living and travelling expeaisM <nrt of their fee 3, whilst Mr Ballance "was a resident of the city. Friend Bert Royie has just returned' to Wellington after a visit to Auckland, where be had what lie calls the pleasure of seeing and heating the Hill-Birch, open.,, " A Moorish Maid." He waxes- enthusiastic in his appreciation of the work of the two New Zealand^rs. Thera ar«. he cays, great possibilities m the Maid when, as is the case with all operas and plays, it has been "touched up" and revised. Th« "book," which was written by Mr Birch —an Auckland pressman, by the way, who is coming to Wellington to join the literary staff of the Tflcw Zealand Timesis exceptionally goodl, but wants some ''build-ing-up," especially in its coniadv parts, before the opera,can "be added to the repertoire ot n professional company. The rnu&io impressed the- experienced theatrical manager as being "great," rising to grand opera standard in parts, especially in the music written for the leading lady (Miss Lilian Tree). It is a legitimate corndo opera, and 1 does not descend to the musical comedy class. Considering that it was ft local production, the dressing and the scenery were remarkably good, and Mr Will Diamond, a young painter, achieved success in catching tha spirit and the colour of the East in the stage pictures. The chorus was well balanced, and the opera made, as it de-served to niaike, a decided hit. The box plan-booking for the whole season was the biggest ever experienced for an aniatewr production in the Queen City of the North. All this is jleiightjul ne\ra fox YTellingtoiiisns, for

rha composer, Mr Alfred Hill, is of our city

Fullei's Entertainers have been doing good business at His Majesty's Theatre duung the ■week.

Mx Bert Eoyle, -who is Mr J. 0. Williamson's Tej>. in Kaw Zealand, received-; ■word from his chief this week regarding th condition of three notable invalids ou the 22nd ii st. Mr Julms Knight was then out of bed, but not out of the hospital ; Mr Pete Hughes, although up and -taking the sun, was still very ill; and Miss Rose Musgrove, who was laid aside with typhoid' fever, was progressing towards recovery. All three patients were in private hospitais. Next Tuesday a party of Wellington amateurs are to give a production of Gilbeit's three-act eccentricity "A Wedding March," for charity's sake, in the Theatre Eoyal. Mr W. D. Lyon will be the stage manager. His sou is in the daste. so is a son of the Premier.